The Truth of Bonds and Friendship

by Gadman85

First published 27th of June, 2013

Naruko (Female Naruto) thought she knew a bit about these bonds the Hokage always talked about. However when she tries a mysterious Jutsu. She is sent to a new land where she learns the truth. Naruto and MLP crossover.

Naruko (Female Naruto) thought she knew a bit about these bonds the Hokage always talked about. However when she tries a mysterious Jutsu she is sent to a new land. In this new land, she will come to learn the truth about friendship and bonds, and at the same time realize she had no idea about such things before in her life.

She will learn a lot from this land and make friends while she and the others go on adventures and learn more about Equestria's past in the process. She and Twilight will also learn of a threat which puts all of Equestria in danger. Naruko will do all she can with the others to save their home, but what of Konoha? Will she return there? Will she even ever want to go back? This will have to be seen as the story unfolds.

Naruto and My Little Pony crossover.

Naruko’s Tale Begins

Fires and explosions could be seen all across Konoha as a giant nine tailed fox attacked the ninjas, who were bravely defending their home from the tailed beast. Far from the ruckus, a blonde haired new born girl was fast asleep, as only a new born could be after finally coming into the world. A red haired woman lay down next to the baby girl exhausted, and angry at herself for not being able to keep the masked man from extracting the nine tailed beast from its seal.

“I will always love you Naruko, even if it must be from another plane of existence. Please forgive me. Your mother couldn't do anything to keep this from happening.” The red haired woman then hugged her baby girl tightly; hoping things would somehow work out for the best despite evidence to the contrary as tears rolled down her face.

A masked man was just defeated badly by a young blonde haired Hokage. The masked man called himself Madara and he wasn't dead; in fact he was far from dead. However even with his plan having mostly worked, he wasn't in the position he wished for at the moment.

Madara glared at Minato Namikaze, though the Hokage couldn't see it due to the mask the man wore. “Well it seems you are actually decently talented… Hokage…” The masked man said with obvious spite as he stood up and faced the young ninja leader.

Minato was ready to make his move. The fox had already done more than enough damage to his village and loyal ninjas. Minato didn’t say a word as he quickly rushed towards the masked man, only for the man to once again phase through him.

Minato was ready for this. The blonde man was just about to activate his jutsu to catch the man unaware when suddenly the man disappeared completely. Minato stared for only a couple of seconds at the man’s last position.

He then used his Flying Thunder God technique to teleport directly to the man. Minato would have sighed in relief, but this wasn't the time. Minato charged the surprised masked man and used a seal to sever the man’s connection to the Kyuubi.

Madara disappeared again once the connection was broken.

Minato would have chased him, but he now had to face a pissed off being with the power of a deity. Minato knew he only had one option now. The blonde man was frowning at the nine tailed fox as he summoned the Shinigami, so he could use the ultimate seal to save his village, while also condemning his new born daughter to a tough life. Before he could finish his deed, the masked man once again appeared in front of him holding the girl in his arms.

“Let’s see how you handle this.” The masked man said in a calm voice, which nevertheless conveyed his contempt for the blonde man, who defeated him with seemingly little effort. Madara threw the child in front of the raging beast.

The fox wanted to kill anything human, he could. The beast lost in its rage, didn't even care if the human was a new born baby or not.

Minato quickly got in front of the beast to protect his daughter. However to his and the masked man’s surprise, he wasn't the only one.

They have said many times before never to underestimate what a mother will do for her child. Kushina, the red haired woman from before, despite her condition found the strength and speed to help shelter her child from certain death as the fox made to stab the infant with a claw tip. This allowed Minato the opportunity to finish the seal as more ninja appeared next to them.

Madara left right then and there. He was an Uchiha and strong, but even he knew he couldn't take on the entire remaining Konoha ninja force, especially in his current condition.

Sarutobi, the third Hokage stared as he barely heard Minato say to him. “I want Naruko to be seen as a hero that saves the village every day she lives.”

As the light of life slowly faded from the fourth Hokage’s eyes, the third could only say to himself, “I will do what I can to meet your wish.”

As soon as the old man muttered those words to himself, the beast howled in pain as it was sucked into the seal Minato made. An identical seal appeared on the infant’s stomach. Her two parents mentally promised they would always love her, and watch over her the best they could from the other side as they died. The girl would be clueless as to what all her parents did for the village that day for a very long time.

{-} {-} {-}

If only things had turned out better, then maybe Konoha would have lived up to the Fourth Hokage’s last wish. However, once one dies their will no longer matters much anymore. Those that had lost loved ones and seen the destruction to their village chose to take out their anger on the little girl, who wouldn't even know her parents growing up.

Fortunately the Hokage placed a law that said those who speak of the incident in public would suffer death, as would any who actually harmed her. After all, if she died before the seal was finalized it would only unleash the Kyuubi once more he was pretty sure. The old man hoped that they would never have to actually kill her, but you never know and it was his job to place the village’s safety above all else.

Unfortunately for the Hokage’s Law, humans are clever when they wish to be. The citizens of Konoha found other ways to make the girl’s life horrible. They only tried to attack the girl a couple of times, but quickly discovered she had guards from ANBU following her around secretly.

The ANBU (ninja black ops group), never directly involved their selves in the girl’s life. They too had a small amount of hatred towards her, but they were professionals, and knew the Hokage’s wish was their command. The Ninjas would stay hidden until someone showed signs of being violent towards the girl, but that was the only time they would interfere.

The citizens would instead of attacking her directly, harm her indirectly. They would sneer, whisper about her, call her names, and make her life as miserable as they could without crossing the line. As a result of their actions, Naruko Uzumaki grew up alone and hated by others without even knowing why they hated her.

Naruko's life as a young child was horrible. She was kicked out of the orphanage at the age of six, and forced to live on the streets alone. She survived on what she could find in the garbage, which wasn't much. She was friendless, and either hated or feared by the children her age.

One night shortly after she was kicked out, Naruko found herself starving to death slowly. She kept asking herself, “Why me? What did I do to anger them so much…?”

The ninja watching her were very strict to their orders. They just let her starve in the streets. They were told to keep the citizens from attacking her, not to actually take care of her. They knew they would get in trouble, but they felt, a certain sick joy as the girl starved before their eyes.

The girl laid there in the street, her eyes barely seeing what was going on around her. She wondered why those masked ninjas, who would jump out to save her from the villagers, just sat there as she starved. Her vision started to blacken on the edges as she felt herself slipping away.

As Naruko faded into darkness, she found herself in what looked like a sewer. She looked around curiously before standing and walking forward.

After she walked for what felt like hours, she found herself in front of a giant cage. She starred at the cage wondering what it meant, and what was behind it. She heard a snarl from the cage, and saw steam furrow from between the bars.

“Pathetic! My host is this weak? She lets something as simple as hunger, end her life?!” A deep, almost demonic voice said from behind the bars.

Naruko backed up a few steps and said in defense, “There isn't anything I can do about it… Scraps from trash can only take you so far.” She saw a giant crimson eye stare at her from behind the bars with something akin to interest. It was as if the thing saw past her, and knew what she could become.

“Foolish humans… Not teaching their young how to hunt anymore. Your kind has grown too accustomed to the easy life it seems.”

The being came into view. Naruko gasped as she saw the fox fully stand before her, hundreds of questions were running through her mind.

The fox gave a low chuckle. “Well aren't you full of questions? I can tell by the look in your eyes. However… now is not the time for questions. I refuse to let my host die like this.” The fox grinned and a warm rush of wind blasted forward at the unsuspecting girl.

Naruko then felt something cover her body. She awoke to see a red chakra surrounding her. She looked around scared, but felt her hunger leave her and life energy return to her.

The ninjas watching her quickly sent someone to get the Hokage. Sooner than expected, the aged leader appeared in front of the girl as the chakra receded and she collapsed to the ground.

Sarutobi was glad to see the chakra leave the girl. He figured Minato’s seal did its job. The man then looked to the guards and gave them a glare.

The two ninja knew they were in trouble and immediately started working on their defense. Sarutobi then took the girl to the hospital to have her examined, and to make sure nothing happened to the important seal.

{-} {-} {-}

After that night, Naruko was given a rundown apartment and a stipend to live off until she could earn her own way. The stipend wasn't great, nor was it small, truthfully it was more than enough for a child to live off of and grow up more or less healthy though.

Once she had money, the store owners quickly caught on and either refused her service, or would jack up the price on whatever she purchased for her alone. Most times they gave the lamest of excuses, and didn’t even try to hide they were made up and pointless. To them, it was another way to let her know what they thought of her, and how she was powerless to do anything about it.

The girl would have no choice but to wear her clothing until it was in tatters because of this, and even then she would salvage the fabric to use for repairs on new clothing whenever she got some. The only time she ever received any small kindness was from merchants passing through on business. They would give her good deals on items they knew would never sale. Considering it was their living at stake, this was more or less saintly compared to what she received from her own village, and she did get the best deals ever from them in her mind.

The best bargain she ever received was an orange jumpsuit. The thing was very durable and had many pockets on it. The fact it was a very bright and annoying orange to others made it a plus.

She had taken to acting out as a means of calling for attention. After all, you couldn't just ignore a ‘demon brat’ that wore a bright orange outfit with one of the loudest voices you could find now could you?

Despite what others thought, she was actually clever and intelligent over all, but still barely got by at first in her life. Fortunately at night, she would meet with the fox inside of her mindscape.

She was scared at first of the beast, but soon the two found a way to coexist with each other. They were stuck with one another, so they decided they might as well make the best of it.

Kyuubi would teach her how to hunt and defend herself during these nightly meetings. She of course had to make some modifications to his teachings, since she was human and not a fox herself. However, the lessons were always insightful despite this small disconnect.

She also ‘liberated’ some clothing she could use for hunting in the forested areas around Konoha. She liked orange as a color, but she knew it wasn't the best camouflage unless she went for deer. Since the only deer in the area belonged to the Nara clan, they were out of the question. She may be hated and she may sometimes scavenge clothing and such, but she wasn't a criminal and she refused to give in and become one.

{-} {-} {-}

As Naruko grew older, she enrolled in the ninja academy. She learned lots of new and exciting things, but many of the teachers would try to hinder her growth. Naruko noticed this and soon started acting as the dumb blonde girl that only cared about pranking and sleeping in classes.

She did this for two reasons. The first was because she knew how important it was for the future ninjas, her classmates, to learn what they could. This was something she quickly picked up on when she sometimes visited the old Hokage in his office. She decided she would act like nothing got through to her in class.

As a result of this, her classmates wouldn't be hindered along with her. It worked, so the teachers would just label her as an “idiot demon brat, that would die quickly after becoming a ninja.” She even started a rivalry with the so called "Elite Uchiha" in her class. This would provide further proof she was just some dumb kid that didn't know what she was doing in the eyes of the instructors.

The second reason she did this was to learn without the teachers knowing she was learning. She had quickly become very good at fooling others. It was due to circumstance really. If they just saw her idiot side, the citizens wouldn't glare at her as much. This allowed her a small amount of freedom and comfort. She used her acting skills in class by pretending to be asleep during lessons.

A few people saw through this trick of her's but not many. The main person seeing the truth was one of her instructors, Iruka.

The two started off on bad terms, like she did with all the teachers. Unlike the others, Iruka eventually saw her as a kid that wanted attention. Having been through a similar situation himself when he was younger, he understood her to a certain extent.

He could empathize with her on some level because of his past. Plus having the Hokage tell him, in person this was the case, made it even clearer to him.

Naruko still kept up her act in his classes purely to keep face. If she acted different in his class, the others might figure something out and adjust accordingly.

Another person was a fellow instructor named Mizuki. He didn't really bring much attention to it though, and usually seemed a bit strained as he tried to act nice towards her. She knew he didn't really mean it, but she was thankful he at least tried to make an effort to treat her as another ‘little brat’ he had to teach, instead of the ‘Demon Brat’.

The blonde girl's life wasn't great. In fact, it was pretty horrible, but she was always optimistic that as she grew up, the villagers would see her as Naruko Uzumaki, a Konoha Kunoichi. If they didn't… Well once she became Hokage they wouldn't have a choice, and would have to accept her anyways, so it wouldn't matter.

One surprising plus in her life, was the nine tailed fox had trusted her with his true name, Kurama. Over the years as he kept training her, he came to have a slight fondness for her, and he shared his real name with her. Naruko knew how important of a gesture it was to be trusted with a tailed beasts’ true name, so the two of them grew closer because of this.

{-} {-} {-}

Her life wasn't great, but it also could have been much worse she knew. Her life wasn't without incident though. She had many close shaves with the villagers. She guessed her ‘guards’ decided, because she was in the academy they didn't need to pay much attention to her anymore. She was being trained after all. As a result, she had to actually fight a time or two to save her own life.

For the most part, Naruko usually made it through life rather well. However, the worst incident happened shortly after her twelfth birthday.

She was growing up faster than usual for one her age, especially one as physically active as she was. Kurama had told her it was a side effect from when he used his chakra to save her from starvation. She knew she would grow to be a beautiful Kunoichi, but so did a rather unsavory few individuals. One of them was actually rather strong, and while not a ninja, he was trained in how to fight.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko sighed as she walked back from an academy training ground at night alone like always. It wasn't something she was happy about, but it also didn't really scare her like it should. Naruko walked along the lonely night streets like usual, and felt a little relieved. In the day when the streets were busy, she could feel the glares and hatred from everyone. At night, she didn't feel any such things.

The young blonde girl, lost in her own thoughts, failed to notice the man following her from a safe distance. She also failed to notice he was slowly closing in on her. When she finally noticed someone following her, she had just turned into an alley wanting them to follow her.

She was quickly ready for him, and attacked first as he appeared in the back alley in front of her. She figured this was a rather stupid civilian to try and take her on alone. She was surprised when he managed to counter her attack. Civilians had fought back before with little result, but this man knew what he was doing.

She threw a fist again, which he once again countered. She wasn't so sure of herself now, but she knew the guards would soon step in to help her. They just had to do it. She didn't think they would let this man have his way with her, and make her a ‘woman’ here in a back public alley.

She realized too late how wrong she was. That night the guards watching over her were part of the select few, which still truly held something against her left in the shinobi forces. Most had come to respect her a little bit and realized she might very well end up being a comrade, but the guards tonight decided they really didn't care what the pervert did to her. They would do their duty and keep her alive if needed, but that was about it.

Her eyes widened as the muscular man soon over powered her. Usually Kurama would step in and help at this point, but they had made a pact he would keep his help to a minimum. The two made this pact because they didn't want her turning into a Jinchuriki that relied on his power alone.

Naruko continued to struggle under the man’s hold and mentally cried, knowing it was just her luck this had to happen when she was as vulnerable as she could be. The man gave a twisted lecherous smile and said softly in her ears, “You may fight now but you will come to enjoy it. I promise you.”

He ripped off her top exposing her chest, and was working on her pants when her fingers found something she could use to defend herself. She grabbed a hard sharp piece of metal and slit his throat. The man stared in disbelief as his fingers uselessly tried to stop the bleeding. His blood poured on to her face and upper body as life finally left him, and his body slumped lifelessly on top of her.

She shoved his body off and stood up with a wild look in her eyes as she breathed heavily. It was then that Kurama spoke to her in her mind, “Sorry kid but you insisted on using the blood pact, claiming I might otherwise be tempted to help you, and thus defeat the purpose of this stage of training. I couldn’t do anything about it until you were actually on the brink of death.”

“It isn’t your fault, Kurama…” she thought to him in reply. She sent a glare at the two guards, who just watched with uncaring eyes as the scene played out in front of them. However the condition she was in, and the fact she knew exactly where they were, made the aftermath one of the most unsettling sights they had seen in a while.

The guards while protecting her would let her train in peace in her training ground. They instead kept an eye on the perimeter in case someone got smart, because of this she developed her powers and abilities without them knowing what she was capable of doing.

Her eyes grew wilder as her hatred coursed through her, and she was about to attack when the Hokage appeared on the scene. He gave a sad face as he tossed the girl his cloak. “I’m sorry, Naruko. I was in an important meeting. I couldn't check up on you like I do when I feel something’s amiss.” The wild look, left her eyes as her grandfather figure gave her a slight hug. She didn't cry. She had run out of tears long ago in her life. She instead simply soaked in the small comfort offered her.

Four ninjas appeared behind him with the two guards secured and cuffed. “Send those two to Ibiki. I want to hear their lousy reasons for their actions tonight as well as the truth.” He ordered in his gruff voice. The four ninjas nodded, and all six disappeared in a pile of leaves.

The aged leader offered his hand to the blonde girl, and escorted her home where she cleaned up and changed clothes. Once she was cleaned and changed, he took her to Ichiraku’s and treated her to her favorite meal of ramen. He was hoping to ease her mind and apologize to her for the night. He did all of this in the hopes of keeping her trust in their relationship.

The next day after Sarutobi heard the captives’ excuses, he had them executed for their lack of oversight at what might actually happen if she hadn't killed the man herself, and he went through with his plans. ‘She wants to be Kunoichi and will most likely be raped in the future. So we thought it good that she go through it now when she won’t actually die, and learn to deal with it.’ They claimed.

This flawed logic wasn't a good enough reason to leave a young twelve year old at the mercy of a pedophile. Let alone risk the village’s safety in case she lost control and unleashed the Kyuubi on them all, or willingly did this as a result of her suffering.

The child was amazing to have put up with all she had from the village as it was. This was part of the reason Sarutobi half believed she may make her dreams of being Hokage come true one day. She did have the will power and determination needed down already.

{-} {-} {-}

It was a few months after that night and Naruko sat by herself on top of the Hokage monument like she usually did. She liked the view from up here. It always soothed her to look at the night sky. She was currently excited about the upcoming exams, for graduation.

She had failed the last two times because of the stupid clone jutsu. Her clones always came out looking like something someone stepped in. She knew why this happened, but it still disgusted her.

The fox told her it was because she had too much chakra due to his presence. He told her there were other clones she could probably use with no problem, but he didn't know how to do them. He never needed to make any before in his long life, and he wasn't human so he didn't have the knowledge for such techniques.

Naruko, ever hopeful, just knew this would be the time she could pass and join a ninja team finally. She didn't know why it would work out this time. She just knew it had to work out this time. The twelve year old girl would then start her journey to becoming Hokage, and forcing acceptance from those around her. She started day dreaming about being Hokage like she usually did when she thought about this.

It wasn't too long into her day dream when she felt a presence in the back of her mind, and heard a low rumbling chuckle. “You really want to be accepted by these foolish beings that badly?” The beast said to her through their connection.

“I will protect them and this village so they have to acknowledge me. Kurama you know this.” Naruko said back to him in her mind. Though he had trusted her with his true name she only used it when needed, or if she was serious. She was serious this time, and didn't like him laughing at her dream like that. She had trained hard for it during her free time, and she would continue to do so until she was Hokage. Not even that night would keep her down or change her mind.

She could tell the fox had narrowed his eyes at her as he next mentally spoke, “Why do you care for these idiots? They show no regard for you or your life. They aren't worth saving. And don’t even think about saying your classmates do care and you will stand by them. You know as well as I do they wouldn't want anything to do with you outside of missions. Even on missions they would only do what was minimally necessary.”

Naurko’s blue eyes turned a little darker at his words. She knew he was right deep down. She also knew with time they might see her and respect her as a fellow ninja though. “With time they will come around. I will just have to prove myself to them. It’s only normal that you have to prove yourself to others before they see you as a friend, or care the slightest for you.” She answered him.

The fox sighed. “It is not normal… But you are right about that with time statement, I suppose. Still they don’t deserve any thought from you.” Knowing their discussion wouldn't go anywhere, the fox broke their connection as the two bid each other goodnight. It was late and she needed to get up early tomorrow for the graduation exam, so she headed home for bed.

She looked back at the monument as she made her way home in thought. She had toyed with the idea of doing one last prank using the Hokage monument, but she had lost interest in such things recently. No one appreciated the humor, and the other ninjas she had to avoid afterward were all too easy to evade now. Even then she knew Iruka would find her somehow, and she would have to clean up after herself.

Naruko decided she would let up on the pranking for now at least. She was that sure she would pass her test, even if she couldn't do the clones correctly. Also she would rather start off on a better foot, than she would if she had done a master prank involving the Hokage monument before her exams.

{-} {-} {-}

The next day Naruko made it to class on time for the first time in her life it seemed. Her look of determination caught several students off guard as she entered through the open window. She heard a scoff from a dark haired boy nearby, “Even the idiot blonde girl made it on time for once. Not sure why. You won’t pass.” The boy smirked at her, “Unless maybe they let you pass out of pity, and let nature take its course while you're on a mission.”

“Shut up Sasuke. I don’t have time to argue with your brooding ass. I will pass this test! You better believe it!” Naruko said to him before finding a seat as far away from him as possible. She knew the fan girl duo would arrive soon, and nothing good ever came of that in the near vicinity of Sasuke.

As if on cue, Ino Yamanaka (loud mouth blonde according to Sasuke) and Sakura Haruno (pink haired banshee according to most) arrived in their usual fashion, and as always argued over who got the seat next to Sasuke. Naruko began to have doubts about the future of Konoha if these two girls became Kunoichi. She had tried to straighten them out, but they accused her of trying to steal Sasuke from them by distracting them with less important matters, like being a real Kunoichi.

Finally everyone calmed down as Iruka and Mizuki walked into the room and prepared to start the graduation exam. The first portion was the written portion. Naruko hated these written exams. They were always oddly worded and twisted in some fashion as a means to try and trick the students.

She did manage to answer them eventually. Kurama even helped from time to time. Since he was a fox he was a master of deception and cunning, so he saw through to the real question. The fox didn't have to help much truthfully, and only did so because he wouldn't stand for his Host to fail her ninja test a third time.

Next the students trooped outside for the hand to hand combat test. Naruko had to face Mizuki and managed to surprise everyone with her ability. It wasn't really the best in their class or anything, but it was very decent and she usually wasn't anywhere near this good with martial arts in lessons. Iruka smiled at Naruko as she finished and went to wait with the others.

Shikamaru, a classmate of her's with black hair tied to look like a pineapple, lazily walked over to her. He leaned against the wall next to her and raised an eyebrow at her. “Finally shedding the idiot act, Naruko? This will be troublesome.”

Naruko just looked at him surprised. She didn't know how he figured it out. She then remembered he had the highest IQ in their class. He was just a lazy bum most of the time. Okay maybe all of the time... unless his mother pressed him on something.

Naruko shook her head to clear it before saying, “Maybe just a little bit. After all I really want to pass this time.”

Shikamaru just turned back and continued waiting for his turn. He was thinking over things in his head as he waited. He knew the only reason he saw through her act was because she, Choji, Kiba, and him used to skip class together. He knew her just a little bit more than the others did. She was still a big mystery though. One he couldn't figure out right away like he did most of everything else. This annoyed and intrigued him to no end.

{-} {-} {-}

Finally, the students waited in the classroom as the final portion of the exam began. They were called into a separate room one at a time where they would have to preform three jutsus.

There were a total of four possible techniques they might have to perform. The transformation, where they would cast an illusion to look like someone else. The replacement, where they replaced their self with an item of some kind. The clone, Which required them to cast three illusions of their self. Finally there was the Rope Escape.

The instructors would draw three slips of paper from a box once the student entered. Naruko could do three no problem. So as long as she wasn't asked to do the clone jutsu she would be good. She also hoped maybe she did well enough on the other portions, they would settle for a best two out of three in the jutsu portion if she had to do the clone.

Naruko watched as several hopefuls entered the room and fewer came back out. Those who failed were told they could try again next year, unless it was their third failure, or if they wanted they could stop the program, and find a civilian job to their liking. After hearing their options they were asked to leave through a different door. Naruko gulped as her name drew nearer to being called.

After what seemed like forever, she was finally called. She was nervous, but also relieved. She didn't have to listen to Sakura and a couple of other girls going on and on about how they passed their test. They made a show of their success trying to get Sasuke’s attention.

The whole scene sickened Naruko. She understood they were interested in boys, she was even a little bit curious herself, but there was a time and place for such things, and being a ninja required that you know this. All of the other girls didn't seem to understand this as they constantly chased after Sasuke, despite his lack of interest in them.

She stepped inside and Iruka spoke to her, “Alright Naruko you know how this works. Mizuki-sensei will be drawing for you.” She nodded and waited her fate.

“Alright your first one is the transformation jutsu. Use Iruka’s image here.” Mizuki said to her as Iruka stood up.

Naruko made the hand signs and said, “Transformation jutsu!” There was a puff of smoke, and where the blonde girl with long twin tails and deep blue eyes once stood; there was now a perfect copy of Iruka. It was an exact match to the man. She even got the spiky parts of his brown ponytail correct.

“Good.” Said both instructors together. Next she had to do the rope escape jutsu. Mizuki said he had to tie her up so he would be sure the rope was tied correctly. She escaped in a puff of smoke using the jutsu with no problem. Again both instructors said, “Good.”

Naruko was excited now, but even more nervous. She only had one more to go and she would be a ninja! When she heard Mizuki call out the last one she frowned before collecting herself, and doing what she could. Hoping beyond hope she would somehow do it correctly this one time.

“Clone Jutsu!” She shouted after using the right signs. Three poofs were made next to her. The instructors frowned. There were three washed out sagging clones next to Naruko.

“That isn't good enough. Try again.” Mizuki told her. She tried again three more times; each group came out worse than the previous. Mizuki shook his head. “You fail Naruko…”

Naruko’s head sunk. She then asked, “But didn't I do well enough on the rest of the test? I got two of them right, and I can do the replacement….”

“Sorry Naruko… But even with your decent test scores, your grades from the rest of the year matter, and you needed to pass this portion to get it.” Mizuki said not really sounding sorry at all.

Iruka frowned and was about to say something when she interrupted him, “I can do another jutsu that isn't one of the four!” She didn't want to show them this jutsu yet, because they would wonder how she was able to already use wind nature chakra jutsus. She had learned them from her lessons with Kurama along with fire nature jutsus.

She knew there would be many questions and concerns about this if they found out. But at this moment she wasn't thinking about the repercussions it would have. All she cared about was finally passing the exams and graduating. Besides, if she failed it would be her third strike and she wasn't sure what she would do then.

Iruka frowned deeper at her, “Naruko, if we allowed that then those from ninja families would have an unfair advantage. They already have some of one as it is. There is a reason these four are selected.” He said to her.

“If we let academy students pick which three techniques they want, then it would defeat the purpose of this exam. Ninjas need to be able to adapt and show they can use the most basic moves.” Mizuki added.

“Okay…” she said as she left out the side door with her head hanging. Kurama left her to herself. He knew she needed time to figure things out, and he was still in need of some deep rest after her last training session. It wasn't easy for him to keep the ramen eating machine in tip top shape with all she put herself through while training.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko was now sitting in the woods at the spot she needed to for finishing the secret test Mizuki told her about after everyone left for the day. She would have normally been suspicious of this whole set up, but she was so eager and excited to find out she still had a chance.

Kurama finally stopped resting and he found her reading an important looking scroll. He didn't know what was going on, but chose to stay silent and see how things played out. Besides if anything got too bad he would step up and help her.

She looked through the scroll and easily learned the first jutsu listed. It was called the Shadow Clone Jutsu. This clone actually required a lot of chakra, and the more you put in the better it was. It was so easy compared to the others, she wondered why it was forbidden. She tried it and cheered when she saw a copy of herself that she could actually touch and feel.

She then looked down to the next jutsu on the list. It was called the Ultimate Escape Jutsu. It had a little warning next to it saying while it could escape anything. It only worked on this planet and the user couldn't pick where they were sent. The jutsu seemed to send the user to some place that was random but still safe. She thought the bit about only working on this planet was a stupid joke some bored Hokage came up with for the hell of it.

She had been waiting for a really long time now and decided to give it a try herself, thinking it would probably only take her someplace nearby. She did the signs after practicing them and then shouted, “Ultimate Escape Jutsu!” And then she vanished not noticing the Hokage’s eyes as he watched her disappear after using the jutsu.

The third Hokage was on his way to tell her she had actually passed the exams after all. They discovered Mizuki hanging around the Hokage tower and one of his ANBU heard the man say to himself in disbelief, “That little demon bitch did it! I’m glad I fixed her results from her test to make sure she would have to complete the jutsu portion, and made sure she got her worst jutsu last. Master Orochimaru will be glad I got him that scroll, and I’m sure he’ll love to have a new toy to experiment on that’s more durable than the others.”

After the ANBU recovered from his shock at the man’s idiocy, he quickly captured the man and turned him over to a very happy Ibiki. He still couldn't believe the man talked to himself without making sure he was alone first. Once Sarutobi heard of this news he asked for her test, and had it graded correctly in front of him. She had passed just barely, even with her failure at the clone jutsu.

Sarutobi sighed as he watched her disappear before his eyes, “Looks like I’ll have to get Jiraiya to look into this matter along with some others if that man is involved. We can’t lose her, both because of her prisoner and her parents’ legacy.” He shook his head knowing it would be a long night. The aged Hokage had no idea just how far away the girl would travel, nor did he know what she had become.

{-} {-} {-}

In the land of Equestria far away, Princess Celestia was relaxing after a long day of court duties and some time with her student Twilight Sparkle. Of the two she very much preferred the time she spent with Twilight. The young pony was always eager to learn and very capable with unicorn magic. She had also come to see the purple unicorn as a sort of daughter over the years, despite the girl having a wonderful family that loved her already.

The Pony’s entrance exam was very surprising, despite having to hatch a dragon egg. Celestia still wondered why they actually expected her to hatch a dragon’s egg. The power to do such a thing was very rare in even the most gifted of unicorns.

Usually the panel would just use it as a test to see the potential a unicorn had. Casting the spell to hatch the egg made the magic in a unicorn visible and easy to read to the judges’ eyes. Of course the judges usually tried to psyche the hopeful out, and see how determined they were as well as the power they had. However, for some reason the three judges actually expected Twilight to hatch it this time around.

The Alicron princess sighed to herself, and was thankful it turned out the judges were new and misinformed once the investigation of the matter was completed. She still thought it should have been rather obvious what the true purpose of the test was to them.

In the end though it didn't matter, not only had Twilight hatched the egg. She also metamorphosed her parents in to plants, levitated the judges, and grew the baby dragon to full size. The princess chuckled to herself as she remembered how much of a surprise the scene caused everyone.

Hatching a dragon egg wasn't easy. If it was, there would be several unicorns with baby dragon assistants running around Canterlot. In fact, each student at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns would have one.

Princess Celestia sighed thinking of the name once again. She still wished they would change the name of the school to something shorter.

However the most amazing thing was, Twilight still had the magical energy to do the other three things as well, all of which were just as equally difficult. The additional aura and glowing eyes, showing off the filly’s magic signature, only emphasized she needed special care and attention. The wise princess did the most logical of things by taking the young filly under her wing. The fact she was also happy and excited to have a personal student again was a bonus.

Celestia stood up and got ready for bed after she stared out into the night sky and the moon, as she did every night before she finally went to sleep. As she contemplated the moon, she felt a tremendous burst of magic coming from the old ancient castle. Celestia sighed knowing it was probably going to be a long night and an even longer day tomorrow.

“Guards.” She called. Two white male Pegasus ponies in gold armor entered the room.

“Yes. Princess?” The one on the left asked.

“I need to check on something. Make sure nothing happens while I am gone. I should be back later tonight.” The Princess said before opening her wings and jumping out the window. She wasn't sure what happened as she soared to the old castle. She just hoped it wouldn't be too troublesome.

{-} {-} {-}

Somewhere far away from Konoha, Naruko was passed out on the floor of an ancient looking castle. In the middle of the grand hall, where she lay, there was a pedestal with five stone globes surrounding a larger one raised above the others. There were vines all along the walls and columns of the hall, and in the back two thrones stood next to each other. One throne was made of white marble with an engraved sun. The other throne was made of black granite with an engraved moon.

Naruko slowly got up feeling a bit dizzy and looked around where she landed. The first and only thought that came to her mind was, “Where the heck am I?!” Little did she know a new life had just started for her. A life that would show her what friendship and bonds really meant.

A New Land and a New Beginning

Naruko looked around and slowly got up not realizing she had changed, or she was standing on all fours. She looked around and asked aloud to herself, “Where the Heck Am I?” She seemed to be in some ancient stone throne room. She took a step forward to only fall back down to the ground.

She blinked and looked down wondering why she didn't just stand up on her own legs. Her face showed surprise as she exclaimed, “What the Heck?! Are these hooves?” She looked herself over more, or the best she could from where she was plopped down on the ground.

She managed to again stand up and decided to try and move again. “Easy does it Naruko think of it as crawling. You can do this.” She encouraged herself as she slowly moved around, and over to what looked like some kind of old cracked mirror. She found it easier moving as she made her way to it. Thinking of it as similar to crawling was working for her.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked like some kind of pony creature with her deep sapphire blue eyes. She also thought it rather quiet. She had expected to hear Kurama say something to her by now. She would have thought more on the subject, but she then noticed a horn in the middle of her forehead.

“Is that a horn?! What in the world is this?” She yelled, and this time there was a response in a voice that, while familiar, seemed a little different.

“It seems the Ultimate Escape Jutsu was more ultimate than you thought. I guess now we know why it had that note mentioning it could only be used on that planet. I never thought there would be a jutsu that would place you on a new planet, but it seems that is the case.”

The voice was still deep, but not as much as she remembered hearing it inside her head. However, this voice wasn't inside her head at all, in fact it came from behind her.

“Kurama?! Was that you? Where are you?” Naruko asked looking around expecting to see a giant looming fox behind her that she somehow missed earlier.

“Down here.” Said the fox from below.

Naruko’s eyes bulged as she looked down, and saw a normal fox with dark red fur covering his body. He had white fur on the tip of his tail and part of his face, along with his underside. The fox also had black furred lower legs and paws. “What happened to you Kurama?” Naruko asked before giving him a sweet smile and continuing, “You look cute now.”

Kurama gave her a cold look and said, “It seems when we came to this place our seal and connection changed… among other things…” He then stood next to Naruko and looked over himself and her in the mirror.

“Yah what do you think happened?” Naruko asked as she looked herself over in the mirror and posed. She noticed her bright yellow blonde hair was now like a mane. The top of her mane seemed to have spiky bangs in front and the rest was very silky and loose flowing. She also noticed she had a peach tanned colored coat. Her tail was blonde like her hair, and separated into two tails where the hair only portion started.

“I can only guess, but I believe you are in the form of this land’s dominate species, or well… the most prevalent of the main species at least. I guess that is why it is called the ultimate escape jutsu.” The fox said as he examined himself in the mirror. He wouldn't call himself ‘cute’ but he had to admit this fox form made him look dashing.

“Makes sense I suppose. Send you to a different planet and change you to match the people, or ponies in this case there… Honestly, it seems a bit over the top to me. I mean can we even get to other planets normally?” Naruko asked her foxy companion.

“Not that I am aware of. Maybe it would be possible by some strange jutsu or something. Either way… who ever came up with this jutsu must have been more paranoid than the most mentally damaged of a retired ninja to go to such an extreme.” The fox wondered who in the world could have made this jutsu and why they made it. Also how did they know it only worked on their home planet?

Naruko gave a chuckle. “That's an understatement. They would have to be scared of some kind of deity or something to make it. So how has this changed our connection exactly? Other than you are outside of me and with your own actual body. Geez… that just sounds weird saying that.” Naruko was now looking at herself in the mirror while stretching and moving her body a little bit hoping to get an idea of how it worked. She was always better with visuals instead of just books and lectures.

Naruko had to admit she kind of liked how her new body looked. She never thought herself one of those girly types that cared about appearances and such, but she felt oddly relieved to be what she would say looked good for a pony.

She also felt as if a heavy burden was lifted from her, despite said burden standing next to her looking at her rear. She stopped bucking the air and tilted her head at him. “Why are you looking at my butt, or I mean flank since I’m a pony now? This whole thing is strange…”

The fox tilted his head and continued looking at something on her rear. “There is some kind of mark here on your flank. It shows some kind of fox like creature with what looks like wind swirls around it.”

Naruko shifted herself to look, and she noticed it as well. She gave it a little shake to see if it was really there or not. It moved as she did so. “Maybe it sort of marks who I am in a way or something. Maybe what I excel at with my abilities. If that is the case I can understand the wind bit. You did test my primary nature affinity, and it turned out to be wind. You even said it was the strongest affinity you had ever seen in a human or most mortals. The fox part I don’t get.”

Kurama stared at it in thought for a few minutes. “It might have to do with our new connection. Though really this connection isn't so much new as it is simply lost to time.” Naruko gave him a questioning look, silently asking him to explain.

“Us tailed beasts have been around for a really long time, even after the God of the Shinobi separated us from himself. However Jinchuriki haven’t been used all that time. At first for a long time, we would form Guardian contracts instead. It seems this world, where ever it is, has something similar. I am now more of a familiar in ways instead of sealed inside you. We can communicate like this, or through our minds. You still have access to all of my power to an extent. However, I am free enough to roam on my own and think on my own.” The fox explained.

“So similar to a summon then?” Naruko asked.

The fox closed his eyes in thought before answering. “Yes and No. Unlike a summon you wouldn't need hand seals to summon me if I wasn't already with you. You would only need to ask. If I can help I would appear next to you ready. Also I am not allowed to just leave whenever I want in a fight either. If you die I would be consumed by rage, since it would feel as if a part of me was missing rather than just poof away to the summon realm.”

Naruko frowned at that. “That sounds worse than summoning does for you at least. Are you forced into this contract thing?” She didn't like the idea of this, it sounded like slavery. She would rather be locked up inside someone than forced to obey them.

The fox shook his head. “Nothing like that. I would have to agree to my guardian. It is actually preferable to summoning contracts. In essence, you are protecting me from death and outside forces. Meaning nothing like what happened the night you were born could happen as long as you were alive. In payment for this, I am giving you my services and access to my powers. You can’t use all of it easily at first, and you can’t authorize me to use more tails than you can control the flow of power to. I think since I trusted you with my true name this world has seen that as acceptance of this contract, since it is.”

Naruko thought this over. This sounded like the best deal ever for both human and tailed beast. “Why did people start using Jinchuriki then instead? This Guardian contract deal sounds loads better. You are for the most part free, and the partner gets better benefits than if I had more control over the seal we had before. Why stop using that? Plus a tailed beast wouldn't be able to as easily influence their partner’s mind it seems.”

The fox gave a deep, for his size, chuckle. “Because ninjas want powerful allies that they can fully control. Most Jinchuriki are used as weapons, because they have to train to use the powers even in the slightest bit, besides the basic passive powers. That means their leaders can easily reinforce loyalty and control over the individual. If you had both my powers and me fighting by your side at full power they wouldn't be able control you, and make sure you stay loyal to the village."

He paused for a bit to let the information sink in before continuing. "You won’t have to train too hard to get to that level in our current state. As a Jinchuriki, it would take you several years if you ever got to that level at all. By then you would be steadfast in your loyalty, or dead before you became a threat.”

Naruko frowned at the Fox’s words. “Jiji wasn't anything like that. Do you really think we were all that way?” She knew he had a poor opinion of people because of their hunger for power and foolishness, but she didn't think it was this low.

She really couldn't blame him though, since he was controlled by that masked man, and before that by the real Madara Uchiha against his will when the clan head faced off against the first Hokage. Still hearing him say these things was a bit disheartening.

The fox laughed, he forgot that despite everything she was still a rather naive kid. “He was doing just that with you Naruko.”

Naruko glared at him and seemed to be shifting so she could send a good buck his way. He put his forepaws up in a pleading manner, but was also proud that she had already figured out a way to fight with just her body in this new world. She shifted back and decided to hear him out.

“It is the truth Naruko. He was doing what he could to keep you loyal to the village and him. Had you made ninja, your loyalty to him and the village would be all but set in stone, despite how the civilians treated you. He only had to treat you with just a little extra attention to do so. However, as far as human leaders go I can’t think of many better than him to follow.” The fox relaxed as he saw Naruko sit down.

“I thought he was a friend of mine, a special person to me. Did he not see me any differently than the others did?” Naruko asked feeling a little sad.

“He saw you as a young girl who wanted to become a ninja. I’m sure he saw you the same way he saw anyone else, nothing more nothing less. He was a friendly enough person in general.” The fox reassured her. He knew this was in essence telling her the aged leader had given her just what she had always wanted. Acceptance!

Naruko felt a little better hearing that. She really couldn't ask for much more from the Hokage. She stood back up again and started moving around to get a better idea at how her new form moved. She had a feeling once she had the hang of it she would run faster than she ever could in Konoha.

“Well I’m glad you seem to still be wise, despite you cute little foxy appearance Kurama. Do you think we will have to worry about this masked man you talked about before? From what you told me if anyone could somehow figure out how to get here by accident it would be him.” She asked.

“I think it would be a good idea if you just called me by my true name in private Naruko. You are aware that knowing my real name is an honor and gives you control over me to an extent correct? It's what solidifies our connection. I don’t want others to know it. They might get ideas.”

“Oh like what?” Naruko asked out of curiosity.

“I'm safe from death while we have a contract, but you are not completely. It won’t be easy to defeat you, but it is a possibility. If they know my name then they could have some control over me once I was freed from you, and direct my rage a little. I don’t want a repeat of Konoha.” He answered her.

“Ohhh…” Naruko said as she started thinking of names to call him.

“As for that man, I don’t think we have to worry about him. Whatever he had planned for the future involving me will no longer matter. Also if he were to come here somehow, we have our Guardian Contract. As long as you don’t slack too much, he shouldn't be a problem." Naruko gave him a questioning look as he spoke.

"You will almost laugh at how easy your control over my power flow will grow once you learn how to use it properly. After all, the main reason why people stopped using this method is because a ninja clan leader upset his wife gravely. She was a contract holder and despite not having much training, she destroyed him and his whole village with ease.” The fox said with a grin at an example of a man's folly.

Naruko was glad to hear this, but also a little bummed. “You make it sound as if nothing will be able to stop us in this new world Kyuubi.” She decided simple was best when it came to nicknaming him. She also decided when they weren't in serious mode she would call him Kyu. She thought it suited his new body, and it would also annoy him.

The fox looked as if searching around where they were before telling her. “No it won’t be. Even if the locals here turn out to be mostly peaceful, I can sense they aren't weak. I can tell there are powers even greater here than we knew of in the old world. Several seem to be dormant, but not all of them are. Also some of those powers would easily rival ours if we were at full power. I don’t think there is as much of a power imbalance here as there was in our world among individuals. The ‘civilians’ here are capable of many things ninjas do, without any of the special training I can tell somehow.”

Naruko felt a little excited hearing this. She didn't want to be a part of a boring old world. She was also getting excited about the opportunity to start a new life here. She was new here. She wasn't seen as a demon brat, or someone to place all your blame on. This brought a smile to her face.

The fox continued voicing his thoughts as she increased her speed just a little bit while still paying attention. “The fact our seal turned into a Guardian Contract tells me, that while it may not be common place, it isn't something they haven't seen before here.”

Naruko stopped and started seeing which ways she could bend with this body. “I'll keep that in mind then. Say Kyuubi, do you have any ideas what this horn on my forehead is about?”

The fox raised an eye brow at her. “I may be wise and great at making educated guesses, but I don’t know everything.” His body then tensed. Naruko noticed and stood up straight. “I think there is someone on their way here that may be able to answer that though.”

“Are they friend or foe?” Naruko asked in concern.

“I hope they are a friend… The being seems to have the power of a star at their command. Remember those powers I told you about that would easily rival ours even if you were fully realized?” The fox said looking to the doorway towards the front of the hall.

“Yeah. I do.” Naruko answered simply.

“This being approaching us is one of them. Their power seems to radiate like a sun.” The fox tried to look calm, but he stared a little wide eyed as a figure came into view.

“Indeed I do radiate like a sun! I am the one responsible for raising and setting the sun, and ruler of this land. I am Princess Celestia. Who are you two that dare disturb this place?” A tall white pony stepped into the hall.

The new pony had both a horn and wings. Her multicolored mane and tail seemed to sparkle and flow in a breeze, even if there wasn't one in the area. She had light purple eyes and wore a golden crown with a dark purple jewel in the center with a matching necklace.

Both Naruko and Kyuubi could tell this Princess Celestia was pretty much this world’s equivalent of the Sage of Six Paths, or well at least one of the powers on that scale.

Kyuubi could tell she wasn't the only being with this much power at her disposal. This actually terrified him. He hoped they wouldn't get off to a bad start.

“You raise the sun? Is that even possible? I mean can someone raise the sun for a whole planet?” Naruko didn't know what to think or do. She just had to ask. Kyuubi sighed and shook his head at his partner.

Celestia raised an eyebrow at the pony in front of her. She wasn't used to ponies not knowing who she was, and she could tell this one truly didn't know. “I am in charge of raising the sun, and almost all of life in Equestria. Not the whole planet. However, since Equestira is so large I guess it is safe to say I do raise the sun for the whole planet.” She decided she would explain things a little as she studied the two in front of her.

“Isn't that kind of too much power for one being to have though?” Naruko asked.

Again Kyuubi shook his head. It didn't matter if it was or not, angering someone with that much power was not a good idea, even if it was by accident.

The Princess gave a little laugh, “Some would think that. The planet is interconnected, and life thrives off of the sun. If one were to abuse such power, there would be great repercussions. It seems you aren't from this planet, or you simply have no idea about our history."

Celestia narrowed her eyes and said, "If you did have an idea about this planet, you would know this. I’m guessing you aren't from this planet, which means you have some explaining to do.”

She narrowed her eyes further to show she wanted answers and needed them now. She really hoped to make this encounter quick. She was not looking forward to a sleepless night followed by a day of important, but annoying and dull court duties.

Naruko gave a nervous squeak, and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. The fox rolled his eyes at how she now decided to stop talking. He answered instead. “That would be correct.” He then told the princess of their story. He felt there was no reason to hide the truth, especially from her.

He also explained to her how jutsu and chakra worked and how they had used it on their old planet. To which she replied, “Sounds a lot like magic to me. That might be why you are a unicorn here, Naruko.” Naruko then took over and explained the Ultimate Escape Jutsu.

Finally Celestia decided how to deal with them after listening to their story. “Well then I shall take you and see that you learn how to use magic properly. My student should be able to help with the basics, after that I will teach you myself, when I have the time.”

Both Naruko and Kyuubi looked to each other and then to her. Naruko spoke. “No offense your highness, but why would you offer to teach us? I mean you just met us, and our story is even hard for me to believe.”

Princess Celestia looked at her and answered evenly. “Your connection with Kyuubi, as you call him here, is rare but it does exist. However, there haven’t been many in several years. Also the truth is… If you don’t receive training in how to use magic correctly, you are not only a danger to yourself, but others as well with the power inside you."

She then gave a small confident smile and added, "Plus I am not one to usually brag or anything, but your power, while impressive, isn't much of a match to a pony like me. I do raise the sun, and I sealed Nightmare Moon into the moon when she threatened eternal darkness for this planet. She was at least as powerful as I was at the time.”

As she started to head out, both Kyuubi and Naruko fully decided that this Princess Celestia was indeed Equestira’s Sage of Six Paths. Naruko shared a look with the fox before hearing Celestia call back to them to follow her. When Naruko questioned why she wanted them to follow. The Princess gave a friendly smile and answered, “I can’t very well leave you here alone if I am to teach you about magic, now can I?”

Naruko decided to follow. While the blonde maned, blue eyed pony was a bit weary, after what Kyuubi told her earlier about rulers. She couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, Celestia actually was a good person or well pony… “This stuff is going to take some getting used to…” She thought to herself while Kyuubi gave a little chuckle.

{-} {-} {-}

After Celestia flew back using her wings and her magic to levitate both Naruko and Kyuubi to Canterlot, she called for an attendant. “Orbit. Would you be so kind as to show Naruko, and her familiar Kyuubi to their rooms?”

A blue earth pony with a pink and silver striped mane entered when called and bowed. The pony had a planet that seemed to have a smaller star moving around it on her flank. The star’s movement was hinted at with a grey line and arrow.

Celestia then explained how the two were guests, and Naruko would eventually study under her once she learned the basics of magic. Celestia then provided a cover for them saying Contracted Guardians have to relearn magic from scratch once they find their familiar, due to the increase in power.

“What room will they be staying in Princess Celestia?” Orbit asked.

Celestia put a hoof on her chin in thought for a couple of seconds, “How about the room across the hall from Twilight.” She then sighed and said, “Speaking of which, after you show them to their room. Could you check on my faithful student, and tell her she needs to put the books down for the night and get some sleep? That little pony needs to learn to take studying in moderation…”

Orbit gave a laugh and said, “I don’t think even you will be able to teach her that, Princess Celestia. I will do as you ask.”

Celestia shook her head at the thought of her student. She loved Twilight, but the girl will always be obsessed with books and studying. She just knew it.

Orbit beckoned for Naruko and Kyuubi to follow her. She gave them a smile as she led the way and said, “I never thought I would see a Contract Guardian and her familiar in my life time. Your kind is rare indeed.”

Naruko then asked her, “How rare am I? It seems Princess Celestia is relaxed for a ruler and all. Is she always like that? And what about food?” Naruko took in all the sights she could as she followed the mare in front of her.

“Contract Guardians, or Guardians for short, are very rare. I don’t think there has been one in hundreds of years.” The blue pony answered.

“Wow… then how in the world does Celestia know about my kind?” Naruko asked before her other questions were answered.

“Well the princess doesn't really age. So she has been around for thousands of years.” Orbit answered. She noticed Naruko had stopped following her. She paused and waited for the young pony to recover from the shock.

“That is a really long time….” Naruko answered before shaking her head and continuing to follow Orbit. The attendant gave a little giggle at the blonde unicorn’s reaction. Most young ponies were surprised when they actually realized how old their princess was.

“Anyways to answer your other questions. Yes, Celestia is usually that relaxed around others. She wants to be approachable to a certain degree, not distant, as our ruler. Also I can send some food up to you after I show you to your room. However, we might need some instructions on what to get your Familiar.” The mare answered Naruko.

“That's alright I don’t need to eat often due to my connection with Naruko here. When I need food I can easily hunt for myself.” Answered Kyuubi in his deep voice.

Naruko wasn't paying attention, and didn't stop walking until she bumped into Orbit’s flank. “Oh sorry I wasn't looking, Miss Orbit… Are you ok?” The blue pony was frozen in shock.

“I'm sorry Naruko. It’s just that… I didn't expect him to talk. I know guardian familiars can talk, but it is different actually experiencing it first-hoof.” Orbit replied once she recovered.

“It’s alright. I was just surprised when I bumped into you.” Naruko said as she looked down the hall.

“Anyways, we're here. This is your room.” The blue pony said as she opened the door in front of them.

Naruko walked inside and gasped immediately. The room was larger than her apartment back in Konoha. The room was spacious, and had what looked like a wardrobe, and a chest of drawers next to a desk by a window.

Naruko wasn't sure what the wardrobe was about. From what she could tell besides the armor the guards wore, most ponies didn't really need, nor want to wear clothes. She then looked at the bed and her jaw dropped. It was huge compared to her old sorry excuse of a bed in Konoha. She could actually stretch out in this bed it looked like.

Naruko broke from her musings as she heard Orbit speak. “If you are wondering about the size of the Wardrobe… well some ponies like to wear clothing of some sorts in Canterlot. Usually for special occasions, or because they want to show off. However, many just settle for accessories, or nothing at all really. Over here you have a private bathroom, and I will ask to have some food sent up after I check up on Twilight. There is a table here for eating and such, or just chatting with friends. If you need anything just ask. See you later, Naruko.”

Naruko then nodded and said, “Thanks for your help, Miss Orbit.” She gave a smile and a nod of her head to the helpful mare.

“Please just call me Orbit. Miss makes me feel old and seems far too formal. And no need to thank me, I am simply doing my job.” Orbit told her.

“I will keep that in mind, Orbit.” Naruko smiled a little wider as the pony left. Naruko continued to smile as she looked further into her room, while waiting for her food. “Well the ponies sure seem to be friendly here. What do you think, Kyu?”

The fox thrashed his tail in irritation. However it didn't really have the effect it did when he was in the ninja world, and at full size. “It’s Kyuubi…! Not Kyu…” Naruko just gave a grin, and a little barely audible whinny.

The fox shook his head before answering the question. “Yes they do seem to be friendly here, but they are not weak. Plus for the most part, they don’t seem to crave power over everything else. I can see why Celestia has ruled for so long, and kept the loyalty and affection of her subjects."

The fox then gave the blonde unicorn a thoughtful look before he answered further. "I think they are genuine in their friendliness.”

The fox sighed. “Humans could probably be the same way if they didn't crave power and control so much. It’s a pity really.” Naruko gave a small frown when he mentioned humans, as she realized she wasn't one anymore.

He gave her a smile and said, “But that is in the past, Naruko. We have a new start in a new land, and I’m sure you, like me, want to make the best of it.”

Naruko smiled at him, “You know you seem a lot nicer and more pleasant, Kyuubi. I like it.”

The fox chuckled, “I have my freedom and no one trying to control me like that masked man. You try being sealed away for generations inside humans held as a prisoner, and not be angry.”

Naruko nodded her head, and looked around some more in the room. It was so awesome. “So I guess we will have to find you a bed of your own, unless you want to share mine. It's big enough for us both to have lots of room.”

“We don’t have the stipend Celestia mentioned on the flight here yet. Nor do we know how much things will cost here. I have no problem sharing the bed, even with your sleeping habits.” The fox said as he gave a pointed look at Naruko who grinned nervously.

He continued, “I say we save the money once we have it, apart from what is used for things we need.”

Naruko nodded, “That was going to be my plan once we had you a bed if you wanted it. Hopefully shops won’t turn me away or over charge me for low quality goods here, since I won’t be seen as the bane of all existence.”

After a few more minutes while Naruko looked out the window at the night sky, her food arrived. Once it was placed on the table and she thanked the pony that brought it to her, she opened it up to see what she had to eat. She was a little disappointed there wasn't any ramen, but she supposed ponies didn't normally eat ramen, if Equestria even had it. She decided that would be the first thing she looked for when she first went to town.

Instead Naruko sat herself down to a couple of apples and a lettuce, tomato, and daisy sandwich. She was surprised to find the sandwich tasty. She guessed her taste in food had changed with her new form. She just knew she still loved ramen though, but she might add apples as a second favorite.

Once she was done with her meal, she got ready for bed. This actually took a while as she tried to figure out how a pony sleeps. Finally, after finding a rather comfortable position, even for a human surprisingly, she fell asleep to a dreamless slumber.

She didn't have any nightmares, like she usually did, of the villagers finally deciding they had enough of the demon brat, and actually start attacking her in droves with the help of ninjas. It was probably one of the most restful sleeps she had ever had.

A New Friend

Naruko woke up late the next day. She could tell it was late by the sunlight, but she showered and got ready for the day as she usually would. At least she had planned this. The truth was in her sleep she forgot that she was now a pony and not a human. So she instead stumbled out of bed and crashed to the floor. On the positive side, she was now very much awake. On the negative side, it hurts when you crash into the floor.

Kyuubi just yawned and said, “Morning Naruko.” To which she mumbled her own good morning back. Once she stood back up and had showered she came back out and found Orbit waiting near the entrance of her room.

“Good Morning Naruko! Or should I say Afternoon?” Orbit then gave a giggle as Naruko’s jaw opened. “To answer the question you are no doubt wondering about. Celestia decided after everything last night you needed some extra sleep. Plus it gave her a chance to explain things to Twilight. Anyways lunch is ready in the dining hall. Celestia wishes for you to join her.”

“I really didn't think it would be afternoon already. Thanks Orbit.” Naruko said as she nodded in thanks and called to Kyuubi, who jumped on to her back. Naruko turned her head to look at him, “Really? You are riding on my back again?”

The fox just gave her a foxy grin and said, “Yes it is very comfy.” Since Naruko liked to call him Kyu, he decided that he would use her back every so often to annoy her, and because it was comfy like he said.

Naruko just shrugged and turned back to hide a grin as she said to him, “I actually think it is kind of cute wittle Kyu.” The fox stood up and almost hoped off, but decided this must be some kind of test of wills or something. He instead decided to stay there.

Naruko just gave a little chuckle as she made her way to the dining hall. She honestly didn't really care. She was just surprised he chose to ride instead of walking himself.

She thought it kind of funny how he seemed to think this some kind of test of wills. She was thinking things would be much more interesting between them now that he wasn't sealed inside her. She figured that while they could talk to each other through their minds, they actually couldn't read the other’s mind unless they wished it. That being the case Naruko kept her thoughts to herself about how she actually did like this fox version of Kyuubi a lot.

Naruko finally made it to the Dining Hall and opened the door to see Princess Celestia and a white unicorn stallion with a blonde mane. He was wearing the top half of a tux. As she took another step she noticed that he seemed to have some kind of sprinkling light surrounding him that soon faded out after he gave her a ‘charming’ smile. Naruko was proud she managed to not roll her eyes. After all, this pony might be somehow related to Celestia and Naruko was a guest here, so she should behave.

“I think we found the Uchiha showoff of this world minus the brooding.” Naruko thought so Kyuubi could hear. The fox managed to stifle his laughter as they approached the table, but it seems the others heard it. Both the Stallion and Princess Celestia raised their eyebrows at her.

“What is so funny Naruko?” Celestia asked.

“Oh nothing Kyu is just enjoying his pony back ride too much is all.” Naruko answered.

“Hey…. My name is Kyuubi… not Kyu.” The fox said as he looked around from her back. This had the desired effect of drawing attention away from his laugh as the stallion’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

“It talked?! I didn't know such lowly creatures could do so Auntie.” The stallion said. Kyuubi sent him a glare that despite the fox’s small size seemed to cause the stallion to sweat nonetheless.

“Prince Blueblood, court hours are technically still in session. You know we refer to each other by title during these hours.” Princess Celestia said not at all hiding her irritation with the Prince. Naruko was actually glad it seemed they didn't really get a long all that well.

Prince Blueblood looked a little sorry as he apologized. “Sorry Princess Celestia.” He then stood up in a pose that showed off all of his good features. He gave a smile that showed his white teeth and emitted a sparkle for five and a half seconds.

Naruko just stared in awe at this. “Seems he is the offspring of an Uchiha mixed with that green spandex guy we saw that one day.” Kyuubi let lose a loud, but thankfully mental, laugh at that. Naruko then snapped out of it and decided she should greet him herself and follow royal protocol.

She bowed to him real quick, as Kyuubi hoped off her back and she said, “It is an honor to meet you Prince Blueblood. I am Naruko Uzumaki a newly realized Contract Guardian, and the fox next to me is, Kyuubi my familiar.”

Blueblood gave a nod of acknowledgement and dismissed her to stand as he said, “It is an honor to meet you as well, Guardian. I hope you do Equestria proud once you learn to utilize your powers.”

He then looked around as if trying to figure out what time it was and said, “I do wish I could better make your acquaintance, but I fear I have royal duties to attend to. Perhaps another time.” He said the last part in a manner that showed he really didn't care, but was still trying to be polite. He then bowed in thanks to Celestia and trotted out of the dining hall in a showy fashion.

Celestia merely rolled her eyes as he left and sighed in relief. She then smiled to Naruko, “Good afternoon, Naruko. I do hope you slept well. Do you care to join me for Lunch? I haven’t eaten yet and Ponce Blueblood was only here because he wished to meet you and show off how Prince like he is. Though he didn't really say it in that exact manner.”

Naruko and Kyuubi both gave a laugh before the blonde maned pony answered, “I would appreciate that Princess Celestia. Though truth be told, Orbit made it sound as if it wasn't optional.”

Celestia giggled, “It is optional. I would still have to meet with you, but if you wanted lunch alone all you had to do was tell Orbit you didn't wish to have Lunch yet.”

Naruko gave an ‘ohh…’ expression. She figured when royalty wished for something it was a command done politely. Clearly pony royalty, or at least Princess Celestia, wasn't like this. Naruko then smiled and said, “Either way I would still like to join you for Lunch Princess Celestia.”

Celestia gave her a smile and said, “Naruko, you may just call me Celestia. I told you so last night. You only need to use my title in formal ceremonies.” She then motioned with a hoof for Naruko to sit next to her.

Naruko then took the spot next to the princess and Kyuubi decided for Lunch to stand on her head. “Kyuubi… really? Could you please sit down somewhere?”

The fox turned his chin up and said, “Tch. Fine.” He then jumped down and sat in the chair next to Naruko. Celestia gave a little laugh at the two as their food arrived.

“So how exactly is the prince related to you? Is he also hundreds of years old? And why did you tell him to call you Princess Celestia?” Naruko asked quickly.

The alicorn princess gave a laugh. “Well you certainly are full of questions Naruko. He is my… I have lost count of how many times great nephew. That is very, very far removed thankfully. While he is a prince there are others that have more of a right to rule Equestria in place of me if needed. However, I intend to stay around for quite a while yet.” Celestia took a sip of tea using her magic to hold it.

Naruko then looked at her cup questioningly. She wasn't sure how to hold a cup with hooves. As Naruko pondered the cup, Celestia seemed to have noticed her predicament and cast a spell that turned it to something more akin to a very stylish and easier to hold mug.

Now Naruko could figure it out, she found a way to hook it with her hoof and drink from it as Celestia answered her other questions. While they were served what looked like a salad with carrots and apple slices.

Naruko was shocked, but relieved her stomach seemed to have adapted to her new body. She knew this because she was actually craving veggies, which she was never very fond of before.

“Fortunately for Equestria’s sake he only has a normal unicorn’s life span. He won’t live to be over 200 years old at best for his sake. As to why I have him refer to me by full title. Well… I don’t like Ponce, I mean, Price Blueblood’s eagerness to show off he is related to me. He wants my subjects to think we are really close, just so they would like him even more. I am sure you noticed he is very full of… Self-pride let’s call it.” Celestia said before taking a bite of her food.

Naruko laughed after swallowing her food. “I did notice that. That's the real reason Kyu laughed. I kind of whispered to him how the Prince reminded me of someone I used to know.” The fox merely flicked his tail at Naruko’s informal nickname for him. One does not simply spend time around Naruko without getting used to things like that though, so it didn't bother him too much anymore already. It still did a little bit though.

Celestia changed the subject to get the business portions out of the way quick so they could enjoy their lunch. “Usually Twilight Sparkle would have joined us for lunch, but she was extremely excited to be teaching you today. She decided she needed to prepare for it. I told her once you were done with lunch you would meet her in the Ivory tower study. She has more or less commandeered the place as her personal study room. She even sometimes falls asleep in there.” Celestia frowned as she finished.

“Wow…. That's a lot of studying. Does she do anything other than study? Also what does she know about Kyuubi and me?” Naruko asked.

Celestia sighed. “Unfortunately she doesn't do much besides study. That is one thing I will have to figure out how to fix sometime. I told her what I felt she needed to know. She knows to teach you the basics of magic.”

Naruko nodded and then turned to Kyuubi and asked, “Do you want to attend the lessons with me?”

The fox thought for a few seconds and answered, “I would like to attend these lessons as well. I may have my own version of magic I can use, but it would be a good idea to know how pony magic works I believe. Plus I might be able to offer insight on something you might otherwise over look.” Naruko nodded to him and the three of them enjoyed the rest of their lunch talking about different things before they each took their leave.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko followed the attendant, a light green unicorn pony with a dancing mop on her flank, to the study. Once they got there Naruko could already hear a commotion on the inside as a young boy’s voice said, “Twilight… Stop running around so much. You stepped on my tail twice now.” The fox winced in sympathy.

“Sorry Spike. I’m just a little nervous. Princess Celestia trusted me to help train this new pony, and I will make sure she enjoys the lesson.” Suddenly the commotion stopped and a few moments later Naruko and the attendant opened the doors. The green unicorn left while closing the doors once Naruko entered the study.

Inside was a brightly sun lit room with bookcases all along the walls. There seemed to be a second level, which was about half the size of the first floor with a giant half glass dome. It like many other things in Canterlot was very impressive looking.

Naruko’s eyes looked towards the center of the room to see a light purple colored unicorn with a dark blue mane, with purple and pink streaks. Her tail matched her man and she had dark purple eyes. The unicorn had a large dark pink star surrounded by smaller white ones on her butt. Naruko didn't say anything out loud but she was starting to wonder what was with all the multicolored manes and tails so far.

Naruko then took in what looked like a small baby dragon. Spike, she guessed, had green eyes and was covered in purple scales with a yellow underbelly and green spikes on this head and along his back. His tail ended in what looked like a spearhead. The two looked her over as she looked them over. Kyuubi then hoped off her back and the two next looked him over

After moments of silence, Naruko decided to speak first. She was nervous and spoke rather quickly, “Hi! I’m Naruko and I’m here to learn how to use unicorn magic again, because my power grew once I contracted with Kyuubi.” She finished by giving a small nervous smile and squeak.

Twilight stood up and introduced herself. “I am Twilight Sparkle and this is Spike. Nice to meet you, Naruko.” Twilight gave a smile, but it was as if she wasn't really used to smiling at other ponies or interacting with them. This caused Kyuubi to roll his eyes, and he hoped that she would at least be a good teacher in basics for Naruko, despite her apparent lack of social interaction. Twilight’s horn lit up again and the doors glowed for a second before the energy disappeared.

“I hope to learn lots Twilight.” Naruko said adding a ‘-sensei’ at the end mentally. Soon she saw three books float over to her surrounded in magenta colored energy. Naruko gazed in awe as Twilight effortlessly seemed to float the books.

“These books will help you learn about the basics of Unicorn magic in detail. Hopefully it won’t take you long to learn how to use it, since you are already used to something similar to it. You will just have to concentrate and focus this chakra stuff through your horn instead of in hand seals like you did as a human.” Twilight said as she walked over to a chalk board and started writing something on it using her magic to do so.

Naruko nodded and got ready to take notes when suddenly something hit her. “Wait?! How did you know I was a human?! Can you even say that out loud? Wouldn't that cause problems?” Naruko looked around as if she was scared there was somepony hiding in the shadows ready to pop out and demand answers.

Twilight looked at Naruko neutrally before answering. “Celestia told me everything about you for the most part. I can only say so out loud because I used a spell to give us privacy unless there is an emergency. Usually it would cause problems so Celestia asked we not talk about it unless in private and safe from overhearing ears. Didn't she tell you?”

Naruko looked at her with her mouth opened, “She didn't say anything about that she just said… She told you what she thought she needed to…” Naruko sighed as Kyuubi gave a little chuckle. After a couple of seconds Twilight did as well. Naruko then said, “It seems the princess has a sense of humor…”

In her throne room, Celestia hid her mouth behind a hoof as she gave a little giggle with her eyes squinting in amusement. She just knew Naruko was hearing that Twilight was told everything about her. It may be a little mean, but being around for thousands of years you needed to have a little joke every so often. Plus she knew Naruko would take it, but the princess also knew Naruko would get her back.

Twilight finished giggling. “Yes she does. If you try to get her back don’t get too carried away and be careful.” Naruko nodded and then somehow knew to grab her pencil in her mouth, and started to take notes on Twilight’s lessons.

“So Naruko you do realize when we have the time, I am going to have to ask you all about your home right? It just seems so fascinating to be a human and all of that. I can’t imagine always walking on two legs and having things called hands!” Twilight said.

Naruko gave a little chuckle, “No problem as long as we do it at the right time. It’s a way I can pay you back for the lessons on unicorn magic.”

Kyuubi then gave a chuckle and spoke, “Yes if there is one thing my partner can do it's talk about herself.” Spike starred at the fox with interest after he spoke. Twilight’s chalk stopped writing on the board as she stared as well.

Naruko gave him a look and said, “Whatever you say Kyu.” The fox just glared at her as she smiled smugly at him.

“That fox just talked Twilight! I didn't know they could do that.” Spike said as he got closer to further examine the fox.

“Yes little dragon I can talk. I can do many other things as well. Most I won’t be able to do in this form though.” Kyuubi told Spike and Twilight, who was listening with interest.

Spike gave a pout, “I’m not little compared to you…”

Kyuubi gave him a foxy grin, “You are not yet grown so you are a little dragon. Besides even if you were fully grown you would at the best be the same size as me at full power.”

Naruko rolled her eyes at him, “Behave Kyuubi.” The fox just gave her a look before sitting down next to her and pulling out his own pen and paper. This perplexed all three of the others, but they decided to leave it alone.

“Anyways… Let’s get started shall we?” Twilight asked. Both Naruko and the fox nodded. “Unicorn magic is based off of power, will and concentration….” She then started giving them their first lesson. Both Naruko and Kyuubi paid a lot of attention.

Naruko because she wanted to be able to use her jutsus again, and she knew it would be important for her to use magic to do so. Kyuubi because he knew, despite her best efforts, Naruko would probably still miss a few details.

{-} {-} {-}

After the lesson, Naruko was given an assignment that she managed to actually finish before having supper with Celestia and Twilight. She was glad to see one thing as she walked into the dining hall with Twilight. “Good Ponce Blueblood isn't here.” Naruko said to a scowl from Twilight, and a giggle from Celestia.

“Naruko! He is a Prince…. You should be nice.” Twilight scolded. Naruko just looked to her and gave a frown.

“As long as you don’t use that name in front of him, or at royal events I think you and I will become good friends Naruko.” Celestia said between laughs as Twilight looked to her teacher with her jaw open.

“Is he really that bad Celestia? I just thought he acted the way he did because princes do.” Twilight asked. She met him once and was actually a little bit ashamed now that she had a small crush on him; after all he was a prince.

Celestia rolled her eyes and answered, “He is infuriating! He always acts like royalty is better than everypony else. I think we should treat everypony equally despite their station.” Hearing her mentor’s heated answer Twilight decided that maybe she should reevaluate her small crush on him. It wasn't that hard to do actually. She spent most of her time with her studies anyways.

“So Naruko, I never did get how old you were. I am sorry to pry if it bothers you.” Celestia asked.

Naruko gave a friendly grin and answered, “I’m twelve and a half!” She decided not to ask Celestia her age. The number would probably be too long for her to imagine being that old.

Twilight gave a smile, “That means you are only a year younger than me. I hope you can catch up in magic fast so we can learn together.” Twilight didn't like magic school kindergarten, where she had a whole room full of classmates, but she was more confident in herself now and thought it might not be too bad to have someone to study with.

Naruko gave a determined looked as she declared. “I will catch up so we can learn together Twilight. You better believe it!”

Both Celestia and Kyuubi gave small smiles at that. Kyuubi thought it would do well for Naruko to make a real friend that was close to her age, and hadn't been raised to call her a ‘demon brat’. Celestia thought it would be wonderful for Twilight to have a friend period.

The rest of the meal went along pleasant enough. Twilight eagerly went over what all she had planned for Naruko's lessons. Naruko went on about how cool she thought Twilight's magic demonstrations were for her first lesson. Twilight blushed to this and bragged just the tiniest bit.

Kyuubi and Celestia just smiled as the young unicorns talked about several things to one another. Celestia answered questions Naruko asked, while Kyuubi answered some of the questions Twilight asked about the shared connection he had with Naruko. Kyuubi answered freely because he noticed Celestia dismissed the servants and used her magic to ensure they had privacy for their meal.

{-} {-} {-}

It was a few days after her first lesson with Twilight, and Naruko was getting ready for bed as she looked out her window into the night sky. She thought it was pretty, but she had a feeling that if Celestia’s sister hadn't gone dark, the nights would probably be even better. She had always liked the night really. She didn't have to worry about seeing glares and hearing nasty remarks from everyone at night, since most would be home back in Konoha.

“You seem to be taking things rather well Naruko considering. Any idea why that is?” Kyuubi asked breaking her from her thoughts. They had only been here a short time, but Naruko was already much happier than she was in Konoha.

“I think it has to do with the fact there wasn't much for me in Konoha really. Especially once I thought about what you said about the Third Hokage. I still think he is a good person and I care for him, but he does have to think about what is best for the village and not one girl alone. Plus I like it here already.” Naruko said giving a smile. She had been doing that a lot lately, and these smiles were mostly her true smiles instead of her ‘idiot brat’ ones.

The fox raised an eyebrow and asked, “And what about your dream to be Hokage?”

Naruko sighed, “You were right about that one. My reasons were stupid. I wanted to be the leader of a whole village just so they had no choice, but to acknowledge and accept me. Here everypony accepts me for who I am, even some of the elite Canterlot ponies. All I had to do was be who I am and respectful of them. I don’t have to prove I am the strongest ninja in the village. I don’t have to save all of their lives multiple times before they finally decide to maybe give me a chance. It seems so easy Kyuubi. Is it supposed to be this easy? I don’t even get prices jacked up on me at every store I go to here, when we go to town.”

The fox gave a sad smile as he answered her, “It more or less is supposed to be this way Naruko. That is why I thought those in Konoha weren't worth a damn for the most part.”

Naruko shed a couple of tears as she thought over her time in Konoha before she wiped them away. “You know how they say home is where the heart is Kyuubi?” The fox nodded to her. “If that is the case then I think Equestira is already more of a home in a few short days than Konoha ever was in over twelve years.”

She gave a sad smile as she lay down to go to bed. She was happy things were going better here already, but it was still sad how quickly and easily Konoha was replaced as home in her heart and mind.

The fox feeling more sympathetic than usual got on the bed and curled up right next to Naruko. He usually liked his space when sleeping, but decided to make an exception tonight. Naruko opened her eyes in shock. “This won’t be something that happens every night Naruko so don’t get any ideas.” The fox said as he closed his eyes.

Naruko gave a smile as she then wrapped two forehooves around him and snuggled him so he couldn't escape, but would still be comfortable. “If you say Kyu. Goodnight.” She said to him cheerfully despite her tiredness. The fox rolled his eyes at the name, but figured he would have to get used to it completely. Besides it gave him a reason in his brain to use her as his personal taxi from time to time by riding on her back.

{-} {-} {-}

It had now been three weeks since Naruko and Kyuubi first arrived in Equestria, and it turned out that Twilight, while definitely a very studious bookworm, was also very good at teaching. After their third lesson when Naruko first got a glow from her horn, the blonde maned pony jumped for joy.

Naruko after these weeks now knew the basics of unicorn magic and could even cast several of the basic spells with ease. She even used her quill to write while it hovered in the air like Twilight did. Naruko cheered about this and explained to Twilight that she was actually the dead last in her classes at the ninja academy, even if she was actually smarter than that.

Twilight just smiled and was happy to help the blonde unicorn learn. She even thought that she might one day become a teacher, or at least be a substitute if she had the chance. Maybe if things went really well she might someday take on a student of her own like Celestia. It only made sense to her that she could do this since magic was her specialty.

During their off time, Naruko and Twilight spent a good bit of time together talking about many things in private, so they wouldn't have to worry about somepony over hearing them by mistake. Naruko usually asked everything she could about ponies in general and Equestria.

Twilight would in turn ask everything she could about humans. Twilight even touched on subjects that made Naruko a little embarrassed to talk about. Naruko knew how babies were born and human relationships and such a little bit, but it was still embarrassing to talk about, even if she was a pony now instead.

Fortunately for Naruko’s sake they didn't usually get too personal in their talks. The twin tailed pony knew it was only a matter of time before ‘that night’ was brought up, and she already decided she would tell Twilight the truth, but she was scared Twilight might act different afterwards.

Naruko didn't think it would be too bad, or at least she hoped it wouldn't be. They had told Celestia everything about it and Naruko could tell the princess kept that secret for Naruko to tell, but still it bothered her to tell someone about it period.

{-} {-} {-}

It was a couple of months later that Naruko realized she had to tell Twilight when the girl asked her about her family. “Hey Naruko we are friends right?” Naruko nodded to her. “I don’t mean to push or anything, but I was wondering how come you don’t really talk about your family or what the people were like to you back home.”

Naruko sat down and motioned with a hoof for Twilight to do the same. Twilight decided this called for extra privacy and cast an enhanced spell. Once the glow ended showing the spell had taken effect Naruko started.

“First of all I don’t call Konoha home anymore. As for my parents, well before I tell you that I have to tell you more detail about the Tailed beasts.” Twilight listened as Naruko told her about the tailed beast and how a masked man sent Kyuubi into a rage that attacked the village.

Twilight gasped as she looked at the fox in surprise. What she said caught them off guard, “I didn't think you actually would get that big Kyuubi. I mean you told me, but it still is amazing. No wonder you told Spike he would still be small compared to you fully grown. Sorry, Naruko please continue, I know there has to be more.”

Naruko nodded and told her about how she was an orphan and never knew her parents. She then told Twilight about how the villagers saw her as someone to place the blame for their losses on and didn't even bother to try and hide their hatred for her. This brought tears to Twilight’s eyes as she kept listening.

When Naruko took a pause to breathe some, Twilight couldn't help but ask, “How bad did it get?”

Naruko’s eyes widened at her friend's question. Twilight was about to say something, but Naruko raised a hoof telling her to not worry. She knew this was a big thing she was about to talk about, but she felt she had to tell Twilight. She also had a small feeling Twilight would still see her as a friend afterwards as well. “Remember how I told you about well ummm…. Sex and puberty for human girls?” The dark purple eyed pony nodded her eyes more vivid than before.

Naruko sighed as she gathered up her courage. “Well I kind of started developing early because of Kyuubi here. One night shortly after I turned twelve. I found myself cornered in an alleyway at night. I usually didn't have to worry too much about any attention wanted or not. That night though a man that was in good shape and knew how to handle himself decided he wanted to ‘make me a woman’.”

Twilight gasped hearing that. She was about to ask more, but she held her tongue seeing the dark look on Naruko’s face. “He didn't do more than hurt me a little bit and tear off some of my clothes. However, that was only because when he was on top of me getting ready to go further I… I slit his throat with a sharp piece of metal.” Naruko finished to silence.

Naruko realized fully she had actually killed someone. She had talked about this with Kyuubi already and knew she would have to do so eventually, but it was realer to her now after admitting it to Twilight. She started to have doubts about her choice in telling Twilight everything about that night.

Naruko looked down as the silence continued on for a long time. She feared the worse, but was surprised when she felt Twilight wrap two hooves around her firmly.

“I'm sorry to hear you went through such a thing Naruko. I still love you as my friend though. I know you are still a good pony and amazing friend. I’m sure you were just as amazing as a human too and none of that was your fault.” Twilight said to Naruko.

Naruko sniffed before crying in relief and hugging her friend… no best friend back. “Thanks Twilight… You are my best friend you know….” She managed to say quietly.

Twilight hugged her tighter and replied, “And you are mine Naruko. You always will be too. No matter what.”

“Same here Twilight.” Naruko said back to her. Kyuubi smiled and let the two have their moment.

Things were definitely much better here for Naruko than they ever were, or probably would be in Konoha. Kyuubi liked things here much better as well. He actually believed that Naruko trying out that Ultimate Escape Jutsu was the best thing to have happened for both of them.

When the time came of Naruko to go to bed that night she had a great big smile on her face. It was a sight that would never have been seen in Konoha. Naruko had a best friend now, and she was starting to understand a little bit what the bonds of friendship really were like. She also felt immense relief Twilight had accepted her even after hearing about the worst night in her life, and the horrible thing she did then.

Time marches on in both Worlds

Two days after Naruko disappeared, the fresh graduates were waiting in the classroom for their instructors to come and tell them about whatever came next. The students were a bit surprised when only Iruka showed up and he looked saddened. After the last few minutes passed before they closed the doors, Sasuke said aloud, “Ha! I knew that Idiot blonde girl wouldn't pass.”

Iruka gave him a look and then said, “The truth is she did pass. We found out her original test grades were hampered with after they were collected. However, due to extenuating circumstances, she won’t be joining the normal shinobi forces. Anymore details on the matter are to be shared only on a need to know basis. Anyways, I'm here to give you one last lecture before you are divided into your teams.”

He was about to continue when Sakura interrupted him. “Excuse me Iruka-sensei, but where is Mizuki-sensei?” The rest of the class gave him interested looks since they also wanted to know.

Iruka looked them over for a few moments before proceeding. He was told to be careful of saying anything about it to others, but since these Genin would be taking their team tests and he felt it would benefit Konoha. He decided to teach them one last lesson.

He took a deep breath before starting. “Usually I spend my last day with you going over what it means to be a ninja and how important the missions you take are, no matter how minuscule they seem. Instead I am going to teach you a valuable lesson every ninja learns once they are with their team. As ninja, we need to be aware of our surroundings at all times. We don’t need to get all overly paranoid, but we should learn to be aware and to see what is underneath what we see.”

The students looked as he took a breath, “I say this because this village as a whole has forgotten this lesson with our power and position in the elemental countries. Had we not, we would have easily figured out Mizuki was in fact a traitor before it was almost too late.”

There were several gasps of surprise from the students, even Sasuke didn't keep his usual cool exterior. Iruka continued, “We lucked out in that the same reason he was over looked led to his exposure. He wasn't always the brightest of Chunins, but he was good enough to teach our students. That was before we found out he was a traitor.”

The Hokage watched from his crystal ball. At first, he wasn't happy with Iruka’s choice, but now he realized it was the best choice for this situation. They had relied on their strength and the fact they had the strongest Jinchuriki for too long. He wasn't going to cause the civilians to go into panic nor his own forces, but they would need to be careful now.

They didn't know where Naruko vanished to. Maybe had they treated her better, she wouldn't have thought to figure out and use the Ultimate Escape Jutsu. For now, Konoha was safe because only a few knew she was gone. However, eventually others would catch on to this, and outside forces might see this as an opportunity to move against Konoha.

In fact other than Kakashi, Sarutobi asked each Jonin-sensei to still test the new Genin, but to focus more on if there was potential in them that only needed a little prodding to bring out. Usually they were very picky about who they let pass their test. There were even a few teams that were actually crossed out before they had the real test. However, Sarutobi knew there was a definite possibility they would never see Naruko again because of that jutsu. He, being the wise ruler he was, already started making preparations for what was to come.

{-} {-} {-}

The day they learned Naruko passed the test, but wouldn't be teamed with anyone, was a day that would stick with one Kunoichi for the rest of her life. It wasn't because Naruko was gone though. It was what Iruka said to the class.

Hearing Mizuki-sensei was a traitor made things finally real for Sakura. She had spent time with him alone to get help on lessons or ask a question. She never realized he could have easily killed her then and there if he wanted without a second’s thought, since he was an enemy to the village. She listened as Iruka called out each team and Jonin sensei.

Sakura was on team seven with Sasuke and a guy she didn't know very well named Sai. Their sensei was three hours late to pick them up. She would have yelled at him for being late, but she was too determined to be the best Kunoichi she could be. She decided if he made this a habit she would simply find ways to train before he arrived each day.

As she and her two teammates got up and walked up to the roof like he asked, they were mostly silent. Sasuke glared at him. Sai seemed like he was trying hard to seem friendly and Sakura merely said quietly, “I hope you eventually see us as worth teaching, sensei.” Kakashi was a little surprised by this reaction. He was always extremely late so that his potential team would get angry and be easier to simply fail later.

The next day Kakashi was in for even more of a surprise when it came to the test. He always did the bell test to pit them against each other, and teach them the hard way to look underneath the underneath as he always put it. However, he didn't know about Iruka’s lesson from the day before. He was shocked when they actually quickly put it together and when their time was up, Sai smiled his fake smile and said, “So Kakashi-sensei. Did we pass?”

Kakashi gave them a teasing look and asked, “What makes you think you did? None of you three got a bell though two of you came close to getting one.”

Sakura answered, “It wasn't about getting the bell. It was about working together as a team and not abandoning each other.” She seemed to have a look of anger at the thought of betrayal in her eyes. Sai did as well. Sasuke didn't, but Kakashi seemed to figure that was him just keeping his ‘cool’ like always.

Kakashi simply smiled and said, “You guys take all the fun out of this little test you know. I have no choice but to pass you three.” They cheered at that or at least Sakura did, while Sai kept smiling like he always did and Sasuke grinned at becoming a ninja officially. “But tell me why was it you three caught on so quickly?”

Sasuke’s eyes darkened here. The boy’s anger wasn't hidden now. “We found out about Mizuki in class yesterday, and Iruka-sensei told us we need to learn to look at what lies underneath.” Sasuke was angry at the traitor for being a traitor like his brother, though nowhere near as strong as his brother clearly, and the fact he, an Uchiha, didn’t notice it sooner.

Kakashi’s eye smile disappeared. He sighed mentally as he realized he might actually have to start teaching them seriously. He hated those who abandon their comrades. Those who were traitors to their village counted as abandoning their comrades. He would see if their drive stayed first though.

The Hokage had told the Jonins what happened that night, and the ninja realized they were now going to be seen as weakened once word got out of their village. The one eyed Jonin wasn't happy about the news at all, but he wouldn't ignore it either.

{-} {-} {-}

Their drive had stayed even after all of the D-rank missions they went on. Kakashi also noticed how each student trained harder and changed in surprising ways for the most part. Sakura got stronger and quickly lost her fan girl persona. She still had a crush on Sasuke, but she knew this wasn't about impressing him now. It showed in her training and during their missions, even the simple ones.

Sai had started to open up more and even started to smile for real from time to time. He eventually stopped hiding some of his true skills. Kakashi knew he was much more advanced still than he let on, but he also appreciated how the boy started to help out in training Sakura, while he spent time with Sasuke. However, Sai never dared to become like a rival to the Uchiha and so Sasuke didn't change as much.

Sasuke stayed his normal brooding self, and his thirst for power never really subsided in the smallest bit. The Uchiha also kept his superior disposition, but not as a way to annoy someone. Instead he actually felt he was above them all. Sai never really cared to try and challenge him, so Sasuke took this as a sign that his male teammate knew he was better than the rest of them.

Sasuke continued to be a problem. Even their trip to wave, where Sasuke was shown he wasn't as amazing as he thought himself, did little to bring his ego down. Even when he was close to dying and Sai had only gotten them out alive because of one of his ink jutsus, the avenger didn't change. Sasuke just once again felt he was only weak because he was being held back by the others who were jealous of him.

Kakashi was glad they managed to complete the mission, and all come back in one piece after encountering Zabuza and that Haku kid. He had confidence they were ready to take on what was to come next. They had become stronger and knew how to work together despite their differences.

He decided he would submit them for the Chunin exams. He had a feeling Konoha would make a decently strong showing this year, to if nothing else, reaffirm their strength to the other nations.

{-} {-} {-}

The Chunin exams turned out to be a disaster in the end. Orochimaru invaded Konoha with his sound village aided by Suna. The invasion wasn't the worst part really. It was Suna’s Jinchuriki showing up and unleashing his power in the middle of the invasion that made it the worst exam they had been through before.

In the end Konoha took a heavy beating, but with a combined effort of several ninjas they were able to kill Gaara, the Jinchuriki. This ended up dispersing the one tailed beast’s energy to be reformed again later.

Fortunately Sarutobi survived, though barely and only because Orochimaru’s diversion proved to go all to right. Suna suffered heavy losses, they had sent most of their strongest to help with the invasion, to Gaara’s insatiable rage and blood lust before Konoha shinobi could end him. Orochimaru was also discovered to have taken their Kazekage’s spot as well when they were finally ordered to get ready for the invasion.

Orochimaru had tried to end Sarutobi but couldn't because he got sloppy, since Gaara worked all too well. Even the snake of a man’s barrier he had worked so hard on, couldn't withstand Gaara’s assault for long. Orochimaru was forced to retreat in the chaos caused by the one tail’s container.

He had also lost his arms to the Shinigami, but fortunately for his sake the jutsu was interrupted by Gaara. Orochimaru had wanted to have his old teacher fight the first and second Hokage at once, but he soon had to order them to instead try and maintain the barrier.

Orochimaru did take some solace in how he had actually achieved one of his objectives though. He had laid the seed that would lead to Sasuke’s defection from Konoha to Sound Village. He was surprised how easy it was actually, the boy had hardly any bonds to the village as it was. A simple promise of power and it was hook, line and sinker. Orochimaru would have those eyes in no time he thought.

{-} {-} {-}

When Sasuke defected from Konoha, Sakura was surprised how little it shocked her. Having spent time focusing on actually being a ninja, she had shed her rose tinted Sasuke glasses, and her crush had slowly died away. She knew he was going to leave, but she also knew they wouldn't be able to stop him from going. Orochimaru made sure of that.

She had instead started studying him, figuring him out the best she could to end him once she had the strength to do so. She wasn't the top Kunoichi in their class for nothing. She knew she needed knowledge and strength to kill the traitor, but she didn't have either right now.

She would have told someone. However, she knew her warnings would mostly be ignored by the council, who seemed to love everything about Sasuke. Their support of the dark haired boy would have shocked even the Sasuke fan club girls. Sakura shook her head realizing she would probably be just like them if she hadn't finally awoken.

Sai wasn't an option either she knew. It seemed he couldn't do anything and literally wasn't capable of doing anything to stop Sasuke. Almost as if something was placed on him that refused to let him harm the Uchiha.

Sakura asked her true teammate about this, but he physically couldn't say anything on the matter. Instead the two had come to an unofficial agreement that he would do what he could to help her be capable of finishing Sasuke when she was strong enough to do so.

As for their sensei, he seemed to be obsessed with Sasuke in a different way. He acted as if he had to help the youngest Uchiha as a way to make up for some old promise or oath of some kind.

The truth was Kakashi saw what was happening, but he felt if he did end the Uchiha he would be letting Obito down. He also believed Sasuke was just like he was at the time when he was teamed with Obito. Kakashi had hoped that if he saved Sasuke he would also save himself somehow.

The only good thing that seemed to have happened lately for Konoha was the new Hokage named Tsunade. Sarutobi knew his time was even shorter after the invasion. He had Jiraiya, his most loyal student, retrieve her anyway he could.

They made a deal with her. She would spend some time learning from Sarutobi as well as training a few gifted medics with the help of her niece before taking the hat. As payment, Konoha would pay off all of her debts she had built up. For the next few years, things would go on like business as usual for Konoha.

{-} {-} {-}

It was now two years since Naruko came to Equestria, and she couldn’t be happier. She was now Fourteen years old and Twilight Sparkle was fifteen. The two had become the best of friends to each other. This was great for the both of them but also not so great. The two hadn't made any other friends despite plenty of chances to do so. The two unicorns spent almost all of their time studying or hanging out with each other. They also now had classes together with Celestia.

Naruko had taken to unicorn magic like a fish to water. She loved it. She could do so many amazing things with it. She even found ways to use her jutsus she had learned as Unicorn magic. However, despite her awesomeness it was still nothing compared to Twilight Sparkle.

Naruko heard Twilight's tale of how she got her cutie mark and Celestia said no pony had the raw power the lavender unicorn did. Kyuubi had even confirmed that he could sense the power the purple unicorn kept hidden away, and said if she ever learned to control that power she would be close to being their equal if they were at full power with little effort.

Had Naruko still been in Konoha around someone talented like this she would have been extremely jealous of them. But she wasn't in that place anymore and had gotten over things like that. It was as Celestia said, “Everypony is special and gifted in their own way. Everypony is genuinely unique. Letting jealousy get the best of you only leads to sadness.”

Naruko had to admit she fully understood why Celestia had ruled for so long without anyone wanting to take her throne. The Princess was not only very wise and powerful, but she was also just and friendly to her subjects. She was the kind of ruler that everypony just wanted to follow.

Thinking of her time in Equestria Naruko thought of her favorite days here. One of Naruko’s favorite days was when Twilight first invited her over to visit her family. Twilight was just as excited on that day as well.

Naruko enjoyed meeting her best friend’s parents. The two were what she thought parents should be like. They loved and cared for their young ones. They were also very friendly and had warmly welcomed Naruko into their home.

The blonde unicorn also met Twilight’s older brother, Shining Armor. He was every bit what a stallion should be, and he was in the royal guard. He too greeted Naruko warmly. The two got along really well with each other, and though she knew it wasn't the case, she had come to see him as an older brother.

She told Twilight of course, and was glad her friend seemed happy about this. Though the purple pony did put her hoof down and said, “He can only be my BBBFF though, Naruko. Sorry…” She looked a little sheepish at how she behaved when she said that to Naruko.

Naruko just laughed and said, “I’m not going to try and steal him away from you Twilight don’t worry. I know he isn't really my big brother. It's just that he's the closest I have to one is all. No need to be sorry either. I know if I had a brother and somepony told me the same I would act that way as well.”

{-} {-} {-}

Sakura was now sixteen. She and the rest of the Konoha eleven apart, from Neji and Sai, were all Chunin now. Neji was a Jonin and Sai was only officially a Chunin. Sai had told her, Kakashi, and their new teammate Yakumo Kurama, he was a part of Root, but he couldn't say much else than that.

Yakumo Kurama was a girl very strongly gifted in Genjutsu because of her clan’s bloodline limit ability. She could literally kill with just illusions. The girl had caused a big problem when they were younger, and she used her illusions for misguided revenge. However with some difficulty, they eventually subdued her and found out the cause of her revenge was because of a monster inside her own mind she created.

Once the monster was defeated, Yakumo had remembered what really happened in her past that led to her revenge. She then tried to kill herself, but was stopped by Kurenia-sensei who had been her instructor at one time. Once the girl had calmed down, she wished to redeem herself by using her powers to help Konoha and others.

They took her to Tsunade who did a thorough exam of the girl and found a way to help her out. She had Jiraiya, the seal master, place a limiter seal on the girl that Yakumo could control herself.

This seal would help her learn to control her power eventually, while also keeping the power from overtaking her again. Truth be told the only reason why Tsunade allowed this was because she knew they would need all the help they could get for what was to come.

There was a group called Akatsuki that was working in the shadows for something big. They were just now starting to make their moves because it had taken this long for the one tailed beast to reform in the wild. The Konoha ninja ranked Chunin and above knew what the group’s goal was. The group was hunting all of the Jinchuriki for their power.

She had even told them Naruko was the nine tailed fox’s Jinchuriki. She had told them that Naruko had been keeping them alive by keeping the beast locked away, and also because her existence and allegiance to Konoha brought fear to the other nations. She told them with Akatsuki making moves it would only be a matter of time before they realized Naruko was missing.

“Thankfully the other Ninja Villages will be too busy keeping their own Jinchuriki out of Akatsuki’s hands, so they won’t declare full on war to try and dethrone Konoha as the strongest of the five great ninja nations. But they still will test us, and with Akatsuki’s plans affecting the whole of our world we will have to also deal with them as well,” Tsunade said gravely to the gathered ninja in her office.

The words had chilled most of the new Chunins. It also made a few of the Konoha eleven rethink how they had treated the girl, and they realized how mean they had been to her for such stupid reasons. It just went to show them how true the old adage of "Everything’s twenty/twenty in hindsight" was.

{-} {-} {-}

In a large forested clearing far away from Canterlot, a huge red orange furred fox with 6 tails bounded around attacking a replica of itself. The two titans sparred for a good while before a light blue cutting wind dispersed the clone in a puff of smoke.

The remaining fox frowned a little before saying in a deep booming voice, “I was starting to have fun, Naruko.”

A pony with a peach tanned colored coat and a blonde loose flowing mane, shrugged her shoulders before answering the beast casually, “You had been sparring for three hours now. We need to try that spell I think.”

The fox raised an eyebrow, “While I enjoy being able to use more of my power. I have to wonder why you wish to practice that spell. I really don’t see any reason we would need it here in this world. I don’t think any of those powers I mentioned before will be waking anytime soon nor be threatening.”

Naruko gave him a look, “We should always be prepared for the worst case scenarios even here. Twilight has had something on her mind lately that she is scared of. She has been researching like a mad pony… or well a madder than her usual mad ponyself at any rate. Something is coming I can tell. Even Celestia has been showing small signs of worry that I, her perceptive student, am only able to see.”

The fox could tell he wasn't going to win this fight, “Very well.” He then leaned down and the pony climbed on top of his head quickly.

The two partners then focused together as Naruko’s horn glowed a light blue, and the fox gathered chakra before making hand signs. They then both shouted, “Inferno Wind Jutsu!” A series of three decent fiery tornadoes appeared and Naruko concentrated on their movements, causing them to twist around each other and move together in a well-orchestrated dance. The fiery tornadoes didn't harm anything unless the Guardian Unicorn wished them to as long as she had control of them.

After some time, Naruko dismissed them and collapsed on top of Kyuubi’s head. The fox grinned and said, “Most impressive! That is quiet the improvement from our first time, when we burned down the forest clearing.”

Naruko gave a little chuckle as she remembered that day, “Fortunately Twilight knew a spell that put the fires out. No water required. I'm just glad Celestia didn't stay angry at us.” The fox only nodded in agreement.

"Still I don't see how Twilight does some of the magic she does. I may be better at combat magic than her, but that is only because I have the training while she doesn't. I wish I could do more of the things she could do," Naruko said with a dreamy expression.

Twilight wasn't very good with combat magic, but everything else she was a master. Naruko and Kyuubi both knew only Celestia was stronger in magic than Twilight without using any kind of artifact. Twilight could make visions appear in thin air while casually sipping tea.

Twilight could even teleport among other things. Naruto desperately wanted to learn some of Twilight's magic abilities. She knew Twilight wouldn't mind teaching her, but she felt if she were to learn more from Twilight she would have to teach her best friend something in return. This was only an issue because Naruko liked having one thing over Twilight and refused to give that up.

When she mentioned this to Kyuubi, he only chuckled as he said pride was something all species shared. Secretly the fox also liked that Naruko kept it to herself. He knew the blonde unicorn would progress much further if she learned more advanced spells from Twilight, but he also feared what Twilight would be like if she learned combat magic. The lavender Unicorn might even be able to give Celestia a run for her money if she caught the princess by surprise.

Naruko finally broke from her musings and got off of Kyuubi as he reverted back to his one tail form. “I think we should head back, Naruko. No doubt somepony will have to drag Twilight to the dining hall, since she is in research mode right now.” The blonde pony nodded her agreement.

Just as Kyuubi predicted, they had to drag Twilight to dinner. The purple pony kept going on about how she just knew this upcoming year’s Summer Sun Celebration had some significance that she couldn't quiet place. She claimed to have read something about it one time a few months back. Naruko finally got her to calm down and get ready to enjoy their meal.

They had a good crowd tonight for Supper. Twilight’s Parents were there as was Shining Armor. Naruko figured they would be celebrating his recent promotion to Captain of the Guard. Celestia was also there as well as Orbit and a few other attendants that Naruko had come to know fairly well along with a few guards. They all took a place at the long table as the covered dishes were brought in for them.

Naruko was surprised when the covered dishes were uncovered and she saw glorious Ramen from the noodle food master pony at her favorite restaurant in Canterlot. She had been there several times, usually dragging Twilight with her. “What is all of this about?” Naruko asked her eyes wide in surprise.

Celestia gave an elegant laugh as she said, “Surely My Perceptive Student, wouldn't forget her own birthday. It’s October tenth, Naruko!”

Naruko just smiled as the others including Twilight, who had recovered from her study madness, shouted, “Happy sixteenth Birthday Naruko!” Naruko could only cry tears of joy. She always did when they celebrated her birthday in Equestria.

Back in Konoha, her birthday meant watching everyone else celebrate their victory over the fox, while she was ignored even more than usual. This was followed by a sleepless night as she would stay awake hoping no one tried to break into her home wanting to get back at the "Demon".

Naruko sniffed and enjoyed her birthday dinner with ponies she cared about in some manner, even if they weren't friends. They were still ponies she knew and liked. She smiled as she unwrapped the gifts she received. As always she got a book from Twilight, but her best friend knew what kind of books to get her. “Wow! The newest Daring Doo! It’s even signed! Thanks, Twilight!”

“Don’t mention it Naruko,” Twilight replied with a smile and gave her best friend a hug.

Naruko opened her other presents as well. She didn't have a lot but they were all great, and she was just so happy to see friendly faces celebrating her birthday with her. She got a new set of tail ribbons from Twilight’s parents. She got a small telescope from Orbit, and a few other meaningful gifts as well.

She next opened the present from Celestia. It was an ancient looking tome that was still in very good condition. The title read: Guide to Being a Guardian Contract Holder. Naruko noticed Twilight’s hungry eyes before she held on to it tightly and turned to Celestia. “Thank you Princess Celestia! I will put it to good use.” Naruko liked the gift it was very practical and looked to be interesting.

Celestia had told her not too long ago there were certain magics only Guardians and their familiars could use, but since she wasn't one herself she didn't know much about them. Naruko and Kyuubi had figured some of them out, but they didn't know how to proceed in their training. “Don’t mention it, Naruko. I am sorry it took me so long to find it. Also Naruko, it's just Celestia to you.”

Naruko gave a little smile. “Thanks anyways Celestia.”

The last present she got was an orange jacket from Shining Armor. She grinned at the jacket and hugged it tightly as her face lit up. It was close to the one she had back in Konoha. That jacket was one of the few things she missed from there. “Thanks Shining!” She then gave him a quick hug, which he returned, and a kiss on the cheek, which he didn't know how to respond to in the end.

After everything was over, Naruko retired to bed at last. It was yet another happy and wonderful birthday for her. She went to bed that night and had a wonderful and pleasant dream. She knew that no matter what happened in the future she would always love Equestria as her home. She knew things weren't always going to be easy and nice here, but she would do what she could for her home. It would be worth it, no matter what she had to do to protect it along with her best friend Twilight.

To Ponyville

It was early morning and several months after her last birthday when Naruko visited Twilight in her study. The first thing she noticed was the pony throwing books around with her magic, while frantically looking for something. Spike was busy helping her and the two didn't seem to take much notice of the damaged gift wrapped teddy bear in the center of the floor. “What’s going on, Twi?” Naruko asked with concern.

“I was rereading about Equestria’s past, and I just got to the part where Celestia banished Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony. I remembered I read something important about the Elements of Harmony, but I can’t remember what it was exactly.” Twilight said as she looked through several titles at once before discarding the group of books having absorbed a summary of the knowledge they held. It was something Naruko knew she personally could never do, since it was a spell Twilight created herself.

“Found it!” Spike shouted as Twilight took the book with her magic from his hands. She then read aloud about the Elements of Harmony, and the part that said Nightmare Moon would return after a thousand years when four stars align on the longest day of that year to bring about night time eternal.

This immediately sent warnings to both Naruko and Twilight, since that was the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, meaning this day. Twilight quickly had Spike send a message to the Princess warning her. Twilight was confident the Princess would act fast on this information.

She wasn't surprised when Celestia sent her a message right away in response, but what the message said, as Spike read it aloud, did surprise her. “Sending us to Ponyville to oversee preparations for the festival?! What is she thinking?! This is an important time! No pony has time for a festival!”

Naruko on the other hand for better, or worse took the letter to mean Princess Celestia was already taking care of it. She wasn't going to say anything, since she knew Twilight wouldn't listen to her at this time. Spike decided to speak though. “Don’t forget the P.S. that says both you and Naruko are to make some friends.”

The studious pony gave a frown at that. “What does she mean by that anyways? Naruko and I are best of friends!" She stomped a purple hoof for emphasis before giving her friend an questioning look. "Any ideas, Naruko?”

Naruko sighed, “She probably wants us to make more friends. Kyu has been encouraging me to do the same subtly, but since I dropped my idiot persona, and I’m not eager to be acknowledged by others. I don’t come off as overly friendly like I used to back in Konoha.”

Twilight frowned again, “Hey you are still a very wonderful and fun friend, and you are polite to others." Twilight said this giving Naruko a no nonsense look. She then added, "Oh well we might as well go since we have a mission to do. Maybe the Ponyville library will have something on how we can find the Elements of Harmony, and use them to save Equestria while we make friends in Ponyville.”

Naruko gave a chuckle as Twilight raised an eyebrow at her. “Sorry I just find it fitting. The first thing you think about in Ponyville is their library.”

Twilight gave her a confused look and said, “Well yah we need to figure out about the Elements of Harmony, Naruko. Also remember the note said our things would be sent on later, and we will be staying in the Library while in Ponyville.”

Naruko nodded to her friend before giving her a teasing grin, “Even if there wasn't anything to worry about, you know the library would be the first thing in Ponyville you thought about, Twi.” Both Spike and Twilight gave a laugh at that, since it was true.

“Anyways I guess you're going to gather up Kyu then, Naru?” Twilight asked. She was trying the nickname thing that Naruko did, but she still needed to learn to actually use it more often. Naruko gave her a nod and Twilight said, “Meet you at the chariot then.”

{-} {-} {-}

As they flew down to Ponyville via Pegasus drawn royal chariot, Naruko and Twilight broke up the work. “Alright Naruko, you go check on the decorations and music. I'll check on the food and weather. We will wait in the town center for the other to arrive and make sure everything checked out ok. After that we hit the books in the library hard and fast. Sound good to you?”

Naruko nodded to her friend. She still thought Celestia might have already planned for tonight, and they wouldn't have to worry about anything… or at least she hoped that was the case. Either way she would give her full help and support to her best friend, since that's what friends do.

“Hopefully this won’t take us too long to figure out, Twilight. It would be nice to see some of Ponyville before we have to head back to Canterlot.” Naruko said with a smile.

The blonde unicorn was actually a little excited. She had heard about the other pony towns and cities, but never seen any of them. As far as seeing outside of Canterlot went, the only place she had seen were parts of the nearby forest while training with Kyuubi.

“I think it would be nice also! I've never seen outside of Canterlot!" Spike exclaimed with eagerness. "Think Moondancer has seen Ponyville before? If not I would love to tell her all about it.” Spike said in wonder.

“Before you can do that you will have to get the courage to actually visit her without us around, Little Dragon.” Kyuubi said from his favorite spot on Naruko’s back.

Spike gave him a halfhearted glare as he argued with the fox, “She is a popular pony. I can’t just walk up to her and talk to her you know.” Kyuubi gave a little laugh in response. The two actually saw each other as friends despite their arguments, since the male to female ratio seemed to be at least one male for every four females.

“Everypony we need to stay focused! I too want to see around Ponyville, but if we don’t figure this out there might not be a Ponyville for long.” Twilight scolded them. Though truth be told, she was a little excited to see some place outside of Canterlot just like her companions were.

{-} {-} {-}

As their chariot landed, they thanked the flyers, who took off back to Canterlot once they unloaded. The first thing they noticed was the place seemed to be a nice town. All of the buildings had timber frames and thatched roves, and there were lots of buildings. It had a nice and friendly rural feel too it. There were several shops and stands around the town square they entered, and they quickly saw where their home in Ponyville would be.

The second thing they saw was a bright pink earth pony with a dark pink mane and tail in large and wild poofy curls. Twilight was about to ask if the pony could point her in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, where Applejack lived. Applejack was the pony in charge of food for the festival, Twilight's first stop. However, before she could do little more than open her mouth the pink pony jumped high into the air, stared at both her and Naruko before running off quickly to Celestia knows where.

“Well she was helpful wasn't she?” Naruko asked sarcastically.

“I hope this doesn't become a trend….” Twilight said in exasperation.

Fortunately, it wasn't a trend. The next pony Twilight asked for help gladly gave it to her. With that, Twilight took off for Sweet Apple Acres and Naruko went inside the town hall.

Once inside the town hall, she noticed there weren't any decorations up yet, or any signs of ponies starting to work on them. Naruko figured this was because it was still early so she simply left and asked a light green pony with yellow mane and tail where she could find the pony in charge of the music for the Summer Sun Celebration.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko approached a rustic hut with a massive grassy roof. On the front door there was a note that read, “At Choir practice. Listen for the nice little birdies near the pond to find me…. You know if you want to find me that is… Sorry for the inconvenience…” Naruko sighed at this. It made sense and was a good sign, but she needed to find this choir practice and check with the pony personally.

“Good thing I can use that jutsu at least.” She said to herself. Her horn glowed a light blue before several clones appeared in front of her. “Alright Everypony! We need to find a pond nearby and listen for the nice little birdies.” She commanded her troops donning a military helmet in the process.

“No offense boss… But that isn't a lot to go on you know.” One of the clones said.

Naruko stared at the pony, “It doesn't matter! That is all the info we have for now. Just find this pond. Once we find it everyone disperse at timed intervals. Got it?!” The blonde maned army each saluted with a hoof before racing off in different directions.

It didn't take long to find the pond in the end, and the clone that found it dispersed so the information would be passed on to the others. Naruko walked towards the music, one bird sounded off key to the others. Naruko finally came to a small patch of trees where she saw a yellow coated Pegasus with a long pink mane and tail conducting the birds. Naruko had to admit it sounded very nice despite the off key bird.

As the song finished, the Pegasus scolded the off key bird in a soft voice before apologizing to it for getting 'heated', but told him he still needed to get the right pitch. The bird seemed to blush before the two of them got the right key. Naruko half thought to interrupt and ask how the music was going, but she decided to just stand there and listen for a bit. She wanted to hear the song without the off key bird.

After the birds finished their song, Naruko couldn't help but stomp her hooves in appreciation. “That was wonderful! It seems you have the music ready for the Summer Sun Celebration.”

The yellow Pegasus landed on the ground and blushed as she hoofed the ground. She was a little startled by this pony she had never seen before. She wanted to hide from the blonde unicorn, but she thought that might seem rude of her.

Naruko gave a friendly smile and rubbed the back of her mane with a hoof. “Sorry I didn't mean to startle you. It was just so nice I had to listen to it all. Anyways I'm Naruko Uzumaki. I was sent to Ponyville by Princess Celestia with my friend Twilight to check on preparations for the festival. What's your name?”

The yellow Pegasus squeaked something and hoofed the ground again. Naruko pressed her a little more. The winged pony tried to say her name again, but this Naruko, was too much for her.

Naruko gave a little frown, “I really didn't mean to scare you… I just wanted to talk is all. Anyways I will go ahead and leave, the music is clearly good to go. It was nice meeting you, even if I didn't get your name.”

Naruko was about to turn around when the yellow pony spoke softly, but loud enough to be heard. “I’m Fluttershy. I am sorry… I didn't mean to be rude. I was just… well you know surprised is all… I didn't mean to be a bully….” The Yellow Pegasus lowered her head and looked up at Naruko.

Naruko gave her a warm smile. “You were no such thing Fluttershy. It was nice meeting you, but I have to get back to Ponyville and check on Decorations and my friend.” Naruko then turned around and Fluttershy now saw Kyuubi laying on Naruko’s back.

Instantly the yellow Pegasus hovered over to them and said excitedly, in a normal volume for anyone else. “Oooo…. Is the fox your pet? His fur is so fluffy! What is his name?”

Naruko answered Fluttershy as she walked back to town. “I call him Kyu. He seems to love riding on my back. I don’t really mind it though.”

“Kyu… Such a cute little name for a cute wittle foxy woxy!” Fluttershy cooed.

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow before he protested. “My name is Kyuubi! Not Kyu… Naruko here can call me Kyu and sometimes Twilight, but I will not allow just any pony to call me that name.”

Naruko gave a little laugh as Fluttershy froze in midair hearing his deep voice. Fluttershy still thought he was cute even with the voice. “He can talk?! I don’t know any foxes that can actually talk to ponies in words. I can understand their yips, chirps, and barks, but never have they spoken to me before.”

“That’s because Kyuubi here is my familiar and I’m his partner. I’m his Contracted Guardian. He still is lazy in his smaller form though, always hitching a ride on my back.” Naruko answered her.

“Ohhh! That's amazing! I've never met a pony or fox like you two before. Guardians are rare. There haven’t been any in ages.” Fluttershy said now hovering next to Naruko and Kyuubi.

“So we've been told. So Fluttershy, I guess you're coming with us to Ponyville? Will your birds be there on time?” Naruko asked as she trotted along.

“I would love to; if you know… you don’t mind my tagging along. It's just I have never met a talking fox before. The birds will be alright. They know when to show up for the celebration.” The Yellow Pegasus seemed to be quite the talker once she got used to you.

“So Fluttershy how is it you can understand animals? Also if you are this excited to meet Kyu I bet you will flip once you meet Twilight’s… sidekick. Is that what he prefers to be called Kyu?” Naruko asked.

“Yes he prefers sidekick. He says it is better than slav… I mean assistant, or what I like to call him.” Kyuubi answered with a chuckle before looking to Fluttershy wondering what her answer was about understanding animals.

“I can understand animals because it's my special talent. That's why I have three pretty butterflies as my cutie mark!” Fluttershy answered before then flying ahead a little bit to show them her cutie mark.

Naruko and Kyuubi both looked it over. It was three butterflies with pink wings and light blue bodies. Once they caught up to her, she asked them, “So what is it about your friend’s sidekick that you think will cause me to flip? Though I don’t really like flipping…. It’s scary.”

The two gave matching foxy grins as Naruko answered, “Ahhh… If I told you Fluttershy it would ruin the surprise. It’s a good surprise so don’t worry.” Naruko already knew the yellow Pegasus didn't take surprises well.

Fluttershy gave them a little frown before walking next to them for the rest of the trip. She soon started to hover again since she was happy Kyuubi and Naruko answered all of her other questions she asked them.

On the way back to Ponyville, they noticed an overstuffed Twilight slowly making her way to town. She stopped and leaned against a fence for a little bit as she mumbled about eating too much while checking up on the food.

“Don’t worry Twilight. I’m sure you will be okay in a few minutes. Besides that food was good anyways. I just wish they had some gems to go with all of those apple dishes.” Spike said to the purple pony before they heard a loud squee from a yellow Pegasus, who just did an aerial flip before dive hugging him.

Once she realized what she did, the Pegasus profusely apologized before introducing herself to Spike and Twilight. Once that was finished, she quickly started to ask Spike questions, which the baby dragon answered happily.

“So you pigged out on apples, Twilight? I thought we were supposed to be quick about things.” Naruko teased her best friend.

Twilight gave her a look. “After I met Applejack, she told me I should try some for myself. I didn't think her whole family was there and she would ring the dinner bell. I ended up meeting her whole family, and eating samples of all their food.”

“And you stayed for all of that?” Naruko asked incredulously. Twilight’s ears turned down a little as she slowly nodded. “I'm surprised. I guess you did decide to try and make some friends while we are here after all.” Naruko said with a smile.

Twilight straightened up and sighed. “I didn't mean to Naruko. But then a little filly, Applejack’s younger sister Applebloom, begged me to stay for a little while. She gave me puppy dog eyes! Those combined with the large bow in her mane made it impossible to just say no and leave them.” Naruko gave a little laugh.

“So what is the story with the yellow Pegasus? She seems very chatty.” Twilight asked.

“Fluttershy is only acting like that because she warmed up to Kyu and me quickly. Also she loves animals and the only thing that could tie with a talking fox is a talking baby dragon. It took a long time to actually hear her say her own name. She is very shy and quiet when you first meet her.” Naruko answered.

Twilight smiled at her best friend and said, “See I told you. You were still a friendly and fun pony. I still have to check on the weather. Did you get to check on the decorations?”

“Nope. They weren't even started when I looked earlier. I bet they have been now though.” Naruko answered.

“Well let’s check on the last two together then shall we?” Twilight asked as she walked up to Spike and magicked him on to her back so he could talk to Fluttershy easily as they walked. Naruko simply nodded and followed.

{-} {-} {-}

As they walked into Ponyville, they noticed there were still clouds everywhere in the sky. Fluttershy had warmed up to Twilight as well and asked the purple pony questions along the way. She still asked Kyuubi and Spike more though, but Naruko and Twilight didn't mind it. They understood how rare it was to see a talking baby dragon and talking fox.

“I wonder where this Rainbow Dash pony is. She is supposed to take care of the weather.” Spike asked as they looked around in the sky hoping to see a Pegasus fly by them.

“She's probably off practicing some new flying trick. She wants to be the best flyer in all of Equestria.” Fluttershy answered softly.

“Well that doesn't mean she can slack off on her job. Where is she? She should have taken care of the job first then worried about practicing.” Twilight said in a little bit of a huff. She wasn't very fond of slackers in general.

Just as Twilight said that something cyan and rainbow colored crashed into her causing her to land in the mud. Twilight wondered why Fluttershy hadn't pushed her out of the way of the speeding winged train’s path. Once her eyes stopped swirling, she saw that Fluttershy was cooing over Spike asking him if he was hurt or anything. Twilight glared as Naruko tried to hold a laugh back.

The blue blur got up, giggled, and apologized to Twilight before then bringing over a rain cloud to wash her off. Once Twilight was drenched and looking angry, the cyan Pegasus said, “Sorry about that… Here let me dry you off.” She then made a rainbow colored tornado around Twilight to dry her.

Once the tornado finished, Twilight’s mane and tail were a frizzy mess, with odd bits sticking out everywhere. Naruko couldn't hold it in any longer and started laughing out loud as did Kyuubi. Spike laughed a little and Fluttershy gave a frown.

Twilight sighed and turned to the Pegasus that just tornado dried her mane. “I guess you must be Rainbow Dash. In charge of weather here in Ponyville?”

Rainbow Dash spread her wings out and hoofed herself in the chest. “The one and only! I’m also the best flyer in Ponyville and one day I will be the best in all of Equestria!” She surely didn't lack for confidence Twilight and Naruko both realized, but the rainbow maned pegasus seemed friendly enough.

“So then how about fixing the weather for the ceremony now then, Rainbow Dash?” Naruko asked. She knew Twilight really wanted to study the Elements of Harmony and how to use them to beat Nightmare Moon.

“Ehhh… I will get to it eventually.” The pegasus then lounged on a cloud. “Besides I got more important things to work on. Like training so I can impress the Wonderbolts.” Rainbow Dash then gave a yawn, and probably would have decided to take a nap if it weren't for what Twilight next said.

“Really the Wonderbolts? The best flyers in all of Equestria? You think they will let a lazy pegasus, who can’t even take care of a few clouds join them?” Twilight said not hiding her smirk as she knew she had Rainbow Dash now.

The flying pony stood up and proclaimed “Yah the Wonderbolts! I will join them! I will be the best flyer in Equestria. I can take care of all these clouds in ten seconds flat! I am that awesome of a flyer!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow and retorted. “Oh really? Ten seconds flat?” Rainbow Dash nodded her head. “Care to show me how awesome you are by clearing the sky?”

“Ten. Seconds. Flat.” Rainbow Dash said highlighting each word with a hoof jab before she got ready. She then turned to Naruko and asked, “Do you mind counting me down and keep time?”

While the argument went on Fluttershy was still cooing over Spike and talking to him.

Naruko nodded, “Three!” Rainbow Dash assumed her starting position.

“Two!” Rainbow Dash then opened her wings and got ready to launch.

“One!!!” Naruko yelled as Rainbow Dash took off in a streak of rainbow colors across the sky.

The light blue colored pegasus easily made quick work of the clouds in the sky to the awe of Spike and Twilight. Kyuubi was even impressed with the flying mare's speed. Naruko would have been as well, but she was counting seconds. As Rainbow Dash cleared the last cloud in a burst of colors, Naruko called out, “Ten Seconds flat!”

The watchers all cheered. Twilight gave a hoof stomp while Spike gave a shout of amazement. Kyuubi gave a grin and a nod, and Fluttershy even gave a little “yay” as she jumped in the air in praise.

Rainbow Dash then hovered next to Twilight and gave a friendly smile as she said, “Told you so.”

Rainbow Dash then turned to Fluttershy, “Heya Fluttershy. You seem to be in a really good mood today.”

“Well I met a talking fox and a baby dragon today. Also Naruko here seems like a good pony and her friend Twilight, the one you crashed into, must be a good pony as well if Naruko is her friend.”

Fluttershy then closed her eyes and gave a little smile that seemed to speak volumes on her. “Plus, Naruko here complimented me and my bird choir on our music for the ceremony.”

Rainbow Dash smiled and was happy for her fellow flying friend, but then realized one detail. “Wait?! The fox can talk?!”

“Yah that’s right filly. Kyuubi’s the name and you better remember it.” He then highlighted this by standing tall on Naruko’s back and showing his fangs just a little bit.

Rainbow’s eyes seemed to have stars in them before she shouted, “That is so awesome! A talking fox!” She asked him a couple of questions before then saying, “Well guys we got to hang out sometime but now I have to go.”

“Yep now that you are done with your job. You don’t have to worry about anything else until the Ceremony tonight. Plenty of time to train so you can show the Wonderbolts you are worthy of joining their squad.” Twilight said to her, causing Rainbow Dash’s friendly smile to grow wider before she took off to go train.

{-} {-} {-}

After the bit with Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Naruko just needed to check on the decorations. Fluttershy had left their company after Rainbow Dash, but first apologized to Twilight for not having gotten her out of the way too. “Hopefully decorations won’t take long after all of that.” Twilight said as the two friends walked towards the town hall where the celebration would take place.

Once they entered inside, they saw a few different ponies working on decorations. It looked as if they were almost finished even. Naruko started looking around at all of the decorations around the town hall, as Twilight noticed a blue aura place a couple of bows.

“So….. beautiful.” Spike said with hearts in his eyes which Twilight didn't notice.

“I know they look really nice.” Twilight said thinking her assistant was talking about the decorations.

“No… Her!” He answered while pointing at a white unicorn with a Royal blue colored mane and tail. She had three gemstones for her cutie mark and a white coat. The white unicorn's mane and tail were styled with very fashionable twists.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she walked up to check with the pony about the decorations. “Hey I’m…”

Twilight was about to introduce herself when she was cut off by the pony who said, “Just one second.” The white Unicorn then used her magic to fix one last bow on one of the pillars. She then turned around and was about to ask what the pony wanted to know, but instead she just stared at the pony’s mane. “How can I help you? Besides the obvious?” She asked not really meaning to come off as rude or anything.

Twilight wondered what she meant, but decided to just get straight to business, “I’m Twilight Sparkle. My friend Naruko and I are here to see how the decorations are coming along for the Summer Sun Celebration festival. You are in charge of them right?”

The white unicorn tried to not let Twilight’s mane bother her as she answered, “Yes, I am. I’m Rarity. The decorations are coming along well. We're almost finished with them.”

Twilight smiled and checked them off on her list before she said, “Alright then since everything is good I will get out of your hair then.”

Twilight was about to leave when the white pony said to her. “Out of my hair? Darling I can’t let you go with your mane like that.” She then quickly grabbed Twilight and took her off to her store.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko finished checking with a couple of earth ponies about the decorations. “Well, Twilight it looks like everything is going good here.” She turned to look around and didn’t see Twilight anywhere. Naruko looked around raising an eyebrow and asked, “Has anypony seen my friend Twilight?” She saw a couple of head shakes and noticed two ponies that seemed to be giggling about something.

She approached the two and asked them, “What’s so funny?”

The two ponies looked to one another before one shrugged. The beige coated earth pony with pigment blue and pink streaked mane and tail answered first, “She was talking to Rarity, who was shocked by her mane and tail. Rarity then dragged her off in hurry, talking about having to fix a fashion disaster.”

The unicorn, who had a mint colored coat with a light grey blue and white streaked mane and tail, giggled before adding. “No doubt she took her to her store, the Carousal Boutique, to give her a full make over or something.”

“Can you tell me how to get there?” Naruko asked. The two nodded to her.

After getting directions to the Twilightnapper’s store, Naruko picked up Kyuubi who was looking out a window in the front and left to go and save her friend from an overly generous fashionista.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight wasn't sure what happened exactly, or how it happened. Before she knew it, she found herself getting a complete makeover from a pony she just met. Twilight was glad she at least managed to grab Spike with her magic as she was led out of the town hall by Rarity. She was right now talking to Rarity while said pony fixed her mane.

“So how did… This… happen exactly, Twilight?” Rarity asked while motioning to the purple pony’s mane in the mirror.

“Well this Pegasus, Rainbow Dash, crashed into me and we landed in the mud. She then used a weather cloud to wash me off and a tornado to dry me.” Twilight said, still trying to figure out how she got from the town hall to here so quickly.

Rarity just shook her head to this. It was so very much a Rainbow Dash thing.

“So where are you and your friend from? I don’t think you told me.” Rarity asked. She was now working on Twilight’s fore hooves.

“Naruko and I are from Canterlot.”

Hearing Twilight’s answer Rarity paused what she was doing, and was about to ask her all about Canterlot before she heard somepony coming up the stairs, and what sounded like Twilight’s baby dragon. Next she heard a voice she didn't know say, “Ahh! There you are Twilight!” It was a peach tanned pony with a flowing blonde mane.

Twilight stood up and quickly made her way over to the pony. “Naruko! You found me.” She then added quieter so only Naruko would hear her, “Let’s go quickly before she decides to dye my coat a different color.” Naruko cringed in sympathy for her friend.

Naruko turned around and the two were about to make their exit when they heard the white unicorn exclaim, “Oh darling! I love your tail! It’s so fascinating. I like how you have the hair portions tied with two little bows. How long have you worn it this way?” Rarity started looking closer at Naruko’s tail.

Naruko felt a little uncomfortable with Rarity’s closeness to her tail, but answered the pony anyways. “Ever since I first went to Canterlot. I used magic to tie the two small bows.” It was the truth. She just left out how she had Twilight help her with it at first, until she learned to use her unicorn magic well enough to tie them herself. So they were always tied by magic it just wasn't always hers.

After that, Rarity bombarded them with questions about Canterlot. Twilight and Naruko sort of answered them for a bit as they made their way to the library. Twilight didn't feel threatened that her coat was going to be dyed now, and Naruko didn't mind the questions so much. Then Kyuubi introduced himself and they had to let her ask him questions because, hey he was a talking fox. You can’t just expect ponies to ignore a talking fox.

{-} {-} {-}

Once they entered the tree library, it was late and their Ponyville home was completely dark inside they noticed. Rarity was still with them asking questions. Twilight finally said, “Spike, turn on the lights will you?”

Once she said that, the lights turned on and several ponies shouted, “Welcome to Ponyville!” To both Naruko’s and Twilight’s horror and surprise.

“Ohhh... I didn't know there would be welcoming party for you two, but I guess it makes sense. That party pony always throws everyone a welcoming party.” Rarity said before going and helping herself to some refreshments.

As soon as Rarity departed their company, the pink pony from earlier shouted, “Hey how are you doing? Who are you two? Do you guys remember me? I'm Pinkie Pie. When I first saw you two I was all like ‘Woah!’ I need to welcome not one but two new ponies to Ponyville! I knew you two were new because I didn't know you girls and I know everypony in Ponyville!” The pink pony bounced all over the place as she went on and on.

Naruko looked around at all of the ponies there, and Twilight headed straight for the punch bowl. Twilight then poured what she thought was alcohol into her punch glass, hoping it would help settle her nerves.

Once she took a sip, she jumped in the air and glowed like an orange fire pony with a flaming mane and tail. She then darted upstairs as Pinkie Pie made herself the same drink and downed it like nothing.

Naruko just stared as an Orange pony with a Stetson hat walked over to her and said, “Well Howdy there, Sugar Cube. My name is Applejack ah work over at Sweet Apple Acres. You must be Twilight’s friend she talked about when she stopped by to check on us.”

Naruko gave a smile, “Yep my name is Naruko Uzumaki and this here is my familiar Kyu.” She pointed to the fox that had once again taken up residence on her back.

“It's Kyuubi Naruko! At least use Kyuubi when first introducing me, if you do so in the future.” The fox said. As he spoke, a silence fell as the other ponies stared before they began to chatter excitably to each other about the fox.

Naruko saw Twilight come back downstairs looking a little down, as she walked over to her and Applejack. Naruko looked at her friend a little concerned as she asked, “Are you alright, Twilight?”

Twilight sighed, “No I’m not… I should be looking that up, but I can’t do that with all of these ponies here, and I don’t think this party will be ending anytime soon.” Naruko placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulders giving her friend a little comfort.

Applejack gave a weak smile as she said, “Nope. Sorry about that, Sugar Cube. Pinkie Pie’s parties usually last a good while longer. What were ya going to be looking up? If ya’ll don’t mind mah asking.”

Naruko answered, “Twilight loves studying books. Back in the Canterlot Palace I had to drag her to meals a few times.” Naruko gave a little laugh as Twilight gave her a glare before sighing one last time and straightening up a little bit.

“Well guess I might as well… Make some friends then…. Same for you too, Naruko.” Twilight said the friends part as she shook her head before she went to mingle with the others.

“What was that about? Making friends isn't a bad thing ya know.” Applejack said while giving Naruko a look.

Naruko gave a nervous chuckle as she rubbed the back of her mane with a hoof. “No… It’s the fact our teacher actually gave us instructions to make friends in addition to checking up on the celebration that got to Twi.”

“Seems like an odd request if you ask me.” Said a new voice that Naruko recognized as Rainbow Dash’s. Rainbow Dash then gave an uneasy smile and giggle. “Sorry I couldn't help but overhear you, Naruko.”

Naruko just shook her head as Kyuubi answered the blue Pegasus. “Twilight and my partner mostly kept to their selves in Canterlot. They both had their reasons for doing so. They might have been hopeless cases if they hadn't befriended each other as Twilight helped Naruko with her unicorn magic.”

The two ponies looked at Naruko questioningly. “I’m a Contract Guardian. That is why I call Kyu my familiar and it is the reason he can talk. However, when a contract is formed it shoots the unicorn’s magic control to hell, and they have to pretty much relearn everything again. Twilight was sort of my teacher for a little while, before I got good enough and the two of us could learn together.” Naruko answered them easily.

After that, Naruko went and followed Twilight's lead and attempted to mingle with the other ponies. By the time things at the party finally settled down they had to head to the town hall for the Summer Sun Celebration. Naruko and Twilight were both very worried about what would happen as they made their way with the other ponies.

Return of the Night

Everypony in Ponyville was gathered in the town hall as the minutes before dawn counted down. Twilight pointed out to Naruko that four stars had aligned behind the moon. Naruko wondered what to do.

Soon Mayor Mare made her speech as all the ponies watched eagerly, and the bird choir sang their song before the Mayor introduced Princess Celestia. The curtains were drawn back to reveal nothing. All of the ponies could only gasp in surprise at the scene.

“Where is she?” one pony asked aloud.

Pinkie Pie started jumping around saying, “oooo. I love guessing games!” She then started spouting out different guesses that really made no sense at all.

“She’s gone!” Rarity exclaimed in worry and confusion.

Just then they heard some echoing evil laughter as blue sparkling mist formed on the stage. Kyuubi froze as he felt the power. He and Naruko could both tell it wasn't fully formed yet, but it was still something tough to handle in their current state. Also they didn't have any room for Kyuubi to transform, and there were too many ponies in the building for Naruko to start throwing jutsus and spells.

Soon the mist formed and before them stood a mare about the same size as Celestia. Except this mare had a black coat with dark purple on her rear with a moon cutie mark. The mare laughed and said in a loud ringing voice, “My subjects.” All of the ponies just stared not sure what to do. There were fillies hiding under a table hoping they wouldn't be noticed and thus spared from whatever happened.

When no one bowed she looked at them and said, “Am I not royal enough for you all? Do none of you know who I am? Has my station been reduced after being imprisoned for a thousand years?!” She said still in a loud voice.

Rainbow Dash thought to charge this evil being in front of them, but Applejack grabbed a hold of her tail to keep her from doing something she would regret. Pinkie Pie thought it was another guessing game and kept making up names before Applejack shoved an apple in her mouth to keep her quiet. Naruko was still trying to figure out what she could do in this confined place and if it would be enough to make a difference.

“I know who you are. You are the mare in the moon. Nightmare Moon! I read all about the prophecies telling of your return.” Twilight called aloud causing more ponies to gasp.

Nightmare Moon gave a little chuckle, “Well then you must know what I plan to do.”

“You’re going to…” Twilight didn't want to finish it aloud. She was too scared and angry that she couldn't do anything. She also looked to Naruko and noticed her best friend seemed to be feeling the same as her.

Nightmare Moon threw her head and laughed as she raised into the air and shouted aloud “I have returned to rule Equestria!”

Mayor Mare decided to take action. “Guards Seize her!” Three Pegasus guards took to the air and charged the dark princess.

“You Foals!!!” The evil princess shouted before forming a mist above her and using lightning to knock the guards out. This caused the ponies to be a little more scared. They may be strong but they weren't used to anything apart from peace. She gave an evil smirk and said, “Well my subjects! I hope you remember this day. For it will be your last ever!” She then turned into mist and with a crack of thunder she was gone.

The ponies started panicking as they tried to gather up their families and hide in their homes or make plans to flee to lands unknown. Twilight quickly made her way to the library with Naruko and Kyuubi right behind her. The three knew they needed to find out how to beat the evil princess and quickly.

The three made their way to their home not noticing Rainbow Dash in the sky behind them, having tried to catch the mist before it disappeared in the night. Kyuubi spoke first, “We need to act quickly! She hasn't yet regained all of her powers.”

“How do you know Kyuubi?” Twilight asked.

“Because as she is right now Naruko and I could defeat her in little trouble if we had 8 tails of power under our control. Unfortunately, Even though I have access to all of my tails I have to use Naruko as a power conduit for them so to speak.” Kyuubi explained.

Naruko felt like she had been slacking off this whole time, and wished she had learned to use all nine tails of their power. Kyuubi knew what she was thinking, “Don’t beat yourself up over this Naruko. I said it would take a lot less time to learn to use all of that power with our contract compared to the seal we had before. You have been making great progress. No one else would have control of 6 tails like we do now in about four and a half years.” Naruko only felt a little bit better hearing that, but not much.

“How far is she from Celestia’s power Kyuubi?” Twilight asked wanting to have an idea of where Nightmare Moon stood currently.

Kyuubi shook his head. “Not very close at all. Which means she is nowhere near as powerful as she was when she took over last time.”

“Wha-What does that mean…?” Twilight asked carefully.

Naruko was the one that answered. “The Princess of the Night is more powerful than the Princess of the Day.” Twilight’s eyes grew hearing that. Naruko saw her friend and answered her unasked question, “It only makes sense Twilight. After all Celestia couldn't beat Nightmare Moon on her power alone…. Or at least not fast enough. The stories do say she had to use the Elements of Harmony to lock her away on the moon.”

“And considering how powerful Celestia is…. We better hope Nightmare Moon doesn't fully regain her power.” Kyuubi added to Naruko’s statement.

“Especially since Celestia is out for the count. It seems….” Twilight said darkly. She was angry that Celestia didn't heed her warning. It was also unsettling that somepony was stronger than Celestia.

“Celestia may not be out of it completely. A surprise attack can really give one the advantage…Or….” Naruko said her eyes narrowing. Not wanting to say what she thought for fear of what it might imply.

“Or… what?” Asked Twilight gulping in fear but wanting an answer nonetheless.

Naruko sighed realizing what she might be saying, “There is something else going on here that Celestia hadn't told us about.”

“Regardless of if the ruler of this land hasn't told us everything or not, since we are still only two ponies and a fox. We need to focus on the matter at hand you two ponies. We can ask questions later if we don’t get the answers before this is over.” Kyuubi said.

He could see where Naruko was coming from but, this was not something they should focus on right now. Plus he felt that Naruko's fears were based on what she finally realized about Konoha alone. Kyuubi knew while Celestia was a loving and caring ruler, who wanted to be approachable she wasn't foolhardy. Celestia had ruled for over a thousand years and not just because everypony loved her, but also because she knew what to keep to herself for others sake and how to deal with matters on a grander scale.

{-} {-} {-}

They soon came to their home and started looking through the books on the shelves. Twilight was throwing them around as was Naruko. They hadn't anytime to figure out how this library was organized before everything went down. “Where is it?! Any luck Naruko?” Twilight asked in frustration.

“Nope. Nothing on the Elements of Harmony.” Naruko said in reply.

Just then she heard somepony say in an accusing voice. “And what are the Elements of Harmony? Who are you ponies really? Are you spies?” Rainbow Dash accused and was about to ram both of them before Applejack grabbed a hold of her tail again.

“Now hold on there Dash.” Applejack said through her clenched teeth. Rainbow Dash landed and Applejack spit her tail out. “Ah don’t reckon they are any spies. But ah do reckon they know what is going on here.” She then turned to them and said, “Mind explaining?”

“Nightmare Moon defeated Princess Celestia long ago and forced Equestria into eternal darkness. Princess Celestia used the Elements of Harmony to seal her in the moon a thousand years ago. It was said she would return again after a thousand years to bring about eternal night once more. The Elements of Harmony are the only things that can defeat her.” Twilight explained.

“However, we can’t find any books about them!” Twilight then said showing her frustration. As she looked out her window and noticed something mist like lingering. She turned to Naruko who was looking in the same direction and nodded minutely.

Just then Pinkie Pie said, “Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide!”

Twilight zoomed over there and grabbed the book the pink pony was pointing to. She sighed as she noticed it was under ‘E’. Pinkie started dancing as she said in a sing-song voice “It was under E!”

Twilight read about them aloud so the others would hear, and finished the reading with “… the last known location of the Elements was in the ancient castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in the Ever-Free forest.”

After that the whole group headed out to the forest. The Ponyville ponies seemed scared of the place they were going. As they made their way there Twilight dropped back to trot by Naruko and asked her in a quiet voice, “Did you see the mist hanging around the window Naruko?”

Naruko kept looking forward as she said, “Yah. It seems she is keeping an eye on us. I expect she will try to interfere.”

Twilight also looking at the Ponyville ponies and said casually, “I guess you haven’t used Kyuubi’s transformations yet so she won’t know about the connection you two have?”

Naruko just nodded to Twilight as they got closer to the forest. The other ponies seemed to be getting a little scared as they entered it. “What is wrong you girls? Have none of you been in here before?”

As they entered the forest they all shook their heads. “The Every-free forest ain't like the rest of Equestria. Things work differently in here.” Applejack said in answer.

They were about to round a bend when Rainbow Dash decided to add to Applejack’s explanation. “They say no pony… comes out alive once they enter…” She then made a little face that combined with the lighting scared Fluttershy and Rarity, as she came out from the shadows.

Naruko was looking around when she saw the mist seep into the ground. Her eyes widened and she was about to warn the others before the ground broke away from under them, causing all of the non-flyers to slide down the hill. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy grabbed the two ponies closest to them first, Pinkie Pie and Rarity.

Naruko did what she could after getting over her initial panic to speed her descent before using a burst of wind magic to help her land softly on the ground below and she next floated Kyuubi on to her back. She would have then helped the others but she noticed everyone was going to be ok.

Applejack managed to grab a root to slow herself some but she noticed Twilight was still going, so she slid down faster and dug in with her hind hooves before barely grabbing Twilight before she plummeted off the cliff. Twilight panicked, wondering what to do. Applejack’s eyes then looked up and she saw something before saying. “Let go Twilight. What I am telling right now is the full and complete truth. Let go and you will be alright.”

Twilight thought she was crazy but for some reason she could tell it was the truth. She let go and screamed only to realize she wasn't falling anymore. She then looked up and noticed Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were both holding on to her. She then saw Applejack jumping down using small cliff ledges to reach the bottom.

Once on the ground she asked, “Is everypony ok?” She got an affirmative from the others. She then sighed in relief as they continued their journey.

“Hey Naruko? What was that that you used?” Pinkie Pie asked before elaborating, “First you were all like scared trying to grab hold of something then you speed up your fall. Next you jumped down and did something with your Horn that slowed you down enough that you could land safely before getting Kyuubi on your back with magic.”

The others looked at Naruko for answers as Twilight shook her head knowing just how truly honest Applejack was being. She forgot Naruko’s mastery of wind magic and telekinetic powers as well. “My specialty is wind magic. I freaked a little at first but then remembered my wind abilities, and so I tried to get down faster so I could help others. But when I got to the bottom I saw that everyone was going to be ok.”

“Wind magic?” Rainbow Dash asked a little confused before smiling and saying, “That sounds cool!”

They kept walking and this time it was Twilight that saw a little glimpse of mist as it sped towards a shadowed figure. Soon after that there was a bestial roar as a manticore appeared in the clearing in front of them.

Naruko’s eyes widened she had read about them, but seeing one was different. She wondered what a lion with dragon wings and a scorpion tail would look like. Now she knew, though she wished she didn't. It looked very dangerous.

The beast charged and surprisingly it was Rarity that attacked first sending it a kick. The beast stumbled back a little bit before then smacking her with a paw. Next Applejack jumped on its head and tried to ride it like a bucking bull. The beast managed to throw her off sending her at Rainbow Dash. No one noticed Fluttershy trying to tell them to wait.

Rainbow Dash went in next flying fast getting ready to kick it, but the beast just simply wacked her with its tail. Naruko was about to try her shot at the beast but stopped when Fluttershy shouted, “WAAAAITTTT!!!!!” The shy Pegasus then went up to it and baby talked to it. Then she pointed to his paw and he turned it to show a small thorn in it. She picked it out and tossed it where Naruko noticed it turn into a mist and disappear into the night again.

Once the thorn was out the Manticore started licking and snuggling Fluttershy. Once the others finally got over the scene and picked their jaws up off the ground they continued. As Fluttershy caught up, Twilight asked her, “How did you know about the thorn Fluttershy?”

The yellow pony just replied, “I didn't. Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness.” Twilight watched her as she walked on, not sure what to make the situation or for that matter Fluttershy’s mane sticking up and straight back.

Next they entered a darker part of the forest as soon as Rarity complained about getting tired of the moon light the path grew even darker. Kyuubi sitting on Naruko’s back noticed the place seemed to shimmer in front of them. The fox just observed for the moment.

“Ah think we are really deep in the forest now…” Applejack said as she bumped into a tree. The others looked scared and told her to get back. She looked up and freaked when she saw what looked like teeth on a tree about to eat her. The orange pony quickly ran back to the others as they slowly backed into one another, wondering what to do.

Kyuubi closed his eyes and bit his inner lip. He wasn't surprised the trees’ faces disappeared. He was surprised the sense of fear left as well though. He made a mental note. He was sure once they had the time Naruko, Twilight and him would discuss their findings on this trip before planning their next course of action if needed.

Pinkie started laughing suddenly and the others looked at her like she had really lost it now. She then started singing. This caused Twilight and the others to think that their friend was into something more than just way too much sugar. However, they listened and took her advice. They all started laughing at the different faces.

Kyuubi was surprised their method worked. He was even more surprised when the faces disappeared one at a time. He could tell because he felt the tiny little poofs of energy as each face was dispelled. He figured the only reason why he dispelled all of the at once was because of the connection he had with Naruko. This was a far worse sign then what he originally feared though.

They continued their journey and Naruko was now looking in front of her confused to hell at what she saw. There was a sea serpent with long fangs and hard scales covering its long body. However, this sea serpent wasn't at all like the ones old sailors told about in pubs after a long sailing trip. No those serpents were described as mean, nasty looking and something to be truly feared on the seas. Instead the one in front of them was crying because some mist cut part of his mustache off.

Naruko, Twilight, and Kyuubi all paid attention to the details about the mist and it sent even more alarms off in their heads. Twilight wanted to talk about it, but she couldn't right now. The other ponies might start to freak and that was the last thing they needed. Besides they seemed to be doing just fine as it was.

They soon all gasped as Rarity took a scale from the dragon and cut off part of her prized tail before using her magic to attach it to the serpent. And all of this was just because she wouldn't let “…this crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!”

The pained expression on her face when she tried to reassure them short tails were in and her tail would grow back anyways, showed just how much she had loved her tail and how much giving it up meant to her. However, because of her actions the serpent stopped disturbing the water and even let them use his body as a bridge to cross the stream.

Next they came to a cliff that Twilight almost fell off of but Naruko used her wind magic to blow the purple pony’s body back up on to the land proper. Neither of the two best friends noticed the mist pause as it saw the action. Naruko was too concerned her friend might have almost plummeted to her death. Naruko did however, stare wide eyed across the gap at the castle on the other side. “No way…” She said quietly. Only Twilight and Fluttershy heard her though, as the others were groaning at Rainbow Dash’s quip about Twilight having a thing for falling off cliffs.

Fluttershy decided to file the reaction from Naruko away for a later date. Twilight figured she would ask Naruko about it once this mess was over with or she had the time. Now though she thought out loud, “Now what do we do?” She was looking over the cliff thinking.

Rainbow Dash gave a little giggle and said, “Duh….” As she gave a few extra flaps of her wings before the others went “Ohh…” She then took off to grab the rope and tie it on the other side of the bridge so they could cross it.

As Rainbow Dash landed and tied the first side, a fog began to form and she heard a voice coming from it. “Rainbow Dash….” The blue Pegasus looked to the voice and saw three black flight suit wearing Pegasi approach her.

“Who are you guys? Are you with the Wonderbolts?” Rainbow Dash asked. Looking them over, their costumes were a very close match. She thought maybe they were wearing a practice suit currently or something and were here to help them.

“We are the best flyers you will ever meet. We are even better than the Wonderbolts. We only accept the best in all of Equestria to join us and we are here for the best flyer ever.” The one in the center said.

“Who is that?” Rainbow Dash asked as she was getting ready to tie the second bridge rope so her friends could cross.

“You Rainbow Dash.” The one in the center said. Dash paused looking at them in disbelief. “We want you to join us as our leader. With you we will rule the skies of Equestria and this whole planet with our awesomeness.”

Rainbow Dash smiled and said, “Sweet!!! Just let me help my friends first.”

Then the center one told her she had to choose between her friends or them. The blue Pegasus then heard Twilight call to her before the fog cut her off. Naruko looked across the gap and said mentally, “Kyuubi?! Were they Shadow clones?”

The fox answered with a solemn voice, “No… They are real bodies made from magic. They would only disappear if the one that made them wished for it. I can sense the life energy in them.” Naruko frowned at that knowing what it meant about Nightmare Moon's powers. “We will talk about it later.” The fox told her sensing her worry.

“You….” Dash said quietly as the center Shadowbolt smirked before Dash continued, “Thank you…. But I have to turn your offer down. I can’t leave my friends alone like that.” With that the Shadowbolts gritted their teeth as they were dismissed by their mistress, having failed her.

As Rainbow dash flew back across telling them she would never leave her friends the others smiled at her. Kyuubi however frowned to himself. He felt the life energy disappear once Rainbow Dash turned them down. It sickened the fox that someone would do that so easily, more than the fact someone could do it in the first place.

{-} {-} {-}

They finally entered the castle and Naruko knew for sure now where they were. However, she was surprised to see the statue in the center of the room they were in. Last time she was here it was in the throne room not this entrance hall. She thought nothing more of it though, she figured maybe she was mixed up about things from that night. This was understandable given all that happened.

Soon Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had placed all five statues at Twilight’s hooves. She told them she had to figure out how to activate them. Applejack figuring Twilight needed some peace and quiet asked the others to follow her to wait outside.

“Naruko do you mind staying here?” Twilight asked as the others left. Naruko nodded. Twilight needed to get some things off her mind before she could figure this out. She turned to her friend and asked, “Did you notice everything on our trip up here as well?”

Naruko nodded. “First she used magic to expand the mist in the cracks on the side of that cliff.”

“Next she used physical manifestation to make the thorn that was placed into the Manticore’s paw.” Twilight added.

“After that she cast a Genjutsu that affected both eye sight and the feel of the place. Also each face in it had to be dismissed individually by you all.” Kyuubi added.

“Wait that was a Genjutsu? How come I didn't notice?” Naruko asked.

“You were never good with that stuff Naruko, and you still aren't.” The fox said. Naruko blushed after he spoke.

“After that she used that mist to actually cut hair.” Twilight said.

Naruko’s eyes then narrowed as she said the last evidence they had. “Then she used the mist to create actual life while also manipulating the fog….”

“She is getting stronger….” Kyuubi said in conclusion as the other two nodded and Twilight went back to trying to figure out what the spark was to get them the sixth element.

As they sat their quietly they didn't notice the mist appear in the air behind them. They did however notice it sweep up the orbs. Twilight quickly jumped after them as Naruko did the same with Kyuubi holding on to her back.

The others heard Twilight yell and ran inside to look for them. Once inside they called and looked around in the room, not sure what to do. It wasn't until Rarity pointed to a tower a little further away that they saw some kind of light coming from it. They quickly jumped through the windows and made their way to the other tower. Fortunately jumping along the rooftops and pieces of fallen rock got them there quickly.

When the ponies entered the other tower and made it up to what looked like a throne room, they saw Naruko trying to fight off Nightmare Moon. The evil alicorn laughed as she barely dodged a kick from the peach tanned pony. “You actually have some fight in you. I like that.” She mocked. However, she couldn't leave the purple unicorn alone uninterrupted so she charged at her.

Nightmare Moon was about to attack Twilight when a rainbow colored streak blocked her. The evil princess didn't like this. The odds were not in her favor with this seven on one. She was about to make Shadowbolts again but then something happened that she had not expected would.

Naruko was glad the others arrived and had taken up positions to help Twilight, but her best friend needed time to figure something else out. Naruko narrowed her eyes at the black mare in front of her and thought to Kyuubi. “Kurama…. Level 3 should be able to buy Twilight the time she needs and we will still have room to fight.”

“Understood Naruko.” Kyuubi replied.

“Now!” Naruko shouted drawing attention to herself. Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened and she jumped back and got ready as she saw the small fox wrap itself inside of red fire and energy. Once the fire vanished her eyes widened more, as there now stood a fox the same height as her and her sister next to the blonde unicorn.

The others stared as they saw Kyuubi transform in front of them. He was no longer the cute little fox they had seen riding on Naruko’s back. His claws could be seen easily and his large sharp fangs showed as he gave a wide grin. They also saw he now had three long tails as well. Each of the ponies had their own thoughts. Rainbow Dash’s of course was, “That was so awesome!!!”

Twilight was still thinking about the answer to the Elements while this happened. She already knew about Kyuubi’s transformations. She couldn't help but notice their looks a little bit though. “I wonder what they will think when they see his six tailed form” she thought to herself briefly before focusing again.

Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrowed in annoyance and anger, “A Contract Guardian!!!!! I should have known it when I saw and sensed the energy you used to save the purple one earlier.” Her horn started glowing and she sent a spell at Naruko who used her own spell to counter it. The fox then vanished, reappeared and almost landed a hit on the evil alicorn.

Nightmare jumped out of the way just barely as she glared at the Guardian in front of her. She thought they didn't exist anymore, but there was one in front of her right now. Fortunately, it seemed to be a lower level one if it only had three tails. She was sure they were going all out against her now. The downside though is she was not yet at full power so this would be a difficult fight.

The alicorn stomped on the ground as her horn glowed. She had a plan, but she would have to make quick for it to work. She threw her head back and called. “Come to me those that promised to serve me long ago! Not even death can keep you from you duty to the night!” As she finished the ground glowed an ominous white in front of her and three spectral figures in armor arose from it.

This spell actually distracted Twilight from her thoughts. She had only read about this type of magic in passing once. It chilled her to the bones. She snapped out of it and got back to her thoughts. She knew each of her friends represented one of the elements except Naruko now. She didn't understand why this was though.

Naruko was her best friend and had been for years now. If any of her friends should be an element wearer it was Naruko. She then thought over how she was calling the others friends now after knowing them for only a day. She chalked this up to them being not just friends but Fire Forged friends that came together while fighting.

Naruko and Kyuubi looked in disgust at the power being used in front of them. Kyuubi then made a hand sign and Naruko’s horn glowed as they said aloud, “Shadow Clone Jutsu!” With that there was a single pop by each of them. They had needed to shout the jutsu name so they could instead make reinforced shadow clones that wouldn't die in a single hit.

Nightmare’s eyes widened a little in surprise. She had never heard of that spell. She prepared for a fight, figuring she would have to face one of the foxes if not all four of her opponents at once. She was surprised though when the original Naruko said, “You three take on her specters. I will take her on myself.”

The group understood what was going on here. They just needed to buy time for Twilight and the others. They dashed forward and engaged the specters in combat. The two foxes used mostly smaller jutsus and paw to hoof combat. The Naruko clone fought using her hooves and magic carefully. They didn't want any casualties, accidental or otherwise.

“Are you sure it is wise to take me on yourself?” Nightmare said in a dangerous voice. Had it been somepony like the purple one she might have thought it some joke, but the guardian in front of her was not to be underestimated, especially since she wasn't returned to her full power yet.

Naruko stayed silent and charged forward sending her back hooves at the alicorn, who dodged but then had to cast a shield spell to block an incoming magical attack. The alicorn was a bit caught off guard by the second attack, but she didn't let this distract her. She needed to get rid of those elements fast so that nothing could keep her from ruling once she was at full power again. Her horn glowed as she sent a mist attack at the blonde unicorn. She cursed herself when the blonde unicorn used powerful wind magic to deflect it away.

Nightmare charged Naruko with her horn glowing. She sent a kick and followed through with two magic attacks. Naruko dodged the kick and one attack, while countering the second magic attack before sending a kick herself. When Nightmare jumped back Naruko threw a rock at her with magic and followed through with a gust attack sending the alicorn flying backwards. However Naruko forgot that she was an alicorn. Nightmare managed to open her wings and gain control before she would have hit the top of a pillar with the back of her skull.

“tch… forgot about that flying bit…” Naruko said to herself, as Nightmare smirked at her and dive-bombed the blonde unicorn. The dark alicorn thought she might have the guardian now, but then Naruko raised hoof in front of her mouth before exhaling a flame at the dark princess. Nightmare’s eyes widened as she teleported out of the way of the flame only to receive a buck once she finished her short range jump.

Nightmare recovered and glared at the blonde unicorn as she said, “You’re different from the other ponies in this day and age…. Few of them know how to fight… If you weren't assaulting your ruler I might have been inclined to enlist you in my Night Guard as a Captain.” Her eyes narrowed further as she concluded, “Pity you have to be executed for mutiny against your ruler!”

She then charged at Naruko again and before Naruko knew it, the Alicorn disappeared only to reappear behind her and send a buck her way launching her into the air. The Dark princess didn't stop there though she teleported again and bucked Naruko sideways before then sending a slicing magic attack her way. She smirked figuring she had obtained her victory, but her face turned angry as she saw the attack slice through a log at the last second instead of a pony.

Nightmare was ready for another attack, but didn't expect the attack that came her way. A bright blue ball of swirling magic energy was shot at her. The dark alicorn dodged to the side just in the nick of time as the attack hit a back pillar and exploded. The explosion distracted her and she barely noticed a fireball heading towards her when a burst of wind magic increased its speed. She only had enough time to form a shield, but even then it was formed horribly and the resulting collision sent her to the ground harshly.

She looked up to see two foxes and two blonde unicorns looking at her. She knew that the spectral warriors had been defeated. However she only lost hope of victory when she noticed the purple pony and her other friends now each represented an element of Harmony. She was even more shocked when she saw that the purple pony had also discovered the sixth element.

As the attack went on Twilight finally decided she didn't care if Naruko was an element or not. Naruko was her best friend and always would be regardless of if the blonde unicorn represented an element or not. This is what made her realize that the last element wasn't just the element of magic but a particular kind of magic, the magic of friendship. When she made her spark that unlocked the elements she thought of her friends and especially Naruko her best friend.

Her and the other ponies got ready when they saw Nightmare Moon crash to the ground. “Go ahead! End me… No pony cared for me or liked me anyways… Despite all the hard work I put into making the nights as beautiful as I could for them, and how I spent all of my life doing what I could to help Equestria, no one cared… Just end it all… I would rather it is over for me than being locked away on the moon again….” The dark princess was crying tears of sadness just barely out of her eyes, and the tears weren't a rouse. She really didn't care anymore. She wanted it to all end, but it seemed fate wouldn't let it end like that.

As the Elements of Harmony powered up Naruko dismissed her clones and Kyuubi returned to his smaller size as the blonde pony frowned and said softly, “At least one pony did care and love you Princess of the Night… But you let jealous get the better of you and fought with her.” As the rainbow beam shot towards her Nightmare Moon felt true remorse as she realized Naruko was right.

Instead of blasting her, like she thought it would, the princess felt the magic surround her and flow through her. She felt warmth and remembered her life with Celestia in its entirety. As her twisted powers and jealousy were broken away from her, she was overcome with emotion as she realized she had been given a second chance.

She fell to the ground in her younger form as Princess Luna again. She was now only a little bit bigger than a normal pony and on her head sat a small black tiara. Her coat was now a bluish purple and her Cutie mark was black with a white moon. Her mane and tail were a light bluish purple and she still had her horn and wings.

After she landed on the ground with her head bowed and trying hard not to cry, the sun rose and Celestia appeared next to her. “Sister…..” The smaller alicorn said softly. “I’m so sorry for what I did… I thought no one cared or loved me, but you did. Instead of being happy with that I got angry and jealous…. Can you ever forgive me…?” The others except Twilight and Naruko were shocked to hear the small alicorn calling Celestia sister.

Celestia gave her a warm smile as she said to her sister, “Luna. My dear sister I forgive you. You truly are regretful of your actions. Also you and I were meant to rule together.” Celestia then wrapped a wing around her younger sister as Luna hugged her tightly and cried tears of joy and sorrow into Celestia’s mane.

The others felt touched seeing the scene and after awhile Pinkie Pie shouted, “You know what this calls for?!! A Party!!!!” The gathered ponies gave a little laugh as most started to follow the pink pony out of the castle. Two ponies and a fox stayed however and waited politely.

{-} {-} {-}

Once the sisters had finished their hug Celestia looked up to see her students still there. “Is something on your minds Twilight, Naruko and Kyuubi?”

Twilight looked to Naruko who nodded and said, “Sorry to break in on your moment, but we have some questions to ask your highness Princess Celestia.” Celestia frowned but guessed she partly deserved the cold formality from Naruko at the moment.

“I’m sure you do have questions. I will answer them the best I can. You may go Luna if you want. You have had a full night already,” Princess Celestia said.

“I think I will stay, sister. After all I have a feeling it is something I should hear as well,” Princess Luna said. Celestia gave her sister a smile as she sat down motioning the others to follow suit.

Twilight started, “What is really going on here Princess Celestia? You had to of known what would happen tonight. Did you know about the elements as well?”

“I knew what would happen tonight. I also knew that you needed to make friends with those that have been chosen by the Elements of Harmony to be their bearers.” Princess Celestia answered and noticed Twilight about to ask her something while Naruko simply listened. “If I had told you this out right, you wouldn't have been able to figure out who they were, Twilight. You would have been too focused on looking for the signs from ponies all across Ponyville.”

Twilight gave a sheepish smile knowing it was true as Celestia continued. “You may have even tried to force the elements' connections with each pony. This would not have worked because the connection has to be natural and made by the elements their selves. Forcing the connection would have done more harm than good and would have eaten up more time than anything else.”

Twilight then asked, “Why did you let us face your sister then? Was there no other way for her to be freed of her jealousy? Why did you let her return if that was the case?”

Celestia gave Luna a nuzzle before she spoke again. “I wanted my sister back… For a thousand years I have regretted things turned out the way they did. Also I needed her back. There is only so much I can do. I wouldn't have let Luna return like this if there wasn't a reason. No matter how much it pained me for her to stay locked away. I love her yes, but I also have to think about Equestria’s safety before many things unfortunately. This is a burden any good leader knows all to well.”

Luna then tightened her hug on her sister and cried a little more knowing how much her sister suffered because of her stupidity and jealousy. The night princess then vowed to do what she could to help her sister and be the younger sister she should have been all along. “I am sorry, Celestia… I won’t let it happen again.” She said softly.

“Why did she need to come back now? Not that I am upset she is back or anything.” Naruko said. She then tried to give the smaller alicorn a look that showed she wasn't upset by her return. “I just want to know what is going on, since you said you needed her back.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed as she nodded and stood up. “A fair question, Naruko. In addition to wanting my family back, and needing my only family back there is an evil darkness in the cosmos. I don’t know where it is coming from or how to protect Equestria from it yet. One thing I do know is I couldn't face it and rule Equestria alone. Besides, Luna has always been a better tactician than I am. I fear we may need her skills in that field as well as our combined powers for what is to come.”

Naruko, Twilight and Kyuubi listened carefully to the sun princess as she continued. “I don’t know much more about it. But I suspect it will affect Equestria in some way, even if indirectly. I promise to let you three know more about it once we have figured more out ourselves. Now that Luna is back we will have some time to focus on this along with our other duties and being a family again. Also I think it goes without saying, you shouldn't tell your other friends about this yet. I am sure you two will know when the time is right to tell them.”

Naruko and Twilight weren't happy with this, but they understood the need for discretion at this time. The two ponies nodded to the sun princess. Celestia then smiled and without them noticing swooped over and gave her two students hugs with her wings as she said, “I want to thank you two so much for getting me my sister back. Tell the others the same.”

Once the white alicorn, who seemed to smell like vanilla, broke the hug Twilight gathered herself and said. “Speaking of that. Why isn't Naruko an element? She is my best friend and if anyone deserved to be a bearer it is her.”

Princess Celestia gave her most faithful student a look and asked, “Do you think you will be less of a friend with Naruko just because of that? If you do then I have to say I am very disappointed in you, Twilight.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, “No! Naruko will always be my best friend no matter what. Her status as a bearer or not doesn't matter in the slightest. I just wanted to know because I feel a strong bond of friendship with the others now, even if my bond with Naruko is stronger.”

Naruko gave Twilight a hug hearing that. She felt a little fear about that as well in the back of her heart. Princess Celestia gave them a proud smile. “You always give me more reasons to be proud of you. The elements pick who their bearer is. No doubt they would have picked Naruko as one of some kind; she seems to fit each in her own way. However, the bond of Guardian and familiar is so strong that only death of the contract holder can break it. That isn't to say one can’t form other bonds, but since the Elements are magical and so is the guardian contract. The two are mutually exclusive.”

Twilight and Naruko both seemed a little relived hearing this for some reason, but it seemed there was something else bothering them now. Princess Celestia gave a little smirk as she said, “It seems I was right to tell you two that you needed to make friends. While you two are close and know a lot more about the magic of friendship than you did when you first met. You two still have a lot to learn. I hereby declare that you two both need to stay in Ponyville to further study The Truth of Bonds and Friendship. I expect reports on this, Twilight.”

The two unicorns gave a cheer and a jump before then saluting the sun princess and telling her they would do their best. She merely chuckled at her students’ response. “Now you two should go with your friends. I bet they are waiting for you outside,” The Sun Princess said as she dismissed them.

{-} {-} {-}

Later that day there was a celebration for the return of Princess Luna from the moon and her conquering of her own jealousy and hatred. Ponyville had a huge party in celebration and a parade as the two princesses made their way to Canterlot. Many ponies cheered in celebration despite still having some concerns about Luna, but they believed in Celestia and if she said Luna was cured of Nightmare Moon then she was.

Once the party died down, the other elements joined alongside Twilight and Naruko as Applejack asked. “We were wondering what you two talked to the Princesses about if ya’ll can tell us.”

Twilight and Naruko looked at each other for a couple of seconds before Naruko answered. “Some of it was private. But we were wondering about what would happen now that we had done our assignment here. We really didn't want to have to go yet. Celestia then told us that we still had a lot to learn about the magic of friendship and that we had to stay here in Ponyville to learn about it," Naruko explained.

Naruko then looked around suspiciously as if she was about to tell a really big secret before she said, "She also told Twilight to write reports so she wouldn't freak about not having something to do with her lessons.” Naruko said the last part pretending to be whispering to the others so Twilight wouldn't over hear.

The others gave a chuckle as Twilight gave Naruko a mock glare before sighing and adding. “It's pretty much true. It's the princess’ way of allowing us to stay here with you girls. You all don’t mind do you?” The purple unicorn asked a little timidly wondering if the others felt like they were friends. Naruko was wondering the same thing.

Pinkie Pie then grabbed the two in to a big hug and said cheerfully, “Of course we mind Silly Fillies. We wouldn't want to already say good bye to our two new bestest friends so soon! You two clearly need to attend more of my super amazing fantastic parties!”

Fluttershy then gave a little smile and a pleased squeak as she said, “Plus I like ponies with pets and you two have some really unique ones. And well you know… I came to like you two as friends as well.”

“Are you kidding me? Why wouldn't we want you two to stay. I said we would have to hang out again and that would be difficult if you two went back to Canterlot. Also, though I am still the awesomest and coolest, Ponyville could use more of it, and those moves Naruko busted back there and the way the fox transformed was totally awesome!” Rainbow Dash added as she rose higher into the air.

“Well Shucks, Ah always like making new friends with good pony folk and you two are good pony folk. Having ya’ll stay here just means we can become better friends,” Applejack said as she gave them a smile.

“I never did give Naruko a makeover. She doesn't really need it but I want to do so all the same. Plus, I would love more opportunity to admire that tail of hers. It is such a unique fashion! Besides I can’t wait to have a chance to get her in a dress.” Rarity added as the others laughed noticing Naruko felt a little embarrassed.

All in all Naruko and Twilight were happy they would get to stay in Ponyville with their new friends. They also liked the idea of staying somewhere besides Canterlot. There wasn't anything wrong with the capital city, but it wasn't as friendly or easy going like Ponyville.

They enjoyed the rest of the day with their new friends and they went to bed that night happy. They didn't yet know just how strong their friendships would become, or of all the adventures they would have while they stayed in Ponyville. Despite this both unicorns were eager to see what life had in store for them in Ponyville.

Ticket Troubles

It had been a month since Nightmare Moon was handled and Celestia told Naruko and Twilight what was really going on, or well as much as she dared since she wasn't going to share the guesses she had without some evidence. She did promise them an update when she had more of an idea of the situation brewing far away that might affect Equestria. Currently both unicorns were helping Applejack at her farm.

Applejack made a bet with her brother, Big McIntosh or just Big Mac. Naruko preferred Big Mac. The bet was simple, if Applejack could harvest the delicious apples before lunch, then he had to wear one of Granny Smith’s old dresses to a meal. If Applejack couldn't do it then she would have to take over some of his more tedious and annoying chores for a week.

Once Applejack realized how unfair the wagers were, she decided to get some help that as far as she was concerned Big Mac would never hear about. Since she was a good friend and promised pictures, Naruko and Twilight were all aboard. They thought it would be one of the funniest sights ever, plus they liked helping their friends.

As the three plus Spike made their way to the barn the ponies talked about how they were hungry after all their work. “I know I am so hungry!” Spike whined from his spot on Twilight’s back.

The ponies just gave him a look and Twilight said, “How can you be hungry? You haven’t done any work at all!”

“You three took so long, since you decided to go an extra step. I forgot to have my snack.” Spike said as if it was their fault. The trio had decided to harvest an extra field that Applejack noticed was more than well and ready to be harvested.

Naruko was about to say something when suddenly Spike exhaled green fire. “Oh. A note from Princess Celestia. Mind reading it Spike?” Twilight asked.

Spike then read the letter which invited Twilight to the Grand Galloping Gala. Spike then breathed fire again and three tickets popped out. Twilight took them as Spike read the post script. “P.S.: Naruko has her own ticket and must attend. Twilight, make sure she dresses up too. I want to see her dressed up for once! And no arguments Naruko. As a Guardian you may have to attend notable events in the future so this will provide you a great lesson.” Naruko sighed deeply and took her ticket as both Spike and Twilight snickered.

“Now why wouldn't ya want to go Naruko? This is the Grand Galloping Gala. Also what is the deal about the Princess wanting to see you dressed up for once? Weren't ya’ll living in the castle learning from her?” Applejack asked.

Twilight managed to stop snickering and answered her cowpony friend. “Naruko hates dressing up and would only go with the bare minimum when absolutely required. She dressed up once and liked it, but the whole night a certain ‘ponce’ wouldn't leave her alone.” Twilight then started giggling remembering the night.

“Yah well Ponce Blueblood kept trying to make a show of having ‘wooed’ me, in hopes of looking better to other ponies.” Naruko said with a frown on her face. She hated that kind of attention. He just wanted her as a prize mare to show off to others. Naruko was glad that most of the stallions weren't like him at least.

“Well I do wish I could go to the Grand Galloping Gala. What about you Spike?” Applejack asked. Spike acted like he was throwing up and went on about how he wanted nothing to do with frou-frou girly stuff. “But this is the Grand Galloping Gala!” Applejack said to him. She then went on about how if she went there she could sell her family's apple treats to the ponies, and with the funds they could fix up several things that needed to be fixed or replaced on the farm.

Twilight was about to hand the extra ticket over when they all heard, “Did somepony say the Grand Galloping Gala?!” Right after they heard her a rainbow maned Pegasus landed in front of them. Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight expectantly.

Applejack frowned as she asked, “Rainbow Dash? What were you doing? I thought you said you were too busy to help out?”

“I was busy. I was taking a nap, but then I heard Twilight here has an extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala.” Rainbow said without taking any notice of the angry face Applejack was making at her. Naruko had a feeling that this was going to be one of those days that Twilight would have to be on her own.

Rainbow Dash then started talking about how she would use the Gala as a way to impress the Wonderbolts, since they preform every year at the Gala. She then talked about how this would allow her to join them and she would then be living her dream.

Twilight wasn't so sure about this, but she supposed anything could happen at the Gala. Personally Twilight just wanted to use it as a way to spend some time with Princess Celestia in person again. She missed those nights she and Naruko would spend with the Princess just as ponies.

As the two ponies started to hoof wrestle, Twilight pushed them apart and told them she needed to think about it and get something to eat, since her stomach chose to growl at that moment. “I will get back to you two later. Come on Spike and Naruko lets go.” The two followed her as Applejack and Rainbow Dash decided to hoof wrestle anyways.

{-} {-} {-}

“What do I do Naruko?” Twilight asked as they headed back to town.

“Get something to eat?” Naruko said trying to lighten up her friend’s mood. It was a little bit successful, since Twilight gave a little smile and chuckle. “As for the tickets… I’m sorry Twilight but that isn't something I can help you with there. They both have good reasons to want to go. Even if Rainbow’s are more selfish.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “I think they're kind of putting too much faith in one gala… I mean things could happen, but I don’t think it will be as wonderful as they think it will be. I just want a chance to talk to Celestia again personally is all. What do you want out of it Naruko?”

Naruko frowned as she said, “To not go… But that isn't happening. Hopefully he will be too busy with the other mares and high society types to notice me there, so I might be able to actually enjoy the night.”

Twilight placed a hoof on Naruko’s shoulder in sympathy as they walked by Sugar Cube Corner, before asking, “So where should we go to eat?”

Naruko was about to say she was going to meet with a couple of friends and Twilight could come if she wanted, but before she could a pink pony crashed into them both. “Oh hey there Naruko and Twilight! How are you two doing…?” Her eyes grew wide as she saw the tickets and Twilight’s lip quivered a little as she knew what was going to happen… or the general idea at least. Naruko frowned in sympathy for Twilight when Pinkie, as expected, broke out into song.

Pinkie Pie sung about how the Gala was “The most amazing incredible tremendous super-fun wonderful terrifically humongous party in all of Equestria!” She then started thanking Twilight for inviting her but was cut off by said pony.

Twilight then went to retrieve the tickets but saw one glided away and landed in front of Rarity. Twilight mentally cringed. She just knew… “Is this a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala?!”

Twilight just nodded as Pinkie Pie bounced up and down, “Yah! Twilight got an extra ticket to the Gala to invite somepony to go with her! Isn't it exciting?!”

Rarity then frowned as she gave the ticket back to Twilight and said sadly, “No it isn't Pinkie. She is obviously going to give it to Naruko. The two of them are best of best friends, and I know I wouldn't expect anything less from her.” Rarity gave a sad smile. The fashion unicorn was glad to call them both friend and how close they were but it was difficult at times like this.

Twilight without thinking said, “Actually. Naruko doesn't want to go, but has to go anyways and has her own ticket.” Twilight was starving and not thinking clearly, or she would have answered that better. Plus Rarity’s actions caught her off guard.

Rarity’s eyes widened. “Well in that case...” She then appeared by Twilight and started begging to be the one invited, as Spike took a hold of the tickets. “You simply must invite me Twilight! I make dresses for ponies going to it every year, but I have never been to it myself.” The white unicorn fluttered her eyes before she continued.

Rarity, started talking about how she would be well dressed for the gala, and all the ponies there would be wondering; who the mysterious and beautiful unicorn with the perfect mane and tail was. She then placed a hoof around Twilight’s neck before extending the other front hoof in the air in front of them, as if they could see what she was talking about. “Even Celestia would eventually want to meet me and then she would introduce me to HIM!!”

“To him!” Pinkie repeated with glee before looking lost and asking, “Who’s him?!”

“The most handsome and gallant stallion in all of Equestria no doubt! He will be there too and ask for her to introduce me to Him!” Rarity said with stars in her eyes.

Pinkie was still confused who this stallion was. Twilight was wondering if she was going to have to protect her brother from Rarity. Naruko was also wondering if she would have to help protect Shining Armor from Rarity. Spike was wondering who he would have to fight for Rarity’s affections and hoped it wasn't Shining Armor.

“But who is he Rarity?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Rarity’s eyes shone brighter as she said in excitement, “Her Nephew!!!” She then imagined him and her sharing nose rubs and other such things.

Then she heard Naruko shout, “Wait a minute!!!!!! You have a crush on Ponce Blueblood?!”

Rarity winced at Naruko’s volume. “Stop it Naruko. You are interrupting my imagine spot.” She said to her blonde unicorn friend. Then she realized what Naruko’s name for her dream Prince was. “Besides… He is not a ponce Naruko. He is a Prince. He is Royalty.”

She was going back to her imagine spot when she heard two ponies trying hard to hold back their laughter and failing miserably at doing so. Rarity glared at the two laughing ponies, now three because Pinkie Pie joined them, but mostly because she easily laughed when others laughed.

Rarity wasn't sure what to think about this before Twilight spoke in between laughs. “He is barely even royalty Rarity.”

Naruko spoke next. “Ponce Blueblood, gallant?” She laughed some more before continuing, “Maybe in his own head, or if it is to get the newest mane shampoo.” Spike started laughing as well now.

“What are you ponies talking about?” Rarity asked a little pissed. This was her imagine spot and dream they were laughing at right now.

As the laughter subsided Naruko spoke again in a more serious tone, “I sincerely hope Princess Celestia doesn't try to hook you up with him, Rarity. If she did then you would have done something to really piss her off and probably doomed Equestria in the process.”

Rarity noticed they weren't laughing now, so she decided she would hear them out. She would probably still want to meet him. He was a prince after all anyways. She asked them, “Why is that?”

Twilight answered, “She really hates him. She is the one that first started calling him Ponce Blueblood when he wasn't around. Also while he is family he is very far removed.”

“For all intents and purposes he is only a Prince in name. He does spend a great deal of his time on his public image, so most of the public still likes him.” Naruko added after Twilight, who nodded in agreement.

“If you two say so…” Rarity said a little disbelieving. She trusted her friends, but this was something she would have to see herself before she fully believed what she heard.

Twilight’s stomach rumbled again and she said, “Anyways. I still need to get something to eat. When I have decided who to invite I will let you know.”

She was about to leave noticing Spike had the tickets in hand, when a speeding white blur shot past Spike and grabbed the tickets from him and landed by Fluttershy’s side. The white blur then held the tickets for the shy Pegasus to see. “Ohhh… Angel these are tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala!” She said.

Twilight face hoofed and said in an exasperated voice. “Don’t tell me you too want to go Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy was about to reply negative when the bunny gave her leg a little prod with his paw. “Yes I do, but not exactly.” Fluttershy then went on about how she wanted to see the gardens rather than the actual gala. She then talked about how she wanted to see the flora and fauna very badly, and it had always been a dream of hers. Fluttershy then hovered into the air a little bit smiling as she hugged Angel bunny tightly. This made it really hard to say ‘no’ to her because they all loved seeing happy Fluttershy.

If things couldn't get any worse, Rainbow Dash landed on the ground and revealed that she had been following Twilight and listening in on them all. Naruko just shook her head to this.

Next Applejack revealed herself as well. She claimed she wasn't following Twilight, but was following Rainbow Dash to make sure the brash blue Pegasus didn't try anything. All five of them argued after that about who had the best reasons to go and thus deserved the ticket more.

“Girls!!” Twilight shouted finally having enough of their bickering.

They all stopped except for Pinkie, who seemed to be arguing about something else entirely different with herself. To be fair though, it seemed more like she was just retelling an argument she had earlier with somepony about adding oatmeal to something, which in Pinkie’s words was crazy.

“Listen girls. I can’t think about this right now. I am hungry and they are MY tickets. I will decide who gets the other ticket and tell everypony later.” She then sighed and headed off leaving the others to contemplate their actions. Naruko slowly backed away once Twilight left, not wanting any part of this troublesome business. She felt a little guilty, but did have to be somewhere anyways.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko was glad to be away from the craziness that the tickets were bringing as she made her way through Ponyville to a house. Two friends she made a couple days after Princess Luna returned lived in it as roommates. She smiled as she heard some beats dropping from the open window on the second floor of the house.

“Hey I made it!” Naruko shouted using her magic to enhance her voice a little bit so she would be heard over the bass heavy music.

The blonde unicorn smiled as a white unicorn with a blue and light blue streaked spiky mane with matching tail, popped her head out and gave a smile . She was wearing her trademark pink and purple shades on her forehead revealing her rose colored eyes. “Hey Naruko!!” The pony in the window waved emphatically at her. “Come on inside! I'll be down in a couple of minutes.”

“Hey Vinyl Scratch! Is Octavia ready then?” Naruko asked back.

“Yah she is. She has really been looking forward to this lunch get together of ours for a while now. Is anyone else coming?” Vinyl asked.

“Nope just me. Kyuubi is hunting today. I was going to bring Twilight, but something came up and she ran off before I could ask her.” Naruko answered.

Vinyl frowned, “That's too bad. Hope everything is alright.”

“She is smart and tough. She will get through.” Naruko said before mentally adding, “I hope she does at least.”

As Naruko walked up to the door, it opened and out stepped a light grey coated Earth Pony with light purple eyes and a dark colored mane and tail. Her cutie mark was a purple treble clef, which stood for her proficiency in classical string instruments. Naruko smiled as she approached the light grey pony. “Hey Octavia. How are you today?”

Octavia smiled back, “I am fine Naruko thanks for asking. It is a little disappointing your friend Twilight couldn't make it for lunch.” She then motioned for Naruko to enter their house. Naruko made sure to wipe her hooves first before entering. Vinyl might not mind slightly dirty hooves. However Octavia did, but only because she would spend a lot of time cleaning before guests arrived.

Naruko thought the two longtime friends and house mates were a bit of an odd pair at first, but she was starting to realize they actually had more in common than one would think. Vinyl was much more lax and willing to party it up and rock out, whereas Octavia was more likely to enjoy classical music and sip tea. However the two had rubbed off on each other a little bit, so Vinyl wasn't completely insane and without bounds while Octavia knew how to let loose as well.

They each took a spot at the table in the dining room as Octavia placed bowls and served up vegetable stew for them all with rolls on the side. “So what was going on with Twilight exactly?” Vinyl asked.

Naruko thought for a couple of seconds on if she should answer or not. She shuddered at the idea of more ponies finding out about the tickets. Quickly she decided she would tell them. The gala wasn't really Vinyl’s scene and Octavia was too refined to fight for the ticket. If she didn't already have one. “Princess Celestia sent her and extra ticket for the Grand Galloping Gala, so Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and even Fluttershy all want the extra ticket for their own reasons.”

“Ouch!” Vinyl said in sympathy.

“You didn't want to go Naruko?” Octavia asked.

“Nah I don’t want to go, but the princess told me I have to go and gave me my own ticket. She said since I was a Contract Guardian, I would need to know how to act for such events. Since Guardian’s are very respected and in tough situations used as extra security at high level diplomacy events. She didn't say that in the letter, but she explained that stuff to me a while ago. Are you going Octavia?” Naruko ended with a question.

Octavia nodded her head slowly. “Yes, unfortunately I am going. I have to help preform with the first band at the event in the dance hall.”

“What’s wrong with that? You love preforming Octavia.” Naruko asked the light grey pony.

Vinyl was the one that answered, “They have her preforming on the cello again.” Naruko nodded in understanding.

“I hate that. I mean I am good at it, but the treble clef does not mean cello… I would like to show them I can play other string instruments, but there are so few cello players I usually have to fill in for them. For once I would like to play the violin to an audience at an event!” Octavia then sighed as she finished, “The pains of having a special ability for string instruments! Instead of just one in particular.” She lowered her head to that.

Vinyl frowned at her friend and roommate. “Hey Octi cheer up… I can get you to perform at the Stargazer Lounge that night after you finish at the Gala. It isn't that far from there and we stay up later then the Gala ponies do. You would have to work with me but that is all.”

Octavia’s eyes brightened and she smiled hugely, “Really you mean it?!” Vinyl nodded and was subsequently tackled in a hug by a light grey blur. “I would love that! We can make some songs together. We have plenty of time until then! Finally a chance to play the violin for others to hear!!”

Naruko gave a chuckle and smile at the earth pony. Naruko soon learned after meeting them that Octavia was very good at the cello, but she was even better at the violin. Naruko was excited now about getting to see these two play together. “When you have the details you will have to tell me! I want to hear you two play together. It is sure to be better than the Gala will be. I just know it!” Naruko smiled widely.

Vinyl and Octavia both giggled seeing her enthusiasm. “Will you be able to get away for it? You did say Princess Celestia wants you at the Gala.” Vinyl asked.

“Of course I will. I will even beg Celestia to let me off so I can go see you two preform at the Stargazer Lounge, if I have to. I wouldn't miss this for anything. I have a feeling it will end up being something that truly blows ponies minds away!” Naruko exclaimed.

“I don’t care if it becomes that amazing or not. I just want to finally perform violin for everypony for a change. As you two both know, it is the instrument I am best at and love the most.” Octavia said to them before they got back to eating their food and enjoying their lunch together.

{-} {-} {-}

After lunch they sat in the living room talking for a good bit, before Vinyl dragged them both upstairs to hear the new track she had been working on. As Vinyl jammed out on her equipment, Octavia managed to pull out her violin from somewhere and started playing along because she was that eager to play after their meal. Naruko just listened with her mouth opened, and was starting to think that the night of the Grand Galloping Gala would be the best night ever for her, but not because of the Gala itself.

Once their little song was over Naruko stomped her hooves in excited applause for them. “You two are going to be super amazing! If Rainbow Dash ever hears it she might be speechless at the 'awesomeness'!” Naruko then listened to a song that Octavia started and Vinyl eventually joined in.

Once the jam session was over Naruko was even more excite about the night of the gala, but finally decided she had to leave. When she stepped outside she saw all of Ponyville chasing Twilight around asking for the ticket to the Gala. Naruko sighed, a part of her knew this would happen and she wasn't happy about it. The small guilt she felt earlier returned as well but in full force now.

She immediately ran over to where she saw Twilight hiding, knowing the others were about to corner her. “Kyuubi I need your help saving Twilight from the village and their quest for that ticket.” Kyuubi appeared by her in no time as she positioned herself in front of a cowering Twilight. She tried to get them to calm down, but they wouldn't listen to her. She then narrowed her eyes as fire surrounded Kyuubi and he appeared in his four tailed form by her.

This got the other ponies’ attention as she frowned at them and said, “I can’t believe you all! Chasing Twilight around like this. She has only been helpful and friendly to you all after the Summer Sun Celebration. She has an extra ticket, but it is hers to choose to do with as she wishes. Chasing after her and begging her for the ticket isn't very nice. You should all leave her be now. I know everyone is excited at the opportunity to go to the Gala, but that doesn't make it right to hassle her like this.” Naruko looked at them her blue eyes glowing in power and showing disappointment. The other ponies felt bad realizing what they had done.

Twilight looked up. She was about to teleport her and Spike away, but she looked relieved as Naruko had told off the whole town for her. The Ponyville folks looked down to the ground before apologizing to Twilight and going their separate ways leaving Twilight in peace finally. Once the last pony left Kyuubi shrunk down to his one tail size and jumped onto Naruko’s back as the blonde unicorn looked to her friend sadly.

“I’m sorry Twilight. I should have come to help you sooner. It didn't matter that I was supposed to have lunch with Vinyl and Octavia. I should have helped you. I just didn't think it would really get this bad. I feared it would, but I didn't think it actually would get like this, and I kind of didn't really want to get involved if it could be avoided.” Naruko bowed her head in sorrow as she asked, “Can you ever forgive me Twilight?”

Naruko expected many possible reactions from Twilight such as crying, shouting or a halfhearted jab to her chest. However she didn't expect Twilight to hug her tightly and say to her softly, “Thank you Naruko for helping me when you did. Thank you. I wish I could have gone with you to lunch instead.”

Naruko hugged her back and said, “That was the original plan, but after things first got complicated in town you ran off before I could invite you to come with me.” After a little longer the two broke apart their hug and headed back to their home together.

As they walked back Twilight recounted her day to Naruko, and Naruko did the same for Twilight. All in all Twilight wished she had changed days with Naruko. Hanging out with two friends and jamming out sounded much better than her day.

Unfortunately, the day wasn't fully over yet. Twilight realized this as they opened the door to their house and saw Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy all waiting for her with neutral faces. Twilight sighed and Naruko gave them a look. Twilight then spoke, “Look girls! I haven’t decided yet. I can’t decide easily on this. You are all really good friends of mine and have good reasons for wanting to go.”

She was about to go on when Rarity spoke first, “We know Twilight… We shouldn't have acted the way we did. I don’t want the ticket anymore.”

Fluttershy spoke next, “I do want to go, but I shouldn't have carried on like I did. I should have known better. I’m sorry and don’t want the ticket either. I just want you to forgive me… you know if you want too…”

Applejack next spoke, “Mah family and Ah can manage like we always have Twilight. Ah shouldn't have tried to buy you off like I did earlier. Ah can’t rightfully want the ticket after all of that.”

“Yah even if I love parties. It wouldn't have been fun without everypony and I really shouldn't have… You know told the whole town… I don’t want the ticket after what I caused you. I want my friends to smile not frown and pull their mane out.” Pinkie Pie said frowning a little bit, knowing she had caused her friend a lot of agony with her last song, even if it was unintentional.

Rainbow Dash then hovered in the air and said happily, “Yes that means I get the ticket!” She then noticed everyone staring at her and she plopped on the ground and smiled sheepishly as she said, “Actually I don’t want the ticket either. I haven’t really worked out my super awesome closing move yet anyways.”

Twilight then smiled once again. She had come to a good conclusion on how to handle this whole situation. “Spike, take a letter.” With that the baby dragon brought out a quill and took her letter. Twilight went on about how it was important and wonderful to share your blessings with friends, but when there isn't enough to go around things get bad. She then concluded her letter to the Princess “…So, though I appreciate the invitation, I will be returning both tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala…”

She was just about to have Spike send the letter when she was interrupted by a blonde unicorn. “Oh no you don’t Twi... I am NOT going to that thing on my own… Tell her to send tickets for everypony or something, but I am NOT going alone.” Naruko said giving her best friend an angry look.

Twilight gave a little nervous squeak and smile as she added, “P.S. I wish to retract the last sentence since it seems a certain blonde unicorn refuses to go alone. She has demanded that if you want her to go you should instead send tickets for our other friends as well.”

The other ponies gave a little laugh at what Naruko and Twilight just did. Spike then finished the letter and sent it to the Princess as the ponies drew in for a group hug. Soon Spike shot a large green flame and tickets for them all appeared with a letter from Celestia. Spike read the letter.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle,

You leave me no choice in the matter. I have enclosed tickets for the others including Spike, because deep down he really does want to go. Also Naruko will have to dress up extra nice now after that ‘demand’ of hers, none of this barely meeting the minimum dress code business she usually does for these things. In fact, I believe your friend Rarity should make a dress for her to wear to the Gala. Tell Naruko that it is an order from me that she let Rarity use as much of her time as she wants to get a dress right for our favorite blonde unicorn.

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia.”

After hearing the letter, Rarity had large stars in her eyes. She had wanted to get Naruko dressed up after they first met, but wasn't going to force her. The wonderful blue eyes, the spiky blonde bangs seamlessly changing into a silky loose flowing mane, and the tail, she liked Naruko’s tail style a lot for some reason. All of this screamed for a ‘Rarity makeover’ and dress order to the fashionable unicorn.

Naruko gulped as she knew Rarity would have a field day, and would no doubt make a wonderful and stunning dress for her to wear to the Gala. However, though Naruko knew she would be a little excited to wear the dress whenever it was made, she was not thrilled with the attention it would no doubt bring with it. Her head drooped more when she heard Spike read a P.S.

“P.S.: You could have just said so earlier Twilight and I would have given you the tickets and this whole mess could have been avoided.” Naruko now knew her ‘sacrifice’ was in vain, and Twilight felt a little stupid not having thought of that herself. Then again she hadn't had anything to eat all day. Her stomach then decided to remind them all about this fact.

They all gave a little laugh and Rarity said, “Come on girls I know of a place we can go to eat.” With that the pony troop set out, each with a glowing golden ticket in front of them as the tickets registered their energy signature so only they could use their ticket. The ticket could be passed to another pony, but it had to be of the owner’s own accord. This was a little security measure implemented long ago when some ponies got a little over zealous in their attempts to get a ticket.

{-} {-} {-}

Meanwhile in Canterlot…

Princess Celestia gave an elegant laugh to herself. She knew that Naruko would have just heard the letter from Spike. “That will show her she should always expect some return for the pranks she does.” Celestia said to herself as her sister Princess Luna looked at her a little bit concerned.

Princess Celestia wrote that letter to get back at Naruko for dying her mane and tail pink like it was when she was younger. Celestia didn't hate the color, but she much preferred her mulit-colored and twinkling mane and tail. She was thankful her perceptive student at least pulled the prank at a time it wouldn't interfere with her royal duties, and after that weekend it was back to normal just in time for her court duties Monday.

Naruko and Celestia always did make sure their pranks weren't anything too bad and wouldn't interfere too much with their lives. It was because of this the two had started a little prank back and forth. They both enjoyed it and could appreciate the other’s jokes, even if it was after the initial embarrassment.

Princess Luna looked at her sister again and just sighed to herself. She guessed the laugh had something to do with that letter to Twilight and Naruko. She wished she could join in on the fun, but she felt as if she wasn't allowed to yet. After all the things she did as Nightmare Moon, she couldn't just easily forgive herself, even if Celestia had more than done so.

An Ironic Source of Income

Two days after the ticket fiasco Naruko realized just how close her seventeenth birthday really was. She wasn't necessarily one of those ponies that got excited about her birthday, in fact before she came to Equestria she hated her birthday. No, Naruko wasn't excited but rather a little nervous. The thing was her stipend from the princess would end when she turned seventeen. The only reason it had lasted as long as it did was due to it only being four and a half years before she turned seventeen.

Naruko had saved up a good bit like her and Kyuubi decided all those years ago, but she would need her own income soon enough. She would be staying with Twilight the whole time they were here in Ponyville, or until they each wanted their own family or something, but she wasn't staying as a freeloader. She helped with chores, paid for supplies and such and bought the things in her own room. She still felt this wasn't enough though.

Naruko was also feeling like a lazy pony as she realized she was the only one of her friends not working a steady career. Twilight was the Ponyville librarian. Rainbow Dash was in charge of weather patrol in Ponyville. Applejack helped at her family’s farm, while Fluttershy took care of the animals, including pets when ponies were on vacations. Heck even Pinkie Pie, the youngest of just fifteen years old, worked at Sugarcube Corner. Plus Octavia and Vinyl have been professionals for a few years now.

Naruko paced back and forth in her room trying to figure out what she could do for a living, or how to go about getting one at least. She still had her stipend for three more months, but she wanted to have an actual career set up by then, or at least know what she wanted to do with herself. She had been lost in her own thoughts for a good while and lost track of time. She heard a knock on her door. “Come in.” She said.

When the door opened there was a very tired looking Twilight in the door way yawning. Twilight then said, “You know I can hear your hooves in my room right? Why are you still up? It's really late Naru. What's bothering you?”

Naruko looked to see outside and was surprised to see the moon up high in the night sky already. Naruko sat down on her haunches and sighed, “I don’t know what I can do for a job here in Ponyville Twilight.”

Twilight spoke from the doorway, “You don’t need to worry Naruko. You still have three months before your birthday and even then you already have a place to stay.” Twilight gave a little frown as a thought came to her mind that she voiced, “You aren't thinking of moving out are you Naruko?”

Naruko looked to Twilight as she said, “No, I’m not Twi.” The purple unicorn seemed to be relieved hearing that. Twilight wasn't sure what she would do if her best friend suddenly wanted to move out of the house. She would have felt as if she had done something to upset the blonde unicorn for her to just up and leave.

“But I can’t just stay here and not work Twilight. I won’t be a freeloader,” Naruko continued.

“You have been helping out a lot with finances since you have been here Naruko, and I know you aren't going to be out of money anytime soon after your stipend ends either. Plus your my friend I wouldn't just abandon you,” Twilight said trying to comfort her friend. It wasn't helping much and she had a feeling there was something else bothering her friend on a deeper level.

“But everyone else already has their own job and earns their own keep. Even Pinkie Pie works! She's only fifteen, and she has been at Sugarcube Corner for a few years now Twilight. In Canterlot, I was okay with not working because I was a student living in the castle as I studied with you,” Naruko said.

Twilight had a feeling what might be going on but needed more information, “We still are students Naruko. Anyways what does this have to do with Pinkie Pie and how she is younger than the rest of us?”

“While I was studying and living a rather comfortable life with you and Princess Celestia, she was already earning money and sending a good bit of it back to help her family’s rock farm. Like I said she is only fifteen and already has been working for a while.” Naruko sighed. She had never been bothered by needing a job before, but she always figured it was alright because she was still young as far as ponies go.

Naruko then felt a hoof reach over and give her a hug as she said to Twilight, who already knew what was bothering her friend, “It makes me feel useless again. Like I felt back in Konoha when I was younger…” Naruko didn't shed any tears, but Twilight could have sworn she felt the hurt flowing through her friend.

“If it really is bothering you that much Naruko, then I know what will help you out. There is a job board in the middle of Ponyville by the Town hall. I looked it over one time out curiosity, and found a lot of different odd jobs posted on there. They are mostly temporary jobs, but something could come from them and either way you will be earning money,” Twilight said causing her friend to cheer up.

“That sounds good. Thanks, Twilight!” Naruko then gave her friend a tighter hug before saying, “I'll look at that first thing in the morning.” With that the two ponies went to bed for the night.

{-} {-} {-}

Once Naruko had some cereal for breakfast, she headed into town to check out this board Twilight talked about last night. Kyuubi was currently off doing his own things, which was mostly training himself in his lower tailed forms. This was something he and Naruko had been doing after the Nightmare Moon incident. Previously the two did what they could to get to the higher forms. However, though things worked out in the end, they both knew they needed to practice using the lower forms when in restricted settings.

Naruko was a little nervous about getting a job, even if only for one day. She came to the board and there were lots of different jobs, but some of them she wouldn't be trying for a good bit yet. She saw one that asked for an afternoon helper with a craftspony company. She smiled as she took the flyer and headed to the address of the business.

She soon approached, The Helping Hoof and walked inside. The mare behind the receptionist’s desk had a light green and blue mane, with a pale yellow coat. “How may I help you darling?”

Naruko gave her a smile and said, “I'm here about the job posting. I wanted to know more details since I am pretty sure I can help out.”

The mare studied her before saying, “Are you sure? You are barely older than a filly. That also doesn't look like a hammer cutie mark or anything either.”

Naruko kept her smile even if it had shrunk a little as she said, “I have plenty of experience fixing household problems ma’am. I had to do so for years.” She left out it was because no one would help "the Demon Brat." She also didn't mention she learned things mostly through trial and error either.

The receptionist shrugged her shoulders, gave the blonde pony a smile and said, “If you say so sweetie. I swear you young ones keep surprising me with what you all can do. I just wanted to make sure you weren't just desperate for a job and picked the first posting you saw. Several young mares and stallions do that all the time just because they want to prove they are independent.”

The receptionist paused as she saw Naruko’s expression and gave a little chuckle. “Sorry I was rambling. Anyways just so you know, if you cause any major accidents you can be held liable and thus your pay deducted as a result. However, if you do know what you are doing that won’t be an issue. Last chance to back out honey.”

After she was met with only silence and a determined look from Naruko she then led the way to her boss. “Mr. Handyhoof, I have someone here for the posting. She seems to have true confidence in herself.” Naruko hoped she wouldn't have to defend herself again.

“Come on in.” said a gruff voice. Naruko walked inside the office and saw an orange coated stallion that could give Big Mac a run for his money in size and strength. His cutie mark was a ruler and hammer crossing each other under a yellow hard hat. The stallion had a simple brown mane and tail.

He gave Naruko a look over and spoke, “A unicorn huh? Not many of them want to do repair and construction work like we do here. They're usually too scared of working up a sweat.”

Naruko was about to give him a glare, but stopped as he gave her a friendly smile and said, “You however, look like the type that will get her hooves dirty if need be. What's your name and what do you have experience with young miss?”

“I’m Naruko Uzumaki. I have experience with mostly home repairs in general. Sir.” She said giving him a salute.

The stallion gave a laugh. “Well you should do fine here I think. Let’s see how you do for your first day though Naruko. By the way my name is Chris Handyhoof. My parents went simple with their naming of me, my brother, and sister. You can call me Handyhoof.” Mr. Handyhoof said as he dismissed the receptionist back to her desk.

As he looked over where to put Naruko, the blonde pony asked, “Why did they go with simple first names Mr. Handyhoof sir?”

“They said names can play a role in choosing your destiny for you. They believed this wasn't right. Thought we should be allowed to do what we want and find our own way in life.” Handyhoof answered.

“Did it work?” Naruko asked.

The large stallion gave a nod as he answered, “Yep it did. My brother Jeff is a big time stunt pony that works for most of the best known actors in the business. My sister Kim manages a few well known singers. Her biggest star currently is Sapphire Shores. All three of us loved things dealing with entertainment. I used to work on all of the set designs in Applewood. However I got tired of the glitz and glamour and came here to Ponyville, where I met my wife and started a family.”

He then rolled up the sheet of paper he was reading through and said, “Anyways I found a crew for you to work with for the day.” He then led the way to her group. Naruko, eager to get started and show she could earn her own way, followed quickly.

The first day went by pretty quickly. She used her horn to help when needed but also used her own hooves as well. The later seemed to earn her the respect of her coworkers. The blonde unicorn was happy about this. She only had to do what came natural and be her usual friendly self to get respect from other ponies. It had been like this for a while now, but it was still an amazing experience each time it happened.

{-} {-} {-}

It was early evening when Naruko finally finished for the day at The Helping Hoof. She felt good having worked hard and earned herself some decent bits. She felt even better when Mr. Handyhoof asked if she was willing to work the rest of this week. He said they could use the help because one of their workers was out sick. She agreed happily and made her way home for the night.

As the week went by, she had started doing morning jobs before she helped Handyhoof. She even ended up helping Rarity get her cat Opalescence back. Naruko used her horn to levitate the cat having seen the evil Tora a couple of times back in Konoha respond to being picked up and held by ninjas.

When she gave the cat to Rarity she insisted the fashion unicorn not pay her, since they were friends. A battle of generosity quickly ensued until Naruko finally agreed to take her money with the exception of only taking half the listed price. Naruko sighed knowing she couldn't have won that battle. Rarity was the element of generosity after all and the fashion pony did a good job living up to her element, for the most part.

Once the week went by Handyhoof approached her and said, “You know in the future if you want, we could try coming to you first when we know we need a helping hoof here Naruko.”

“Really why is that Handyhoof?” Naruko asked curiously.

“You're a fine worker and all the crew ponies like you. You fit in here with us Naruko. I would ask you to join full time, but something tells me you are in for something bigger than working here. Call it an instinct or whatever, but it’s the truth.” The orange stallion said to her.

“Sure that sounds good to me. I guess…” Naruko said with a little frown.

“What's wrong Naruko?” The stallion asked.

“It just seems like you are more or less saying I am good, but you don’t want me on full time is all. I know it isn't true but it feels that way.” Naruko answered. Secretly she was hoping this wouldn't become a thing at the other jobs she took from the board.

“I suppose it does. Just remember what I said when the time comes. Besides I don’t think the Helping Hoof should be the main working place for Equestria’s first Contracted Guardian in who knows how many years.” Handyhoof said to her. She nodded, took her pay, and left for home.

She knew he was right, but it didn't really sink in. Maybe it didn't because she and Twilight were Princess Celestia’s students, but they were both here. She didn't think it odd if she worked a normal job, especially since they were for the most part treated like any other pony. She and Twilight both liked it this way though and wouldn't want it any differently.

{-} {-} {-}

The next Monday she was about to go to the job board, when a familiar Pink pony burst out of the cabinet in the kitchen. This was normal for Pinkie Pie believe it or not. It had freaked her and Twilight out the first couple of times, but they got used to it. They didn't stay to worried about it either because the pony somehow never broke any dishes entering this way. “Good morning Pinkie how are you today?” Naruko greeted their friend.

“I am super-duper extra fine and Happy. Though I do need some help from you or Twilight tomorrow morning.” Pinkie Pie said.

“Oh? How so Pinkie Pie?” Asked Twilight as she continued enjoying her cereal at their table.

“Sugarcube Corner is having a big baked goods sale tomorrow and I can’t do it all at the same time while juggling.” Pinkie answered.

“You could just not juggle while you bake you know Pinkie.” Twilight said with an odd look on her face.

“Well duh but then I would be all thrown off balance while I baked. I always juggle while I bake on Tuesdays.” Pinkie answered. Naruko and Twilight both looked at the pink pony oddly for a second before then looking at each other and shrugging.

Pinkie continued, not caring about their shared looks. “I need somepony to help with ingredients tomorrow or we won’t be able to meet the big demands that we always get for our big sale. I was wondering if either or both of you two ponies would help. I will pay for you troubles because it gets so busy that you should get paid for your help.”

Twilight thought for a bit before she answered, “I’m sorry but I can’t tomorrow. Celestia is sending me something to work on for the whole day.”

Naruko wondered what her best friend would get, but decided it would be one of their private assignments their teacher gave both of them separately. “I can help. I don’t have anything to do tomorrow. Plus I won’t have to worry about the random draw of the work board. You don’t have to pay me though Pinkie.”

Pinkie shook her head. “No you will deserve it after tomorrow. It gets really busy!”

Naruko gave in quickly. “If you say so Pinkie.” She wasn't in the mood to argue over things on Monday mornings. Pinkie nodded and then used the front door to leave. Twilight and Naruko once again looked at each other in confusion before both just shook their heads and started their day.

{-} {-} {-}

Tuesday came and Naruko got up and saw Pinkie waiting as Twilight magically gave her a bowl of cereal. “Hey Naruko. You almost ready to get started? We start early on days like this.”

Naruko grabbed a couple of apples and a carrot. “As soon as I have breakfast I will be Pinkie.” Pinkie nodded and returned to her own breakfast.

As they made their way over to Sugarcube Corner Naruko asked for more details. “So what all will I be doing to help exactly Pinkie?”

“Like I said you will be in charge of handing ingredients to me and Derpy. I hope you can be in two places at once! we are both fast bakers. Though Derpy is only good with muffins and only helps out occasionally. I still don’t get how she managed to make oatmeal stuffed muffins…” Pinkie shook her head before continuing. “Other than that you might have to help with taking orders and deliveries. Can a pony be in three places at once?” Pinkie said looking confounded.

“I’m guessing you don’t remember my fight with Nightmare Moon. I don’t know about other ponies, but this pony sure can be in multiple places at once.” Naruko said with pride.

“Oh that is right you can. Sorry I forgot about that I just remember all of the pretty colors flying everywhere and the rainbow we made at the end.” Pinkie said with wide eyes as she remembered the pretty colors.

They walked into the back door and after getting an apron Naruko made a shadow clone that also had an apron as well. “Alright you help Pinkie first. After a couple hours we switch.” The clone nodded as Naruko made her way over to Derpy Hooves and gave her a friendly smile as she said, “Hey Derpy. How’s the Doctor doing and your daughters?”

Derpy flew over and gave Naruko a hug before saying. “Hubby's doing fine, he should be back tomorrow. He had an important mission! The girls are doing good too.” Derpy then said, “Now though, I make muffins!” Naruko next to Derpy got ready for a busy day at Sugarcube Corner still wondering just how busy it would get as she thought over first meeting Derpy and her husband.

Naruko met Derpy and her husband one time by accident when she was training in the forest with Kyuubi. She was surprised when all the Doctor said at the sight of Kyuubi in his 6 tailed form was, “How utterly fascinating! I see that I am not the only one who didn't originally belong here. Hmm you seem to be from that Ninja world aren't you?”

At the time Naruko was speechless but answered him. After that the four spent some time talking about different things. The Doctor and Derpy told of their adventures to some extent and Naruko told him a little bit about her time in Konoha. She didn't go into too much detail of course, but it was enough to momentarily sate the Doctor’s curiosity.

Once the day was finally over she was exhausted, it was just as busy as Pinkie Pie warned her it would be. She was glad for her massive amounts of stamina or otherwise she might not have made it home before falling asleep. However, she made some good bits that day and got to spend time with both Pinkie Pie and Derpy. It was amazing how much fun even the toughest of days can be when you spend it with ponies you like and think of as friends.

Naruko gave a giggle to herself as she decided to send a friendship letter to Celestia saying just that. Once she had the letter she surprised both Spike and Twilight when she asked Spike to send it to Princess Celestia. “Well I guess there isn't a problem, even if the friendship letters are mostly my assignment. Anyways I’m glad while it was a busy day you enjoyed it with friends Naru.” Twilight gave her a smile.

“So how was your day Twilight?” Naruko asked.

“Not too bad. A bit tedious though. The assignment was more of a pain in my flank than it was interesting. But if Celestia asks for something she usually gets it.” Twilight said as she yawned, though she wasn't ready for bed yet.

Naruko gave a little frown, “Sorry to hear that Twi. What was your assignment anyways?”

Twilight sighed, “Something about astronomy and how certain mythical artifacts interact when aligned with the stars, and interact when given the correct amount of power. It would have been interesting, but it was all purely theoretical. Also it involved inter-dimensional travel through space. It was rather ridiculous if you ask me. Foal story material.”

“You do remember I am originally from a different planet and species right Twi?” Naruko asked. She felt as if Twilight was telling her she shouldn't be in Equestria.

“I know that Naruko. But the jutsu you used allowed for randomized travel, not directed travel to a specific location, and then instantaneously appearing there despite the actual distance required for travel. That is the part that was foal story material. Sorry, I should have been more specific Naruko.” Twilight frowned at her best friend.

“I wasn't meaning you shouldn't be here. It's hard to believe how you got here, but it works in a certain way given that it was more or less a randomized act. Also I wouldn't want you to have been stuck in that place even if things got better for you there. You shouldn't have to do that much just to be accepted as existing by your home village. I feel so exhausted right now I’m not thinking carefully before I speak.” Twilight then let out another yawn.

“It’s ok Twilight. I wasn't thinking you didn't want me here, but it's nice to hear you do want me here.” Naruko then gave her best friend a tired hug as she then said. “I think we should both probably go to bed Twilight. I’m tired and you are as well. So despite the fact you no doubt want to do some reading for pleasure. I think you should go to bed too.”

Twilight gave a sheepish grin and squeak as she said, “How did you know I wanted to do that? And why are you telling me to go to bed? I am older than you Naruko.”

Naruko gave a smile and said, “Because I know you Twilight and it’s a best friend’s job to look out for their best friend. If left alone you would stay up all night reading a book for fun and everypony needs sleep.” Twilight gave a little giggle as she agreed and the two went to their beds for the night.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko had gotten used to using the board these past few weeks for getting a job. It hadn't been always helpful, but most of the time it delivered. She looked at several of them and gave a little snicker as she thought the board seemed like the type of ‘D-rank’ Missions she had seen the old man give out to new ninjas.

She also found it a little ironic that she, a failed ninja, was more capable in taking care of these jobs alone. Usually it would have taken a team; even if the purpose was to work on "team building" the new ninja she had seen come back from the missions, usually looked as if they had seen better days.

She looked at one posting and saw it was a foal sitting job from a family that had recently moved from Trottingham. Naruko took the flyer and went to the address listed. The flyer said experience appreciated, but not necessary. Naruko figured she could probably handle this as long as she didn't have to change diapers. Also she wanted to try something a little different from what she usually did.

Naruko walked down Trotters Lane until she found the house listed on the flyer. It was a nice three story house, very similar in outside design to most of Ponyville. Naruko was wondering if maybe there was a pony in Ponyville that had this house design as a cutie mark, since most of the houses in Ponyville looked the same.

Naruko shook her head and gave a knock on the door to the house. She figured even though the job was to start in a couple of hours from now, she might as well get to know them and learn what they want her to do while foal sitting.

A couple of pinto coated ponies, rare for Ponyville, answered the door. Naruko gave a friendly smile and introduced herself. “Hello I’m Naruko Uzumaki and I wanted some more details about the foal sitter position you posted. I don’t really have experience, but I would like to try if you don’t mind.”

The two looked her over and then at each other before dragging her inside to their kitchen. On the way, Naruko saw a young colt with a white base coat and brown patches standing on the bottom stair in the entry hall. He had a brown mane and tail. Naruko gave him a small smile as the colt just watched with wide eyes.

“Can you clean up messes if they happen? Can you keep an eye on our little Pipsqueak? Are you free for the whole day?” The mother asked quickly once they were in the kitchen.

Naruko nodded and said, “I’m sure I can do anything except maybe diaper changes. That won’t be a problem right? You didn't say ages on the flyer.” She wasn't sure if the little colt she saw was the only one she would be sitting.

The two looked at each other and the father face hoofed. Naruko looked a little concerned before he spoke. “No, that won’t be a problem Naruko. I was just realizing I should have provided more detail. We haven’t been here long like the flyer said. We need to do a lot of things that require us to be all over town today, and we were hoping that we could find someone to watch over Pipsqueak.”

Naruko breathed a sigh of relief before saying, “I'm free all day. I've only been here a total of two months now. I just now needed to start looking for a job.”

The mother gave her a smile, “Well that is good to hear. We aren't sure how long things will take, but we do know we'll be busy most of the day and won’t be back until after his bed time. We can pay you 40 gold bits for the day.”

Naruko nodded as the two parents then told her how to get in contact with them if needed and what Pipsqueak’s schedule for the day was. Next the parents took her into the living room and called Pipsqueak to come and meet her. He walked in and looked at her with interest.

Naruko gave a little smile as she introduced herself. “Hey there I’m Naruko Uzumaki. I’ll be watching you while your parents are busy today Pipsqueak. I hope we can get along.” She wasn't sure why, but she felt a little nervous. She didn't think it should be this nerve wracking since he was just a little colt, but it was.

“Can you do lots of magic?” Pipsqueak asked, his eyes shining with hope.

The father gave a nervous laugh as he said, “He's always found unicorn magic interesting.”

Naruko gave a smile to the little colt and said, “I can actually. In fact I’m pretty good at it even. I might show you some tricks later.” Pipsqueak smiled at that.

His mom gave a smile and after a little bit longer her and her husband left to get started for the day. Naruko then said goodbye to them and turned to Pipsqueak and asked, “So what do you want to do? We have some time before lunch and the small chores you have to do.”

Pipsqueak gave a frown when he heard ‘chores’. “I hate doing chores. Do I have to do them?”

Naruko gave him a look and answered, “They aren't that bad. All you have to do is clean your room and a little bit of practice writing.” He frowned more and looked at the ground. Naruko placed a hoof on his chin and had him look into her eyes. “I did say you wouldn't be doing them until after lunch.” She gave him another smile and his ears perked up hearing that.

“I want to play a game!” He said excitedly.

“What game did you have in mind?” Naruko asked.

He smiled and said, “Pirates!”

Naruko gave a little giggle and said, “Alright are you going to be a captain then?” He nodded to her. “So then what am I going to be? A part of your crew?”

He shook his head and said, “A Princess!”

Naruko gave a little giggle as she said, “I don’t think Celestia or Luna would appreciate me impersonating royalty. How about a Lady instead that craves adventure?” She really didn't want to be a princess. She might have to dress up or something she thought.

Pipsqueak thought really hard for a bit and then said, “Alright but you are going to be a Lady as pretty as a princess though.”

Naruko gave a little laugh and said, “I suppose I can live with that.” He then had her follow him outside where he had a little fort that was his pirate base and their game commenced. It seems she was a Lady that wanted to go looking for treasure from an evil group of griffons and sought him and his crew out for their help. Naruko just played along and enjoyed the game.

They did have to stop earlier than originally planned when he accidentally hurt his hoof. Naruko almost panicked, fearful that his parents would be pissed at her. Instead she simply took a look at it and used magic to clean it and then place a Band-Aid on it. “Well I think we need to stop here for now. Are you ok Pipsqueak?”

He blinked through a last few tears when he noticed it felt better. He simply gave a little nod as he stood up and flinched a little bit. Naruko looked at him and then used magic to place him on her back. “Maybe you should stay off it for a little bit. It's probably still a little sore.”

Pipsqueak just sat on her back as she went inside and started looking around the kitchen. She saw no harm in getting lunch ready a little earlier, especially when she heard his stomach growl. She gave a little smile as she started to hum a little tune as she worked her way around the kitchen.

Pipsqueak just watched in wonder when she used magic to help her get things ready. “How are you able to do all of this stuff so easily? I thought only moms and sometimes dads knew how to do this stuff. Are you also a mom or is it a unicorn thing also?”

Naruko’s eyes widened for a second at the mom question before she recovered. “I'm too young to be a mom… I think. Also I think it has more to do with my having taken care of myself for some years, rather than being an amazing unicorn. Though I will admit I am a pretty amazing unicorn.” She gave him a little grin.

Pipsqueak’s next question she should have seen coming, but it caused her to falter just a little bit anyways. “Why didn't your parents take care of you Naruko? Isn't that what they do?”

Naruko recovered quickly and thought of how to answer his question, acting like she had to really concentrate on what she was currently doing. After a couple of minutes she answered, “Not every pony is lucky enough to have their parents around for too long after they’re born, and also I was a bit of an independent filly when I was younger.” She wasn't lying. She just omitted parts of the truth.

She then sighed in relief as she finished and could cut him off before he asked anymore uncomfortable questions. “Well anyways looks like lunch is ready” she then had him sit in his booster chair at the table. He smiled and eagerly started eating his lunch.

Naruko smiled and started to eat hers as well, but she smiled because she was getting a break from questions before they got even more personal. There were only three ponies that knew a lot about her story. The list included both princesses and Twilight, and only Twilight knew her whole story. She hadn't told either of the other two about "that night" after she turned twelve. Actually Naruko wasn't sure if Luna knew her story. She figured she would at least have been told the basics of it by Celestia, but she wasn't fully sure.

{-} {-} {-}

After lunch she told Pipsqueak to work on his writing first. He complained a little but she finally convinced him to do it. She even tried it herself as well. She hadn't really tried writing with her mouth since she first came to Equestria.

She frowned as she saw how sloppy it was compared to how she wrote with her magic. She then redid the exercise with her magic just to prove her point, and also because Pipsqueak liked watching her use magic even for the simplest of things. Plus it was a good way to keep her control in check.

After that she gave him his snack before having him go and clean his room. “I hate cleaning my room…” He said frowning.

Naruko then donned a thoughtful expression as she said, “How about you don’t think of it as cleaning your room then?”

Pipsqueak looked at her confused as he said, “But it is cleaning my room…”

She thought she had an idea that would make it less annoying for him. “Think of it as challenge of sorts. That a Lady as pretty as a princess gave you.”

“What do I get out of it though?” Pipsqueak asked not making it that easy.

“If you do it she will show you something amazing.” She said with a smile.

“Does it involve magic?!” He asked excitedly.

Naruko gave a smile and nod. “Yes it does.” He then got right to cleaning his room. Naruko was happy, but now she had to think of something to show him using magic.

Once the little colt finished his room, she placed him outside in the backyard and told him to just watch. Suddenly her horn started glowing light blue as a blue ball formed above it. Next a wind stirred around them and started to pick up and encircle the ball of energy. Soon the wind started to form what looked like a disc around the ball. Then suddenly the encircling disc sliced the ball in half. Naruko pulled the two balls apart and started circling them around each other before she sent them up high into the sky, where they collided in a bright light display as more wind circled around it.

“Whoa!!!!!!!!!!” Pipsqueak shouted in excitement and jumped in praise. “That was so awesome!” Several seconds later he finished his jumping.

Naruko just smiled and was glad she had found a way to use wind to dampen the sound of the explosion the balls of energy would have made. After all she didn't want to frighten anypony with her treat for Pipsqueak with a little practice thrown in as well.

Pipsqueak was excitedly talking the rest of the day about the awesome trick. He asked her to do it again, but frowned when she said that would make it lame if she did it too often. He soon forgot about his disappointment when she offered him some apple slices to go with his supper that night.

It had been a very busy day in the end for Naruko. She had fun entertaining the colt, but she also had to clean up a couple of accidental spills, and he managed to bruise himself another couple of times during the day.

Naruko was hoping his parents wouldn't get angry at her and dock her pay. However, despite everything it wasn't all that bad she thought as she tucked him into bed, telling him she was sure his mom would come and re-tuck him in again once she got back, even if he was fast asleep.

“Hey Naruko?” Pipsqueak asked through a yawn.

“Yes pipsqueak?” She asked back.

“Which princess is your favorite?” He asked her.

Naruko thought for a couple of seconds before answering. “I think I like both of them Pipsqueak, but if I had to make a choice… I think I would choose Princess Luna.” She gave a smile.

Pipsqueak’s eyes widened, “Why? Isn't she Nightmare Moon? Isn't she evil?”

Naruko came over and patted his mane before telling him, “Calm down. She isn't evil. She also isn't Nightmare Moon, not anymore at least. Besides Celestia is her sister and the two care deeply for each other.”

He then gave an ‘ohh’ face and asked, “Why did you pick her though?”

“Because of the two, I think I can relate better to Princess Luna than I can Celestia. I too never felt appreciated much back when I was younger despite all I did.” Naruko said.

“What does she do besides raise the moon Naruko?” The foal asked his sitter.

“She gives us a beautiful night sky every night. Also Luna walks through dreams and helps those that have really bad nightmares get over them, and face their fears in the outside world if needed.” Naruko said giving a smile.

“She doesn't sound bad at all. Not anything like those Timberwolves I heard about, or that horrible sounding roar everyone talked about near the Ever-Free forest awhile back.” Pipsqueak shivered in fear.

Naruko gave him a comforting smile as she said, “Hey you got nothing to worry about Pipsqueak. Just go to bed and have a nice night.” She then turned on his night light as she left and closed the door.

{-} {-} {-}

Unfortunately, the little colt while falling asleep had given himself a bit of a scare after their talk. He fell asleep quickly, but he found himself in a dark forested area. He looked around asking for his parents or Naruko but he felt very alone. He started running when he heard something approach from the shadows with rancid breath.

Unbeknownst to him a certain dark princess with a moon cutie mark was hiding and her long horn had just glowed. Just before her horn glowed a timberwolf came into full view of the small colt who cried for help. Just as he screamed a Blonde unicorn with a light blue glowing horn jumped out in front of the colt.

Dream Naruko then gave pipsqueak a smile as she said, “Told you there wasn't anything to worry about.” Her horn then glowed brightly and the timber wolf vanished in smoke. She then gave him a wave with her hoof and trotted off into the forest.

Princess Luna smiled from her hiding place in the woods near where dream Naruko vanished. However, the Alicorn hadn't expected the small colt’s dream to give out a loud roar causing the small colt to run scared. The moon princess sighed.

She was still a little rusty with dream walking. She had only started it again a couple of weeks ago to just observe. Tonight she tried to actively work in a dream once more. She thought it was off to a good start as well.

She was just about to do something about the noise when she felt a small something run into her leg and let out a little, “oww…” as the small colt looked up to her with large eyes.

Luna’s eyes looked saddened a little bit. She just knew what was coming. Most of the subjects still saw her as Nightmare Moon, and would tremble in fear before backing away. However, she was surprised when she heard the little colt. “Princess Luna? Help me please, that noise is coming!”

The moon princess’ eyes widened in surprise before her horn glowed a midnight blue and the dream disappeared around them. She then said in her royal Canterlot voice as she held a hoof forward, “Fear not loyal subject! We shall not let this nightmare continue!” The little colt looked to her with awe in his eyes.

Luna then looked down at him and couldn't help but ask in her royal Canterlot voice, “Why isn't thou afraid of us? Most of our subjects still fear us.”

Pipsqueak looked at her a little longer before answering, “Naruko said you weren't evil and that you help out with dreams. Thanks for helping.” He gave her a big smile. “Oh boy, this all just shows Naruko’s favorite Princess is great.”

Luna looked a little confused as she asked, not even thinking to use her royal Canterlot voice, “We’re her favorite? How is that?”

Pipsqueak looked puzzled before he said, “Maybe not favorite. She didn't say she had a favorite. Just that she could relate to you more. She didn't say why though… Anyways thanks again Princess.” He then trotted off into a very bright sunny afternoon with his parents for a trip or something. His dream had changed to something pleasant thanks to Luna’s magic.

Princess Luna placed a hoof on her chin as she wondered what Naruko meant when she told the little colt all of this. She also sighed as she realized she wasn't as good at staying hidden as she thought she would be by now. Her powers had returned, but she was very much out of practice.

She shouldn't have been caught like that. She usually only lets herself be known in the worst of cases to the dreamer. The fact the colt found her without even trying showed she needed more practice. For now though she wanted to pay a little visit to a certain blonde unicorn.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko stood outside on the balcony overlooking the front of the house, not knowing what happened in Pipsqueak’s dream. She felt she could enjoy the night sky and be able to see when pipsqueak’s parents came home from here. Naruko looked to the night sky and smiled as the cool night breeze flowed through her loose mane.

She smiled as she thought, “Just like I thought back then. With Luna back the nights are far prettier. No wonder she got upset when most ponies seemed to fear the night and sleep through it.” She then hummed to herself as she gazed more into the night sky.

Little did Naruko notice the dark cloud heading her way, until she heard a voice that sounded a little bit familiar, but more mature than the last time she heard it. “Naruko. Is it true what thou said to the little colt?”

Naruko turned around and bowed to Princess Luna as she said, “What do you mean and how did you hear what I said to him Princess Luna?”

Princess Luna gave Naruko a look before saying in her normal voice, “You don’t need to bow to me unless it is in formal ceremonies. Also you may call me Luna, unless in a formal setting.”

Naruko stood up and gave a nervous smile as she said, “If you say so Princess. I mean Luna… Why though?”

The Moon princess looked to the blonde pony and said in an even voice, “You bested me in combat. You helped free me from the curse I brought upon myself, and you even forced me to see what I had ignored back then. For all intents and purposes, I see you as much of an equal as somepony can be.”

Naruko frowned and looked down. “You weren't even at full power then though. Also I only said that bit at the end because I was angry and a bit jealous.”

Princess Luna looked at Naruko and dropped her ‘royal’ persona as she said, “Still a victory is a victory. Besides it isn't as if I was holding back or anything. The fact I wasn't at full power means you choose to strike before I was beyond your reach. That is a sound strategy. I didn't know your training as a warrior had come that far along, before you came to Equestria.”

Naruko shrugged and asked, “So what was it you were talking about earlier Luna?”

The princess almost blushed having forgotten her earlier question. “I was dream walking and saved the small colt here from his nightmare. By the way, he sees you as a sort of protector it seems. Anyways he told me what you said to him about me. I was wondering what you meant by being able to understand me better than my sister.”

Naruko looked a little nervous as she asked, “How much did your sister tell you about my past?”

Luna glided down and stood next to Naruko as she answered, “She told me you are from Konoha where you were training to be a shadow warrior or ninja as she called it. She also told me you learned how to use this chakra stuff there, which is similar to magic and that is why here you are a unicorn. She didn't tell me much about your past as a pony or human though.”

Naruko looked to the night sky as she said, “The night really is beautiful Luna. The first night I came here I looked out the window and knew that while she did a decent job, Celestia’s night sky wasn't as beautiful as it could be.” Luna blushed at this. Naruko was probably one of the few that had appreciated her night and meant it when she said so.

“I have always liked nights better. I'm a little similar to you in that no one liked me at all where I came from. Kyuubi was seen as a demon to them and had attacked our village. He had to be sealed away for everyone’s safety, even his own. I was used as his container." Naruko paused to let Luna take in what she said.

"As a result of that everyone hated me, and made it very clear just how lowly they thought of me by shunning me and ignoring me. It probably would have been much worse if it wasn't for my guards that were watching for my minimal protection.” Naruko looked to Luna as she paused for a bit.

“I did what I could to be helpful to them at first, or anything to get them to like me. Still they hated me for something I had no control over. They also didn't care that I was actually protecting them from a, at the time, vengeful tailed beast. I started to act out to get their attention, but even then the only people that cared a small bit about me were the leader of the village, a teacher and two food stand cooks.” Naruko took in a deep breath of the cool night air.

“I am guessing that those few bonds you had weren't what you thought of them?” Luna asked

“Well old man Hokage did do a lot for me, but after what Kyuubi said. I think it was because he wanted me as a loyal ultimate tool. However I guess he at least saw me as he did all ninja, as a tool and a human. The teacher hated me from the start like everyone else. Later after he talked to the Hokage he started to treat me like a normal kid. I just think it is sad he had to first talk to the Hokage before he saw me that way. Also who knows if he wasn't just following an order from our leader, the Hokage?” Naruko looked down a little bit and sighed.

“The two chefs were nice enough and would talk to me like they would anyone. They were at least a little understanding of me, still I wonder if I was ever more than just their number one customer. I mean the place didn't have much business, and I could get better food there than from any store for a better price, so I frequented their stand a lot.” Naruko paused for a bit reflecting on her own words.

“It sounds like you at least had some decent people there. Would you have considered any of them friends?” Luna asked.

Naruko frowned a little bit. “That's the thing Luna. It didn't take long for me to make much stronger bonds with just casually talking to some of the staff at the castle. Let alone Twilight and your sister. I appreciate what those four people did for me in Konoha, but I was only a foal most of that time. I was kicked out of an orphanage at 6 years old. I was barely starting school. Heck! If it wasn't for Kyuubi I would have starved to death shortly after I was kicked out as my ‘guards’ just sat and watched.”

Naruko was older now and stronger, but even so it still hurt thinking about her past in Konoha. She was lucky to have had Twilight there most of the nights in the castle to put up with her depression every so often. She gave a sniff as she tried to keep tears back. Luna placed a hoof on her shoulder. Naruko gave a weak smile as she finally fought back her tears for the moment. “I’m sorry Luna. It still hurts thinking about it sometimes.”

Luna gave her a concerned frown. “How did you manage through it all Naruko?”

Naruko gathered herself. “That is part of the reason why I can relate to you. I don’t think I would have lasted much longer if things had kept the way they were… even with my warped ideas of what ‘bonds and friendship’ meant then. I would have easily become exactly what they feared I would become.”

Naruko gave a bitter laugh, “Rather fitting don’t you think? They thought they were showing the ‘Demon brat’ its place and were winning a war against the demon since it was weakened. Much longer and they would have seen how wrong they were. You know that elemental magic I used a few times when we fought Luna?”

Luna nodded though she was more concerned with Naruko finally letting go and falling to her inner darkness. Naruko continued, “I learned how to use wind and fire chakra when I was about ten years old. Usually it is rare to have one form of elemental chakra as an academy graduate at about the age of twelve. But I had two forms of it at ten. The only reason why I couldn't pass my ninja exam the first three times was because I kept getting the standard clone which is just an illusion. I've always had tons of chakra, so much that I would need the control of a high ranking long time veteran ninja to do one stupid normal clone.”

Luna was now curious as to why those villagers at Naruko’s home could be so stupid to think they were defeating someone that powerful. She listened as Naruko went on.

“I could have easily crushed that village. If I wasn't focused on getting them to acknowledge and accept me instead I probably would have. I also wished strongly to protect those that I had, even the smallest of bonds with, risking my own life. So yah I don’t think I was far from letting my jealousy and anger get to me as I looked at those that had everything I wanted. Friends, family, and were at least treated neutrally by others. I was slowly getting doubts as to if it was worth it before I ended up here.” Naruko finished feeling a little bitter.

Luna understood that all too well. She would have done and did do anything for her ponies. Still they were too scared of the night and her to understand what she did for them, and how much she cared for them.

“I couldn't ever understand what it's like to be your sister. I like her and will stay loyal to Equestria no problem, she is one of my precious ponies after all. But I can’t understand what it's like to be the sun. Loved by everyone and revered for what I have done.” Naruko said before taking a couple of breaths.

“However, doing all I could for the benefit of others, and trying to get them to like and appreciate me like you did Luna. I can understand that fully. Probably better than anypony else.” Naruko then gave a nervous laugh to break the rather somber mood as she scratched the back of her mane with a hoof. “Not that I’m bragging or anything. I’m just saying how it is.” Luna gave a majestic laugh to Naruko’s words.

Naruko then looked down again as she said, “I'm sorry for what I said at that time Princess Luna… I was jealous of you.”

Luna looked at the blonde pony quizzically. “What were you jealous of Naruko? You have plenty of power. I was lying on the ground defeated by your hooves.” She then gave a little grin as she said, “I know my mane is fantastic, but I never thought it that amazing.”

Naruko gave a honest laugh as she smiled and said, “Who wouldn't want a beautifully flowing mane that sparkled?” The two then shared another laugh.

Naruko then turned serious as she said, “I envied you and your sister. I know she sent you to the moon after what happened, but I know for a fact she loves you and you love her. You two have each other as family. I don’t have any family. I have really close friendships and I am very close to Kyuubi, but it isn't the same as a sister or a mother and father.”

“You shouldn't be too sorry for saying what you did Naruko. It was important I hear it. Part of the reason I was able to regain my powers as fast as I have is because your words reached my heart. Even the Nightmare Moon side of me realized how foalish we were.” Luna gave her a comforting smile.

Naruko returned a weak smile as she said, “Even so. I’m still sorry for what I said to you then Princess Luna.”

Luna gave her a mock disappointed look. “We said before thou hast earned the right to call us Luna.” She made a point of speaking formally to the blonde pony. She would have used the full effect of the Royal Equestrian voice, had she not been afraid of waking up the young colt sleeping inside the house.

Naruko seemed to have gotten her message. “Sorry Luna. It will take some getting used to for me. The funny thing is I always made a point of not being formal or respectful when I was in Konoha. Coming here I find it hard to not follow protocol now. Even though I am following it for different reasons now than I did back then. I used to be formal with those I disliked and very informal to the point of rudeness, to those I did like. Here my liking of somepony doesn't play a role for the most part.”

“It is quite alright Naruko. I can understand. I have difficulty fitting in with the times here in Equestria. A lot has changed in one thousand years. I can’t imagine how much of a difference this world is to your original world nor the ways your life has changed because of this.” Luna said.

After that the two just enjoyed the night together, and talked about small things until Luna finally returned to Canterlot just in time for Pipsqueak’s parents to return home. “Well hello up there Naruko. Did everything go alright?” The father asked.

“There were a few scrapes and a bruise or two but nothing too bad.” Naruko said.

The parents shared a chuckle as the mother said, “You must have a magic touch or something then. Pipsqueak gets scrapes and bruises all the time. I would be concerned, but nothing too terrible happens and my husband here says he was just the same way as a young colt himself.” Naruko gave them a smile before heading inside to tell them how the day went in more detail and receive her payment.

As she received her payment the mother shared a look with her husband before turning to Naruko and saying, “Would you like to work for us again a day from now Naruko? We still haven’t finished everything we need to for our family here.”

Naruko gave a smile, “Sure I kind of liked the little guy. He's a good colt.” The parents gave her relieved smiles as she left for the night to head back home. She had a big smile on her face, though her talk with Luna had saddened her a good bit.

She was happy the moon princess and she seemed to get closer though. She hoped to be able to call her a friend someday maybe even. However, reliving those times and admitting to Luna what she had only admitted to Twilight before was tough.

By the time she was home she was close to tears again. She noticed the lights were still on inside. She tried to gather herself as she opened the door and said in a voice, that anyone else besides her best friend, would think meant she was happy. “Hello Twilight I’m home.”

Twilight was a little worried and even more when she saw Naruko’s face as she looked up from her book. “Was it that bad? I didn't think foal sitting would be that bad.”

Naruko gave her a smile that didn't fully reach her eyes as she said, “It wasn't. Pipsqueak wasn't so bad. It was actually kind of fun. I even spent some time talking to Princess Luna afterwards.”

Twilight looked a little confused as she asked, “Then why the look Naruko?”

Naruko closed the door sat down next to Twilight and shed a few tears. “I told her why I could relate to her and not Celestia…. I told her about my past some…” She then started to cry as Twilight gave her a hug and patted her back.

“There. There. Naru… It’s ok. Let it out…” Twilight said in a soothing voice.

“I just hate it all Twi. I mean I shouldn't let it get to me like this. I shouldn't be crying at all. Things are so much better now than they were back then. I don’t get it Twi. What is wrong with me?” Naruko admitted not for the first time.

“I think it’s because you feel so much betrayal from the place you were born. Also realizing just how close you were to becoming like Nightmare Moon probably scares you. Maybe deep down you feel like this is all still a dream?” Twilight said to comfort Naruko.

It did work a little bit. “I guess you are right Twilight. This place is far from perfect but still… Compared to my life back then this feels like heaven every day, even after these past years.”

Twilight gave a smile but still hugged Naruko a little longer. “Well no matter what. You’ll have all your friends here for you to the end. We all would do anything to help you Naruko.”

Naruko smiled to Twilight. This time the smile reached her eyes once again. She was back to her usual truly happy self again. “Thanks Twilight I needed that.”

Twilight simply shrugged and said, “What are best friends for?”

Naruko gave a smile as she said, “Yah I guess so Twi.”

Twilight then looked like she was ready to take notes as she asked, “So you met Princess Luna tonight huh? How is she doing?” With that Naruko started telling her about some of the things they talked about, and how Luna had her powers fully back already, but was a little rusty.

{-} {-} {-}

When morning came Luna met with her sister for Dinner-breakfast as they called it. The two sisters shared their morning meal and evening meal together before switching off duties. “Sister. I am troubled by some of the things I have noticed while getting back 'into the swing of things' as you called it.”

Princess Celestia looked to her sister questioningly, “What troubles you Luna?”

Luna looked at her sister with a little anger as she said, “Why have you disbanded the Patrol?”

Celestia spit out some of her tea as she looked to her sister. “What do you mean? What Patrol?”

Luna looked at her sister coolly as she said, “You know what patrol I mean. That place is dangerous and things could happen. Is it not our duty to protect ponies from that place?”

At her sister’s slow nod she continued, “I have seen details in nightmares and some dreams, which I should not be seeing. Something needs to be done. I know you have been busy while I was taking my punishment and made some changes, but I did not think you would change that.”

Celestia sighed. “I have been busy like you said Luna. I also thought with that pony there they wouldn't be a need for the patrol. I don’t have your ability to dream walk Luna. The only times I did that were when I was following you into dreams that needed extra attention. I haven’t heard anything bad from there. I mean I did at first. However, reports stopped coming in to me. I figured things were under control.”

Luna looked a little angered. “Or maybe they lost faith in receiving our aide from the silence as far as that place was concerned.” Luna soon deflated as she looked down sadly, “I know you had a lot on your plate due to my negligence… But why didn't you look into the matter?”

Celestia sighed, “Luna you don’t need to worry about your missed years anymore. And I told you why I didn't look into it. I thought it wasn't an issue. I still don’t know if it is now. The ponies are doing just fine. Besides you know due to the nature of the patrol it took volunteers to sign up for it, even if they were paid once on board."

Celestia took a sip of her morning tea before starting again. "Besides most ponies outside our guards don’t even know how to properly fight. So until you can find one such pony and there is proof for the patrol to start again. I don’t think it should. I am sorry Luna…”

“I understand sister. I really do. I only hope when your proof comes it isn't too late. You have sensed the darkness coming from a far. You know it will eventually affect Equestria and in particular near here and there. Now if you will excuse me sister I must retire. It was a long night.” As Luna left she paused by the door and said, “I hope the Sun court won’t be too horrible for you today. I would help with the Moon court, but it seems they still fear me at some level.”

Luna left her sister to her thoughts, “That is also part of the reason Luna. They would more or less be working for you. I don’t know if many ponies are ready for that yet. They still fear that which they shouldn't. They would think you might use the patrol to take over again or something.”

Luna was lying on her bed and let out a long breath. She was a bit upset, but she wasn't about to act on her own. Last time she did things didn't work out too well.

However, one thought did stick out in her mind before she went to bed. “There is a pony that knows very well how to fight sister. She doesn't even need to use just her magic either. I just know there have to be others as well. Besides we could train them and I already have an idea who the Captain will be, if she takes me up on the offer when you finally realize the patrol is needed again.”

The moon princess then went to sleep with a smile on her face. She felt that Naruko might end up becoming a good friend of hers. Said pony was just now getting up again for another day of requests form the request board.

Naruko still wanted something more permanent than the request board. Unfortunately Handyhoof wasn't the only one that wished they could have her as full time staff, but claimed she was meant for something bigger. Naruko just wished this ‘something bigger’ would finally come and find her.

New Friends and Old Friends

It was three days after Naruko met Luna on the balcony at pipsqueak’s house. She had once again watched over Pipsqueak yesterday. It was just as much fun and required just as much responsibility as the first day, but she was pleased with it. The young colt really grew on her and she actually enjoyed watching him. This is the exact reason why she was happy with being his go to foal sitter now, as long as she didn't have anything else to do that day.

Currently Naruko was relaxing for the day. She had decided to hang out with Twilight some in the morning. The blonde pony really loved and cared for her best friend, but she forgot that hanging out with Twilight often meant lying around while reading. She wasn't opposed to reading, but she wanted to do something else, and Twilight was busy looking into something for Princess Celestia again. It was a follow up on the history of how the myths of the artifacts from the previous assignment changed over time.

Naruko would have forced Twilight to do something fun, and Twilight would have been more than happy to go along with Naruko. However both of them had a feeling these weren't just random assignments the sun princess handed out to Twilight. That being the case Naruko just gave her best friend company for the day or at least that was the plan, but Naruko was getting bored. Naruko was usually a serious pony, but having a small little on going prank war with Celestia had kept her love for such things like jokes and anything fun alive through the years.

This is why when a certain pink party pony knocked on their kitchen window to only then somehow phase through it, Naruko felt a bit relieved. They didn't ask how she did the things she did. This was just yet another Pinkie Pie mysterious ability they decided.

“Hey Naruko! Twilight! Did you two fillies know this was yet another amazing super wonderful absolutely stupentacular day?” the pink pony asked the two slightly confused ponies. Naruko was wondering how she phased through a window, even if she didn't ask. Twilight was trying to think what the word stupentacular meant, and if it was a real word or not.

“I guess it is… What’s going on Pinkie?” Naruko spoke to their pink maned friend.

“I was wondering if you two wanted to come with me to find Rainbow Dash, and then the four of us could go and do something fun. Since Twilight here has been super-duper extra fixated on studying lately,” the pony asked hopefully.

“Actually Twilight has a pretty heavy assignment from Princess Celestia she is working on right now… That's the reason for her fixation on studying recently,” Naruko answered and gave Twilight a friendly smile.

Twilight gave her a smile and said, “But Naruko here has been itching to do something fun for the past couple of hours. I’m sure she won’t mind going with you to meet Rainbow Dash.”

Naruko gave Twilight a lost puppy look as she said, “But Twi… I was going to spend the day with you today since I have been busy lately…”

Twilight gave her a soft smile as she answered, “Don’t worry Naru. I’m ok as it is. Besides we can do something once I finish this assignment later. No doubt I will be in some serious need of fun after this assignment…" Twilight sighed, "I still can’t believe Princess Celestia won’t just come out and tell us what is going on already. Anyways Naruko go and have a break. You have been working yourself hard these past few weeks. Have some fun.”

“But….” Naruko was about to protest to Twilight.

“I'll tell you want I find once I finish it. No doubt it will most likely involve you as well eventually. Now go. I already gave Spike the day off as it is, other than a minor chore he has to do,” Twilight said forcefully to Naruko. This fact was another contributing factor to Naruko’s boredom. Kyuubi decided he was going to hang out with Spike today. Naruko bowed her head and sighed, but couldn't hide the grin growing on her face.

{-} {-} {-}

“So what was that about with Twilight earlier, Naruko? It seemed all super serial and so forth. Is something up?” Pinkie Pie asked her friend.

“Nothing for you to worry about as far as we can tell, Pinkie. Celestia has just been showing an interest in ancient myths and studies lately from even before she was Princess,” Naruko said to her friend. The unicorn then asked, “So what is it we are going to do with Rainbow Dash?”

Pinkie just gave her large smile as she answered cryptically, “Oh but I don’t want to spoil it for you, Naruko. I will tell you, it will be fun though!”

“Okay…. Let’s just go get Rainbow Dash then. Any idea where Equestria’s fastest Pegasus is?” Naruko asked.

Pinkie gave her a knowing smile and then answered promptly, “Nope!” She then took off as she said, “I was going to try Sweet Apple Acres first.” Pinkie then paused for a second and placed a hoof to her chin as she said, “I find it odd that Dashie spends so much time there even if it is just to take a nap in a tree. I wonder why that is…?” She had a serious face before it vanished and was replaced by her usual grin. “Oh well! Let’s go Narucorn!!”

Naruko paused before asking, “Narucorn?!”

“Oh! You didn't know? I’m trying to come up with an original nickname for you. Since Twilight has already claimed Naru I have to come up with one of my own for you,” Pinkie said as if this was perfectly normal. For Pinkie Pie, it was normal. She didn't mind others using the nicknames she came up with for ponies, but she would never just settle for a name others thought of first.

{-} {-} {-}

Just like Pinkie predicted they found Rainbow Dash napping on a cloud right by Sweet Apple Acres. Naruko just stared for a minuet as she too started to wonder why it was Rainbow Dash spent so much time here. The blonde pony eventually shrugged her shoulders as Pinkie took it upon herself to wake up Dash.

"Hey, Daaaaaash!!!" Pinkie shouted.

Dash woke up and looked like she was about to try and make a break for it. However, the blue Pegasus saw Naruko and instead made a showing of coming off her cloud and landing in front of the two ponies. Rainbow figured if Naruko was here things wouldn't be that bad after all. Pinkie Pie did get a little annoying at times, but Naruko was pretty cool even if she got to be a little to focused and serious on being 'useful'. “What’s up girls?” the rainbow maned pony asked.

“I’m not really sure, Dash. But Pinkie here says it will be fun and I could use a little of that. Want to come and see what she has in store?” Naruko asked.

“I promise you it will be fun, funny and extremely more better than napping, Dashie!” Pinkie added.

Rainbow Dash figured she might as well do what her friends said in this case. “Alright! But it better be fun, Pinkie. I am delaying my awesomeness practice for this after all.” She finished as she stood proud and smiled.

Naruko and Pinkie both smiled as the three friends left together to wherever Pinkie was going. Several ponies in Ponyville got a sudden shiver as they envisioned a Pink Earth Pony, Cyan Pegasus and a peach tanned Unicorn joining forces that day for something...

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko just watched with curiosity as Rainbow Dash tried her best to position a rain cloud just right outside of Ponyville Town hall. “Just a itsy bitsy scorch to the left, Dashie,” Pinkie instructed the weather Pegasus.

As Rainbow made the shift, Pinkie kept making more changes. “Would you just make up your mind already, Pinkie?!” Rainbow Dash shouted not at all happy with the picky placement of the thunder cloud.

“Ok right there is good now get ready,” Pinkie said.

Rainbow Dash did just that as Naruko and Pinkie both hid behind a bush. Once a familiar baby dragon walked outside with a fox a good bit behind him, Pinkie gave the signal. Rainbow Dash sent a thunderous boom and lightning strike near Spike, who started to hic up and shoot green fire from his mouth.

Fortunately he took it in good fun and they all got a little laugh from it. Naruko then noticed he was exhaling fire at timed intervals, and gave a little snicker. She made a couple of clones that gathered up the extra scrolls, and they all started writing before she started tossing the scrolls at timed intervals at the baby dragon as he sent them to Celestia. The others couldn't help but laugh as they heard Naruko read them aloud as she tossed each one.

{-} {-} {-}

Meanwhile in Canterlot…..

Princess Celestia sighed as she finally had a break from her court duties. She was surprised to see a scroll pop up in front of her. She would have wondered how Twilight would already be responding to her assignment, but she saw it was Naruko’s seal on the letter instead. The sun princess opened it and read a single word. “I”

She stared at it confused before another letter appeared before her. “Wrote” was all, the second letter read. Another then appeared followed by many others all in timed intervals each with a single word.

“This”
“Letter”
“To”
“You”
“Because”
“When”
“Spike”
“Gets”
“The”
“Hic-ups”
"His"
“Fire”
“Comes”
“In”
“Timed”
“Intervals!”

Celestia gave a little snicker as she read the last one and then another one came. This one had more on it than the others did though. “And also because I know you love reading about friendship and such. Ponyville for this day will have to deal with three allied pranksters!”

The sun princess then gave a loud chuckle as she envisioned the wonderfully controlled anarchy some residents in Ponyville will experience today. She then had one more letter. She hoped this was the last joke letter. If it wasn't than the joke would be going too far and lose its hilarity, as a fellow lover of jokes she wouldn't stand for this.

The last letter read, “P.S.: Don’t worry I bought replacement scrolls for the ones I used for this little joke. I hope Ponce Blueblood isn't being too much of a pain for you. Also Twilight and I know you aren't just giving her these assignments for no reason either Princess Celestia. However we will give you the benefit of the doubt, and figure you are making sure you have a complete picture of what is going on before you tell us that update you promised. Love, Naruko the best and most radical Contract Guardian Ponyville has known.”

Celestia gave a little chuckle, but at the same time noticed the sincerity in Naruko’s last letter. “You two are right about that, Naruko. I do hope what I am guessing is wrong, but once I know what is going on I will tell you two,” the sun princess said to herself before sighing and getting ready for her afternoon duties. She was just glad Cadence was ready to help out as a way to get practice for her own future court duties today at least. Despite this the white alicorn wished she could be with Naruko and the others as they enjoyed their day.

If that were to ever happen though she knew the residents might wish for the days under Discord to return, instead of facing the combined efforts of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Naruko, and Princess Celestia.

{-} {-} {-}

Rainbow Dash was rolling on the ground laughing at both Pinkie’s prank idea and Naruko tossing letters perfectly timed into Spike’s green fire. She did notice the blonde unicorn didn't read the last one that she sent. However since Rainbow Dash was in a good mood she didn't pay much attention to this fact.

“I didn't know you two liked pranking. We should definitely hang out like Naruko’s letter to the princess said.” Rainbow Dash said. They all started laughing including Spike, who was now over his hiccups, and Kyuubi as well. They all got a kick out of Naruko’s ‘report’ to the princess.

“Well duh! Of course I love pranks! They are very fun and entertaining!” Pinkie Pie said as she jumped from excitement.

Kyuubi then gave out a deep laugh that would have been unsettling had they not all gotten used to his voice. “Ohhh… The stories my partner could tell you about her pranking past if she wished to share.”

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both stared at Naruko expectantly. Rainbow Dash spoke, “Really?! You love pranks Naruko? I didn't think you would.” Naruko gave her an incredulous look. Rainbow gave a little giggle before continuing. “Don’t get me wrong you're cool. I just didn't think you were into that kind of stuff is all.”

Naruko placed a hoof on her mouth as she laughed, “Ohhh… Trust me when I say that I used to be a pranking queen. I’m just now mellower is all. I still got it in me though, I promise you.”

Both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash looked at her with a little doubt. Naruko frowned and then asked, “Do you guys remember that letter from Celestia during the ticket crisis?” They both nodded. “That was Celestia’s little way of getting back at me for a prank I pulled on her. She has a good sense of humor, but if you prank her expect retaliation. She also knows how to get you where it counts as well without going overboard.”

The two ponies thought that scene over again. Rainbow Dash said, “Wait a minute! You mean to tell me the Princess is that masterful at pranks with minimal effort?! Also what did you do to her?”

Naruko gave a mischievous smile as she said, “There is a lot more to Princess Celestia than raising the Sun you know Dash.” Naruko let that settle in for a minute before she answered the second question. “As for what I did to the Princess…” Naruko’s mischievous smile turned into a large foxy grin. “I dyed her mane and tail pale pink without her knowing until the next day when she woke up.”

Rainbow Dash looked at the blonde unicorn with awe. “That is awesome!!!”

Naruko gave a little giggle as she said, “I usually go for more grandiose and challenging pranks, but a true prank master can appreciate the simpler ones no problem. So what's next?” Pinkie Pie gave a smile as the rest of the trio followed her that day.

{-} {-} {-}

The trio of pranksters pulled a few different pranks that day. Naruko was glad that all of them were funny without being too horrible to other ponies. Her respect for Pinkie Pie raised more because of this.

Their pranks included small ones like sneezing powder in a bouquet of flowers left for Rarity. The fashion unicorn might have gotten really upset, but Pinkie Pie also got some sneezing powder on her nose and rocketed herself to the right with just one sneeze.

Another prank included painting the apples at Sweet Apple Acres different colors. They were only really able to complete this prank because Naruko made use of her shadow clones to help them out. Applejack wasn't happy, but when she saw the paint easily washed off the apples without harming the fruit she gave a little laugh herself.

Next they pulled a prank on Twilight. Naruko wouldn't have been happy but this prank gave her best friend a little bit of a break from her studies. They replaced her ink bottle with a bottle of disappearing ink. This confused Twilight at first, but she soon noticed what was going on, so she didn't make too much of a fuss.

{-} {-} {-}

The trio headed to Rainbow’s prank idea, but he pegasus was vague on the full details about her prank. As the made their way to their next stop Naruko thought back to her prank idea. The blonde pony decided to target a couple of known bullies and had Rainbow Dash and Pinkie distract them as she got a spell ready that would turn the two mares’ coats a tie-dyed color, that would last only a couple of days. The looks on their faces were priceless, Naruko thought.

They finally reached their hidden point as Rainbow Dash pulled a small telescope from somewhere and aimed it in a certain direction. Naruko was too busy asking where Dash got the telescope to notice Pinkie do something to the eye piece. Once Naruko finished putting together the sorry looking squirting stuffed animal. Dash placed it in the water just right so it reached the target, who Dash still hadn't shared with them yet.

Pinkie was bouncing a little bit, ready to squirt whoever it was. She decided to ask again, “By the way Dashie, who’s the target?”

Rainbow Dash just chuckled as she said, “Fluttershy!”

Naruko stared unhappily as Pinkie dropped the squeezing device. Pinkie spoke up, “What?! No, no, no, no we can’t prank Fluttershy.” Naruko nodded in agreement.

Dash still looking through the telescope asked, “Why not?”

Pinkie answered, “Because she is so super sensitive. Her feelings would be hurt and she would cry. And pranks aren't fun if someone actually gets their feelings hurt, unless they deserve it.”

Dash grimaced at that. She knew Pinkie was right. She was so caught up in pranking that she forgot doing so to Fluttershy was a big no, no. She fought for Fluttershy’s honor and would again if needed. She shouldn't be doing this to her. Rainbow Dash sighed as she said, “Yah you're right Pinkie. We need someone tougher and more likely to take a joke than Fluttershy.”

The light blue Pegasus then looked to the other two ponies and saw them start to crack up. She was confused and asked, “What’s so funny?”

“I think we just found our next target. Good one Pinkie simple, but effective.” Naruko answered.

“What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked.

Pinkie pointed to the water and said, “Take a look Dashie.” Rainbow did and laughed as she too agreed with Naruko. After that the pranking trio pulled a few more before calling it a day, and all retired to their respective homes.

{-} {-} {-}

A couple of days had passed since three ponies went on a pranking spree, and one Pink coated pony was thinking it was time to go on one again. She was hopping her way to Naruko’s and Twilight’s home first since it was closest. She was wearing "an arrow through the head" hat, a pair of swirly glasses with a nose and mustache and she had a party kazoo in her mouth she blew whenever she landed on the ground.

Pinkie decided to use the door for once and knocked on it. A blonde unicorn answered, “Hey Pinkie.” Naruko gave a little laugh, “Nice get up there. So what’s up?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to go and do some pranks again today with me and Dashie, since it was so super fun last time.” Pinkie answered lifting up her glasses.

Naruko gave a little frown as she said, “Sorry not today Pinkie. I had a lot of fun but I have plans with Twilight for today. She finally has a break from all of those assignments Celestia has been giving her. Maybe another time?”

“Ohh ok. I will just go see if Dashie wants to then. You two have fun.” Pinkie said as she left.

“Who was it Naruko?” Twilight asked.

“It was Pinkie wanting to go pranking again. I was about to ask if she wanted to come with us but she left.” Naruko answered.

“I guess she really wants to go prank again then.” Twilight stated.

Naruko shrugged her shoulders and asked, “So what do you want to do first Twi? We got all day.”

Twilight thought for a bit and then said with a smile. “I want to try bowling! I heard it can be fun and there is a Bowling Alley here in Ponyville. They didn't have one near us in Canterlot. Sound good to you?”

Naruko smiled. “Yah that sounds good. Besides I did say anything you want today besides reading a book goes Twi.”

Twilight gave a little giggle. “You do love pulling me away from reading don’t you Naru?”

Naruko gave her a wider smile, “Only to balance my best friend out. I mean if it was left to just you alone. You would probably even turn your friends down every so often just to spend more time reading.” Twilight sighed but realized Naruko was right about that.

{-} {-} {-}

Pinkie Pie was making her way over to Rainbow Dash’s house. She was excited about hopefully getting to spend some time with her rainbow maned friend, even if she was a little sad Naruko had plans with Twilight already. Pinkie wasn't hopping anymore but she was prancing about while she made her way and blowing the kazoo in time with her steps.

She arrived at the house of clouds and shouted, “Hey Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!” She was surprised when instead of the rainbow colored mane she expected to pop up, it was an Eagle’s head. “Oh hey I don’t think I know you. I’m Pinkie Pie. Who are you?”

Rainbow Dash then popped up and answered, “Hey Pinkie. This is my griffon friend Gilda!”

“Ooooo… What’s a griffon?” Pinkie asked.

“She’s half lion and half eagle.” Rainbow Dash smiled.

“And 100% Awesome!” Gilda added to Rainbow Dash’s explanation.

Rainbow gave her a laugh as Pinkie smiled and said, “Great so do you want to come as well then? I was going to ask Rainbow Dash if she wanted to go and do some pranks. Unfortunately our other friend Naruko can’t come since she already has plans. But hey doing pranks with a griffon could be fun.”

Gilda didn't really want to do any pranks. She had her reasons, but knew her friend Rainbow Dash liked them. However she decided to instead remind Dash that they were supposed to go for a fly around the area. Rainbow nodded and said, “Sorry Pinkie but I did promise Gilda to go flying with her this morning, maybe later.” With that the two left a saddened Pinkie Pie alone as they raced each other around in the sky.

When it was later, by Pinkie’s standards, she tracked them down and asked again. Gilda still didn't want to do any pranks and after Rainbow Dash had her recite the Junior Speedsters Chant, she was ready to go again.

She also wanted to lose Pinkie Pie. However, Pinkie Pie would keep popping back up. Each time Gilda did what she could to try and get the pink pony to leave the two of them alone. It would end up taking most of the morning and into the early afternoon before she finally ditched Pinkie for good she hoped.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko and Twilight had learned two things about bowling that morning. The first was they liked it and it was incredibly fun. The second thing they learned was that neither of them is very good at the sport. Twilight ended up winning most of their games with her highest score being 95. Naruko ended up getting a high score of 81. Considering the most you could get was 300, they both knew they were far from good.

Currently the two best friends were in a park with a nice clearing, where ponies commonly came to run. Naruko was helping Twilight stretch out before they started. “Twi…?” Naruko asked.

“Yes Naru?” Twilight responded.

“Why are we still stretching?” The blonde pony asked.

“Because the book I read, said you need to stretch out really well before doing any physical activity, especially running. Why do you ask?” Twilight responded as if it only made sense.

“We have been doing so for about 40 minutes now. That is why. I think we are good to go.” Naruko replied a little exasperated.

Twilight was about to respond when a Pink something stopped just inches away from running into them. “I can’t believe Rainbow Dash’s griffon friend. She is so rude.” Pinkie Pie then started going on and on about how she just knew Gilda was the most evil and rudest of all Griffons, even if she was the only one she knew.

When she finally stopped to breathe, Twilight spoke. “It sounds like you're a little jealous Pinkie.”

“Me jealous?! I would never be jealous of any pony. Or well in this case any griffon.” Pinkie defended herself.

“Yes you are Pinkie. Rainbow Dash has an old friend of hers visiting and you don’t like it. You're instead coming up with any reason you can to say she is horrible.” Twilight responded to the pink pony before adding, “Maybe you should give her a chance and see what she is really like Pinkie.”

Pinkie wasn't happy about this but sighed, “Maybe you’re right Twilight.”

Twilight understood Pinkie’s grumpiness over the matter. She wasn't sure what she would do if Naruko suddenly had a friend come from her past who she didn't know about. Twilight was shamefully and secretly glad there was little chance that would happen though.

Pinkie spoke again, “By the way what are you two doing?”

“Twilight wants to join in the running of the leaves this year. We decided to do a little training before hand to be ready when the time comes. However, Twilight here seems to think you have to stretch for an hour before starting to run….” Naruko said not at all hiding her irritation.

Twilight just gave a little nervous noise in response before she stood up and said, “Alright I guess you are right Naruko. Let’s get going shall we?”

As the two got ready to start Naruko said to Pinkie, “Well see you late Pinkie. I hope things work out between you and Gilda.” Those words said, the two unicorns started running together, Twilight going close to full speed.

Naruko was keeping pace with Twilight, even if she could run a lot faster because of her previous training. The point of the day was to spend it with Twilight though. She knew tomorrow she would take care of a couple of quick morning jobs and spend the afternoon training with Kyuubi, so she was perfectly happy to go at Twilight’s pace and enjoy the company.

{-} {-} {-}

Pinkie Pie had taken Twilight’s advice. She was giving the griffon a chance by stalking her. She wanted to see what Gilda was really like when she didn't think anyone of importance was watching her. Rainbow Dash was busy doing some weather deliveries and Pinkie Pie thought she would now see what the griffon was like.

Gilda gave Dash a smile and wave as her friend left to take care of some business. The trip really hadn't been as wonderful as she thought it would be. Rainbow Dash had changed since their school days, though she expected that. However, she didn't like how Rainbow kept going on and on about her friends most of the day, especially Pinkie Pie and Naruko. The Pegasus was glowing when she talked about how Naruko really could do some really awesome stuff and came up with some good pranks. The Pegasus then glowed equally when she talked about PInkie's rad parties.

Gilda sighed as she walked the streets of Ponyville. “Again with the pranks. Why is Rainbow so hung up on them?” the griffon thought to herself. She could appreciate them a little and had even said she liked pulling one before going for a flight sometimes. She said that part as mostly lip service to Dash though. After all friends are supposed to sometimes do things they don’t like for their friends right? Still she was starting to think that maybe the other griffons were right about ponies.

She decided to give one prank a try. One she had seen many times before. She stood on the opposite side of a vegetable stand and used her tail to startle an old mare. She gave a laugh that was a little bitter at how it actually worked. Pinkie Pie gasped as she saw this and then explained it away as a prank that while a little mean was kind of funny.

Next Gilda walked quietly by a fruit stand. She looked both ways with shifty eyes wondering if she could pull it off or not. She then took an apple without anyone noticing other than Pinkie. The pink pony started panicking as she tried to be open minded. She didn't notice Gilda smile and then place two bits on the table after she ate the apple.

Gilda was a little happy she pulled off taking the apple, but it seemed to add to what all of them kept saying. She thought there might be at least one redeeming quality. Rainbow Dash was always fearless so when a Pegasus bumped into her while leading a group of ducks through a crowded street, she told her to watch where she was going in a forceful voice.

When the Pegasus muttered out a small hard to hear “sorry”, she went further thinking that this had to be wrong. She then mocked the yellow Pegasus and roared at her. The yellow Pegasus then cowered as the ducks scattered.

Gilda then took to the air and said, “Wow I never knew ponies were this lame!” She then took off after scoffing at them all. The yellow Pegasus really pissed her off. Why would you lead a group of ducks right through the center of a marketplace in the busiest part of the day backwards? If she was trying to help them then why did she so quickly cower when there was a threat? Gilda sighed as she said again with disappointment. “Ponies are lame….” She mentally hoped that maybe Rainbow Dash wasn't as she flew back to Dash’s house where she was staying.

Pinkie having seen the parts of the day she had decided that she would get back at Gilda for being mean to Fluttershy, because no one is allowed to ever be mean to Fluttershy. She then went about making preparations for tomorrow. After all for something as big as this a pony needed a little time, even Pinkie Pie, when the pink pony did things her way she never half assed them. Anypony that had been to one of her parties knew this.

{-} {-} {-}

Once Rainbow Dash was done with her weather deliveries and caught up to Gilda it was getting late. Still the two went on an evening flight. “So Gilda how long are you staying again?” Rainbow asked.

“A couple more days max Dash. Don’t worry I won’t be so lame as to take up too much of your time. After all some pony’s got to fill the Ponyville coolness quota, and if I stay around too much it might distract you.” The griffon replied as they approached the cloud home after an evening flight.

Rainbow Dash hovered for a bit before she gave a little frown and said a little saddened, “If you say so Gilds.” The griffon just nodded not noticing Rainbow Dash’s mood. The truth was Rainbow wished her friend was staying a little longer. The two of them didn't really have much time to catch up, and she hadn't been able to introduce the griffon to her other friends yet. She hoped what Pinkie Pie mentioned to her earlier would work out for the best though.

Rainbow had noticed that Gilda seemed a little different than she was and though she didn't let it show, she was a little concerned for her half eagle friend. She wasn't going to make a deal about it though.

She wasn't good at mushy stuff and the like, plus it was Gilda’s place to mention it if she wanted to bring it up. At the same time Dash wanted to just enjoy her friend visiting, it wasn't easy for them to meet up anymore. Gilda lived in Griffon country and Rainbow Dash lived in Equestria. Passports weren't easy to come by and tensions between Griffons and Ponies weren't the best, even all of these years after the Griffon and Pony war.

{-} {-} {-}

As the sun set, a blonde unicorn was walking back to the library with a purple unicorn draped on her back. Twilight was a mess. Her mane was dirty and messy, her coat had scratches and one of her hind hoofs was hurting. However the two ponies did have small smiles on their faces. Despite the mishap, which Twilight seemed to have often, the day was very much a success in their books.

“You had to keep trying to run faster didn't you Twilight?” Naruko said as a small giggle escaped her lips.

“How was I supposed to know I would slip and fall into that creek?” The exhausted pony said to her friend.

“Ohhh. I don’t know. Maybe my warnings would have prevented it had you listened.” The blonde unicorn said not really hiding her amusement.

“I was in what the book called 'The Zone' Naruko!” Twilight defended herself as she pointed a fore hoof to the horizon.

“Is this 'zone' the reason why you forgot everything else the book told you about, such as pacing yourself?” The trotting pony asked.

Twilight frowned. “I know it isn't the best excuse but it is the truth.” She gave a nervous whinny as she scratched the back of her head like a certain blonde unicorn did often. “I guess I should be thankful you know some first aid magic, though it doesn't seem to be your strong suit.” She then gave a little giggle.

“Hey it worked. Also it isn't my fault my control isn't that impressive. Before I could tackle the more advanced first aide stuff I would need Rarity’s level of control. Like I said though it worked for you… mostly…” Naruko said to her a little ashamed she didn't know better first aid.

The healing eased Twilight's pain and started the healing process, but she would have to take it easy tonight and part of tomorrow. A unicorn that specialized in healing could have healed it at least to the point she could walk back on her own.

“Well even you can’t be perfect Naruko.” Twilight said as she smiled bigger and said, “Either way today was lots of fun. I really enjoyed our day out.”

Naruko turned and gave her a wide smile as she said, “Yes it was.”

A two tailed fox decided to make his presence known from Naruko’s side as he said, “Just next time make sure you don’t hurt yourself Twilight. When I came to check up on you two I wasn't happy that my spot was taken.” The fox then gave the purple unicorn an angry face that didn't last long before it turned into an amused one.

“Sorry Kyuubi I’ll try not to take your spot next time. Though I can see why you like it so much. It is very comfy!” Twilight said as the three laughed.

When they finally arrived home, the two ponies took a bubble bath together. After that, Twilight read a book in her bed for a little bit before falling asleep. Naruko just yawned and laid awake for a little while planning how she would train tomorrow before also falling asleep as well.

{-} {-} {-}

Gilda woke up the next day shortly after Rainbow Dash. As she stretched her griffon wings and yawned, she saw Rainbow Dash sitting at a table eating some breakfast. “Hey Gilda. Good morning. I don’t really have any griffon food like meat or anything here. I do have some pancakes I made a little while ago. They should still be warm and I made plenty. Will that work?”

“Yah.” Gilda said. She hadn't expected this. She figured she would just get herself some breakfast.

Once she had her breakfast Rainbow spoke again, “Hey Gilds. I have a lot of work to do this morning. Do you think you can find your own things to do? I will be done shortly after lunch.”

Gilda just nodded her head. “Yah I'll just take a morning flight and then lounge around for a while. I’ll try not to get into too much trouble without you Dash.” She said with a little mischievous grin.

Rainbow laughed and said, “That sounds about right. So see you later then.” With that the Pegasus took off for her weather assignments.

Gilda took off shortly after Rainbow and flew quickly all over the sky. She loved the speed and the freedom. She also felt that only Rainbow could compare to her awesomeness. However, she was surprised when a grey and pale blonde blur shot past her. Gilda sped up to catch up to it. The blur stopped for a second before shooting off again almost as fast as Rainbow Dash at take off.

Gilda followed and eventually saw the flying grey blur stop and deliver some mail. She then recognized it as the Pegasus she saw in the park yesterday when she was on her way back to Dash’s house. She was honestly impressed. She thought the Pegasus was just a complete idiot with her eyes and the faces she was making to that little filly unicorn’s delight. However, that Pegasus was a pretty amazing flyer and very fast as well. She thought maybe some of the ponies weren't lame after all.

Next she saw a pale blue Pegasus with a light amber and light yellow mane and tail working on some clouds. The pale blue Pegasus took care of the cloud pretty quickly. It wasn't anywhere near Rainbow’s speed, but she was efficient and knew how to fly fairly well.

Soon the Pegasus’ eyes narrowed as she shot towards the ground quickly and turned sharply only inches from the grass before then shooting forward and stopping completely on a dime still in midair.

Gilda was once again impressed. She had winced when the pony shot towards the ground. Rainbow Dash wouldn't have been as good at that turn even if she slowed down to the same speed. Plus this Pegasus was just as quick on the air brakes as some of the better griffons she had seen.

The griffon soon continued her flight until she saw a peculiar sight. She saw an Earth Pony and a unicorn fighting each other it looked like. She glided in stealthily to get a better look at the two. The Earth pony had a pale yellow coat with a cobalt blue and fuchsia colored mane and tail. She swung her back legs out and the unicorn dodged her kick.

The unicorn was a very bright and light green with a light grey blue and white colored mane. The unicorn then used her forehooves to throw a punch at the yellow pony, who dodged and countered. The earth pony landed a hit on the unicorn that sent her back a good bit, but the unicorn recovered and launched forward. The yellow pony ducked and bucked with her back hooves which sent the green unicorn to the ground.

The yellow pony’s eyes widened as she rushed over and said, “Are you ok, Lyra? I didn't mean to hit you that hard.”

Lyra got herself up and said in a friendly voice. “Don’t worry about it, Bon Bon. It just goes to show I need to get better at fighting without magic. I still can’t believe I’m doing this with you.”

“Well after what happened with Nightmare Moon, I figured us ponies needed to get ready to possibly fight for our beloved Ponyville. After all, we were lucky that Naruko and The Elements of Harmony were able to break her free from her jealousy. It might not happen again in the future if we are attacked again,” the yellow pony said to her friend.

“It’s still hard to believe, but I think we were right to do this. Besides, they shouldn't have to do everything if others can help in some way. At least I know I’m kind of decent when fighting with my magic, oh well. Shall we go again?” The bright green unicorn said as she got in a stance to fight.

The yellow pony smirked as she said, “Yah except this time you can use your magic.”

They started circling each other as the unicorn said with a matching smirk, “If you say so, Bon Bon.” The two then charged each other and continued their spar.

{-} {-} {-}

Gilda finally stopped watching the two ponies sparing with each other. She was starting to maybe see why it was the ponies were able to hold off the Griffons of old before the treaty was signed. She was kind of glad she was sent to learn over here though. The ponies definitely didn't hide much of how the war went here in schools. Back in Griffon country the Griffons usually skirted over the issue. It was getting better, but it was far from the truth Gilda knew.

The griffon decided that maybe she had been a little harsh in her judgment on the ponies yesterday. She decided to give them another try despite what she knew would happen once she got back home again. She decided to watch the market square for a bit from a cloud. She was just glad it was supposed to be a partly cloudy day.

As the day went on Gilda was getting a little frustrated. She was starting to think maybe she spoke to soon yet again. Sure she saw four cool ponies, but that was all she could see. She was a little upset because the Ponies had won the war way back then, but now they seemed to not even have a care in the world. It was as if they were too used to peace and quiet. She knew that things were easy here, but it annoyed her to no end. She wasn't so sure why it was getting to her though.

She was giving a bit of a glare unintentionally to the ponies below and didn't notice Rainbow Dash land next to her. The blue Pegasus frowned at this sight, “Whoa Gilda! Did you take a nap and wake up on the wrong side of the cloud or something?”

Gilda’s eyes returned to normal and she shook her head before responding, “No… I didn't.”

“I was just wondering because it looks like something is bothering you Gilds. What’s up?”

Gilda thought for a bit before shaking her head again and answering, “It isn't anything to worry about Dash. I was just thinking about something is all. I won’t waste your time… So want to go for a flight?” Gilda got ready and she looked a little excited to fly with Rainbow Dash again.

Rainbow Dash thought for a minute and pushed her worries to the back of her mind for now. She gave her friend a smile and said, “Sure want to race or just go as fast as we can while keeping up with each other?”

“Option B sounds best to me Dash. Let’s Go!” Gilda replied and the two shot off again into the sky. They flew around really fast together. Gilda felt the wind against her face as the continued speeding through the air. This is what her trip was supposed to be like! Just the two of them, flying around as fast as possible, without having to worry about pink ponies somehow appearing with increasingly crazier means of transportation getting in the way of their time together.

They continued for a good while before they finally landed on a cloud and laughed together as the adrenaline rush left them. “Oh that was awesome Dash! Just like old times.” Gilda said with a smile as she relished in the past a bit.

“Yah except faster and much cooler!” Rainbow shouted as she hovered in the air for a little bit.

Gilda gave a laugh before her stomach growled and she looked down and frowned. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and she had been flying around everywhere that day. She was hungry and it was now about mid-afternoon.

Rainbow giggled as she said, “Sounds like you’re hungry.” Gilda just gave her a ‘ya think’ look before Rainbow giggled again. “Well it’s a good thing. I wanted to take you to Sugarcube Corner for a party. It should be fun and it is being thrown to welcome you here. Even if you aren't staying much longer.”

“Really?” Gilda was confused by this. None of the ponies really knew her here and she didn't make a good impression yesterday with some of them.

Rainbow Dash smiled as she said, “Yah Pinkie Pie is throwing it for you. Let’s get going.”

Gilda followed but she was now on alert. She wondered if this was Pinkie’s big finishing move or something since the pink pony kept interfering all of yesterday. She followed none the less and would try to have fun while she kept cautious about the pink pony’s master plan.

{-} {-} {-}

At Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie was greeting everyone as they walked inside. Rarity and Applejack were talking about who Gilda was supposed to be, and Twilight was talking to Fluttershy. “So you met Gilda, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

“Ummm… yah…” Fluttershy answered as she hoofed the ground and tried to hide behind her mane.

“What is she like then?” Twilight pressed her.

“um… I'll tell you later Twilight. Where is Naruko?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh she won’t be coming. She is spending the afternoon training with Kyuubi.” Twilight answered as Fluttershy walked away with her head hanging down before reaching Pinkie.

“Umm… Pinkie Pie… About this party for Gilda” Fluttershy said quietly before Pinkie cut her off.

“Oh don’t you worry about mean old Gilda. Auntie Pinkie Pie has got it all taken care of Fluttershy.” Pinkie said.

“I’m a year older than you…” Fluttershy said softly with force as the pink pony headed towards the front of the store.

“Hey Gilda! I’m so glad you could make it.” Pinkie Pie then offered a hoof for Gilda to shake. Gilda took it thinking maybe she was wrong about the pony. However when she was shocked by a buzzer. those thoughts went right out the window. It was even worse when Rainbow Dash laughed and called it a classic and a good one before going to talk with some others.

“I know what you are up to.” Gilda said narrowing her eyes on the pink annoyance and her nemesis when the two of them were alone.

“I hope so it wasn't supposed to be a surprise party Gilda.” The pink pony said to her.

“I mean I have my eyes on you.” Gilda said trying to get her point across.

“How can you have your eyes on me when you still have them yourself? If you did have them on me would you even be able to actually see silly Gilda?” Pinkie said before skipping off and offering Gilda a vanilla lemon drop, which was the griffons favorite treat. Pinkie Pie asked Dash about this before planning this party.

Gilda smiled and decided this was safe since others would eat one too. She ate one and it turned out to have been a pepper. She breathed fire from the spice while Pinkie roasted a marshmallow with it. Gilda recognized this as meaning she planned it instead of it being a Pinkie Pie thing. Pinkie always had sticks for roasting marshmallows on her at all times in case of a marshmallow emergency.

“Quick to the punch Gilda!” Rainbow Dash said not really sounding upset. Gilda ran over and tried to drain the glass only for nothing to happen. Pinkie then pointed out there was a hole in the glass and all of the ponies laughed. Gilda then found a different punch glass and downed it to her relief.

Rainbow Dash then pointed out the stack of presents which caught Gilda off guard. She then opened one and a bunch of snakes popped out of the can causing her feathers to ruffle. She then heard the laughs of all the ponies. She didn't like this party it reminded her of things she would rather not remember. She was also hungry and she felt like she was losing the war Pinkie had declared on her.

It got even worse when Rainbow Dash came over to her and asked with concern, “You aren't getting upset about a few party pranks are you G?”

Gilda gave a false smile not wanting Pinkie to get the satisfaction of seeing her admit the pranks were getting to her. She then said in a slightly strained voice, not wanting to ruin Dash’s good mood, and said, “Nah. Dash. I told you I was down with the jokes…” She was nervous but it seemed to have worked as Rainbow left smiling.

{-} {-} {-}

Things got a little better after that but Gilda was getting hungrier. She didn't trust any of the snacks after the earlier vanilla lemon drop. She saw Pinkie rolling out a wonderful looking cake and was debating on what this would have in store for her.

“Oh candles! Can I blow them out Twilight?!” The baby dragon said.'

“No Spike! Gilda is the guest of honor she should get to blow them out.” Twilight said.

Gilda then made up her mind and decided the cake would be safe and she was hungry. She then shoved Spike out of the way not really meaning to as she got ready to blow out the candles. She blew and they light again on her. She tried again. Once more the candles lit again on her.

She tried a few more times before the little dragon laughed and said, “Ha Ha! Relighting candles! I love that prank!” As everypony else laughed.

Gilda gave a nervous laugh as she agreed. She was actually going to be ok with this one until the baby dragon started eating the cake from the inside. This made her and all of the ponies lose their appetites.

Soon the orange pony wearing a cowgirl hat said, “Hey ya’ll! Let’s play pin the tail on the pony!” Gilda was starting to think more of them were in on Pinkie’s plan. She thought maybe they didn't want her and Rainbow Dash to spend any time together or something.

She wasn't sure what was going on, but when she saw a white unicorn grab the purple tail she figured that was a safe object. She didn't know whatever else was going to happen next, so she took the tail and insisted on going first hoping nothing would happen.

Once they blindfolded her and spun her around she knew she had played right into their hooves. When Pinkie guided her to the correct wall she figured this was another prank, and she turned around. Despite the concerned warnings from everyone she kept walking. Eventually she slipped on something and went sliding into the kitchen, crashing into a bunch of pots and pans, and getting herself covered in different icings and creams.

When she emerged looking like a mess and just thankful she didn't hurt anything. Pinkie Pie spoke up. “Umm… Gilda. You put the tail on the wrong end.” Everyone started laughing at her including Rainbow Dash. Gilda’s eyes widened and she lost the little cool she had left and jumped in the air and roared!

“You think this is fun?!” She shouted to a stunned group of ponies. “You ponies are all a bunch of dweebs!” She then turned to a smiling Pinkie Pie and glared at her. “Especially you Stinky Pie! You are Queen Lame-o! For setting up all of these stupid pranks. They were the worst I've ever seen!’”

She then landed on the ground and huffed a few times as she went over to Rainbow Dash and grabbed her by the leg. “Dash and I are ten times as cool as you all will ever be!” She then urged Rainbow Dash to follow her, but the blue pegasus didn't budge.

Rainbow Dash then said, “No Gilda! I am not going with you. All of those pranks you talked about. I set them up! So I guess I'm Queen Lame-o!”

Gilda was shocked to the core. “Come on Dash that can’t possibly be right…. You set the pranks up?! No no no! It was Pinkie Pie she has had it in for me this whole time…. She set them up for me… To make a fool out of me….”

Rainbow Dash then looked a little saddened as she said, “They weren't all meant for you Gilda… It was just dumb luck you set them all off….” Gilda didn't want to believe this was happening.

Rainbow Dash then continued. “As for making a fool out of you. You did that yourself. If you care so much about being cool. Then maybe you should go and hang out with some cool new griffon friends of yours instead.”

That cut deep in Gilda. She bit back to hide how much it hurt. “Yah well….. Well… you’re such a flip flop! Cool one minuet Lame the next!” She then gave Dash a look of deep betrayal that only Rainbow Dash saw before she stormed out not wanting them to see the tears that were coming out of her eyes.

Rainbow Dash was shocked. She should be the one really upset, not Gilda. However the look in Gilda’s eyes and the tears made her wonder if there was something more going on with her friend she was missing. When her friends tried to comfort her she merely said in a quiet voice, “This is not how I thought it would go having my old friends meet my new friends.”

Rainbow Dash did not feel happy right then. She had thought the party was going well at first. Not even the group hug and the double buzzer shake her and Pinkie did helped much, but provide a brief moment of laughter. Eventually she told the others, “Guys I’m sorry but I don’t feel like partying right now. I need to go. I’m a little tired.” The others were concerned but understood her, and let her leave while they continued the party even with the "Guest of Honor" long gone.

{-} {-} {-}

Gilda was flying fast away from Ponyville. Her small vacation was ruined. Just when it was starting to look up that party pony had to ruin it all. Tears were flying from her eyes. She finally couldn't take it anymore and landed on a cloud a good bit away from the cursed pony town. She now thought maybe the others were right about ponies. She didn't want to believe it though. She sat on the cloud and started crying. She was glad no one was around to see her cry like a hatchling.

After she had cried for a bit she heard something that sounded like a massive beam. And she looked to see two pillars encircling each other and shooting through the sky. One was light blue and the other looked like it was made of fire. The two pillars collided and a bright flash, exploded while clearing several clouds, and causing the area to rumble. It was awesome but it caused her to lose her cloud.

“Yeah! We can use that move in five tails form now Kyuubi!” She heard a loud voice shout and looked down to see a blonde unicorn standing on the head of some strange looking fox creature with five tails.

“Did you expect anything less Naruko?!” The fox said in a deep voice.

“I suppose not!” Naruko shouted in return as the pony hoped off and the fox shrunk.

Gilda’s anger at ponies returned as she looked at the pony and said, “You caused me to lose my cloud!”

“Sorry about that.” The pony replied without a care. Gilda didn't like that attitude at all. She dive bombed towards the pony but stopped just short of the pony and roared at her. The pony just looked at her with an unimpressed expression.

“What’s got you all bent out of shape?” Naruko asked truly curios.

“All of you ponies do!” Gilda shouted. The pony still not reacting to her anger. This actually kind of impressed her how the pony didn't seem fazed, but she didn't show it.

“And why is that?”

“All of you ponies laugh at me and kept me away from my friend and turned her against me! You ponies and your tricks taking my best friend Rainbow Dash and getting her to turn against me.” Gilda said not paying attention to what she said as the emotions started to flow from her.

Naruko gave her a look over and figured she would listen to what she said. Rainbow Dash was loyal to Ponyville and her friends. Rainbow wouldn't easily turn against one. “What makes you say that? What is really going on here? From what I've heard you aren't exactly nice. I heard you don’t like ponies at all.” Neither of them noticed a rainbow trail dive into a tree near them.

Gilda was getting fed up with everything and couldn't keep it inside anymore. All of her anger, pain, and suffering was coming out of her. This time in a much more constructive way. “I did like ponies! I was a good friend of Rainbow Dash’s. Even after I returned to Griffon Country. Me? Not nice? Well when all anyone in Ponyville does to you at a party meant to be for you is pull pranks on you, including your supposed best friend as well. Let’s see how nice you are!”

“What is wrong with pranks? I heard you claimed to like them. Can you not take them?” Naruko asked sensing there was something more here but would be angry if their wasn't and act on it.

Rainbow Dash, hidden in the tree, was confused. Gilda loved pranks. She had said so. They also used to pull them all of the time when they were younger.

Gilda wasn't sure why she was about to unload on this pony she had only heard about, but she figured it was just everything coming out finally. “Nothing is wrong with them I suppose. I used to be able to take them. But after I returned to Griffon Country. All of the other griffons made fun of me and pulled pranks on me for being a pony lover.”

“Pony lover?” Naruko asked confused.

“Yes…. Pony lover. I became good friends with Rainbow Dash and decent friends with some others while I was here. But when I returned home the griffons my age and many others made fun of me for it. They would pull nasty pranks on me just so everyone in their group would get a laugh at me. They were trying to break me as well.” The griffon said.

She took a breath and continued, “But I didn't give in to the ponies or lose hope in the better nature of Griffons. I always told them they were wrong and how awesome Rainbow Dash was and some of the others. As a result of that I don’t really have any friends in Griffon Country. Most don’t want to get involved or are simply too busy with their own life. Unfortunately most of the others that visited over here either left, or have been spread all over griffon country.”

“Why didn't you leave then?” Naruko asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“Because it’s my home. I was schooled here as part of a cultural exchange. I was supposed to come here, learn about ponies and go back to help griffons realize they were wrong about them. It was supposed to help improve relations between our countries.” Gilda answered.

“Why was it needed? Aren't our countries allies now and on good terms?” Naruko asked.

“They are politically… But a lot of the younger generations have started to dislike ponies and are getting angry over the war from long ago. In Griffon Country, we don’t get a through lesson on the war. It’s a sore subject, and we try not to focus on it. This is slowly changing because the current griffon King realizes what this practice has caused, and doesn't want the younger generations starting a war up again. That would be unforgivable!” She answered.

She breathed again and continued, “If I were to just leave and come here. It would be a huge victory for them, because I am one of the stronger ‘pro-pony’ griffons in our age group. If I left I would be failing my country as well. I don’t want the war to start again. Equestria doesn't sugar coat it when they teach the war here. They teach you how bad it was for both sides and everything that led to it. I don't want to see days like that ever if possible”

“Why doesn't the Griffon King send more griffons as part of this exchange program then?” Naruko asked.

Gilda was calmer now taking respite in the conversation as she answered, “Because before the war started there were lots of griffons that came here pretending to be coming for peaceful reasons, but they were really gathering information for when the invasion started. The invasion failed horribly in the end. We stalemated at the border pretty much. However, Princess Celestia has a long memory and she might think he is trying something. If he sends more than what they originally agreed upon it might strain relations or something worse.”

Gilda sighed as she sat on the ground, “It doesn't matter though. I got carried away and started thinking the others might be right and lost my only true friend. Even if we were far away from each other and I couldn't come and visit often. In the end they won and I will be returning home friendless and broken.” Gilda then looked to the ground and sniffed as a few tears escaped.

“Why can’t you visit more often? Is it that hard really?” Naruko asked.

“Yes, because it’s hard as hay to get a passport, let alone time off for a vacation… This was also ruined….” Gilda said sadly. She let out a small sob, “I wanted to have some fun with my friend again. But shortly after I arrived that pink pony comes and tries to steal Dash away to pull pranks… Even when she was told ‘maybe later’ she checked back after not even half an hour… She wouldn't leave us alone. I tried to get her to leave us alone and maybe I was a bit mean, but all Rainbow Dash would do is talk about you and her other friends and Pinkie the whole time. It pissed me off.”

“That doesn't sound like something to get angry about.” Naruko said.

“I was a little jealous…. Ok…. Like I said I don’t really have any friends. Yet she does. I’m glad she is happy, but it did hurt hearing her going on about them. She felt distant and like she didn't really care much about our friendship anymore. It was fun when we flew, but she’s very busy here. I wasn't about to stop her from doing her job. I also didn't want to take up much of her time. I told her I was only going to be around a day or two, despite having a little over a week off for this trip. I just wanted to have a break from it all, even for a little bit.” Gilda said as she sat up.

“What’s the reason for that?” Naruko asked.

“Besides the no friends’ thing, it’s because I’m not from a nice part of Griffon country. I can’t just leave though because it isn't easy. I was hoping to come here and have fun hanging with Dash again and flying everywhere, maybe meet a couple of new ponies. Things were going good again until Pinkie Pie’s party….” She said looking down at the ground with anger in her eyes.

“What happened there other than the pranks? It seems like it really got to you.” The blonde unicorn questioned her voice softer with a hint of concern. She knew it was odd to be talking about all of this stuff to someone you barely knew, but sometimes you got to talk to someone no matter what.

Gilda’s eyes watered. “I blew it big time. Rainbow Dash even said she didn't want to be my friend again, and I should go find some cool griffons to be friends with instead.”

She cried again before going on. “She didn't know what it meant to me but it still hurt a lot…. She more or less told me I should hang out with the griffons that went out of their way to put her and other ponies down, and make my life miserable. It hurt a lot and cut real deep…. I had spent all of my time defending her and telling them they were wrong. My friendship with her was one of the main things that kept me going through all of that, and she told me to throw it all away. I know I should have told her, but I didn't want her to worry about me. I know she isn't good at ‘mushy’ stuff.”

Gilda paused to work through another sob and would have continued, but she felt a rush of wind and a pony grab on to her and bury their face in her chest. She was surprised when she looked down and saw a pair of light blue wings and a rainbow colored mane.

“Rainbow….” She asked in shock.

“Stupid Gilda! You should have told me that's what was going on. I could have gotten Pinkie Pie to leave us alone. She maybe hyper active and always looking for fun and over bearing, but if I told her. She would have understood. I wouldn't have put up those party pranks either. I only did so because I thought you still loved pranks.” Rainbow Dash said through tears of her own.

“I’m sorry, Dash… I just didn't want you to think I wasn't cool anymore, and I didn't want to bother you with those things. I wanted to just have a fun trip mostly…” Gilda said.

“No! You don’t say sorry about that….I was also stupid… I knew something was bothering you. I should have pressed you a little more. I just let you off easily because I feared getting like this…” Rainbow said still hugging Gilda who returned it.

After they continued hugging longer Naruko said, “It seems you two are still going to be friends. I’ll let you two be alone.” Naruko then walked off with Kyuubi now on her back.

Once Naruko was gone Rainbow spoke up. “So you don’t have to leave tomorrow, Gilda?” The griffon nodded her head in response. Rainbow gave a big smile as she said, “Great because I have the next few days off from weather duty and…” She sighed as she looked at her friend sternly, “It seems we need to talk about a lot of things and catch up.”

“I won’t hold anything more back I promise, Dash.” Gilda said with an equally serious look. The two then smiled and flew back to Rainbow Dash’s house to catch up, and finally talk about important things with each other.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko opened the door to her and Twilight’s home and spotted both her and Spike in the library’s main room. “Hey Twilight and Spike.” She greeted them. They both returned her greeting. She then asked, “Hey Spike can you take a letter for Princess Celestia? I have a friendship report this time.”

“Ok Naruko!” Spike cheered.

“Huh… Funny I just sent one myself a little while ago about how you shouldn't try to influence who your friend spends time with, but instead be a good friend yourself and trust that the true face of a false friend will reveal itself.” Twilight said.

Naruko nodded. “That’s a good lesson Twilight." She smiled to her friend and then turned to the dragon. "Spike, are you ready?”

The baby dragon cheered that he was, and Naruko began:

“Dear Princess Celestia,

I am sure you have read Twilight’s letter by now, and the friendship assignment was more for her to thoroughly research, since she is the best study in Equestria. However I, Naruko Uzumaki, have learned an important lesson today I feel I should share. I was training with Kyuubi near the forest when suddenly a very angry griffon confronted me. While she seemed angry at me, she soon made it clear that there was something else bothering her.

I recognized her as the "Guest of Honor" for a party that was going on today. She told me how she felt she had lost her best friend, and while she realized she was at fault for the occurrence. She was angry at her friend as well. She felt like her friend didn't care for her anymore. When in actuality her friend did care, but was afraid of the ‘mushy’ parts of friendship and stayed silent about certain matters herself instead of talking about them.

The griffon wanted to try to make the best of her vacation here in Ponyville, and decided to stay quiet about the matters bothering her to just enjoy the only friend she had. But when things at the party thrown for her, which she thought was some scheme to tear them apart, went bad. Her friend broke off their friendship in a very hurtful way. However, this wasn't done intentionally by her friend. Her Pegasus friend didn't know how deep her remarks cut and their full effect on the griffon.

The griffon eventually broke down in front of me and told me how Rainbow Dash was her only friend because of her misguided peers in Griffon country that don’t hold ponies in high esteem. Gilda told me she was pretty much hated and left alone, because she would constantly defend her pony friend and ponies in general. She admitted they pulled mean pranks on her on a regular basis. She remained strong for the most part, but was reaching her breaking point before she came to Ponyville.

Once she was here, she kept things to herself and as a result the actions of others were blown out of proportion in her eyes. She ended up giving into what the bullies back in her home kept telling her, once she and her friend had their fight. Fortunately in the end, it turned out Rainbow Dash had followed to see how Gilda was doing and overheard the griffon's entire confession, so the two decided to rebuild their friendship again.

While Twilight’s lesson is still very true and important. I too learned a very true and important lesson. The lesson I learned is that communication between friends, while difficult at times, is very important and can lead to either making or breaking a friendship. Had either of the two involved spoken about what they noticed, or what they were feeling a lot of heartbreak could have been avoided.

Sincerely,
Your Perceptive student
Naruko Uzumaki”

Spike finished the letter and sent it away to the princess.

“Wow…. So then Gilda wasn't evil this whole time after all?” Twilight asked still trying to compute what she heard.

“Nope, but she kept the truth from Rainbow Dash for fear of worrying her friend. Also because of her refusal to talk about things, she painted Pinkie Pie as an evil mastermind. Instead of the overly excited, overly friendly, overbearing and bizarre pink pony she is,” Naruko said.

Twilight then sighed as she added, “And the whole of Ponyville now sees her as some evil griffon. I kind of feel sorry for her in that respect.”

Naruko gave a smile as she said, “That may be true, Twi. But now she has her best friend back and by her side. If she can handle sticking up for Rainbow Dash on her own for all of these years I think she will be okay.”

“I guess you are right, Naru,” Twilight replied. She had taken a habit to using her nickname for Naruko whenever the blonde unicorn used her nickname for Twilight.

“I guess we will have to try and help straighten out the others tomorrow it seems. Won’t we, Twilight?” Naruko asked after sighing.

“I’m sure we’ll have to Naru. But they are all good ponies and I have faith in them to pull through in the end.” Twilight answered with a pleasant smile. She made a point to use the nickname again for her own reasons.

Author's Notes:

I know the pranks were pretty much cannon, but I am not a pranking mastermind like Pinkie Pie or cannon Naruto.

Search for an Ancient Artifact

It turned out once Gilda sincerely apologized and explained herself to the ponies they ended up forgiving her easily. Though the three Griffons that lived near Ponyville, who came by and asked her if she finally realized defending ponies in her town was useless, and if she had finally moved to Ponyville as well. Did kind of help her case, The three griffons were good friends with several of the ponies gathered listening.

“No I haven’t given up. Just visiting my friend here and taking a break from it all for about a week.” She answered them. They gave her a salute and commended her for her bravery. After that Gilda apologized to Fluttershy for how she acted, but did say she should be more careful when guiding ducks in the middle of the town market while walking backwards.

Pinkie after hearing everything came up to Gilda and apologized for being selfish when they first met and kept interfering with her and Rainbow's time. Pinkie then confessed to being a little bit of a greedy pants with her friends sometimes. The two didn't become great friends or anything like that right away, but they did sort of respect each other.

{-} {-} {-}

Gilda’s time in Ponyville had ended on a very good note. She ended up making friends to some degree with each of the elements and Naruko. They all came to see her off at the station.

“Well Gilda ah sure am glad ya got things worked out with Rainbow Dash here and ended up having fun here in Ponyville. Ah hope ya come back again sometime, and keep strong knowing ya got yourself some friends down here in Ponyville. Don’t be letting them foul feathers get ta ya now. Ya hear?” Applejack said in farewell to the griffon.

The two had gotten to know each other one morning when Rainbow Dash was working. Gilda wanted to actually do something as a further apology for how she acted at the party to Rainbow Dash’s main friends. She ended up helping Applejack out that morning at the farm.

As the rest of the ponies said their goodbyes Rainbow Dash waited a little bit for them to finish while she reached for something she brought for Gilda. Finally the other ponies went and waited while the two old friends got a chance to talk. “Well G. It was awesome seeing you again. I hope we can see each other again sometime.”

“It isn't easy going to a different country even if it is a neighbor. But we can still try.” Gilda said to Rainbow Dash.

“I know. That's why I got this for you.” Rainbow Dash reached back and got out what looked like a min dragon statue. The statue’s mouth was open and it was a grey granite colored dragon with spines and to ruby red eyes.

“Whoa! Are you sure about this Dash? I mean I won’t have a problem getting it through to my home or anything, but this isn't cheap to get a hold of you know.” Gilda said as she looked at the statue.

The statue was a mail sender and receiver. It worked similar to what Spike did, but it was limited to just one other receiver and sender. Spike could send letters to anyone really but Celestia was the priority. The statue also took longer to send mail as well, but it was still much faster than international mail would be.

“Yah. I know but I want us to keep in touch. I may not be the best of writers, but this way we don’t have to hope to meet again before we talk about anything. I don’t want you to feel alone anymore.” Rainbow Dash said, while she looked away trying to keep from being ‘mushy’.

Gilda however didn't leave her a choice in the matter. The griffon gave her a hug as she said softly, “Thanks Rainbow. It means a lot to me.” Rainbow Dash hugged her back and shed just a couple of tears before they broke apart. “Still it couldn't have been easy to get. So thanks even more and are you really sure about this?”

Rainbow gave a grin as she said, “Yah I am Gilda. I make decent bits working weather here in Ponyville. Besides when you are friends with Princess Celestia’s two personal students you have some connections. Even if I didn't have a hook up, it would still be worth it.”

They gave one last hug before Gilda got on the train so she wouldn't get in trouble with the authorities for illegally crossing the borders. The ponies watched and waved as her train disappeared and they all left while Rarity mumbled about how it was unfair she didn't get to design an outfit for the griffon.

{-} {-} {-}

It was a couple of days after Gilda left that Naruko received a summons from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Twilight was once again busy with researching myths and legends for Princess Celestia. This time she was looking into old books on ancient magic mostly used for protection.

She even received a dusty tome from Princess Celestia that spoke of her and her sister’s past. The book was ancient and Twilight had to work real hard on translating the old terms to something she could understand. She also received another dusty tome, but she was instructed to read it after the one about the princesses.

Naruko stepped off a train at Canterlot station. She got off and looked around the station for her ride. She spotted it at last; it was a chariot that looked rather unremarkable but not too unremarkable. She wouldn't find it suspicious if it wasn't for her training as a ninja, or for the fact she knew what it was. She wasn't sure what was going on, but whatever it was the princesses didn't want to draw attention to it.

Naruko had even cast a transformation on herself for this meeting. She pointed out in her response that she alone would draw attention to herself. She was one of Princess Celestia’s students after all. She approached the stallion lounging in the cart. “Hey Land Wheels. I'm here as the note said.” She told him.

“Alright Little Missy Sunshine, hop right in.” He said. He jumped out and hooked himself up to the front.

“I still hate that ‘code-name’.” Naruko replied quietly.

The stallion laughed as he said, “After your little stunt with those letters you should have expected it. You know this by now.”

She just sighed and pretended to be completely exhausted from a long trip as he pulled her to the side entrance to Canterlot castle. She was pretending to be visiting her aunt Orbit from far away. She wouldn't be meeting her though it was just a cover.

After about thirty minutes they finally pulled up to the entrance. Naruko was wondering what was going on and why Twilight wasn't with her. She made a mental note to ask about this when she met the princesses. “Well Little Missy Sunshine here you are. Your escorts will be with you momentarily. Say ‘hi’ to your Aunt for me will ya?” Land Wheels said as he gave a wave and left.

In a few seconds, two grey Pegasus guards with bat-like wings, black tails and cat-like pupils appeared and motioned for her to follow them. Naruko followed knowing they were Luna’s royal guard. This meeting was taking place in the evening. It was the best time to meet both Luna and Celestia together.

{-} {-} {-}

She followed them until they were in Luna’s chambers. The place was decorated with dark blues, dark purples and blacks; the place definitely had a night time feel to it. Before long the princesses stepped inside and dismissed the guards to the outside. “You can remove the transformation Naruko.” Princess Celestia said.

Naruko dropped the disguise and took note of Celestia’s serious face. “Thank you Princess. May I ask what the secrecy is for?” Naruko asked.

“You might want to sit down for this Naruko.” Princess Celestia said and then motioned for her to sit. Naruko sat and waited for the Princess to start.

“First of all, you do remember the conversation we had after Luna was freed correct?” The sun Princess asked. Naruko nodded for her to continue. “We now have some more information to act on. Not everything regarding the situation is confirmed, but there is enough that we are acting on it now. Before you ask, the reason why Twilight isn't here is because the homework I gave her is vital to what is going on. Once she finishes her current assignment I will tell her what we discuss today. Luna do you want to start?”

The moon Princess nodded and started their talk. “As you know there is a dark energy out there that may or may not affect Equestria. However this energy is growing and we believe it will affect our world. So we have been thinking about what to do with this situation. I mentioned maybe the old temples would help us in some way. That is when Tia sent Twilight that first assignment about myths and legends.”

Princess Celestia then took over as she discussed what Twilight found. “We believe that if we have the artifacts we will be able to come up with a way to protect Equestria from the growing darkness. We have a couple of options but I won’t go into details yet about them, because we don’t even have all of the details figured out yet. Once we do and have a plan we will tell you and Twilight. Do you follow so far Naruko?”

Naruko nodded and repeated in her own words. “Something really bad is coming here and you two believe you have a solution and it involves collecting these artifacts. Once you have everything figured out, or at least mostly, you will tell Twilight and I about it. Is this darkness really that much of a threat?”

The Princesses nodded. Naruko gave them a determined look before she said, “I will do what I can to help protect Equestria and my friends. What do you need me to do?”

Princess Luna beamed at her and then gave her sister a look from the corner of her eye. Princess Celestia noticed the look, but ignored it right now as she too beamed at her most perceptive student. “I'm glad to hear it Naruko and wouldn't expect any less from you. We wish for you to retrieve one of these artifacts. We need it to see if we can use them in the way we wish or not."

Celestia shifted a little bit before going on, "Long ago ponies would make temples on sites where they felt there was a strong connection to life, magic, nature or in the worst cases, death. Most of the sites were used to house these artifacts of immense power. When we defeated Discord all that time ago with the Elements of Harmony, ponies started to find other powerful objects existed as well. Though as far as we can tell they don’t work in the same manner the elements do.”

Celestia stared out the window as Luna continued. “We have our reconnaissance teams looking into the locations of these temples carefully, since they are not all a part of Equestria alone anymore. However, one of our teams found a temple near here, deep in the Ever-Free Forest."

Naruko's eyes widened a little at having to go in that place again as she kept listening to Luna. "We do not know what all you will find in there, but we think it is safe to assume there will be plenty of wildlife and other threats. We think it might be wise if you stop by the hut where Zecora the Zebra lives. She lives near it and may know more about the place than we do.”

“I also recommend you take Fluttershy with you since she has a way with animals. You will just have to get her over her timidness. I figure if anyone can, it would be you or Twilight.” Princess Celestia said.

“I guess I will have to be careful what I tell her. All this secrecy tells me this must really be something that could be bad if it gets out too soon.” Naruko said with some concern.

Celestia gave her a small smile. “You always were my most perceptive student Naruko. The object you are looking for is a sacred jewel with a heart shaped ruby encased within amber. It will also have two bronze tree branches on either side of it. It will most likely be guarded in the center of the temple. Remember to use your magic sense abilities for this one Naruko even if they aren't as great as Twilight’s. We don’t know what you should expect there security wise so be careful.”

The two princesses and Naruko discussed other things she might need to be ready for in dealing with searching for this artifact. Princess Luna instructed Naruko on how to retrieve the artifact and bring it back to them without losing it or attracting too much attention. Once they finished their talk Naruko redid her transformation jutsu and left the way they told her to leave.

{-} {-} {-}

While Naruko was meeting with the princesses Twilight was busy with her assignment. She actually found this assignment to be very useful and had made side notes on spells she wished to try out later. She also liked learning more about the princesses.

As far as their history was concerned there was much that was lost to time. Sure both of them were still very much alive, but they had each been around for a really long time and were too busy working for Equestria to write about their past. It seems they at one time did have some time to discuss it though. She was sure the book was out of print now, and she probably had the only copy still in existence.

It oddly didn't mention too much of their parents though. They were just mentioned in passing and that was about all. Still Twilight had learned a lot about them that she didn't before. However, she was still curious why she was also assigned the last book. It was titled Era of the Day and Night Courts. Twilight wasn't sure why Celestia assigned her a book about the Day and Night Court she knew plenty about Luna’s and Celestia’s rule of Equestria, especially now after reading the last book.

Twilight shook her head and went back to what she was currently reading, which mentioned about secret societies that horded ancient treasures for reasons unknown. The chapter included several group names she could easily cross reference and locations that she might be able to figure out their current world variations of with an Atlas.

{-} {-} {-}

It was the day after Naruko was given her assignment from the princesses, and she was on her way to Fluttershy’s hut. The day was nice outside so she half expected the pony to be somewhere near the forest with her animals. However she made sure to cover all of her bases without spamming clones. As she walked up to the door she saw the yellow Pegasus leaving her hut with some animal feed.

Naruko grinned and said, “Hey Fluttershy.” This caused the yellow pony to ‘eeeppp’ before then looking to her and apologizing for getting startled. Naruko gave a little laugh, “Sorry I should have been careful when approaching you.” Naruko sighed inwardly knowing the most difficult part of this mission would be getting Fluttershy to cooperate, and not just be scared the whole time.

“So what are you doing Fluttershy?” Naruko asked. She was buying some time while she came up with a plan of action to minimize the excuses Fluttershy will no doubt try to come up to try and get out of the mission.

“I’m giving all the animals their morning meals.” Fluttershy answered with no problem.

“So what will you do after that?” Naruko asked.

“I then have to do normal everyday chores and after that I won’t have anything else, other than their evening meal.” The yellow pony answered.

“Can I watch you do your chores? I need to relax a little bit and Twilight is really busy with an assignment from Princess Celestia.” Naruko said.

Fluttershy gave Naruko a look. She had a feeling something was up but decided to just leave it for now. “Ohhh ummm… Sure… If you really want to watch me, that is.”

With that Naruko watched and even helped her out a little bit as she did her chores for the day. They were easily finished by mid-morning. It was also an enjoyable enough of a time. They talked while they worked and became a little closer as friends.

After they finished up Fluttershy finally decided it was time to ask Naruko what was going on. “Naruko. Why did you hang around this whole time? Not that I don’t appreciate it… and we are friends that sometimes hang out, but I know there is something more going on.”

Naruko gave a sheepish grin as she said, “Caught that quickly huh?” Fluttershy nodded. Naruko sighed as she said, “I have an important mission from the Princesses and I need your help Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened at that. “Where is it?”

Naruko gave her a determined look before answering. “It is deep within the Ever-Free Forest. There is a temple there and I need to get something from it.”

Fluttershy was trembling a little bit but didn't back down yet. “Why do you need me to help you Naruko?”

“There is reason enough to believe the place is inhabited by lots of wildlife, and no one else has your knack with animals. The mission might take a while though.” Naruko answered.

“What about my animal friends then? I can’t just leave them…” Fluttershy paused and then gave Naruko an accusing look. “You were studying what all needed to be done weren't you Naruko?”

Naruko gave a little whinny as she nodded and said, “Yah I was Fluttershy. I did enjoy helping you and talking though. I wouldn't mind helping you out again in the future several times either. If well you wanted me too.”

“Just how important is this mission Naruko?” Fluttershy asked wanting to get to the point.

“Important enough I was assigned it in pony by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They also don’t want word of it really getting around. Princess Celestia recommended you come with me for this mission.” Naruko answered.

Fluttershy paused in thought before answering. “Ok so how do you intend to take care of my animals if you and I are both gone? Can you make clones last that long?”

Naruko gave a wide grin and Fluttershy shook her head as she realized the answer. “Yes I can. I can even make it so they are decently sturdy. If you can tell me your other chores for the next few days my clones can easily take care of things no problem.”

Fluttershy answered. “Alright Naruko I will help you out. I just wish you had asked me first instead of studying me quietly. I would have agreed once you told me about this mission.” The yellow Pegasus gave Naruko a look as she finished.

Naruko looked a little sorrowful as she responded, “I’m sorry Fluttershy. I will keep that in mind for the future. It is just because of my past I am careful when it comes to things like this. Anyways, would it be a problem if we left tomorrow morning Fluttershy? We have to get in contact with someone that might have a better idea of what we will face in the forest near this temple.”

Fluttershy thought for a moment and then nodded her head. “That won’t be a problem Naruko.”

Naruko gave her a smile as she said, “Great!” The two then spent some time talking to each after that and enjoyed the wonderful weather outside until Naruko left for lunch.

{-} {-} {-}

That evening Naruko spent a little time with Twilight while she took a much needed break from her assignment. She was still in awe about the last book she was studying for Celestia. “I thought it was going to be about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I thought it odd at first considering the book I was supposed to read first was about their history. I was really surprised when it turned out to be a translated version of their parents ruling years.” Twilight said.

“I bet you'll find out all kinds of stuff about the time before Discord then if that's the case. I might even like to read that kind of a book, but I probably wouldn't be able to follow it.” Naruko said giving a little chuckle.

Twilight gave her a look and said, “You aren't stupid Naruko. You could read it and understand it I bet.”

Naruko gave a laugh and said, “Yah because I am very up to date on my old Equestrian Twi.”

“I guess that would cause a problem. Maybe if I have the time, and they don’t mind I can translate it again? Though I’m not sure how good that would be since I'm having trouble reading it myself. I understand it, though barely.” Twilight said with a little sheepish smile.

“Anyways it’s getting late Twi. I think I should get to bed. I do have to go on that mission for the princesses tomorrow after all.” Naruko said before standing up and heading for bed. On top of the stairs she stopped and said, “Goodnight Twilight. And as I said once you finish your current assignment Celestia and Luna will fill you in on everything. Just remember we can’t talk about it to others.” Naruko and Twilight spoke about it briefly because Spike was already fast asleep so he wouldn't over hear them earlier that night, but Twilight being the curious pony she was wanted more detail.

“I hope your mission goes well Naruko. Tell Fluttershy I said hello when you see her tomorrow for me will you?” Twilight said. Naruko just smiled and nodded before finally calling it a night.

{-} {-} {-}

The next morning Naruko woke up early. She was surprised to see Twilight already awake and she made breakfast for them. “What is all of this about Twilight? You did sleep right?”

Twilight gave a smile and said, “I did. All this is me deciding to make a breakfast for you Naru. I can’t let you go on a dangerous mission without at least a good breakfast first after all. If I did… What kind of best friend would I be?”

Naruko gave a smile. “Thanks Twi! I was just going to grab a little something and then head out.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and said dryly, “I just knew you would do that.” She then smiled, “That's why I made breakfast for us instead. I figured you would just leave without saying anything, because you wouldn't want to ‘wake me up’” Naruko gave a little blush to being caught so easily by Twilight.

They had an enjoyable breakfast after that. The two unicorns talked to each other as they ate. Naruko was a little nervous about her upcoming assignment, and thankful Twilight wasn't fretting over her about it. Instead her best friend was just doing what she could to make this breakfast enjoyable.

Twilight learned long ago badgering Naruko about something dangerous would only make the blonde unicorn upset and stubborn. So she decided, as much as Naruko going on a dangerous mission for who knows how long into the Ever-Free Forest bothered her, the best thing was to just give Naruko a pleasant send off breakfast. She still didn't like the idea of this mission and would try to make sure in the future she went with Naruko on them though. Twilight decided she might even resort to begging the princesses to get her way.

Once they finished, Twilight did the dishes while Naruko finished getting ready by packing medic supplies in her pack and food that would keep for a couple of days hopefully. She was packed up and then led Twilight to the door. “I hope you stay safe Naruko… and you better come back.” Twilight said trying to stay strong for her best friend. “You are my best friend Naruko. You have to come back.”

Naruko then gave her a hug and said softly, “I will do what I can to make that happen Twilight.” Twilight gave a sniff and shed a couple of small tears. Naruko hugged her tighter and Twilight returned it. They held their hug for a few seconds and Naruko then said, “I'll see you when I return Twilight.”

Twilight replied softly, “I will miss you Naruko.”

Naruko gave a small smile, “I will miss you as well Twilight. When I come back we have to find a ramen place to celebrate.”

Twilight gave a giggle as she said, “We might have to go to Canterlot for that. But you bet we will have some once you are back as soon as possible! So that means you have to come back in one piece Naruko, so you won’t have to wait long to have some.”

Naruko gave a chuckle and said, “Seems like I have no choice in the matter then.” They gave one last hug before Naruko left to meet with Fluttershy.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko knocked on Fluttershy’s door and called out, “Well time to go Fluttershy. Are you ready?”

Fluttershy came out wearing some kind of padding on her body and a Hoofball helmet. Naruko looked at her for a few moments and tapped the armor and helmet. “Can you move alright in that? Can you see around really well with that helmet Fluttershy?”

“Not really but I want to be ready for anything. I can move around in the padding well enough, but the helmet forces me to move my head to see anywhere other than in front of me.” Fluttershy answered.

“Might want to lose the helmet then Fluttershy. Where did you get that padded armor anyways?” Naruko asked.

Fluttershy took the helmet off but kept her armor. “I made it myself. I thought it might come in handy sometime with all of the animals I deal with. It isn't much but it is some protection. I've had it for a good while actually. Though usually I forget I have it, but last night I looked for anything that might help and found it in the back of my closet.”

Naruko was looking at it closer and nodding her head and wished she had brought that jacket shining got her for her last birthday, but realized she didn't know if it would help much on adventures in this world or not. She decided to look into that after the mission.

The armor seemed to have some actual hardened plastic pieces or something in addition to the padding. Fluttershy’s armor was beige colored. It was made of two large pieces on the top and the underside with fabric straps of some kind connecting the pieces. The sides were open but this probably allowed her easier movement. Naruko started poking Fluttershy’s armor again.

The contact was making Fluttershy a little uneasy. “Wha-what are you doing Naruko?” Naruko poked her a few more times in different places on the armor. Before stopping and giving a sheepish grin and a little whinny.

“Sorry about that Fluttershy, I was fascinated by your armor. Do you happen to have an extra I can borrow? I know I have my shield spell and I am good at it, but a little extra protection wouldn't hurt. Plus a shield spell has some limitations.” Naruko asked as she continued looking over the armor. “You know if you got this painted or something it could be really awesome.”

“Sorry I only made the one Naruko.” Fluttershy looked down and hoofed the ground feeling like she might have let her friend down not somehow having foreseen this need. “What would I paint on it?”

“I don’t know. I guess it wouldn't matter in your case. I don’t think you made this to hide from animals or anything. It was just a little thought. Also don’t worry about only having one. There wasn't any way you would know we would be going on an adventure.” Naruko told her and gave a friendly smile.

“Well shall we go? I want to get this over with if we can. You do remember everything I told you about taking care of my place right? Where is Kyuubi? He is coming too right?” Fluttershy asked.

Naruko made a clone and answered her. “I do remember everything. As for Kyuubi he will be joining us later so don’t worry. He needed some rest after yesterday, so I’m letting him get a little extra sleep. Also we have to make an extra stop on the way first to talk to a zebra named Zacora.”

Fluttershy paused hearing that as she cowered a little bit and said, “You didn't say anything about meeting with her. She is… scary…”

Naruko raised an eyebrow, “How so? Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy looked around nervously. “Well when she comes to town everypony hides from her. She paws at the ground for some reason and she lives in the Ever-Free Forest. That place is scary… Living there just doesn't seem right… Besides there is also that loud roar that everyone has been hearing from time to time from the forest. If she lives with whatever it is that makes that sound, than there is something different about her and scary. Some think she is evil or something.”

Naruko sighed. She had heard about this roar a couple of times before. The blonde unicorn shook her head as she said, “I’m the one that lives with the creature that makes that roar Fluttershy. Kyuubi and I train in parts of the forest near the edge. We don’t want to accidentally hurt somepony, so we've been training in a forest clearing for a couple of years now. Besides just because she is different doesn't mean she is evil or scary.”

Fluttershy stood up and asked, “Kyu makes that sound? But he is so little and cute most of the time.”

Naruko gave a chuckle, “He isn't so little and cute when he's in his higher leveled transformations." Fluttershy just thought that over.

"As for Zecora, the Princesses know about her and even told us to meet with her before we proceed. I think the ponies are just scared of her because they don’t know her.” Naruko said as she led the way.

Naruko would have been more disappointed hearing ponies treated Zecora this way, but since she hasn't heard people actively calling her names, or being mean to her. She figured it was something that would easily be fixed once they actually met her. At least she hoped that was the case, she didn't want to think the ponies would be anything like the stupid humans back in Konoha.

“Ohhh… ok… if you say so then…” Fluttershy said though she made sure to walk behind Naruko as they headed out after telling her clone what to do.

{-} {-} {-}

They were now close to the edge of the Ever-Free Forest and taking a little break before entering. They were mostly taking a break because Naruko wanted to give Kyuubi a little more time to sleep before she called him. She wasn't about to enter the forest without him coming with them in person.

Fluttershy was feeling a little bit nervous sitting out here right on the edge of the forest. “Why are we waiting here again and for how much longer?” She asked. She wanted to be done with this mission as soon as possible, but she knew Naruko was in charge and this wasn't something to be rushed.

“Because we need a little rest before we continue and I'm waiting until it's right to call Kyuubi. I am not going into that forest without my familiar.” Naruko said. She then gave her friend a smile and concluded, “It will only be about thirty more minutes.” Fluttershy nodded and took a deep breath before releasing it. She then laid down near Naruko, and felt a little calmer being by her friend.

After thirty minutes passed Naruko smiled at Fluttershy and told her they were about to move out again. Fluttershy looked around and said, “I don’t see Kyuubi anywhere Naruko. Is he nearby?”

Naruko just gave a little chuckle as she said, “Just wait and see Fluttershy.” She then took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she reached out with her thoughts, “Kyuubi. I am sorry to wake you already, but I want you with me and Fluttershy as we enter the Ever-Free Forest.”

“Oh? Is it mission time already?” A deep voice answered her back. Naruko thought it odd how his mental ‘voice’ remained the same. She supposed it was because he was only physically limited until they had all of the tails mastered.

“Yes it is. We are waiting right outside the forest right now.” Naruko thought back.

Fluttershy was waiting and looking around as if she was expecting Kyuubi to pop out of the brush nearby or something. However the yellow Pegasus didn't expect a fiery mini-cyclone to appear, and a three tailed fox the size of a small alicorn to emerge from it grinning and baring his sharp fangs.

She squeaked and took position behind Naruko as the fox said in a slightly deeper than normal voice, “Well hello Fluttershy. It is nice to know my partner here was able to acquire your assistance without much fuss from what I have heard.”

Fluttershy sighed in relief and stepped out from behind her friend. She had forgotten about Kyuubi’s transformation from when they dealt with Nightmare Moon. “Well once she explained to me what the mission was. It didn't take me long to agree. She did kind of make sure I couldn't really use any excuses to back out even if I had tried though. Nice to see you again Kyuubi.” She preferred Kyu, but she wasn't going to say something that might upset him when he was bigger now. It just showed to her how serious this mission was.

“Oh? You didn't want to ride on my back again Kyuubi?” Naruko said with a small teasing smile.

Kyuubi scoffed and said, “I figured with just the three of us I should be battle ready at any moment without drawing unnecessary attention to our little group.”

Naruko placed a hoof on his shoulder and somehow grabbed Fluttershy with the other one and forced them into a hug as she said in all seriousness, “I am glad you two are coming with me.” After a couple of seconds she released them and said, “Alright first stop is Zecora’s hut. After that, we will make our way to the Ever-Free Temple.” The other two nodded in agreement and Kyuubi flanked Naruko on one side while Fluttershy brought up the rear.

{-} {-} {-}

The three made their way to Zecora’s hut with little problem. Naruko figured this was because few animals dared approach their little group. She figured they wouldn't have to worry much until they got further in the forest with Kyuubi in his three tailed form. The unicorn figured most animals could sense Kyuubi’s power and maybe to a lesser extent her magical energy. She wasn't trying to hide it like she usually did, since it would be best at this point for the wildlife to realize how dangerous she was. Once they got further in she would be careful, some of the stronger predators might see them as a tasty challenge or something.

“It doesn't seem as bad this time for some reason.” Fluttershy said as she cautiously looked around.

“That is because Naruko and I are emitting our power right now. Most animals in this part of the forest will stay away from us because of this.” Kyuubi said before lowering his voice and adding, “It won’t be until we get into the deeper parts that we need to worry.”

“Ohh….” Fluttershy said quietly. She wasn't comforted at all by that.

“Just remember Fluttershy, when it comes to helping friends we sometimes have to do things we would rather not do. Besides this is an important mission we are on. Things will get dangerous. However, we believe that your kindness and way with animals will help us to limit the danger. No doubt some will not care, but you are good with animals so you will hopefully be able to help us.” Naruko said as she turned her head and gave the yellow Pegasus a reassuring and friendly smile.

Fluttershy felt braver seeing that smile. She knew it would be tough, but she will do what she can to help her friend and Equestria as well.

“Just because you're kind doesn't mean you have to be weak or spineless.” Kyuubi added. “When it comes to fighting, if there isn't any other way. Naruko and I will most likely be able to take care of it.”

“Plus since Courage isn't an Element of Harmony that means all ponies have it in decent measure and should be able to use it.” Naruko said as they continued their trek. There wasn't proof her words were true, but she felt it might help her friend get over her timid nature.

Fluttershy paused for a moment her eyes wide. Something about Naruko’s and Kyuubi’s words struck something deep within her. She started walking again catching up to them. She felt a new found bravery take hold in her. She only hoped it was permanent or at least lasted through this mission.

{-} {-} {-}

The three companions were now standing in front of a hut in the forest. It was just outside of the deeper parts. Naruko knocked on the hut’s door and they heard an exotic voice call from inside. “Who could it be, that comes to see me?”

“I'm Naruko Uzumaki. I am here with a friend Fluttershy and my familiar Kyuubi.” Naruko answered as she stepped back from the door.

A Zebra came to the door and opened it to look them over. The Zebra was female with gold hooped ear piercings, five golden rings around her neck, and five smaller golden rings around her left forehoof. Last but not least there was a corkscrew mark on her flanks that looked similar to a sun.

“Ahhh. So it is you. I've been expecting your crew.” Zecora said. She then motioned for them to come inside.

Kyuubi shrunk down to his one tailed form and hopped onto Naruko’s back. Naruko gave him a look and he replied, “I didn't want us to be crowed inside her home.” Naruko shook her head but gave a little smile as they headed inside.

“The Princesses have told me of your quest. You wish to know of the temple in the forest?” Zecora asked.

“What do you know of the actual temple, or at least the area around it Zecora?” Naruko asked.

Zecora took a deep breath before asking, “Would you like some tea? I just made a fresh brew.” Naruko and Fluttershy both asked for a cup. They had a feeling this might take some time.

As Naruko took her cup she said, “Thanks Zecora. You seem to be very resourceful to find what you need in the forest. I'm sorry to have heard how the ponies in Ponyville treat you.”

Zecora paused and blinked a few times hearing this. She wasn't sure how to respond. “They just fear what they don’t know. They haven’t really done anything to me. However, it does make it difficult to get what I need for my potions and remedies.” She didn't even bother to rhythm.

Fluttershy looked down as she said, “I am sorry I have been the same as them.”

The zebra gave her a smile and said, “Worry not Fluttershy, alright. For you've now seen the light.”

“I hate to get straight to the point, but what can you tell us about the Ever-Free Temple?” Naruko asked.

“There are many things to be worried about in the forest. But none as nasty as those by the temple waiting for eternal rest.” Zecora said. She took a deep breath, “Many of them have lived long lives. They aren't allowed eternal sleep until put to rest for good.”

Fluttershy frowned hearing this. She didn't like the sounds of this at all. Zecora continued, “However, there are some that aren't forced to stay and guard the place. The ones that have no choice have a strange purple glow to their eyes. I have heard that Fluttershy here is good with animals. You should not try to work with the purple eyes.”

Zecora took a sip of tea before going on, “Before you get there you will have to worry about some of the worst creatures this forest has to offer at their strongest power.” Naruko listened intently as Zecora continued to explain the many dangers they would have to face on the way to the temple. She claimed one time she went to the outside of the temple, but she didn't get inside because she dared not venture there.

“I cannot allow you three to go without some aide. I shall give you some potions to help any injuries fade.” The zebra said once she finished explaining what she knew. She then looked at her stock and explained how the potions she pulled out worked and when to use them to her guests.

Fluttershy found the potions and their uses very interesting. She decided someday she might ask Zecora more about her different potions and remedies. She wanted to know if they work on animals or not the same way they do ponies.

Naruko felt a little uneasy about these potions. Not because she doubted they worked, but because of the things they cured and healed. She wished she was better with healing spells after hearing about these different potions. Really, needing something to put out magical fire on things couldn't possibly be a good sign.

{-} {-} {-}

The two friends bade farewell to Zecora and began their trek to the temple. Naruko and Kyuubi were being more cautious now as they marched deeper into the woods. Fluttershy felt so nervous she knew a little bit about the animals in this part of the forest. She knew they were more dangerous and aggressive than most even of the same species. She wondered if the temple had anything to do with this.

The yellow Pegasus bumped into Naruko as she stopped suddenly. She was about to ask what was up when she saw Naruko getting down low and Kyuubi getting ready just in case. Fluttershy looked and gasped silently as she saw a couple wolves prowl by as if they were patrolling or something.

Once the two wolves were past them Naruko turned to Fluttershy and said quietly, “We need to be extra careful now Fluttershy. I don’t know if they will sound an alarm or something, but I would rather get to the temple with as little trouble as possible.” Fluttershy just nodded to Naruko.

As they slowly sneaked their way to the temple, Fluttershy had to try her hardest not to go up to some of the odd creatures she hadn't seen before, and try to make friends with them. It was really tough but they were on an important mission for the princesses. So she would just have to try and meet Mr. rabbit with the deer antlers a different time.

Fluttershy felt a little warm inside thinking about that. She was being trusted to go on an important mission with Naruko. She didn't even know the princesses knew about her gift with animals. She was hoping to get closer to Naruko as a friend. The two of them didn't spend much time alone. Usually it was all of them together, but this time it was just her, Naruko, and Kyuubi.

Once again they all stopped and dived into a large hollowed out log as they watched some strange wolf like creature skulk on by with two smaller wolves. When they were moving again Fluttershy whispered, “What was that creature back there? That was definitely not natural. I mean maybe it is close to a diamond dog, but that thing wasn't right.”

Naruko thought it looked like some kind of human wolf mix or something, but she wasn't sure. “I don’t know Fluttershy but I hope there aren't too many of them. I can just tell they are bad news.” The yellow Pegasus nodded and they kept going.

It had been almost thirty minutes since they last encountered a patrol of those strange wolf-like creatures. The trio was slowly making their way through a clearing when they heard the growl of a really large Manticore who jumped out in front of them with crazed eyes.

Naruko and Kyuubi immediately launched an attack at the creature. However, the large beast immediately took to the air and without hesitation dive bombed them causing them to scatter. Naruko then used magic to increase power to her legs and jumped up at creature catching it by surprise as she swung a hoof at it. Naruko’s attack missed though as she then returned to the ground.

Next Kyuubi jumped up and swiped at the manticore with his paw. The flyign beast knocked it away with its tail before then swiping at Kyuubi with its own claws. Fortunately, it missed Kyuubi as he started to descend back to the ground. Kyuubi could have easily used a fire attack on the creature or increased his tails to scare it off. He didn't know enough about the area to know if they might accidentally get unwanted attention if he did though. Kyuubi was back on the ground and started thinking about his next move.

The manticore seemed to have had enough of games for now and dive bombed Naruko. The unicorn watched as it approached her and then at the last second used a replacement jutsu and quickly sent a buck at the lion like creature from next to it. The beast stumbled for only a second. The animal then rushed back at Naruko and used a wing to knock her to the side as it then aimed with its stinger. Before it could strike Kyuubi slammed it to the side.

Fluttershy could only gasp as she watched the thing attack her friends. She wanted to do something but she was scared and didn't know what she could do. She noticed it look at them before then soaring up into the air. She took a breath thinking it would now retreat. However, the three were surprised when it stopped in the air and let out roar and was soon joined by a second manticore.

Fluttershy didn't understand this. Manticores hunted and traveled alone. They didn't have partners or anything. She then took a second look and saw the new one was different from the first one. The yellow Pegasus then started looking around the area until her eyes rested on something on the far side.

Naruko and Kyuubi didn't like this at all. They got ready and were about to use magic attacks thinking any chance of secrecy was blown with that roar. Naruko took a look to her side and saw Fluttershy coming over to them as the two creatures seemed to be reading them from the air, no doubt getting ready to make their move.

“Wait Naruko and Kyuubi. Let me handle this.” Fluttershy said in a no nonsense voice.

“I am sorry Fluttershy but I don’t think kindness will get us through this one. Have you seen their eyes? They looked crazed and angry.” Naruko said to her friend as she looked the creatures above them. She then chanced a glance at Fluttershy and was surprised at the look of determination in her eyes.

“I am doing what you brought me along for Naruko. You brought me along not because I am the Element of Kindness, but because of my gift with animals of all kinds. Trust me on this one Naruko. I can handle it.” Fluttershy said evenly.

Naruko motioned for her to go as she said mentally to Kyuubi, “Be ready to attack in any sign of danger Kyuubi. I am not losing Fluttershy!” Kyuubi merely nodded to her and got ready to attack. Naruko wondered how it was Fluttershy intended to deal with the two flying animals together in the air.

Fluttershy flapped her wings and was immediately air born and quickly just above eye level of the two manticores. Naruko was surprised by her speed. It wasn't anywhere near Rainbow Dash, but few were she knew.

Naruko then felt an odd energy coming off her flying friend and saw her eyes. Naruko mentally gasped as she saw Fluttershy’s blue eyes shine with a cold grave light that allowed no escape. It seemed even the manticores couldn't escape it. Fluttershy slowly hovered back down to the ground with the two beasts following her lead.

Once they landed Naruko heard Fluttershy speak in an even voice that sounded full of power. “We don’t wish your cub any harm.” She said as Naruko looked and noticed a young manticore in the shadows along the edge of the forest. However, Naruko wasn't sure if the beasts could understand her friend.

Fluttershy spoke again in that same tone. “We are just passing by. Leave us alone and you will have nothing to worry about from us.” Kyuubi was amazed that the shy yellow Pegasus seemed to have the full attention and understanding of the two fearsome beasts in front of her as their crazed eyes lost their anger.

“Naruko, you and Kyuubi walk by without making eye contact in that direction.” Fluttershy commanded as she pointed with her right wing tip. Naruko and Kyuubi did as she commanded them. Once they were pass the clearing Fluttershy gave the two parents one last look before slowly and confidently walking to rejoin Naruko and Kyuubi.

Once they were a safe distance away from the manticore nest Naruko turned and asked, “Was that the Stare I've heard so much about Fluttershy?” Fluttershy simply nodded in response. “Can you do it at will?”

“I can’t with that much intensity. It just sort of happens naturally when I know I need it. I'm trying to better understand it myself.” Fluttershy answered as they continued on.

Kyuubi felt a little relieved with this for two reasons. He feared that power a little bit. He could feel it and thought it something he hoped to never have to face himself. At the same time though, he felt if she worked on it and figured it out, then there would be a fail-safe in the event something were to happen to Naruko to keep him from losing it.

{-} {-} {-}

The trio had managed to keep trouble to a minimum as they drew nearer to the temple’s location. Right now they were about to walk around a clearing where they saw a cockatrice lounging. “If it moves on us make sure you focus on its body and not its eyes. If you look into its eyes it will turn you into stone.” Fluttershy said quietly as she pointed to an old statue nearby that looked like a perfect replica of a manticore.

They were about to make a move when they heard a rustling from across the clearing which woke up the cockatrice. From the rustling they saw one of those strange bipedal wolf creatures with purple glowing eyes. The cockatrice gave off a warning to the animal and even hoovered up to look it in the eyes. However, before the onlookers knew it. The wolf creature ate the cockatrice before making its way back to where it came from in the trees.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she trembled and asked, “Did-did-did that just really happen?!” Naruko gave a solemn nod. Fluttershy gulped but quickly regained control of herself. Naruko was counting on her to be strong and she would not let her friend down.

“I knew those things were going to be trouble.” Kyuubi said in a low growl. “If we come across them we kill them.”

Fluttershy wasn't so sure of herself hearing that, but then she heard Naruko’s response. “Zecora did say they were being kept from their eternal rest. I think we should give them that release, but I really would rather not face them if possible.” The yellow pegasus let out a breath of relief that they weren't going to actively search those things out.

“Agreed.” Kyuubi answered without hesitation.

{-} {-} {-}

It was getting to be evening as the trio finally found what looked like an ancient pathway in the forest. This was the path Zecora told them she took to reach the outside of the temple walls without trouble. This part of the forest was quiet. This wasn't a welcomed change for the travelers. They knew the silence meant those things, and who knew what else, kept this area free of natural life. As they walked the path, they didn't notice any patrols.

“Why aren't there any patrols here?” Fluttershy asked uneasily.

“This is probably the path whoever created this temple long ago took to reach the temple Fluttershy. After all with such abominations guarding the area they needed to have a safe way to travel and reach the temple.” Kyuubi answered her.

“That being the case, tell any friendly animals to head out this way if they need to escape Fluttershy.” Naruko said to her.

“You really think there will be normal animals in this temple Naruko? I mean those things eat cockatrices!” Fluttershy quietly asked, but you could sense her fear.

“I do. This forest is a place of life energy, even if it is chaotic. After all, life can’t be completely controlled or it would stagnate. Why else do you think the Ever-Free is so free?” Naruko asked her back.

“I don’t know...” was all the Pegasus could say in response.

“Even the princesses one time knew this place was a hub for life. As did the ponies of old, this is why they used to have their governing center in the forest.” Kyuubi said wisely to her.

They kept following the path as Fluttershy thought about his words. She wasn't sure how they could know this. Sure they faced Nightmare Moon in a run-down castle here in the forest, but how could they know who lived there. Fluttershy’s eyes blinked as she remembered Naruko’s response to first seeing the castle.

“The castle we fought Nightmare Moon in. You two have been there before haven’t you?” She asked causing Naruko and Kyuubi to pause. “I remember hearing Naruko's recognition when we first saw the place. How did you two know of that place?”

Naruko gave a nervous chuckle as she tried to figure out an answer for Fluttershy. “Well I was kind of found there by Celestia after I formed my contract with Kyuubi. There was a throne room with a white sun throne and a black moon throne.”

Naruko paused as she fished for more of an answer as to why she would have been found there. She remembered reading something in the book Celestia gave her about Guardians. “When a contract is formed the two are located near a place of power. The two must fine such a place to finalize their contract, and then they usually don’t remember much from before the contract formed.”

Fluttershy was a little convinced with this answer, but she didn't think it made much sense. Then again Guardians are rare and she didn't know any others besides Naruko. She decided she would let it be for now, since they had more important things to worry about instead.

The remainder of their trip along the path was in companionable silence. They passed ruined buildings along the sides of the path which showed this was at one time a civilized place. As they kept going, they soon approached a large aged stone grey wall and their path ran up to the top of it. The three crouched down as they moved to crest of the wall.

Once they reached the top they saw several trees below them leading on ahead of them with several magical pathways running long their canopies towards the center. In the center there was a tall stone building with vines wrapping around the outside walls. The walls were discolored in several places by lichen and moss from the years. In places the center walls seemed to have crumbled away with time.

The three Ponyville adventurers thought it was a miracle the place still seemed in decent enough shape to still stand. Naruko looked down and saw other paths cutting through the trees below leading to the main building as well. She also noticed some smaller buildings here and there with steeples barely breaking through the tree tops. It was a mystery the trees hadn't grown much taller in all of the years since this temple last saw pony visitors.

Fluttershy looked over the grounds as well and saw small clearings here and there, which she guessed one time severed as places for communing with nature. She secretly wished she could have seen this place in its hay day, and wondered if it was as quiet then as it was now. She looked to the building in the center and noticed two tall trees reaching up past the top of the building and into the sky on either side of it. She couldn't help but stare in awe at the sight.

“Picturesque. Isn't it?” Kyuubi said earning nods from the two ponies. They soon finished drinking in the sights, wishing they had brought cameras, and started to think about what to do next.

“Well it seems we have two options here. We can either take the magic pathways, most likely exposing ourselves to any flying foes. Or we can try to make it along the ground where there is scarce cover and pray there aren't any interior patrols to discover us.” Naruko said as she pondered their nest move.

“I say we take the magical pathways. We can use the cover of night and make a run for it. They seem to mostly be straight forward.” Kyuubi gave his opinion.

“I don’t think that will work. That's Cloudsdale stone or more commonly called pegasus stone it looks like. Plus it is ancient. I'm not sure it will hold up for running ponies.” Fluttershy answered.

“What is Pegasus stone?” Naruko asked.

“It's stone enchanted to be like clouds. Many pegasi don’t like walking on the ground. They feel confined after long periods of time. However, they still like having homes with roves over their heads and floors beneath them. Some pegasi even love stone architecture.” Fluttershy began to explain.

She took a breath and continued, “Because of this Unicorns and pegasi worked together to create Cloudsdale stone. This stone here looks ancient though. Some believed that Cloudsdale stone wasn't a new thing when it was first made, but instead a rediscovered lost technology. I think they were right since this place looks really old and the stones are a little different.”

The group decided they would test it out just to be sure. Fluttershy carefully placed a hoof on the stone and immediately she could tell it was Pegasus stone. “It is Pegasus stone! It feels just like it. So unless you know a spell that allows you to walk on clouds or something we will have to take the ground. I don’t think I could fly you over this long of a distance to the tower either. That would be a Rainbow Dash job.” Fluttershy then frowned, feeling as if she had once again let her friends down.

Naruko placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder as she smiled and spoke. “I don’t think Rainbow Dash would have been able to get us past those manticores, or would have known to warn us about the cockatrice. You are definitely the right Pegasus for this mission Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy felt warm inside hearing her friend’s complement. “As for knowing a cloud walking spell, that’s a job for Twilight. So walking on the ground it is for us.” Naruko said as they started their way down to the paths below.

{-} {-} {-}

Surprisingly they only had to worry about two patrols on their way to the main temple entrance, and the cover was sufficient enough to hide them. Once the three friends stood inside the central compound they saw a smaller wall around a court yard in front of the entrance to the actual building itself. However, when they looked below they saw a couple of guard creatures with purple glowing eyes waiting to attack anything that dared enter. These creatures seemed bigger than the others by a little as well.

“Any ideas what to do?” Naruko asked her two companions. Fluttershy remained silent as she yawned, It was late. Naruko felt a little tired herself, and she didn't want to possibly stir up a hornets nest at this time.

Kyuubi seemed to be looking around at a couple of the small buildings in this central area. He sensed a certain energy coming from one of the still intact structures here. He approached it and examined further before clearing his throat and answering his partner. “I say we call it a night here and approach this in the morning.”

The two ponies looked at him like he had lost it. He then pointed to the building next to him. “I think these buildings here are safe zones. They haven’t been affected by the elements as much as the rest of the stonework we have seen, and there aren't any signs of damage. To me it only makes sense the caretakers who lived in this place had a safe home the guardians stayed away from.”

Naruko looked at Fluttershy who yawned again and decided they didn't have a choice really. “I guess that is our only wise course of action. However, we better set up watches just to be on the safe side.” The others nodded in agreement. The travelers quietly made their way to the nearest stone building and opened the door.

Inside, the place looked to be in good shape. The stone walls were intact, the roof was complete, there weren't any unmanageable odors, and the carpet was mostly usable. The carpet was frayed and worn in places and didn't really have any fluff to it, but it was still intact and not covered in mildew. As they ventured further inside, Kyuubi closed the door behind him softly as they checked the area for any hostiles.

Fortunately the building wasn't very big, so they completed their sweep of the area in no time at all. Naruko then found some strange control rock and judging by the pictures next to it, she figured it was some kind of shield spell for the building. “Alright new question… Do I use this shield and hope it doesn't sound any alarms, or do we leave it alone and just hope to keep a low profile?”

“Really this is a question Naruko?” Fluttershy asked with a bit of a deadpan tone. “I don’t think you want to activate some, who knows how many hundreds of years old, shield in a vacant ancient temple. If it worked perfectly this place would probably still be occupied by ponies even in this day. I say we leave it be. Stay unnoticed and just set up the watches like you said earlier.”

Kyuubi gave a rumbling laugh, “I agree with Fluttershy Naruko. Don’t press your luck in this way.”

“Okay geez…. I was just asking is all. I mean it could have been something that left us a completely safe base of operations in case this mission takes longer than we were ready for.” Naruko said as she sighed.

“Fair point. But still we need to make this mission as quick as possible. Besides I have a feeling once we start our trip inside tomorrow. We won’t have to worry about discretion anymore. I’m betting these creatures with the glowing purple eyes are somehow connected to each other.” Kyuubi said.

“So how will this watch thing work that you were talking about anyways Naruko?” Fluttershy asked barely hiding a yawn or her stomach’s growl. She blushed as her stomach growled.

“Supper first I think Fluttershy. It seems somepony is really hungry.” Naruko said trying to hide a grin as the yellow pegasus blushed. Then to make things fair Naruko's stomach growled louder, causing Fluttershy to laugh and the blonde unicorn to blush.

{-} {-} {-}

Once they had their meal Naruko decided on the order of the watches. “I will go first. Around midnight I will wake up Kyuubi, and you Fluttershy can take the early morning watch. Does that sound good to you all?” Both Fluttershy and Kyuubi nodded in agreement.

“As for what you do during your watch you simply keep an eye out and wake the rest of us up Fluttershy. This way if something attacks we won’t be completely defenseless. Hopefully our sneaking into here will help to make sure that doesn't happen but better safe than sorry.” Naruko explained.

Kyuubi then let them know he was going to bed early since he had the middle watch. He then found himself a nice corner of carpet and went to sleep. Fluttershy while tired wasn't fully ready for bed yet, so she stayed up a little later and helped keep Naruko company.

The silence got to Naruko quickly and she made use of Fluttershy’s company. “Hey Fluttershy why would there be pathways for pegasi to this temple? Couldn’t they just fly?”

“I suppose they could. Just know not all pegasi are like Rainbow Dash, who wished to avoid the ground at every chance they can. I'm not the only pegasus that likes to keep to the ground. Plus I feel like this place was very peaceful before, whatever it was that happened here took place. The pathways would allow flyers to feel more at one with nature, while still feeling the freedom of being in the sky.” Fluttershy answered.

She was sitting very close to Naruko because the Unicorn felt warm and made her feel more confident in herself. She was thankful Naruko allowed her this small selfishness. She then looked to Naruko and said, “Besides believe it or not us pegasi love nature. We draw our magic and energy from it but we don’t control it. We simply let it flow through us and guide it. This is why we can control the weather like we can. I imagine in it's day this place was very popular among pegasi.”

Naruko thought that over and smiled. “So is that why Rainbow spends so much time napping in trees at Sweet Apple Acres?”

Fluttershy gave a little chuckle. “One of the reasons yes.”

Naruko raised an eyebrow at this. She was wondering if maybe the rainbow maned pegasus preferred the mares or something. She always thought there might be something more between her an Applejack.

Fluttershy smiled and said, “She also says it is a great way to sometimes get under Applejack’s coat and challenge her to something. Those two have always had a competitive friendship with each other. Personally I think she might like watching Big Mac work the farm more.”

Naruko gave a little giggle as she said, “Really? Rainbow and Big Mac? No way… He’s so… easy going and keeps to himself. Rainbow is pretty much the opposite.”

Fluttershy giggled as well. “He is also a hard worker and strong. Rainbow always had a thing for strong hard working Stallions. She admires their dedication to what they do. She is very dedicated to training and her friends so she can relate to that aspect of a pony. She just likes to also show off."

Fluttershy smiled as she said, "A hard worker that doesn't want glory for their selves is perfect for her. They can watch her in all of her awesome glory but understand her and support her.” The two shared another laugh before talking to each other about other things quietly.

After some of this Fluttershy yawned again and stretched as she asked, “Hey Naruko? Do you really not remember anything from your past? What you said earlier doesn't make much sense.” Fluttershy then yawned again and her eyes were trying really hard to stay open.

Naruko gave her a smile that didn't fully reach her eyes as she said, “I think you should go to bed Fluttershy. You look like you are about to fall asleep right this second.”

Fluttershy frowned but decided to again let it slide. It was a personal question and she didn't want to lose the progress she made with Naruko’s friendship. Plus she was really tired. “Okay Naruko. I just hope sometime you will tell me.” She then laid right back down and fell asleep near Naruko. She didn't want to sleep on the cold floor when the spot next to Naruko was so very warm now.

When Fluttershy was asleep Naruko lost herself in thought while she kept watch. “I will need to tell them all sometime… I just hope they won’t suddenly hate me, or feel scared around me when they find out I am not originally a pony….”

As the night went on Naruko looked at the softly sleeping yellow pegasus next to her. Naruko couldn't help but wonder how smooth her pink mane was. Naruko carefully extended a hoof to the pink mane and pulled it back when Fluttershy stirred a little in her sleep. She then took a breath and extended her hoof cautiously again. This time she touched it. She smiled a little bit. Fluttershy’s mane was very soft, like a pink fluffy cloud. Naruko dared to touch it a few more times and even gave it a simple stroke. She wondered if all manes where like this or if each one was different.

Naruko continued her watch until it was time to wake up Kyuubi. “Hey Kyuubi! Time to change watches!” She mentally shouted much to the fox’s anger.

“You know if you think about your message too hard it is like shouting right Naruko?” Kyuubi thought in return with a growl. Naruko just gave a little chuckle as the fox rolled his eyes. He got up and stretched as he thought to Naruko a request. “When we finish this mission do you mind if I attend the debriefing with the Princesses?”

Naruko looked at him and asked him quietly, “Why? You can easily over hear if you want. Plus they do want to keep this mission under wraps. You would bring a lot of attention to yourself since few ponies have fox pets.”

Kyuubi rolled his eyes as he replied. “And you can easily summon me to you anywhere.” Naruko gave a sheepish grin as she gave a face of comprehension.

“And Yes. I do want to be there in person for it. I want to see their expressions and hear their voices as they talk about matters. I trust them as leaders, but I'm sure there are still some things they aren't sharing. Either because they don’t think we need to know, or they are scared to mention something. Besides they are two different individuals and equal rulers pretty much. I know they discuss these matters before hand with each other before sharing them. There might be matters they disagreed on, or felt should be shared but went with what the other sister said. If I am there and point things out, they might elaborate.” Kyuubi said.

Naruko gave this thought and agreed with what he said. She then smiled and said, “Sure Kyuubi. You will probably also think to ask things I won’t think to ask.”

Kyuubi nodded to her. He then took a look at the comfy yellow pegasus, who seemed to have wrapped herself around Naruko during the night. He then looked Naruko in the eyes and asked, “Did you tell her?”

Naruko frowned at this. “No…. She asked if what I said earlier was the full truth, but I told her to sleep.”

Kyuubi shook his head at his partner. “You will have to tell them all eventually you know, and the sooner the better. I know what you fear will happen, but I don’t think you need to worry so much if you tell them the whole truth besides probably ‘that night’. Fluttershy would be the best to tell first. She is bearer of kindness after all. She and Twilight can then help you tell the others.”

“I would rather tell them individually one on one, if possible.” Naruko answered. Kyuubi sent her a look and nodded. He didn't need to say anything else about the matter. Naruko knew fully well she needed to tell them and not use 'individually' as an excuse to delay telling them, since they usually see each other in a group.

Instead he took position and Naruko soon fell asleep. Naruko couldn't help but snuggle in more with Fluttershy as she slept. Fluttershy was very warm and soft. Plus without any kind of bedding for warmth it was the smartest thing to do for the night.

Into the Temple of Life

Chapter 11: Into the Temple of Life

The next morning Kyuubi and Naruko were hidden in the shade looking at the inner most courtyard again. They needed to figure out how best to approach this situation. “I think I could use up to five tails in there, but our movement would be very restricted. However, if what I fear is true then going big might be our best shot.” Kyuubi thought to Naruko.

Naruko looked it over and frowned in thought. “I think attacking in your current form and not holding back on magic attacks would be a better shot. We don’t know for sure if what you fear is true or not. We have no idea of what lies inside of the temple. I think we should try to still draw as little attention as possible.”

Kyuubi wasn't so sure about this but he could see her reasoning. He actually felt a little proud of her as he realized if they were back in Konoha she would probably still want to go in flashy and attention getting as opposed to being smart when fighting.

“Alright. I see what you mean.” He thought in reply to her. The two then went back to speak with Fluttershy and have breakfast.

{-} {-} {-}

“Are you two sure about this? I mean it does seem kind of… tough to pull off.” Fluttershy said as the trio got ready to make their next move. She didn't like the idea of being told to just sit the fighting out. It pained her to hear they felt she wasn't capable of fighting to help protect her friends and other ponies. They didn't mean it to seem this way but the shy pony thought this regardless.

She could fight… sort of… she just preferred to exhausted other options first. However, she wasn't naive enough to think she could peacefully resolve everything they came across on this vital mission. She would follow Naruko’s plans, since the blonde unicorn knew more about these kinds of situations than she did. At the same time, she hoped to have an opportunity to show her friends she wasn't the meek and timid pegasus she used to be now, even if this was only a recent change.

Naruko sensed the uneasiness in her friend and decided to put it to rest right then and there hopefully. “I’m sure about this. Kyuubi and I are more durable than most ponies.” Fluttershy looked at her with an expression that said she took offense to the insinuation she was weak compared to others.

“Naruko is right Fluttershy. My energy helps increase her natural healing abilities and she has an absurdly high tolerance for pain. No doubt from pushing herself too hard while training on a regular basis. We are in essence the perfect tank or ‘cannon fodder’. Thus meaning it will help for us to go first to gauge an enemy’s weaknesses and strengths. Why else do you think she had no problem playing distraction against Nightmare Moon while Twilight figured out how to defeat her?” Kyuubi added to defend Naruko from “The Stare”. That was a very powerful move Fluttershy had. He figured very few could actually resist it.

Fluttershy gave a little frown. “I just don’t want to be seen as weak and useless is all…. I don’t want to be babied…. I know I am far from the bravest of ponies. That honor belongs to someone like you Naruko, or Applejack or Rainbow Dash. I just want to be capable of helping my friends…” Fluttershy then hoofed the ground and hid behind her mane.

Naruko gave her a warm smile as she gave the pegasus a comforting hug and said to her. “I don’t think you’re useless or weak Fluttershy, and neither does Twilight or the princesses. Remember Princess Celestia recommended you for this mission. Luna was a little concerned, but gave you the benefit of the doubt.” Fluttershy gave a small smile to Naruko for the nice words.

“Ok Naruko… I will go with your plan. I just don’t want to be babied is all.” Fluttershy said again as they headed out of their safe zone.

Naruko said to her quietly, “I won’t baby you Fluttershy. Make sure you watch our fight against these two things. I have a feeling we will see more in the temple. Hopefully not as large as these two, but nonetheless it should give us ideas on how to deal with their kind.”

Fluttershy felt a bit more confident she wasn't just a tag-a-long after talking to Naruko. She was determined to show she could be useful in other ways besides her gift with animals. She would prove to not only Naruko and Kyuubi, but also herself that she wasn't just the cute and shy pony in their group of friends.

{-} {-} {-}

Once they were outside Naruko and Kyuubi took up positions from the shadows as Fluttershy remained hidden for the moment. Naruko looked over the features of the two creatures in front of her. She decided to start things off with a bit of bang. She formed a blue ball of energy and shot it at one of the two creatures quickly, and it soon exploded where it impacted.

Naruko grimaced as she realized she hit a crumbling pillar instead of her intended target. These things were quick. She only hoped they were lacking in resilience as a side effect to their quickness as she jumped into the courtyard ready to fight.

Kyuubi got ready and sent a flying fireball at one of the two creatures. It struck true! He frowned as he saw the creature was mostly unscathed from his attack. He figured it must have been able to dodge the brunt of his move. Kyuubi didn't hesitate for a moment as he sent a claw swipe at his opponent. The wolf creature jumped back and howled along with the other one.

It wasn't as loud as he feared it would be, but now he saw four wolves in front of him and Naruko, with purple glowing eyes as they launched at him and Naruko. The duo was only able to dodge the fast attacks thanks to their training. Another wolf lunged at Naruko. She dodged to the side and sent a well-timed buck to the canine’s side as it went past her. It was a bit of a lucky shot, but now she and Kyuubi realized a small pattern to the creatures’ attacks.

The two started making use of this new weakness, but their edge quickly ended when the two main beasts launched attacks to compensate for the predictability they found. Naruko was about to send a good buck to the side of a wolf, when she felt a hard and fast hit to her ribs. She flew a couple of feet before she recovered from the savage hit.

Kyuubi sent a fire attack which the creature easily dodged. His subsequent swipe struck true this time though defeating the creature. Naruko feinted an attack on another wolf as it charged her. The other creature then appeared by her side ready to attack, but Naruko’s horn flared light blue as a gust of wind sent the creature off course followed by a fast hoof punch to the creature’s face. As the creature was momentarily dazed, Naruko sent a magic slicing attack at the beast’s neck killing it.

Once the second creature was dealt with, the two made quick work of the four wolves, the two bipedal canines summoned. “Well it seems we learned something form that at least. Wouldn't you say Fluttershy?”

The meek pegasus nodded her head as she said, “I don’t like how they summon other wolves to attack by their side. I only hope they are at the least only allowed two each.” Fluttershy also didn't like the brutality of Naruko’s attack, but she figured there wasn't really any other way. At least it was a quick death.

“They are also rather smart and have decent tactical knowledge, if their combined attacks are anything to go by.” Kyuubi added his two bits.

“I only hope we don’t meet too many at once.” Naruko said as she looked at the door in front of them before searching the bodies in case they had anything like a key on them. She found two keys, frowned at what it possibly meant, and tossed one to Fluttershy.

Naruko stood up and sighed as she said to her two companions. “Shall we see what treasures and other such things this temple holds?” She gave a wan smile to each of her friends, who only nodded solemnly in return.

Naruko then made a shadow clone and sent it first to try the door. She shuddered as she heard the shriek of the clone as it stepped on a booby trap right by the door. Fluttershy gave her a weary look but then moved closer to Naruko and placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder and said softly, “I will follow you and make it through whatever this place has in store for us, but it seems discretion is still the best option until we learn otherwise. I am sorry for your clone.”

Fluttershy knew Naruko vividly experienced whatever memories her clones did. She couldn't imagine what it was like to experience death over and over again, even if it was only a shadow of the real thing. At the same time Fluttershy was glad Naruko could do something like this. It was sure to prove very useful, but she wondered if Naruko was actually creating life with these clones or what. She had little understanding of unicorn magic and she didn't have Twilight here to explain the details of such things unfortunately.

Naruko gave her an odd look before saying to her. “They are just clones… They are copies of me made with magic energy. I have gotten used to the memories of their ‘deaths’. Don’t really be sorry for them Fluttershy. There will be lots of them ‘dying’ in here.”

Fluttershy gave Naruko a wide-eyed horrified look. “How can you just not care about something dying Naruko?”

Naruko winced realizing she should have explained her clones better to Fluttershy. “They are made of memory and magical energy only Fluttershy. They aren't really alive so much as they are solidified reflections of me. Their ‘death’ is only energy being dispersed and their memories being transferred to me and any other shadow clones. I am not creating life and then ending it on a whim just for my own safety.”

Fluttershy looked like she was still trying to figure things out. It still sounded like they were living copies of Naruko. She was wondering how it was they could sometimes all act differently from each other otherwise. Naruko had told her and the others about this before.

Kyuubi seemed to sense her unasked question. “The only reason why they can act so very differently is because they are reflections of my partner here and she is very complex personality wise. It only makes sense reflections of her would be the same way and respond differently to outside forces.”

Fluttershy nodded now. She kind of understood now what they were. “I think I get it now. I wasn't going to really question it until Naruko started to go into detail about them.”

Naruko face hoofed now knowing this whole conversation wasn't needed. She did think it would be best it happened in the end though. “Alright let’s go inside.”

{-} {-} {-}

As the trio entered the temple carefully, they found their selves in what looked like a dark hallway with a carpet similar to the one in their safe zone. This carpet however was more a black than red and very much worn. They closed the doors to the temple behind them carefully and waited in the dark of the hall for a minute or two.

Naruko was about to sigh thinking she would have to play living torch for them when suddenly the dark hall lit with lights casting a warm glow all along the walls.

“I hope that is normal… I don’t think it would be good if that just gave us away.” Fluttershy said quietly. Kyuubi and Naruko just nodded their agreement and kept their guard up.

They weren't inside for long when Fluttershy almost stepped on a trap of some kind. She flinched when she felt Naruko grab her hoof, but sighed in relief when she saw why the blonde maned unicorn grabbed her. Naruko then looked the trap over and disarmed it.

The trio kept moving slower into the temple. So far things were very annoying but relatively quiet. It was annoying because they kept coming across more traps in different rooms. They were lucky they didn't have to fight any enemies yet. Once they entered what was probably the fourth room in this large temple, the group noticed several traps again. Naruko groaned in frustration and finally decided she had enough.

Her horn glowed light blue and she said, “Shadow Clone Jutsu.” Several clones appeared before the group. “Alright everypony. We need to work on disarming all of the traps in this room. When you finish with that go on to the next room. Get to it!” With that the light tanned pony army went forth and started disarming traps in mass.

Fluttershy, Naruko and Kyuubi stared with their mouths open as they saw fires, spears, knives and many other things happen all at once. Several clones dispersed into smoke. Many chose to just spring the traps instead of disarming them safely.

After a few minutes, there were only a few left in the room as the smoke cleared. They paused and one asked, “Boss what do we do with these doors? They look like they need some kind of special magical keys. We tried picking the locks but that didn't do any good. We also tried using force to a small extent. Anything more and getting unwanted attention from those monsters would be the least of our worries as the temple collapsed on all of us.”

Naruko, Kyuubi and Fluttershy all three gave grave expressions as Naruko dismissed the two clones. She got their memories and couldn't help but say, “What the Hay!? Those moves didn't work?” Fluttershy wanted to ask what she was talking about but she decided it was best she leave it alone. Naruko gave a sigh and said, “Well here you go Flutters. We need to turn these keys at the same time it looks like.”

The blonde unicorn tossed the yellow pegasus an odd object that looked like some strange key. The base was a beautiful amethyst cut into a diamond that had worn down on the points. The gem was then connected to a gold piece of metal with an intricately designed end. Fluttershy took a look at Naruko’s key and noticed it was pretty much the same but worn in different places from her own.

“I really hope we aren't going to have to collect a ton of these keys.” Naruko said to herself mostly.

“I only hope we aren't separated, and find out each door requires two keys like this one at the same time to open.” Fluttershy said to her friend. Naruko nodded her agreement with Fluttershy along with Kyuubi.

The two approached the doors side by side cautiously with Kyuubi right behind them. The two pony friends stood right in front of the doors and took in a deep breath as they used their keys right in sync with each other. Naruko had her eyes turned away from the door scared of what might be on the other side.

The two felt a cold rush of wind, and that was all. Naruko slowly turned to look forward as she heard a sigh from Fluttershy. She was a mix of relief and disappointment when she saw yet another straight hall before them. On the plus side, this one was shorter than the others they had passed through before. On the down side, it was shorter than the other halls meaning it was likely the traps were a lot more condensed.

“Well Kyuubi you mind doing the honors?” Naruko asked with a slightly weak sounding voice. She was a very brave mare and pony period, but this whole temple had been giving her the creeps this whole time. She felt as if something was watching and waiting for them hidden somewhere just out of sight and reach. She felt as if some being was gauging their abilities as they made progress through the dimly light temple.

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow as he said with a smirk. “Ohh? Are you afraid Naruko?” Naruko shook her head adamantly to this. Kyuubi gave a mental chuckle to this. “Why not just spam your clones if you are worried about traps.”

“I don’t think that would be wise from this point on Kyuubi. I have an odd feeling about this place.” Naruko said in an even tone as she narrowed her deep blue eyes. Kyuubi didn't need any more convincing after that. He carefully took a step forward and as he pressed a paw on the floor an ancient rune appeared below him in bright white.

Naruko was about to shout or something but she felt Kyuubi’s presence inside her. Fluttershy on the other hoof was close to all out panic after seeing that. If something could take care of Kyuubi like that she wasn't sure if she could continue, even with her new found courage. “Don’t worry Fluttershy. Kyuubi is alright… He is inside me now hidden away.” Fluttershy wasn't sure what to make of this, but after seeing Naruko’s expression she just gulped and cowered behind her mane just a little bit.

“Any ideas what happened Kyuubi?” Naruko thought to her familiar. She could feel him thinking something over before giving an answer.

“It seems whatever that symbol was it dismissed me. I think it is safe to figure it would do the same for your shadow clones. You could try it to see if I am right, but be warned Naruko… The sensation was not very pleasant.” Kyuubi answered her mentally.

Naruko mentally nodded and summoned two clones. The clones ran forward and were engulfed by that same light. However, one was further down the hall than the first one or Kyuubi. The clone jumped over the first symbol, but as soon as it landed it was forcefully dismissed. As the clones were dismissed Naruko groaned, it was horrible and she heard screams of some kind. Fluttershy looked to her concerned.

“Are you alright Naru?” Fluttershy asked sweetly. Naruko gave a shuddering breath.

“That was horrible… I'm alright though.” Naruko collected herself and gave a weak but still warming smile as she said, “I now know clones aren't any good in this hall.” Kyuubi just let out a long breath. He would have said something along the lines of ‘I told you so’, but the sensation Naruko experienced twice like he figured was enough for her.

Fortunately it seemed the hall didn't have many traps for normal ponies. Fluttershy and Naruko made their way carefully and finally opened the door at the other end of the hall.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy said before giving a gasp. Naruko just stared in to the next room as well.

The next room was a large chamber with four darkened symbols on the floor in the center surrounding one larger symbol. This room was brilliantly light from the stained glass windows around the room that stretched from about 6 feet above the floor almost all of the way up to the ceiling. Kyuubi let out a whistle which Naruko copied as she looked around.

There were five large doors along the walls before them they could barely make out. There also seemed to be a few sections of stone benches around the room facing the center.

Fluttershy gave a little sigh, “Looks like we can’t try a divide and conquer approach.” She extended a beautiful yellow hoof to teach of the other doors. Each excessively large door required two keys to unlock them. The fifth looked to require a different couple of keys.

“Well at least our keys can open multiple doors.” Naruko said.

As the two ponies started descending into the center of the hall, Naruko sent Kyuubi a question. “Think you can come out now Kurama?” In a flash of fiery light, the fox in his three tailed form once again appeared by their sides.

“Hopefully the other halls aren't like that last one.” Kyuubi said in his low voice. “Do you think you can send a few test clones when we enter each of the adjoining halls Naruko?”

“I can. I won’t like that sensation again. But better to use shadow clones than to let these glyphs forcefully dismiss you again I bet.” Naruko said.

Fluttershy asked her. “I guess it wouldn't be good for Kyuubi to be continuing dismissed in that manner?”

Kyuubi shook his head. “I don’t think so… That power felt ancient… It felt as old as Celestia herself. I don’t think it would cause any long terms problems, but it would be best if we don’t tempt fate on this one.”

{-} {-} {-}

It had taken the group a good 10 to 15 minutes before they reached the center of the large chamber. It took them so long because the stairs were so many and they weren't ready to risk going at even a normal pace yet. Once they were in the center they started looking around hoping they could find clues besides the obvious doors on what they had to do next.

Naruko leaned in closer to one of the outer four symbols on the floor and reluctantly gave a sigh. “We have to go through each of these doors don’t we?” Fluttershy asked. Naruko just gave her a nod.

Naruko decided further explanation was needed after a few seconds. “It seems each of the four outer symbols is connected to one of the four side doors. We have to most likely go into some chamber on the other side of each door to activate the seals. I guess once we activate the four seals we will find the keys for the last set of doors.”

“And odds are it won’t be as easy as getting here was… will it….?” Fluttershy said weakly. Kyuubi and Naruko both nodded.

“Let’s take a little break first, you two ponies before going on.” Kyuubi said/ordered the mares. Naruko and Fluttershy both collapsed on their haunches to his words.

Fluttershy felt a lot more exhausted now that she was on the floor. She picked through her saddle bag in search of something to eat. Once she had it in hoof and she was about to take a bite she stopped. She looked around the area they were in and sighed as she leaned on Naruko. Naruko blushed a little bit to this but didn't really complain or anything. The blonde mare actually found it a bit comforting.

Fluttershy spoke after a few seconds. “I guess I need to... you know… be careful with my food huh?”

Naruko looked her over and gave her a small smile. “You do Fluttershy. But you shouldn't try starving yourself. I guess you aren't really used to this much walking and such. Also we don’t know what waits behind those doors.” A peach tanned hoof pointed to a door across from them. Fluttershy nodded and decided to have a little of her food but not all of it. Naruko gave a smile and continued to relax using Fluttershy as support as well.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight gave a sigh as she looked into the sky. She was helping Rarity look for gems. This meant she was pulling around the cart as Rarity used her gem finding spell. Twilight sought out Rarity hoping the beauty unicorn would have something she could help with that would help pass the time. Naruko was on her mission and now that Twilight had finished her assignment for Celestia she knew what all it entailed.

Twilight hated the idea of Naruko and Fluttershy having to travel to such a dangerous place on their own. Well they did have Kyuubi, but it still worried Twilight. Right off the bat Twilight had to get away from just sitting around in the library all day. She wouldn't have been able to concentrate on reading a book knowing what her best friend was doing. Spike was understanding, so Twilight left for Rarity’s right away as he took over the library's duties.

The lavender unicorn hoped her fashionista friend might have something for her to help with doing. She thought maybe she might also learn a little bit about tailoring. Instead she was out here roaming around with Rarity searching for gems. Twilight’s mind kept focusing on Naruko and Fluttershy the whole time.

Twilight knew she would have to get used to this, but there wasn't anything she could do that she found helpful. Her books in the library didn't have anything on the other possible temples for her to look up. She didn't have any new spells to study, least of all any combat spells. She already made a mental note to try and coax Naruko into giving her combat magic lessons again. This time she would be more stubborn about it. She didn't know why Naruko was reluctant to teach her though.

“Darling. Are you ok?” Rarity’s cultivated voice spoke breaking Twilight from her thoughts.

“Uh? What is it Rarity?” Twilight asked. She hadn’t fully caught her friend’s question.

Rarity shook her head and sighed, “I asked if you were ok Twilight….” Twilight tried to put on an everything is fine smile, but failed completely. “Don’t you dare try to tell me everything is fine Twilight. It is all too obvious that is not the case.” Twilight frowned to that. “It is about Naruko isn’t it?” Rarity asked with a concerned look.

Twilight let out a breath. “Yes it is. I know she is capable but I am still worried Rarity. It also doesn't help that this is the first time since I met her, that we really are actually separated. In the past when she went away I could still easily reach her.”

Rarity gave a frown as she walked over to Twilight and gave her hug. “I wish I could say more than just to believe in her Twilight. But you said she was doing something you couldn't really talk about, so I can't further comfort you.”

Twilight returned the hug and after a few seconds the two ponies broke their hug. Twilight gave a smile as she said, “It’s alright. You are helping me a little bit. I just wish you could talk more, but you did tell me it takes a lot of concentration for you to use your gem finding spell.” Twilight’s smile grew wider as she said, “Just remember you promised to teach it to me Rarity.”

Rarity gave an elegant giggle, “Somehow I figure you wouldn't allow me to forget that promise Twilight.” Rarity then stretched out a little bit as she said, “Shall we continue? We don’t have too many more to find. After that I can teach you the spell or maybe even a little bit about tailoring if you want Twilight.” Twilight gave a little nod and the two ponies continued there gem finding job.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko was currently examining the four outer symbols again. She was trying to figure out if there was a certain order they had to go in or anything like that. As far as she could tell there was a “recommended” order, but that was all. Naruko gave a grin as she said, “Alright lets go through door number four first.” She pointed a hoof at a door on the right side from where they entered.

Kyuubi gave her a look, “And why are we going through door number four?”

“Well there are symbols for one through four on each of these.” She pointed a hoof to each square symbol marked with what looked like a tree of life or something of the like. There were also smaller different symbols as well on each one. “There is a ‘recommended’ order, but from what I can tell there isn't any reasoning to their being a specific order.”

Fluttershy gave Naruko a deadpanned look as she asked, “No offence Naruko but usually there is a reason for ‘recommended’ orders to things. Why do you want to start with door number four, and how do you even recognize any of these symbols in the first place?”

“I sometimes looked over Twilight’s shoulder as she worked on her assignments from Celestia and asked her questions. Also the way I see it, there recommended order is based on difficulty. So I say we get the harder stuff out of the way first!” Naruko then gave her trademark grin as both Kyuubi and Fluttershy rolled their eyes simultaneously. In the end, they went with her idea because they figured it would be too much trouble to argue with her.

The trio then followed her to “door number four”. Fluttershy looked to Naruko, and the two ponies put their keys into the doors while Kyuubi got ready. The doors opened to reveal another hall. Without any hesitation Naruko made two clones and sent them in to test for traps or glyphs like the one that forcefully dismissed summons. The clones made it to the end of the hall with no problems and dismissed their selves.

“Seems they only placed that precaution on that first hall I guess.” Said Kyuubi as they all entered the hall. The two ponies both thought it odd they hadn't run into anymore of those outside beasts yet, just traps and such.

The group entered into the next room and all three mentally sighed as they saw three of those bipedal wolf like creatures. “Well I guess we had to run into them again eventually.” Naruko said as the beast charged each of them.

The largest beast charged Kyuubi. The beast decided Kyuubi was the biggest threat of the group. The medium sized one charged Naruko. The final beast was the smallest, but seemed to also be the most dangerous of the group.

Kyuubi dodged the beast’s swipe and tried to counter, but the beast quickly kicked him and didn't let the fox demon attack back. Kyuubi gave a “tsk” but continued fighting and alternately dodging. The giant fox swung one of his tails at the beast and sent it back just a little bit. Kyuubi would have attacked right away, but the beast recovered too quickly for him to land a decent hit.

Fluttershy dodged an attack. She wasn't sure how to fight these things all that well yet. She was however glad for her homemade armor. It had already helped her out some. She also did notice this small creature was faster than the others and much more vicious with his attacks.

Fluttershy dodged another deadly swipe from his claws, but received a rear leg kick from the thing square in her side. It hurt like hell but she wasn't going to go down yet. However, she needed to think of an attack strategy quick if she wanted to be useful.

Naruko wasn't doing too much better than the others. She was far too busy being concerned for the others instead of herself. Her beast wasn't just swiping and kicking it was actually throwing in a punch or two ever so often as well. Naruko took a hit to her face as she was worried Fluttershy needed help immediately.

Kyuubi growled at the large beast and soon he charged forward and managed to land a solid kick on the thing. It grunted in pain and then let loose an unearthly howl before charging again at Kyuubi.

The fox was ready and made an attack when the thing seemed to vanish before his eyes and reappear on his side. The creature then swiped at Kyuubi and the fox howled in pain. Soon Kyuubi put some distance between him and the other beast before thinking up a new plan of attack.

Fluttershy shifted to her side just out of the way of her attacker’s fist. However, the small beast sent a kick at her again. Fluttershy dodged the kick, but took a back hand blow to her side followed by three more hits.

The butter yellow Pegasus was in pain but still stood her ground. She knew she could take a beating, even if she didn't like it. “I have suffered worse giving Mr. Bear a massage. You can do this Fluttershy.” She thought to herself. Her blue eyes widened as she then thought, “That’s it!”

Fluttershy charged right past the beast’s legs and then immediately turned around and launched herself at it with a kick. The beast was surprised by this sudden ferocity. Next Fluttershy sent a hoof punch hard into the creature’s back before it fell to the ground. She then grabbed it’s back leg and pulled it down hard. She had done this before, but in the past she used just the right force to not cause any harm. This time though she went past that point and the beast cried in pain.

Next Fluttershy pulled the other leg just as harshly before then sending several punches into the creatures back. Fluttershy then grabbed then thing’s neck and used all of her might to twist its neck. She winced as she heard the bone snap, and then oddly the thing poofed away in blue smoke.

Fluttershy would have helped after that, but she had to recover from having seemingly killed something for her first time ever. “Ohh… My…” She said in disbelief. She had no idea how fine a line her massages were actually walking if it just took a little more force and strength to injure and kill instead of relieving.

Naruko saw Fluttershy finish her attacker, and wanted to go and give her emotional support. Even if these things were heartless monsters they were still living things. She knew what it was like to kill for your first time. She needed to be there for Fluttershy, but this monster in front of her wouldn't let that happen.

Naruko narrowed her eyes and charged the thing. It sneered and charged her back. Naruko mentally smirked. This would be all too easy. This one was easily baited she noticed while fighting it. Naruko looked like she was attacking head on, and the beast was more than ready for that. However, it wasn't ready for her to duck down, shift to the side, and then thrust her horn at its underside before withdrawing it again.

The beast howled in pain after crashing on the floor, but before it could do anything Naruko stomped the thing’s side. It howled again and Naruko stomped one more time before it too burst into blue smoke. She looked to Kyuubi and figured he had things under control. She needed to be by Fluttershy’s side right now.

Fluttershy was staring blankly at where the wolf thing was before she beat it. Where it was before she killed it. Fluttershy stared more. She was supposed to save creatures. She was supposed to help them heal. She wasn’t supposed to end them. She soon felt a comforting hoof on her shoulder, and she started crying as she reached out and hugged Naruko tightly.

Kyuubi glared angrily at his opponent. It was time to end this now. It didn’t matter his enemy was bigger than the others. He should not have been the last to beat his opponent. The fox charged the large beast in front of him and right as the beast was about to make his move. Kyuubi opened his mouth and exhaled a large red-yellow flame and burned the beast. It was only a second after the attack the beast disappeared in the same manner the other two did.

“Shhh.. Fluttershy calm down.” Naruko said trying to help her yellow flying friend. “You knew this might happen. You didn’t have a choice.”

Fluttershy cried harder as she said through her sobs, “But… I am supposed to help animals not kill them… I should have tried talking to it, or anything before attacking. I couldn’t help it I immediately thought how to fight it and hurt it. I was hoping to help you two out… But I… But I…”

“These things would have eventually broken free of this place and hunted down all of those animals you help Fluttershy. Besides these things are being tortured the longer they stay here. They should have died naturally long ago. But something in this place is keeping them alive… Preventing them from getting their eternal rest.” Kyuubi said to her.

Fluttershy sniffed. “That still doesn’t change that I have killed now!! I am a bad pony! You two should just leave me here… I am bad, evil, horrible pony!”

“No you aren’t Fluttershy. You are still the kindest pony I know. You did what you had to for us. You were helping us. You are further helping all of Equestria with this mission. Killing something that is attacking you in defense doesn’t make you a bad pony.” Naruko said evenly.

“Yes it does!” Fluttershy said through tears in her blue eyes. Naruko frowned to this. It hurt hearing her say that a little bit, even if she knew it was just the yellow pegasus freaking out. Fluttershy mumbled to herself calling her horrible names like “Flutterrage, or Cruelityshy.”

“Do you really think that Fluttershy?” Naruko asked in a cold tone. Fluttershy nodded emphatically before her eyes widened and she gasped.

“I don’t mean it like that Naruko… You aren’t a bad pony… I just… I mean….” Fluttershy started whimpering apologies.

“Fluttershy. It is good that you don’t like killing. But you are one of the Elements of Harmony. You are one of Equestria’s defenders. It is good to want to get through to your enemies, but in a place like this there isn’t anything to get through to. Also with the Cosmic Darkness the Princesses are talking about you will have to kill again.” Kyuubi said in a nonthreatening, but still stern tone.

“So long as you don’t start to enjoy killing Fluttershy you won’t become a bad, evil, horrible pony. You may not have your innocence anymore, but you are still Fluttershy the element of kindness, and you will still be our friend.” Naruko said.

Fluttershy sniffed again, but this time she shook her head to clear it. “I don’t know if I can accept this but I do know that we can’t dwell on this for now… I just want to get this mission over with Naruko.” Naruko and Kyuubi nodded in agreement. However, it also seemed as if something took hold of Fluttershy from deep within herself with those words.

She was still Fluttershy, but the aura around her seemed a little colder than it was before. She also seemed to have narrowed her eyes. Naruko and Kyuubi were a little concerned about this change, but right now it was as she said they had a mission to do.

The trio looked around and found a door in the back of the room. They slowly cracked it open and entered. The room was large, but fairly dark with a faint glow to it. They could make out the walls on the far side, and they also noticed some dark figures as well resting at the moment.

Kyuubi narrowed his eyes. He saw what looked like a panel similar to what they saw inside the building they were using for their temporary base. He gave a soft sigh, and whispered so both Naruko and Fluttershy would hear him. “We will have to fight these things… I think I know why this was ‘Door number Four’.” He gave a glare to Naruko that she couldn't see but she did feel.

“What are we going to do? Can three of us take on all of these?” Fluttershy asked.

Naruko shook her head. “We fight together this time. And Kyuubi… I think we shouldn't care so much for discretion at this point. Besides who wants to bet we won’t have to worry about any outside interference in this room.” She then pointed out the low glow. “Protection and sound proofing magic” was all she said.

Kyuubi gave an evil toothy grin. “Sounds fun! I could use a little time to let loose.”

“You know if he wasn't a fox I would say he was a bad meanie pony Naruko.” Fluttershy said.

“I am not a pony though! I am a hunter! In some places I was even considered a Demon! Just like I am sure Celestia was by her enemies on the battle field.” Kyuubi said as he was surrounded in flame.

He then reappeared with five tails. Naruko got ready and took a battle stance. Fluttershy took to hovering above the ground with cold determination in her eyes. She tried to be detached from it all. She didn’t want to think she was the one about to kill.

The room lit up suddenly and the figures were now visible. There were more of those wolf creatures. A whole lot of them. The creatures just started at them for a couple of seconds before they let loose howls and attacked. Three went for Naruko. Five went after Kyuubi. Three more jumped up to try and get Fluttershy.

Naruko fired a blast of magic at the three. It hit two and she went in and landed a devastating reinforced hoof punch to the third’s stomach causing the creature retch before then falling backwards and crashing to the floor. Naruko had a bit of a smile on her lips. It felt good to use more of her and Kyuubi’s power in an actual fight.

Kyuubi chuckled as the five animals charged after him. He gave an evil grin and swiped with his claws. He missed on purpose causing the things to momentarily halt their advance. He then unleashed a large plume of fire that took out two and caught a third on fire. The giant fox then launched at the remaining two. He slashed one with his claws and kicked hard with a back leg at the fifth.

Fluttershy watched as the three creatures jumped up at her. She was able to calculate how high they would reach. Fluttershy hovered up just enough to be out of reach of their claws. As the things tried to slice into her with their claws, she just calmly waited.

They started to fall to the ground after a couple of seconds. Their fall was starting to increase in speed as Fluttershy’s now cold blue eyes narrowed and she quickly dived down after them. The trio of wolf creatures were bunched up together. Fluttershy Sped into them throwing precise punches.

She then used her back hooves to shove the one a little on top of the others towards the ground. Her shove forced their decent to increase speed, and the bottom two broke their backs on the stone floor. Fluttershy then landed hard on the top one and once again used her massage techniques with lethal force to kill it.

Fluttershy didn’t pause this time after killing a creature. She immediately sought out her next target while still staying close to Naruko and Kyuubi. She picked out a target and attacked. The thing attacked back with a friend of his.

Fluttershy dodged and did her best to counter. She wasn't experienced like Naruko though, so she did take some hits but for some reason her cold aura allowed her to keep fighting without much problem.

The usually shy pony managed to dodge an attack, and then send a good hard sideways buck into its ribs. She heard them crack but didn't flinch as she followed through with a hoof to the thing's throat.

Next the other one attacked her. She dodged and quickly used her hooves to snap its neck. As she stared coldly at it, she gave a slight but cruel smile as she hovered up a little bit to dodge a different attack. Fluttershy grabbed the hairy arm and pulled it down before kicking the thing into the back of the creature Naruko was fighting.

Naruko was attacking four new opponents at once. She easily dodged and countered their attacks. She managed to land a harsh buck on one that sent it crashing into another. She then summoned up her blue ball energy attack on the tip of her horn.

She was about to drive the attack into the creature when she suddenly heard an impact on the back of creature in her cross-hairs. Soon after the impact the creature exploded along with two others as her attack dissipated. She was about to give Kyuubi a “good job,” but she instead saw it was a butter yellow pegasus in front of her. Fluttershy was in a stance showing she had just thrown an enemy.

“Fluttershy?” Naruko asked in surprise. Fluttershy just gave a curt nod and quickly sent a hoof attack at one of the creature’s faces. Naruko noticed the cold look in her eyes. She didn’t like this at all, but they still had several of these things to fight.

Kyuubi gave a low rumbling laugh as he used a chakra enhanced back swipe. He sent a few of the beasts flying into others. He then used a flame attack to finish them off. He then took some time to check on his companions.

He first noticed how Fluttershy was actually doing fairly well at hoof to hoof combat against these things. She was being brutal and lethal with her attacks. He grinned at her carnage, but mentally sighed knowing this wasn’t like her at all.

The trio managed to find fighting styles that meshed soon after the first two waves, and made quick work of the last groups. Kyuubi even dropped out of the fight at the end and observed. He wanted Fluttershy and Naruko to get some more actual experience. He was ready to join in a heartbeat if needed.

Naruko and Fluttershy actually managed to fight pretty well as a team. They both knew it was because of Naruko’s flexible attacks though mostly. However, they were ready to finish this fight. There weren’t too many more left, and the things were close together.

The wolf creatures attacked from the front because the fox beast was now fire blasting anything that tried to attack the ponies’ rears. Naruko got an idea. “Fluttershy get ready to send a horizontal arc of wind. Can you do that?”

Fluttershy actually blinked and said, “I don’t know… I will try if you want though.”

“Do it! Tell me when you are ready to release it.” Naruko replied. She was forming her blue magic into something that Fluttershy couldn’t really make out.

The Yellow pegasus got right behind Naruko hovering just above her as she gathered natural energy into her wings. She focused on making a horizontal wind.

She wasn’t on the weather team or anything, but all pegasi could use what they called weather magic. It was just the ones that excelled at it that usually got weather jobs. This did make up a large percentage of their race though.

Fluttershy had the energy and said, “Ready!” She watched as Naruko threw her attack out at the remaining creatures. It was some thin bent blade of magic. It was going at a decent pace but it wasn’t real fast. Fluttershy unleashed her wind at the magic.

The magic attack seemed to catch the wind and then it suddenly burst forward quickly. The remaining creatures could only widen their eyes as they were all struck by the final attack. They burst into smoke just as most of the others had when they were killed.

Naruko gave a cheer as did Kyuubi as well. Fluttershy seemed to snap out of her battle trance and just gazed with her mouth open in surprise. The yellow pony then collapsed to the floor breathing in relief. They had a short break at least.

“I knew that trick would work! I didn’t think it would be that awesome though.” Naurko said with a big smile. “Thanks for your help Fluttershy.” Said pony just nodded in return as she breathed in and out.

“I didn’t think we would finish them that quickly either if at all!” Fluttershy said.

“You should have more faith in your skills Fluttershy. They are very good for a pony that doesn’t have guard combat training. How did you do it? Some of those attack were very…. Final.” Kyuubi said deeply with approval. He was now in his more manageable three tailed form again.

“I just thought of the way I give mister Bear massages. He gets a lot of knots in his muscles. I just applied more force and used more strength…. I hope it wasn’t too risky of me or anything like that…” Her voice trailed off towards the end.

Naruko and Kyuubi were both relieved by this action. Fluttershy was acting more like herself again, instead of the cold-hearted fighter she was earlier. The last thing they wanted was this mission essentially breaking her, especially after seeing how efficient of a killer she could be.

{-} {-} {-}

After resting for half an hour, Naruko finally went to activate the console in the room. She stared at it intently. She saw several different symbols, but they were different from the ones she saw earlier. These she didn’t recognize from the time she spent looking over Twilight’s shoulder.

Naruko narrowed her sapphire blue eyes, hoping they would provide her some clue she managed to over look. “You don’t know what these symbols will do. Do you?” Kyuubi said with a grin.

Naruko sighed. “So I don’t… Sorry I don’t know everything about some long lost civilization that sprung up just after Discord was first defeated by the Princesses.” She glowered at Kyuubi who gave a small chuckle.

Naruko then felt a soft hoof on her shoulder. “I believe in you Naruko.” Fluttershy said in her normal airy quiet tone. Naruko smiled but then Fluttershy added in a trying to be helpful tone. “Besides worst case scenario you get us killed…. I mean… But I don’t think you will.”

Naruko gave her a look while Kyuubi laughed. Fluttershy squeaked and said quietly, “I’m sorry… please don’t be angry at me…”

Naruko sighed and gave her a smile. She was fairly certain it was impossible to stay angry at Fluttershy if you have any shred of a heart. “Well here goes everything!” She then pressed something with her hooves.

The area whirled to life and they saw magic light fly through the air and along the ceiling back the way they came. The area then lit up brightly and they suddenly found their selves back in the large room with the other doors.

Naruko blinked a few times then smiled widely as she said, “Alright! Door number four is down! We completed the hardest route first.” She was very much full of confidence. “So door number three next!”

{-} {-} {-}

After the trio finally managed to make their way through the first chamber behind door number three, they were all breathing hard. Fluttershy spoke up first. “Really? A multilevel maze with boulders and giant falling blocks?!”

“I get the feeling the ponies in charge of this temple were really bored at times.” Kyuubi said.

“Well at least we didn’t have to worry about fighting any of those crazy wolf creatures!” Naruko said hopefully with a foxy grin. Kyuubi and Fluttershy both rolled their eyes to her statement.

They now entered another long hallway. Naruko used clones to check for traps, and again they found none in the hall. Kyuubi narrowed his eyes and said, “Remember what happened last time we didn’t find any traps in a hall.” The two ponies nodded glumly.

They opened the next door. On the other side was a long and large low lit chamber. This time at least they didn’t see any big bad creatures in the shadows. Naruko smiled and took a step forward. “See told you it would be easier!”

Right as she said that they heard a loud whoosh and a large stone secondary floor crashed down inches from Naruko’s muzzle. Her eyes widened while her pupils shrunk. Kyuubi’s jaw dropped and Fluttershy, who was hovering, suddenly landed with her wings snapped tight to her sides.

As the ceiling/ floor thing rose back up, Naruko gave a nervous laugh and backed up closer to her friends. “So Fluttershy! Good thing you can go all cold an uncaring like in that battle earlier. You can still do that right?” Naruko asked with a nervous lilt in her voice.

Fluttershy just whimpered and shook her head. Naruko gave a nervous laugh as parts of her usually silky smooth mane stuck out at odd ends. Kyuubi though it reminder him a lot of Twilight in one of her “Phases”.

Naruko spoke. “Because you know! You could just fly over… and take Kyuubi with you and I can teleport to Kyuubi!” The butter yellow pegasus gave another whimper.

Naruko laughed again with even less humor this time and said in an almost pleading voice. “You know you are brave right! You were chosen for this mission by Celestia herself! I know you can do it!”

Fluttershy gave another whimper as the floor crashed down with force again. “Why don’t you just send out an army of your clones or something Naruko?!” She said.

Naruko grimaced. “I really don’t feel like experiencing being crushed by a huge and heavy floor ceiling thingy over and over again and again! It just isn’t that day today! I am only up for experiencing that on Wednesdays thank you very much.”

Kyuubi chuckled and said, “So should we just wait until tomorrow then?” Naruko glowered at him and despite the situation Fluttershy gave a giggle.

“No I think we can do this.” Fluttershy then looked around and noticed several large torches of some kind that were well over 15 feet tall. She then narrowed her eyes and asked, “How thick would you say that floor is?”

Naruko gave a confused look. She hadn’t really been paying attention to the floor’s thickness. She was just making sure she wasn’t crushed by it. Kyuubi spoke up. “I would say it is about twelve feet thick, but I am sure it rests flush against the real ceiling, so hopping on top of it isn’t a good idea.” He sighed, “Even if that would make it really easy.”

Fluttershy nodded and gave them a soft smile. “Then we just need to make sure we reach each of these torches before the ceiling falls again, until we reach the other side.” The other two looked at her questioningly.

Fluttershy pointed to the torches and said, “Those torches are about fifteen feet tall. This means they are in a safe zone… or whatever you want to call them…”

Naruko gave her a bone crushing hug and said happily. “Thanks Fluttershy! See you are even more useful than you have probably ever dreamed about! First you saved us from those manticores. Then you helped us beat those crazy bipedal wolf things. Now you pointed out something that would have taken me a long time to notice on my own probably.”

Naruko gave her a smile and friendly nuzzle. Fluttershy blushed, but felt really happy. A part of her decided that she really was still a good pony even after she did such horrible things earlier.

The three companions waited until the upper floor crashed down and raised once again. As soon as there was enough room for a pony, Naruko shouted to Fluttershy, “GO!” The two raced to the first torch and grabbed onto it tightly making sure they weren’t in the floors crush area.

Kyuubi was lucky in that he didn’t have to worry about it. He reverted to his one tail size and grabbed hold of Naruko tightly as she ran. It took a little while but the floor crashed down again as they all three caught their breath.

Regardless of the seemingly extra time they had, Fluttershy was glad she spent a lot of time on the ground. After all Rainbow Dash may be fast in the air, but she never spent much time on the ground running. Fluttershy had a feeling that if she were to race Rainbow Dash a decent length on the ground she would easily win. Rainbow could probably still run fast because of her over all talent for a bit but not for long.

{-} {-} {-}

The trio had spent a good amount of time making their way across the room, but now they noticed there was a long distance between them and the next torch. There was no way for them to get there fast enough. Naruko sighed. “I wish I was as good as Twilight with the teleportation spell.”

“So I guess that means I can’t just hold on to you as you magic us over there?” Fluttershy asked weakly. Naruko nodded. The butter yellow pony frowned and her ears drooped.

Naruko sighed as more memories and thoughts of her favorite pony, she had met so far, rushed through her head. “Twilight would be able to figure this out no problem.” Naruko thought to herself.

“No use crying about it Naruko. I am sure eventually you will get to go to one of these temples with her, but now is not the time for such thoughts.” Kyuubi thought to her in reply.

Soon after that he gave a smile and said. “Naruko! When the floor crashes next time hoist me up in the air. Fluttershy’s wings aren't working properly right now, but if you hold me up there long enough I bet I will find a non-lit safe area between here and the next torch.”

Naruko gave a smile to him. Once the floor crashed again, Naruko surrounded him in her light blue magic glow without warning and hovered him above. Kyuubi might not have liked the abrupt and was unprepared for the change of altitude, but he didn’t complain. He looked and found what he was looking for.

Once he was back on Naruko’s back he said, “Ok if you go right three white squares from facing the end of this hall, and then up two black you will be in a safe area. It isn’t very big though.” Naruko nodded but waited until after the floor had crashed down one more time before moving.

She ran as fast as she could without losing Fluttershy. Once they were in the designated location she left out a breath as the two ponies huddled in close together. Naruko couldn’t help but take in her friend’s scent. She blushed as she inhaled. She liked it even if this wasn’t the time to be thinking about such things. Also she cursed herself mentally for some reason and thought of Twilight.

Fluttershy blushed a little as well. She wasn’t used to being this close to any pony in such a manner. It felt extra intimate or something. At the same time, she had mixed feelings about it. Part of her liked it, and part of her wasn’t as thrilled. When the floor rose again she sighed in relief as they made a rush for the next torch.

After a few more minutes, the three travelers made one mad dash for the door on the other end of the hall. Fluttershy eeped as she barely made it to the safe area as the floor crashed down one more time. Once her heart rate slowed down a little, the group opened the door and found an empty room apart from another magic console thing. Naruko wasted no time in activating it, and soon they found their selves back in the main lobby area.

“I am not so sure about your reverse order theory partner…” Kyuubi said in a low tone. Naruko sighed to this as Fluttershy tried to be supportive but agreed with Kyuubi.

“Fine!” Naruko said aloud. “We will go through door number one then! This will show you all I was right!”

{-} {-} {-}

It took them a few minutes to work their way through the enemy wolf creatures. Finally they reached the last door with only a few scrapes and bruises. Naruko then said, “Okay… So I was wrong. Still that was easier than door number four was!”

Fluttershy shook her head and said, “Only because we knew how to handle them now…” Naruko sighed as she pressed a button on the console and they were teleported back to the temple lobby again.

Naruko, still trying to be optimistic said cheerfully, “Well now we just have one more door left before we go into whatever opens in here. Cheer up guys! We are making good progress.” She then smiled at them as they both shook their heads before smiling as well.

“So all we have left is door number two.” Kyuubi said. The other two felt adrenaline course through their bodies as Naruko opened the last door. They expected the most fearsome of tasks to lay before them. They thought there would be some kind of crazed undead ponies working alongside these wolf creatures that had somehow also learned all of their tricks. They expected a battle for their lives and to face nightmares they would never recover from for the rest of their lives.

A short ten minutes later Naruko looked disappointed as she pressed the button and they were again in the lobby. There was nothing but two empty halls they passed through without problem behind door number two.

“Okay so I was wrong about the meaning behind the numbers…. So sue me…. I won’t pay up though if you do.” Naruko said. She then looked around and saw one last magic console appear in the lobby along a wall.

Naruko approached it carefully. She then said to the others. “Be ready for anything.” Kyuubi was now in his three tail form and ready to jump to five if needed. Fluttershy’s eyes seemed to once again turn cold and uncaring as she took a stance. Naruko got her horn ready to throw magic attacks.

The floor in the center clicked and pieces seemed to retreat into large parts of the floor as stairs descending below appeared. There was an odd light coming from below.

Each of the companions stared and slowly made their way below, never dropping their guard as they descended cautiously. Both ponies felt scared, but they refused to let it get to them. Kyuubi felt exhilarated, as if they were about to find something truly amazing just below them. He wasn’t sure if it would be amazingly wonderful or amazingly terrifying though.

The three stepped into a bright and blinding light. Once on the other side, all three gasped and sighed at the sight.

Author's Notes:

I know it took a while to update this fic and I am sorry for that, but it took me time to come up with some of the elements of this chapter that will end up affecting the story as a whole majorly. I do have half way decent news though, because of how I sometimes skip around a little bit when writing chapters for my really long stories. I have some distant future chapters mostly ready to go, and I have parts of the next two chapters written out. This means sometime in the future, distant or otherwise, there will be some multi-chapter updates! Hopefully that is good news for some of you readers.

One last thing I wish to point out. I would like to hear your thoughts on the story as it is going so far. I know some out there just read fanfics and don’t actually write, but I believe those people still have worthy opinions and thoughts on the story regardless. I want to hear thoughts on the good and bad, because I believe most criticism can have something to provide. Unless it is offered without any actual thought put into it or just out of spite.

The Rise of Kindness.

Chapter 12: The Rise of Kindness.

The three stepped into a bright and blinding light. Once on the other side of the light, all three gasped and sighed at the sight. They didn't see any enemies in the area so they sighed in relief. In fact, the new chamber was large and also very bright. It was almost as if Celestia herself made a way for sunlight to reach down into this new area filled with fields, grass and trees. This was the reason why they gasped at the sight. It was really that beautiful to them after everything else.

All around them they saw animals of all kinds frolicking about, and felt the warm and gentle glow of the Sun on their backs. The room had a whole lot of trees and other such vegetation growing in the area. It was a rather peaceful place. The only thing that reminded them it was inside a temple were the grey rock walls surrounding the whole area. However, these walls weren't all visible, but the group knew they were there.

The trio couldn't help but relax to the sight before their eyes, even knowing they were still in the temple. They still kept their guard up somewhat as they moved. The group made their way through the area happily watching the animals go about their business. Some of the younger animals watched the newcomers with wonder. Some of the elder animals seemed to more or less ignore them as they made their way through the paradise like area cautiously.

{-} {-} {-}

Different thoughts ran through the ponies' heads as they kept moving forward. Naruko wished they weren't on a mission, because she really wanted to explore this new area. Fluttershy wished they weren't on a mission because she really wanted to make a lot of new animal friends here.

Kyuubi had his eyes searching all of the area. He wasn't going to say it to the others, but he sensed animals that could be actual threats hidden just beyond their sight. “Fluttershy. If needed these animals can be talked too. So if we need any help here to avoid… unpleasant situations. You are going to be key in our negotiations. Are you ready to show why your abilities are very powerful and important if needed?” The butter yellow pegasus nodded glumly to his words as she continued to march forward.

The trio were now standing on a ledge that went down further into a vast area of farms near what looked like a town. Below them they saw little huts and creatures that looked a lot like rabbits of all colors and sizes.

Some of the rabbits were closer to the size of Spike while others were the size of normal bunnies. The majority of them fell somewhere between the large and small ones, and all of them had hoods and cloaks of forest colors, and some carried around staves of some kind. More surprising, some carried what looked like swords of an odd make.

Fluttershy gave a happy squeal, despite the presence of rabbits wearing swords. She thought they were cute with their little hoodies. She also thought the staves added a certain charm as well. She knew most bunnies didn’t use tools, but she also knew her Angel Bunny did, so she wasn't as wary of the swords and staves. Besides she was just really happy to see cute little cuddly creatures again.

“Oh you’re so cute aren’t you? You little bunnies!” She said aloud as she dove for one of the slightly larger ones in front of her. She was surprised when there was a bright flash originating from the bunny’s staff. Once the flash disappeared so did the bunny, but only to shortly after reappear. It was now a few inches away from her, and out of her lovable grip range.

Fluttershy was about to go for it again when the bunny actually spoke. “We are not little bunnies. We are the Holders of Secrets. We are the Guardians of the Temple’s heart. We are the seers of Past, Present, and Future! We are the Bunnicans! We are the Harmony Watchers!” The creature said with pride as he puffed out his chest.

Fluttershy, Naruko, and Kyuubi just all three stood there frozen in shock for a few seconds before Naruko decided to break the silence. “Wait a minute! You just talked!” The bunny like creature stared at her with a flat expression. “I mean you just talked and I understood you! I didn't know bunnies could talk. Did you Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No… I mean they do talk the way all animals do like I said when we first met. But they don’t talk like this. That is why I was so excited to see Kyuubi and Spike.”

The trio then heard an elderly, but still powerful and wise voice speak from behind them with amusement. “Bunnies do not. But we are the Bunnicans. We were gifted with speech long ago by the ponies who held this temple sacred so long ago that even the Princesses may not fully remember this place.”

The dark colored bunny in front of them bowed and said, “Elder it is good to see you out and about again.”

The elder nodded and said, “Rise Fredrick. We have honorable guests before us. I must speak with them alone and offer them shelter. Go and find Alicia Tail and have her prep her home.” The dark furred bunny, Fredrick, gave a smile and nod as he hopped away towards the largest hut in the area.

The elder then turned to the adventurers and said, “Come ponies of the sun and moon. We have much to discuss. You as well honored one of the celestial foxes. I welcome you all to Life’s Glade!” The trio nodded and followed still trying to grasp that they were following a large bunny wearing a hood, holding a staff, and walking on his hind legs.

{-} {-} {-}

The elder gave the group a tour of the glade. He was buying time for Alicia Tail, but the adventurers didn't really care about that. They were too taken in by the sights around them to do much else, but dumbly follow the elder.

They saw several bunnies talking to each other as they went about trading goods. They saw huts of different designs and coloration. They even saw a place called the Carrot Juicer. It looked like a bunny version of a bar to Naruko.

They were finally inside Alicia tail's hut and in the dining room when the elder spoke again. “I feel honored to meet one of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. I am also honored to meet the Guardian from the Stars, despite what her coming means.” Fluttershy turned to Naruko for an answer. Naruko gave a shrug in response.

After a small pause the elder spoke again, “We, the Bunnicans, or if you prefer the Harmony Watchers, are in trouble. In the past if things went bad we would have gone out and faced these wolf like creatures on our own, but they are smarter than they were previously. Also it seems someone is keeping an eye on them, and forcing them to stay in this plane of existence. This is bad, for we know what is at stake!”

The older bunny turned to the window and sighed sadly, “The wolf creatures don’t even really know what they are fully doing. It is the Stone Guard’s doing that has forced them to fight and exist as they have many years now. He needs to be dealt with permanently for the curse that binds them and this place to be broken.”

Naruko and Fluttershy remained silent waiting for the leader to continue. The aged bunny narrowed his eyes as he looked out a window. “I ask that you two continue your quest and destroy the stone's guardian. The guard became obsessed with its duty. The guard was originally designed to protect a stone called the stone of Life’s Freshness. It was called this because it randomly altered genetic composition in animals in the hopes of forming new and viable life. The pony monks and priestesses of this temple called it simply Life’s Stone and they held it sacred.”

The Bunnican leader sighed. "The Stone Guard was given the gift of intelligence. His duty was to protect the stone until the time came it was needed to help this land. He was then to aide in the land's protection in anyway he could. He stayed true to his duty for many years, but one day he decided in order to protect the stone he needed to exterminate those who stayed and lived here."

Two sets of pony eyes widened in comprehension and the ponies blanched at what this meant happened here long ago. "How did your people survive then?" Fluttershy asked.

The leader continued looking out the window. "We were saved by one of the priestess ponies. She told us a time would come when we would need to help a group of travelers in retrieving the stone. We were told its secrets, and she then used a special stone that mimicked Celestia's sun to allow us to provide our own food.

The aged bunny leader turned to face them both. "You must take Life's Stone from here."

Fluttershy seemed a little less certain about their mission. She didn't like the idea of removing something that was responsible for so much. She figured if they removed it they would cause something bad to happen. She also feared that the princesses didn't know this when they sent them on this mission. She would have shared her concerns with Naruko, but she heard a throat clear and she turned to look at the rabbit again.

The elder smiled to them as he said, “It is called Life’s Stone, but worry not. If the stone is removed by the right pony, or ponies it won’t cause anything bad to happen.”

“And if something bad happens? Then what?” Naruko asked simply. Her face was expressionless, but she was deep down a little terrified that even this rabbit didn't know everything about this stone, since he was told about it by somepony else. She also feared she wasn't the 'right' pony.

The elder rabbit might have usually laughed at such a question, but he knew not to do so in this situation. Instead the Elder of the Bunnican’s sincerely said. “Then it won’t matter how dark the times before us are. The wrong pony will have gained control of the stone, and we most likely won't see the end of days ourselves."

The elder narrowed his eyes on Naruko as he said, “If that happens, you will already be lost to us all. Much depends on you Guardian from the Stars.”

He then turned to Fluttershy and said calmly, “Much depends on you and the other Elements of Harmony as well.” Fluttershy gulped and shivered a little in response for only a moment.

The two ponies gave each other determined stares briefly before Naruko sighed and asked, “So what do we need to do, in order to avoid ‘bad things’ from happening before picking up the stone?”

The old bunny then explained to them what they needed to do. He told them about traps to avoid and to be ready before grabbing the actual stone. Honestly, it wasn't much different from what Naruko would have done herself anyways, but she did appreciate knowing what to do in advance rather than having to figure it out on the fly.

“Come though… We still have much to discuss. Most of it is good news as well. Join me for dinner, if you two ladies would like.” the elder said to them both.

The dinner was very pleasant, and the trio learned a little more about what still laid before them on their journey beyond the Temple of Life. The elder also mentioned something about trials each would face. “What trials lay before us?” Naruko asked.

The elder took in a deep breath and said, “Ahhh…. You shouldn't worry about it for yourself just yet young Naruko. However, I will tell you that the trials which lay before you will enlighten each Element and you as well on this long multi-staged journey you are all taking.”

The elder rabbit then looked to Fluttershy and said, “Kindness will be the first to face these trials. She must succeed, or all will be lost even more than it is now. She will be the first to start this personal quest all of you must face.” Fluttershy started to leave and get ready for 'this trial' feeling a little sick and nervous. It was a lot of pressure for her, and she was tired.

Naruko gave the rabbit a raised eyebrow before he spoke again. “Yes even you, Naruko will face many trials. However the time for your trials is still far off. You will serve as both friend and guide for the others Naruko Uzumaki from Konoha!” Fluttershy was too busy worrying about what she would be doing to take much notice of his title for her unicorn friend.

Naruko and Kyuubi both raised their guards and got ready to attack if needed. They didn't like someone knowing their secret they hadn't told and didn't even really know.

The elder spoke calmly as he said, “Worry not. We shall keep your secret to ourselves no matter what happens. Besides, to us you are a blessing from the stars of sorts, Naruko. You are here to help end that which will plague all of life on every planet if left alone, for this reason though, you must teach one in particular all you know...” The Bunny leader’s eyes narrowed at her. Naruko wasn't sure what he meant but deep down a part of her knew what he meant. She still refused to lend his words any credence.

Fluttershy gulped as she finally and slowly reached the door. She had paused to listen more to Naruko's and the elder's conversation. She hoped to now leave unnoticed, but both Alicia and Fredrick stood blocking her exit. One held a sword while the other held a hearty staff. She was tempted to bolt for a window.

“If you run now Fluttershy, you will do a grave injustice to not only Equestria, but all of your friends. Are you sure you want to disappoint them?” The elder looked at her with cold hard eyes.

Fluttershy gulped and quickly shook her head. She might have tried to talk him down, but she had a feeling that tactic wouldn’t work on him or the guard bunnies. She sighed in defeat. The elder gave her a softer look as he said, “You may however take some time to yourself and rest. I need to speak with the Guardian from the Stars alone anyways.”

Fluttershy would have again wondered what this title for Naruko was really about, but she was also very tired. She gladly decided to take the time to herself for a nap. She didn't know what lay before her, but she knew she would have to be at the top of her game to tackle it. Whatever it was.

{-} {-} {-}

Once Fluttershy was gone, Naruko looked to leader of the Watchers and asked, “What did you need to see me alone about?”

“We the Harmony Watchers, or simply the Watchers, know of your true origins. We also know what would have become of you had you stayed there. Things would be very different, but you would not have gained all that you already have here.” Elder gave a mysterious smile to her.

Naruko looked to him with a dumbfounded expression. He gave a chuckle. “Your ‘Old Man Hokage’ talked about bonds briefly. However, he was not as well versed in them as he may have seemed to be.”

Naruko gave a scoff to his surprise. “I may not know everything about bonds and friendship yet.” She gave him a foxy smile as she said, “But I have learned more about them than I know I ever could in Konoha alone…”

The Elder gave her a smile and said, “Good. This knowledge of yours will undoubtedly come in very handy as you and the others go through the many trials before you. Also the fact you care more for your new home here in Equestria than you ever did Konoha will be important for all.”

“You mentioned these trials many times. You also mentioned Naruko arriving here more or less foreshadows both good and bad things to come.” Kyuubi said in his normal but still powerful voice. He then narrowed his eyes ever so slightly as he asked, “Can you expand upon what you mean?”

The elder gave him a proud smile for some reason. Kyuubi didn't like this. To him it was the elder acting like he, the nine-tailed fox and strongest of the tailed beasts was nothing more than a kit that had just figured out something on his own. Kyuubi however, wasn't brash nor did he easily loose his cool now that he was a familiar instead of a prisoner. He just stared knowing the aged bunny would answer.

“Naruko. Your coming means many things.” The elder paused and took a long breath. Naruko imagined Old Sarutobi taking a draw on his pipe and gathering his thoughts. “You have come from a different world to our own. You were changed into a unicorn and are now fully a pony. You escaped a world that rarely more than pretended to care for you. This move of yours is good. No one should go through all that you did there in only 12 years of life.”

“I feel the same way. That is why I feel very at home and happy here,” Naruko said with a smile. Her smile then turned into a small frown as she continued. “What happened there does still bother me sometimes, but only rarely.”

The elder nodded and gave her a warm smile “It is good you were able to break free from that place. However…” His smile disappeared to be replaced by a neutral expression. “Things have been set in motion. These events would have possibly happened regardless of if you came here or not, but they are now happening and will be far reaching.”

Naruko and Kyuubi frowned to this. “Dark times are ahead of us Naruko, Guardian from the Stars.” The elder said to them solemnly.

Naruko felt angry at herself. She felt as if she had done something wrong by wanting to have actual friends and live her life freely. The blonde unicorn’s sapphire blue eyes turned dark. Her eyes now seemed to hold nothing but anger, hatred, and darkness in them. If the elder had seen them for too long he would have feared for Equestria’s future. However the darkness only lasted a few seconds.

“There is still hope. Very good hope for everything, Contract Guardian.” The elder said softly. His words soothed Naruko some, but she would never admit it publicly. “You are here now. You and your friends will and must succeed in your tasks. The Elements of Harmony are more than even Celestia’s close kept theories explain them to be.”

Naruko’s blue eyes widened in surprise to his words. The elder just kept speaking. “They are capable of protecting more than just Equestria alone. You will in some way help the Elements realize this, and lead them to find out more about their powers.”

Naruko smiled lightly to his words. She was relieved to hear this. To her it meant she would be close to the others, even if she wasn't an element herself. She had only voiced it to Twilight a couple of times, but she feared she wouldn't be much of a friend to the others because she wasn't an element.

She narrowed her eyes as the Leader of the Watchers spoke once more. “This means when your own trial comes, the result will determine the fate and destiny of more than just yourself. You will learn much more about bonds and friendship. You will learn the good… and the bad. The strengths and the weaknesses of such matters. Remember this when that time comes.”

Naruko nodded in understanding to him. The elder bunny smiled. He had a feeling things would work out in the end. He then gave a warm and friendly chuckle as he said, “Now then what shall we do to pass the time while your pegasus friend rests her body? Want to play a game?” The elder then pulled out several games like chess and Shogi and many others as well.

Naruko and Kyuubi humored him on the games. In the end, the elder rabbit won all of the games. He laughed at them in good humor when they finally gave up on trying to beat him.

Naruko had come close to beating him a couple of times, but she still knew she was far from being his equal. Kyuubi almost always came in a close second to the aged rabbit.

He was half tempted to just eat the little creature for this, but he knew better than that. He had a feeling this rabbit thing would be important later on, plus it was bad form to be such a sore loser you actually eat your opponent in a friendly game.

The Guardian and her familiar were about to go off and rest themselves, when the elder spoke up once again in a serious voice. “Once your friend completes her trial, we will give you that which you need to unlock the last door up above.” Hearing that the two departed to rest while they waited for Fluttershy's trial.

{-} {-} {-}

Fluttershy gulped as she looked at the large unfriendly door in front of her. If the Harmony Watchers were to be believed, then she was just a bearer of the element of kindness. She always thought it was an honor to be a bearer, but the watchers told her it was only just the surface. They told her the elements had powers on their own for those that went further than just “Bearer”.

She was told they were meant to be more than just six items used together by ponies who exhibited their attributes for a giant beam of Harmony that could defeat enemies of Equestria. She was told stories, supposedly from before the time of Celestia and Luna about the Elements as well.

She also overheard some talking about a “White small one” that seemed to have failed in their first and very important mission on the way to this door, because she was just a bearer. She felt saddened hearing this. Fluttershy felt she had not only failed her friends, and the mission possibly, but also a cute little bunny that was given a huge responsibility.

In the end, Fluttershy was told she could not be the true Element of Kindness until after she passed through the door and completed the test that awaited her, and later found her inner balance. She still wasn't sure about this balance business they talked about, but Kyuubi and Naruko kind of understood it and agreed with what the Bunnicans said.

“If nothing else it will allow you to better help your pony and animal friends Fluttershy, so have courage and never give up!” Kyuubi said to her in a reassuring voice.

“Kindness doesn't mean weakness and not taking a stand for yourself Fluttershy. Kindness is very similar to mercy, I figure. This being the case, sometimes mercy requires us to do the unthinkable and even, Celestia forbid it, end a life that has nothing but suffering before them. Would it not be kind to help ease their pain and passing?” Naruko had said rather darkly.

Fluttershy cared a lot about Naruko, but she could sense a certain darkness in her friend with these words. It was something always there, but unseen and not really a threat to others for the most part. It was still a part of her blonde unicorn friend though, that sometimes made an appearance. This statement was an example of that darkness showing through in one way.

“What is to keep me from going crazy, and just deciding to end everypony’s life as a means to end their suffering?” Fluttershy asked. She knew the answer, but she hoped there was another.

“That is something you will have to deal with as you balance yourself out Fluttershy, just as the Harmony Watchers said. It won’t be easy, and you may have an even greater destiny than me to work towards, but as your friend I will do what I can to help you out Fluttershy.” Naruko said as she gave a warm smile, and placed a hoof on the yellow pegasus’ shoulder.

Fluttershy took small comfort in the gesture, and then gulped as she proceeded to the door that gave off a nasty vibe to her. Naruko and Kyuubi tried to give her reassuring smiles, but Kyuubi’s smile seemed more intimidating than anything.

The pink maned pegasus closed her eyes, finally opened the door and entered the room.

{-} {-} {-}

Fluttershy took several steps into the room with her eyes closed before she finally heard the door shut behind her. She gave only a small squeak at the loud volume, before opening her dark blue eyes. The room she was in had little light to it, but since she had her eyes closed it took less time for them to adjust to their surroundings, even if just barely.

The room was deathly quiet. Fluttershy was using all of her new found will power to keep from collapsing to the floor and quivering in fright. She took a few shaky steps forward, not sure what awaited her, but determined to face it despite her urge to run and hide. She was through with hiding now. She wanted to stand tall by her friend’s sides and face whatever was to come together with them.

As she made her way to the middle of the room, Fluttershy felt her resolve start to crumble again. “What can I do to help really? I may have helped a little on the way here, but Naruko and Kyuubi did most of the work,” Fluttershy thought to herself.

Her depressing thoughts continued, “I am still just in the way… I always have been… Naruko and Kyuubi would have found a way through it all even if I wasn’t here… Twilight and the others would have found a different Element of Kindness, who was stronger than me. I’m sure of it! I’m not even a half way decent flyer! I'm a pegasus pony! I shouldn't be scared of flying.”

More thoughts similar in tone to these found their way into her mind without any rhyme or reason. She was so lost in her thoughts, Fluttershy failed to notice the small glow on the ground from below her as she finally came to a stop in the exact center of the room. She started to think this was all some strange dream where she was adventurous, and half way deserving of Naruko’s and Twilight’s friendships.

Her thoughts continued a little longer, and she remembered her time in Flight Camp before she heard a laugh from all around her. Fluttershy straightened up hearing this laugh, and brought up her guard. Her eyes searched the darkness for anything that stuck out. Soon her darkened blue eyes landed on a shadowy silhouette directly in front of her that moved closer to her.

“Yes that is right, Cluttershy…” A dark but similar voice to her own spoke form the shadows. “Despite what you may have done now, you are still useless. You are only a burden to your friends.” A figure that looked like a darker version of her stepped into the light of the room.

The pegasus in front of Fluttershy looked like an exact copy of herself, but there were noticeable differences. The other Fluttershy seemed much more confident in every way. She stood taller, she had a sexy, but dark smile gracing her lips, and her body seemed more streamlined and fetching.

In essence, the Fluttershy copy in front was everything the original wanted to be, but a little more greyscale overall somehow. The coloration almost made this newcomer seem sicker or at the very least twisted and crueler. Still this copy seemed to have many attributes Fluttershy envied in some fashion.

The cruel yellow pegasus gave a confident smile, and her eyes were half lidded as she slowly walked forward putting just the right amount of sway in her flanks. “You can’t even stand tall and proud.” Cruel Fluttershy struck a pose with ease that even the original had to admit was enticing, and under different circumstances might cause a stir of feelings inside her.

“You don’t even know how to draw attention from colts in puberty with this blessed body. You always cower while others do the actual work when it matters. You can't even hardly fly. If it wasn't for meeting Naruko and Twilight, you wouldn't have any real friends. Rainbow Dash just liked having a pathetic pony that made her look even more Awesome.” The copy then gave a cruel, but still sexy laugh at the original Fluttershy.

The real yellow pegasus drooped her head and ears as she lowered herself. The mean and cruel flyer kept talking, “And how do you repay them? Your friend Naruko almost died because you chose to just cower instead of actually help her.” The copy said in a mocking voice.

Fluttershy started to cry to her cruel counterpart’s words. They may or may not have been true, but the words voiced everything Fluttershy feared. “Yes, that is all you can do really. Just cry and look pathetic while your friends risk their own lives to save you and everypony else.”

The grey yellow flyer walked closer to the cowering butter yellow one. “Naruko and Kyuubi are only putting up with you, and humoring your oh so small and fragile ego with their kindness and supposed belief in you.” The copy gave a harsh and cruel laugh as she said, “Really there was barely any ego there to begin with truthfully.”

Fluttershy thought about her mission so far. Memories of the Manticores and the wolf creatures they faced in the temple came to her mind. She remembered Naruko’s relieved and truly thankful smile as she thanked her friend for saving her life. She also remembered the moment they had the night before entering the temple as well as her fighting by their side, even if that part was sort of hazy.

The butter yellow pegasus’ blue eyes grew determined. Fluttershy stopped crying and her lower lip quivered only slightly as she weakly said, “You lie….”

The copy raised an eyebrow as she asked, “What was that? I could barely hear you.” She then looked around the room as if trying to figure something out. Crueltyshy then placed a darkened yellow hoof to her chin as she said, “There must be a wind of some kind if I can’t even hear you speak. I mean no pony would be so weak they couldn't even voice their thoughts in a completely silent room and go unheard.”

Fluttershy stood up and spoke again with more force, “You lie! I am not just a burden to my friends!” The copy just looked mildly amused at this. “I have helped them in ways only I can help. I have even helped them fight those monsters which allowed Naruko to activate the seals!”

Fluttershy was now standing tall and determined. She needed to help Naruko complete this mission for the safety of Equestria and their friends! She wouldn't let this shade stop her from doing this. She wouldn't let her fear and shyness prevent her from helping her friends anymore. She would do what was needed!

Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed at her shade. The shade got into a position. She was ready to face the original and take control of their lives.

Fluttershy launched herself at the shade, and with a shout she sent a hoof fast into the shade’s face. The copy was unprepared for this ferocity, and took the hit straight to the face.

The gray yellow pegasus flew backwards a good distance before recovering, and barely blocking a bright yellow hoof. The impact sent the shade crashing to the ground. Fluttershy hovered waiting to make her next move.

The dark figure gave a small chuckle and smirk, “Well it seems you have enough backbone to make this an entertaining fight. Though, I was the one that fought those wolf creatures. You were so weak you couldn't even set aside your shyness, and ridiculous preconceptions about good and bad to help your friends when they needed it the most.” The shade then launched towards Fluttershy flying as fast as she could.

A grayed out yellow hoof made contact to the left side of Fluttershy’s face. The shade gave a smirk for a couple of seconds before the butter yellow pegasus recovered and made her way back. The shade dodged the first counter attack, but was unprepared for the kick that came her way and sent her flying.

Fluttershy didn’t take time to revel in her successful hit. She quickly made her way to the other pegasus and landed another hit that sent the specter flying upwards without control. Fluttershy flew up faster and threw a punch with her hoof downwards. The punch hit and the shade glared as she hit the ground and sent dust into the air.

The shade recovered and gave Fluttershy a sneer. The shade's blue eyes gave an unearthly cold glow as she pulled out what looked like a weapon. It was a black sword with a curved and sharp hook on the base of the handle. Crueltyshy flew forward fast and swiped at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy managed to barely turn to the side and avoid the blade strike. “What is that?!” Fluttershy asked out loud unable to keep quiet.

The darker yellow flyer gave a horrible smile as her eyes showed a deep and concentrated disgust. “You can’t even manifest your Element’s powers without that ridiculous accessory?” Fluttershy narrowed her eyes at the impostor.

The shade gave a heartless laugh, “You are even weaker than I thought was possible of an Element of Harmony.” The laugh ended and cold dark blue eyes stared down. “It matters not now. I will end you and show these pathetic friends of yours how a real Element does things!” The pegasus then streaked down towards Fluttershy.

Fluttershy made a slight movement to get out of the way again. This time however, she wasn't caught off guard by the weapon’s presence. The bearer of the Element of Kindness sent a solid hoof hit right-square into the middle of the impostor’s chest.

The impostor gave a grunt of pain as she was sent sideways. She barely managed to recover in time before she would have ended up smack in the middle of a rock wall. The shade gave Fluttershy hate filled blue eyes as she said with more venom in her voice than the original thought possible of anypony. “Why do you bother to fight?!” The specter said.

The shade’s blue eyes were filled with so much hate and anger that it scared Fluttershy. “You and I both know what you do here won’t matter! Once you are out there again all you will do is cower, and whimper when your friends need you the most! You will end up watching their demise in the end, because you are too scared to lift a hoof to help them if it involves actually fighting off an animal of some kind or anything else.”

The specter then gave Fluttershy a disgusted and angry face as she said, “And when that time comes I will refuse to help you out! You know I was the one that fought off those wolf creatures, and saved your friend’s lives earlier!”

Fluttershy’s bravery faltered when she heard these words. The harsh words affected her greatly because she knew deep down they were true. In her current condition, she was more likely to freeze up when her abilities were needed the most. Her time here with Naruko and Kyuubi was just a fluke she was sure. Her light blue eyes widened as her brain started sending her unpleasant images of her friends in pain and suffering because of her cowardice.

She saw many visions, but one bothered her the most. In it, she was cowering after she saw something that was charging towards the others. Instead of even warning them she just covered her eyes with her hooves and whimpered.

Crueltyshy gave a derisive laugh followed by a dark smirk as she said, “Yes that is right, Fluttershy…” The two ponies’ eyes met. “You wouldn't even be able to warn your friends of something in time to save them. Let alone actually help them.”

The dark smirk turned crueler as Crueltshy spoke again. “Even your own animal friends have no respect for you. They blatantly take advantage of your kindness… Your weakness… for the free food and the pampered treatment you give them daily.”

Fluttershy’s blue eyes looked to the ground at this. It was another of her biggest fears that her animal friends were just taking advantage of her.

The shade gave a horrible chuckle as she said, “Even your favorite pet bunny doesn't give a damn about you. Angel Bunny sees your kindness for what it is… Weakness! He happily takes advantage of you all the time!”

Fluttershy started to cry again. She had thought this as well many times. She didn't want to think her shade was telling the truth, but she was finding it hard to refute the thing's words.

“He doesn’t care about you! You are just a free meal ticket to him that he can push around and that is all!” The shade gave her a different disgusted look. It was as if this shade saw Fluttershy as worth less than something foul she accidentally stepped in out in the forest.

The shade had thought she won by this point. The original was crying and unable to look up at her. It was a sour tasting victory really. The shade knew they needed to be balanced to be what they were capable of being, but the original was weak, and useless and didn't care to get stronger. It was better off she took over and fought for Equestria and their friends instead.

Just as the shade was getting ready to make her final move, Fluttershy stopped crying and looked up with deep blue eyes filled with something hard to describe. Her eyes were determined and there was a strength to them now as well. Her whole body seemed to brighten and Fluttershy said in a calm but confident voice. “You are wrong.”

The butter yellow pegasus seemed to have a clarity in her eyes that was starting to show through. “I know I am not strong yet. But things like that take time.” Fluttershy rose up higher into the air in the light that shown in the center of the room. The light shown around her giving the pegasus a graceful look as she spoke evenly.

“I will do what it takes to be there for my friends! I will do what it takes to show all of Equestria that Kindness doesn't mean a pony has to be a pushover!” Fluttershy’s usually quiet voice grew in strength while still remaining soft.

“My friends do not think of me as a burden. I help them in ways only I can help them, and they care for me as a pony and a good friend. My animal friends don’t take advantage of me either. They love and appreciate me.” Fluttershy was filled with faith in all of her friends.

Fluttershy’s beautiful medium blue eyes glowed with her determination. “I am not weak. I will never be weak!”

The shade sneered at her and weakly tried to rock her new strong foundation. “How do you explain Angel Bunny’s rudeness and always staying around you even during spring mating season then?”

Fluttershy gave a knowing smile. “He stays by my side because despite our arguments. We are still true friends to one another. When he gets mean and rude it's because I needed it most of the time. Other than that it was him trying to help me reach balance.”

The shade grimaced to her words. Fluttershy seemed to have reached an epiphany “I just now realized this after overhearing the watchers. He is the white small one they spoke of earlier. I will not let your cruel and poisonous words get to me anymore.”

After her words, something manifested. In Fluttershy’s hooves appeared what looked like a double ended spear with a sturdy and extra-long shaft. It was a weapon fitting of a balanced Element of Kindness. She could use either the shaft to fight opponents, or use the spear heads to end a life quickly if there was no other way. Fluttershy narrowed her blue eyes on the shade and got ready to attack her.

The shade brought up her sword and got ready for combat. She knew the outcome and her fate, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. The shade was ready.

Fluttershy’s double ended spear seemed to glow with a fiery but kind light. She then shot forward faster than she had ever flown before at her target. Fluttershy moved fast enough that she left a pink and yellow trail behind her. The trail wasn't anywhere near as solid or amazing as Rainbow Dash’s, but it was still something very rare.

The yellow pegasus felt her front spear head pierce through the shade’s body. The shade gave a weak laugh as she said in a kinder voice, “So this is it… Just remember I am a part of you, Fluttershy. I am your strength and will manifested into a shape. Separated we are both weakened. Together we will become an Element of Kindness Equestria will be proud of.” With those final words the shade shattered into several pieces. All of them disappeared before hitting the ground.

Fluttershy felt something stir inside her after hearing those words. It only made sense to her now. Harmony was very similar to balance, and for the bearers to bring about true harmony to Equestria they needed to be in balance with each other and their selves. Fluttershy gave a small smile and looked up to the ceiling as the shade’s last words fully sunk in. The room began to light up with a warm and friendly glow as she did this.

Fluttershy took in a deep breath as she thought over everything again, and her weapon disappeared before her eyes. She felt a little empty now with the weapon gone. She realized that she was merely given a glimpse of what she would earn once she achieved her balance. She knew she had a ways to go before that day came. However, she was on the right road to achieve that goal, and more importantly she wouldn't be alone.

{-} {-} {-}

The yellow pegasus made her way to the door that left the chamber. She heard it unlock as she approached. She felt happier, more fulfilled, and more confident in herself as she made her way through the chamber.

She knew what she had done facing those wolf creatures, but she also knew why she did it at the time. Fluttershy wasn't happy with the way she had fought against them, but she understood why she did fight that way. She was so scared of all that was going on around her, that her other self provided a way to deal with the enemies, but not suffer as much mentally.

Fluttershy wasn't going to become best friends with this Crueltyshy version of herself, but she would learn from this trip. Fluttershy would fight as needed, and she would no longer distance herself from her own deeds. She also wouldn't let her fears hinder her when all of her friends, and all of Equestria needed her to be strong and do things she might not usually do. She would fight to protect her home and friends. She would even fight for herself.

The yellow pegasus felt a new connection of some kind after her trial. She couldn't figure it out completely yet, but she knew she had a new connection to her very being. It was weak at the moment, but it was there. This new connection wasn't to her element or with her friends, but something different that would need a lot of work before it solidified.

Fluttershy opened the final door and marched into the courtyard before the chamber she had her trail. As her eyes adjusted to the lighting, she saw several smiling faces looking up to her. She saw the elder raise his staff. He then shouted, “Behold! The one blessed by Kindness! The True Bearer of Kindness!”

After his words, many other voices joined him repeating what he said in a loud chant. Fluttershy couldn't help but blush and give a pleased but confident smile to the chants. She even noticed Kyuubi and Naruko cheering as well.

The scene warmed Fluttershy’s heart, and made her realize how important her role was. She needed to do what she could to fulfill that role. She knew she wasn't the actual element of kindness yet, but she was closer. She was eager to explore how things would be different now.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko smiled as she joined in the cheering with the others of Life’s Glade. She noticed Fluttershy had a new aura about her. Fluttershy no longer seemed like the cowardly pegasus that was scared to fly in the sky and needed to be put under the worst of circumstances before she finally acted. There was definitely something different about the yellow pegasus, but not too different.

Fluttershy finally joined Naruko and Kyuubi. “So do you need to go through the chamber of trials as well, Naruko?” She asked.

Naruko shook her head. “I was told my first of many trials would come later.” She walked closer to Fluttershy and smiled as she said, “You seem different Flutters. I like it.” The yellow pegasus blushed. Naruko gave a small smirk. “So are you ready to continue our quest? I think we're getting closer to the end.”

Fluttershy’s medium blue eyes glowed with determination. Naruko’s eyes widened just a little bit at the further change in her friend. The blonde unicorn was impressed with this new look. “I am ready. We must do what we can to protect Equestria and our friends.” Fluttershy spoke in an even tone as she made her way back through Life's Glade, and then up to the door before the final passageway and chamber to their prize.

“Looks like you have a little competition for bravery and determination now, Naruko.” Kyuubi said with a low chuckle to his partner. The blonde unicorn just nodded her head and followed the other two out as the elder handed them a gem encrusted key, and they proceeded upstairs once more.

{-} {-} {-}

Once the friends left, Fredrick turned to the elderly Bunnican. He had a look of understanding on his face. “So she is the one that will lead my brother Angelus Victus to his destiny?”

The elderly bunny nodded and said, “Yes the True Bearer of Kindness will lead him to his ultimate destiny. Angelus is still young, but he will achieve great things by her side. However, his mission is now more important than ever. For if the ponies who bear the Elements of Harmony do not find their balance… All will be lost no matter how strong the Guardian from the Stars is. They will not defeat the ever growing Cosmic Darkness. Fluttershy will be important in getting the others to find their own balance, and his mission is to get her to find it anyway he can.”

The two Watchers stared solemnly as the ponies and the fox left. Fredrick quietly said to himself, “May you have the will of our people ever with you little brother. I have faith you will help Kindness greatly. One day I will come to visit you.”

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko, Kyuubi and Fluttershy were now standing in front of the large door in the center of the temple’s main chamber. Naruko turned to her friends and gave each a nod. Kyuubi gave a grin of excitement and bared his teeth at the door. Fluttershy only nodded in determination, and this time her eyes stayed the same medium blue Naruko was used to seeing.

Naruko gave a small smile as she turned the key. They were ready for whatever was behind this door. They would retrieve the Life Stone.

The door finally opened and the trio took positions ready to fight. There seemed to be a whole lot of creatures in the areas ahead. Naruko gave a small laugh as she said, “Well looks like we have a little more work to go everypony.” Kyuubi gave an indignant scoff. “And fox….” Naruko added dryly. Then the group sprang into action.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko stood there flabbergasted as she watched Fluttershy at work. The butter yellow pegasus was fighting with ferocity, but she didn't deal any death blows. She only knocked the wolf things out. She even softly apologized a few times, but she was overall focused and determined as she fought.

Naruko had only paused for a minuet to admire Fluttershy’s work, before the pegasus politely reminded her they were on a mission. It took the trio little time to reach what they knew was the last door to the final chamber where Life's Stone was kept.

Naruko gave her two companions one last look. The two returned her look. They didn't need to say anything as they all knew they would either succeed in their mission, or fail. They didn't want to fail, but they knew if they did there was little they could actually do about it afterwards. They decided success was much more preferable though.

They opened the doors and slowly made their way to the center of the lowly lit room. The elder told them about the path to the stone, and the booby traps. He also told them the traps would disarm once they had the stone, but the Stone Guard would appear to challenge them.

Naruko and Fluttershy were scared of what would happen once this Stone Guard appeared. They both visualized some unsurpassable giant of an enemy ready to fight them. However, they both felt more at ease once they heard Kyuubi chuckle.

“This room… This room! It is so large! Naruko you and I can really cut loose in here without too much worry! This Stone Guard better be ready! He will be fighting the Guardian from the Stars, Naruko. The True Bearer of Kindness, Fluttershy. And finally the amazing, powerful, deity the nine-tailed Fox… Even if he can’t use all nine tails yet….” Kyuubi said.

The fox then turned to the others and asked, “Think we can hit six tails in here, Naruko?”

Naruko looked in thought for a moment before she shook her head. “No at most five tails. With Fluttershy here if we go six tails we might get more in each other’s way than anything else.” Kyuubi reluctantly nodded in agreement to that. Fluttershy decided she would ask about this ‘Guardian from the Stars’ and tail business once the mission was over.

The trio finally came in view of Life’s Stone.

The jewel was more beautiful than Naruko could have ever imagined. She was given a good description from the princesses, but seeing the actual artifact in person was amazing. You couldn't fully appreciate it’s splendor with just the words.

Naruko gazed at the Amber encased heart shaped Ruby with bronze tree branches on the outside looking as if they were cradling it. Naruko especially loved the effect the lighting had on the jewel.

The blonde unicorn understood why so many ponies in the past worshiped the thing. She could sense the power in it along with its beauty. It was rather breath taking and overwhelming.

“Ohhh… It really is a pity to remove it, Naruko…. you know if Equestria's and our friends’ survival didn't depend on it….” Fluttershy had voiced Naruko's exact thoughts, so the blonde unicorn nodded her head.

Kyuubi frowned as he said, “I'm more concerned about this Stone Guard than some beautiful stone jewel." He raised an eyebrow at the ponies. "Do you two mind if we continue with the mission now?”

Naruko and Fluttershy both blushed in embarrassment but kept looking at Life's Stone. He then looked around carefully and said, “I don’t like this one bit at all… We should at least see some signs of this final enemy by now… I don’t see anything though.”

Naruko broke from her revere of the stone as did Fluttershy. “Be on your guard. I'm going to grab the stone now…. I'm sure he will appear after that. I'm also willing to bet he has an idea of what we can do. I have a feeling he was watching and studying us while we made our way here.”

The others watched as Naruko took a deep breath and placed a hoof on her chest before extending the hoof forward as she exhaled. It was something she learned from Twilight. The purple unicorn explained how she learned it from her foal sitter who was a princess as well, but still training at the time.

Naruko remembered when she first heard about it from Twilight.

“Celestia told Candance that she would have no hope of being a proper princess if she couldn't even foalsit. Candance thought it was beneath her to do such a thing. In the end, she quickly gave in and only insisted she was given a proper noble family’s foal to sit. Even with me she still would do this thing with her forehoof whenever she was overwhelmed by watching me when I wasn't reading a book.” Twilight said with a chuckle at the time.

Naruko gave a smile and shook her head. She thought it funny how she was remembering something so simple at a time like this. At the same time, the blonde unicorn fully realized what was actually on the line with this mission.

She was even more determined to succeed now!

Naruko grabbed the stone quickly!

For the first couple of minutes, nothing seemed to happen.

Soon they felt and heard a deep rumble from the room. The two ponies and the fox watched as a large stone solider dropped from above landing right in front of them.

The stone warrior was similar to the wolf creatures, but he seemed more at ease with being bipedal. His stone eyes also had an unmistakable intelligence to them, and they reflected ages of experience in fighting a war. Also he was a lot larger than they thought he would be.

The group of adventurers were all three ready to fight. They weren't sure how it would end, but they were going to give it their all. They knew they would just need to find a weakness of some kind in the stone guard, and exploit it. Finding that weakness was going to be the tricky part.

The solider looked at the trio and without any warning rushed at them!

Naruko and Kyuubi barely had time to let out a gasp before they were sent flying backwards. “Alright! Six tails! No holding back! We attack this thing seriously. You hear me Kyuubi?”

The fox only grunted before he was encased in fire once more and emerged with six glorious and fiery tails. He was now really large as well. He was just the right size to take on the Stone Guard.

Kyuubi gave a wicked smile and said in a deep voice. “As you wish Partner! Lets show this rock head what he is dealing with. You ready Fluttershy?” The pegasus who was ignored in the last attack nodded.

Fluttershy took to the sky and started dive-bombing the stone warrior, and bombarding it with kicks and forehoof punches. The guard took a few hits without even a hint of annoyance. Fluttershy knew her hits weren't going to be effective against stone, but she kept going anyways. Every so often she would catch the warrior off guard and use its overwhelming size to her advantage. Truthfully she was very strong and effective considering her size.

Naruko was following Fluttershy’s lead in attacking while also throwing in a small magic blast every so often. She even tried enhanced attacks. She didn't have time for any of her bigger moves in this fight.

Now that Naruko was paying attention and had an idea about his speed, the stone warrior didn't land any devastating attacks. His hits still hurt like hell though.

Naruko and Fluttershy both had to block an attack suddenly, but they bumped into each other and as a result the stone warrior grabbed a hold of them both and threw them towards a wall. Fluttershy fortunately recovered and grabbed Naruko before flapping her wings fast to slow them down.

Kyuubi was trying fire blasts while using his tails and claws to fight. His fire blast told him how high the stone guard’s melting point was. Some of the stone guard glowed red hot at points, but never for long. Kyuubi knew he would have to use his fire abilities for a good sustained amount of time before making progress that way.

Kyuubi backed away, and was about to make a charged blast from a distance on the enemy. However, before he could do so a stone fist was shot his way, the guard then blocked yet another enhanced attack from Naruko, while grabbing and tossing Fluttershy with his other hand. The stone fist struck true and Kyuubi was shaken for a bit.

He cursed not predicting that move, but soon recovered. Kyuubi then made a shadow clone of himself. The clone quickly got to a safe distance and started to charge up a massive blasting attack. It would wait for the right moment to use the attack.

Naruko and Fluttershy kept trying to attack on their own, but also kind of in time with each other while they looked for a weakness. Naruko sent a blue ball of energy from her horn at the guard. Her attack exploded and the stone guard flew back a good bit from the impact.

Once the Stone Guard landed in a heap, Fluttershy saw a red-orange glowing something in the center where part of the guard’s body fall away. She had just told Naruko about it when they both saw something they wished they hadn't seen happen.

The enemy stood up and grinned as it finally spoke in a deep gravelly voice. “Well… Seems you have a few moves up your sleeve.” It then lifted its head to the roof and let out a loud roar. The stone guard grew larger and more rocks seemed to form on his arms and legs. At the same time, his glowing chest weakness grew a little more as well.

Naruko, Kyuubi, and Fluttershy hoped they had scored a lucky break even though they knew they hadn't. The beast let out another roar again, and this time smaller Wolf creatures appeared on the floor below him. If that wasn't enough, they heard some terrible screeching, and soon a good amount of stone gargoyles appeared above him. The room broke apart as they found themselves in a forest clearing with really tall trees around them.

The stone guard smirked as he said again in his gravelly voice. “Did you honestly expect I would expose myself more for just power alone? I have fought many battles, and the main lesson I learned was to find ways to make up for your weaknesses. Let that be a lesson to you lot.”

He gave another smirk and said coldly, “Not that you will live to learn from it.” He then stretched out a rocky hand and summoned forth a large diamond encrusted war hammer. He gave the thing a few practice swings and then effortlessly twirled it in one hand.

Naruko frowned. “Alright we need a plan guys and girls.”

Fluttershy hovered in the air just above them as her eyes turned just a small bit darker. Next she spoke to them in a slightly cold voice. “I will take care of his air support.”

“Are you sure about that, Fluttershy? There are a lot of them you know,” Naruko asked. She had full faith in her friend if the pegasus said she had it, but she needed to be sure.

Fluttershy’s darkened blue eyes narrowed as she said, “They are being forced to fight for him against their wills. It must be torture to have no control over your body like that. It will be a mercy to put them to a final rest.”

Fluttershy then held out her hooves and suddenly there was a light of some kind coming from her. It was similar to what happened during her trial, but a little different. In her hooves, appeared her double ended spear again and it too was different.

Naruko and Kyuubi both looked at it with some awe. The shaft was long and thick with a light colored material. It had two ends on it like the first time Fluttershy used it. This time however, the ends were blades similar to the ones her shade had used.

Fluttershy looked at the thing with awe and worry. It oozed with power and strength, but it didn't feel truly merciful like the first time she used it. She gasped when power surged through the weapon and formed a red glow on the bladed ends.

Fluttershy had to admit she was drawn to the power it promised. She would have resisted it as her instincts told her to do, but she knew now was not the time.

She embraced the power carefully. She could have sworn she next heard the confident voice of Cruelityshy say. “You and I are one, Fluttershy… I will help you here… Beat this dumb rock and its flying stone wings.”

Fluttershy gave a smirk. Naruko and Kyuubi both returned their focus to the enemies in front of them. “I will try to hold off big ugly rock head. Naruko take care of the ground forces. Once you are done with that help me attack his weakness,” Kyuubi stated.

Naruko nodded her understanding. This plan would work she figured. She then made some clones and they all charged into battle. She preferred more of a tactical approach, but now they needed to fight an army without anything to use for cover and no time for planning much.

Naruko’s horn flashed briefly as she once again enhanced her body with magic. The clones on her immediate side did the same. They would all be in the thick of things. She noticed her clones on the side quickly broke off to the sides and got ready to use mainly magic attacks to fight.

Naruko and four clones jumped into the air and landed on top of some wolf creatures. Naruko gave the one to her left a swift buck to the face as she blasted another with magic from her horn.

Her clones were dodging and weaving as they either bucked or hoof punched their enemies. Occasionally they would also use quick magic blasts. Most of the wolf creatures were focused on the attacking group in the center.

The clones on the side took advantage of the distracted creatures. A couple here and there would combine different magic attacks to increase their effectiveness. One clone even made use of a half formed “Rasengan” attack, as Kyuubi called it, to deal explosive damage.

{-} {-} {-}

Kyuubi was glad he was larger in his six tailed form. He was again smaller than the giant of a stone warrior they were fighting, but he was big enough to do as he promised.

The guard lunged at him with the war hammer. Kyuubi moved just out of the way and used his larger and thankfully more powerfully tails to send the warrior to the side.

The stone warrior didn’t bother to really slow his skidding down. This fox hit hard. Instead he used the momentum to get more range. Once he had that range, he jumped up and when he landed with a thundering thud, rock spikes shot from the floor.

The giant stone warrior used his war hammer to send the rock spikes flying at the fox. Kyuubi shot a few powerful fire blasts that caused some of the spikes to explode. He had to actually dodge the others. There was one that he merely swatted to the side though.

Kyuubi launched himself at the stone warrior. He closed the gap between them fast and shifted to the side to avoid a hammer blow, while also using his claws to swipe at the guard’s side. Unfortunately, the stone warrior’s weakness, while exposed more, was still fairly well protected from most attacks.

The stone guard’s hammer crashed into the ground sending spikes of rock up into the air. The guard was going to try a fast one on Kyuubi, but the fox was faster.

The fox focused his chakra and unleashed a controlled gust of wind power from his mouth. When he unleashed the attack, three rock spikes flew at the stone warrior extremely fast before he could use them himself.

The stone warrior managed to cover his weak spot, but he still felt the impacts. He gave a chuckle as he said, “Seems I have a real opponent this time!”

He then looked at the two ponies and gave a dark grin. “Your friends aren’t so bad either. It doesn’t matter though. Once I am finished with you they will be easy to take care of.” The stone warrior grinned once more.

Kyuubi gave his own grin and said, “Then you'll be surprised when we defeat you. My partner never quits, and she is very good at finishing whatever she sets her mind on. Her friend is also very determined.”

Kyuubi mentally laughed to himself as he stared down the guard. His clone was charging up and concentrating the blasting attack. This rock headed guard hadn't even noticed yet. Kyuubi was perfectly happy with this.

{-} {-} {-}

Fluttershy flew quickly towards the group of flying stone gargoyles. She was surprised when one shot magic beams from its eyes. However, she was unfazed by this attack. She simply titled her body and the shots flew right by her. She then used her new weapon to slice through one of the gargoyles. It split in half, and two pieces of stone fell to the ground.

Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel pleased with herself. She had power and was helping her friends and Equestria out with this mission. They were almost finished too. All that stood in their way was a giant rocked solider.

Fluttershy knew she shouldn't feel this pleased while fighting. Had it been any other situation she would have reflected on it. For the moment, she cared more about finishing this mission than anything else. She simply ignored the mental sounds of pleased laughter, from her cruel side.

Fluttershy flew straight at one gargoyle while tilting her body to avoid another beam attack. She then quickly changed her flight path and flew straight up right in front of a stunned stone gargoyle. As she ascended, she used her enhanced blade to cut right through the rock flyer. The two halves then crashed hard into two more gargoyles below.

Fluttershy didn’t stop there though. The power, strength, and determination she was feeling were all too much for that. She attacked more of these flyers. However, it wasn't long until the butter yellow pegasus quickly found herself surrounded by three gargoyles.

She used her stare on one of the rock flyers. The creature’s wings snapped shut, and the thing fell fast to the ground and landed in a crumble of rock. The other two were surprised to see this.

Fluttershy took advantage of the other’s momentary shock at what happened. She sent a hard buck into the one on her left side and it crashed into another one. She stabbed the one on her right in the center of its chest, and it soon crumbled into pieces. She started attacking again.

The other gargoyles started to get smarter soon after she resumed her attack. She had to dodge a couple of beam attacks. The first was just fine, but the second wasn't. She dodged the beam attack, but another gargoyle hit her with a stone paw while she was distracted.

Fluttershy started to spiral downwards and the gargoyles followed. The pink maned pegasus knew this though. Instead of recovering like she was supposed to do in a situation like this. She went with the fall and used gravity to her advantage.

She managed to pull up and level out just a couple of feet from the ground. The gargoyles following her didn’t make it. She also managed to help out a couple of Naruko’s clones by slicing through some of the wolf creature ground army before she pulled back up.

Fluttershy was back up in the air, but this time she was surrounded by several more gargoyles. A couple flew right at her. She managed to turn her body and minimize the attack. She next countered and took her two attackers out, but she also felt a sting on her cheek and a trickle of blood. She knew one of the attackers managed to land a hit. Luckily it was only a shallow cut.

Fluttershy wasn't sure what to do in this case, but knew she needed to lose her armor for better mobility. There were still several gargoyles around her. She got rid of her faithful armor and started to fly fast.

She felt a thrill from flying faster than she ever did in the past, and despite the danger she was finally seeing why Rainbow loved flying fast so much. She even briefly toyed with the idea of challenging her longtime friend to a race. She decided Rainbow would have to be severely handicapped for her to actually stand a chance though, even if she was flying faster.

Fluttershy started to fly even faster and did a few sharp turns every so often. She managed to shake off a few of her pursuers. Still there were too many for her. She saw a dirty and slightly bloodied Naruko in the center of several now cautious wolf soldiers. She started making her way there. She only hoped Naruko would know what she was trying to do.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko was fighting hard against her opponents. This wolf army never seemed to end. It was a tough fight, but part of her thrived off of it. She knew she was meant to be a ninja with how this fight was going. She may be a unicorn now, but she was still a warrior of some kind at least. She thought again about maybe joining the royal guard if nothing else came her way, even if it usually lacked adventure.

Naruko charged two wolf creatures. She lowered her head when she was close enough and drove her horn right into one creature’s chest. She was happy with the effectiveness, but not with the blood that poured onto her. She then quickly sent a powerful buck from her rear legs at the thing to her right's face. The buck was strong enough that it snapped the enemy’s neck as the body spun to the floor.

The wolf soldiers were a bit taken aback by her move, but only for a few seconds. They started to attack again. Naruko continued to fight as did her remaining clones. Fluttershy helped her out when she flew by and sliced through some of the things at least.

Naruko kept fighting. She was now throwing hoof punches and bucks in conjunction with magic attacks. She even managed a few fire and wind attacks as well. However, despite her efforts it seemed the army kept growing. She needed to make an example of one, or do something to get her more space and hopefully time. She got an idea.

Naruko found a larger and surprisingly partially armored wolf to fight. He was clearly tough and respected by the others. Naruko instituted her plan.

She charged the wolf fighter head first. She stabbed him with her horn, but the tip was barely in. It wasn’t enough to kill, but would cause pain. Unfortunately for the wolf though, she used the half formed “Rasengan” attack one of her clones used from earlier.

Her horn glowed light blue and then suddenly the wolf she had horned exploded all over the others. She was dirty and covered in blood and grime now, but the other wolves were giving her room and scared to approach her.

This happened just in time. Soon Fluttershy flew Naruko's way. The pink maned pegasus was being chased by several gargoyles. Naruko quickly summoned forth several magic energy balls, and launched them at a good few of the gargoyles destroying them.

After a while longer the two ponies knew something had to happen if they were going to win this battle. They were both starting to tire out. Fluttershy and Naruko were exhausted but, both ponies were ready to keep on going with their fights to the bitter end. Soon however, they heard a loud roar of pain and the armies they were facing disappeared.

{-} {-} {-}

Kyuubi was not happy with this fight at all. Don’t get him wrong, he loved the fight, but he wasn't on his own. He had to worry about Naruko and Fluttershy. He didn't really mind it that much, he liked having friends, but friends also caused him to hold back and worry when he fought surprisingly.

He saw that both were getting tired, despite how well they were doing in their respective battles. Something had to happen soon. If it didn't then their mission would not succeed.

Kyuubi dodged another attack. However, the following attack caught him off guard. The stone warrior managed to duck down and uppercut him. The warrior then jumped into the air planning to hopefully deliver a final blow.

As the guard was getting ready for his attack, Kyuubi didn't hesitate and quickly threw a blasting energy attack at the thing’s weak point. He heard a loud grunt of pain as the warrior crashed to the ground, causing it to shake a bit.

When the warrior crashed, the gargoyles and wolf creature armies disappeared in smoke. The stone guard stood up and gave a laugh. “I haven’t been hit this good in a long time! I hope you lot are ready for the next round.”

Naruko and Fluttershy both frowned and started to attack him along with Kyuubi. Soon Fluttershy was dive-bombing the warrior right after Naruko used her enhanced body and magic attacks on him. When the others weren't attacking Kyuubi did. Though he always kept saying, “Just a little longer….”

{-} {-} {-}

After a few more minutes of fighting, Kyuubi told the others quietly, “I have a clone with a charged attack. If we can give it an opening then we will destroy this rock head.” The others nodded though they weren't quite sure how to help with this plan.

Finally Fluttershy flew up high and dive-bombed the stone guard yet again. When she did, it was at just the right angle to slice off an arm with one of her staff's bladed ends. The stone guard howled in pain as he bent back from the attackers.

Naruko took her chance. She sent a magic attack at his chin. She then uppercut him with a larger light blue fist of magic launching him in the air. When this happened Kyuubi's clone threw the attack at the weak point before dispersing.

The stone guard looked in surprise and anger as he saw a massive energy attack come his way quickly. He wasn't able to block, dodge, or divert the attack. It hit true on his weak point.

“Curse you ponies!!!!” He shouted just before his body exploded and crumbled to small pieces of rock from the attack. As he fell to pieces, there was a large blast of purple light and many howls of relief. The howling sounded like wolves finally taking a much deserved and long awaited rest.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko, Kyuubi and Fluttershy stared as the Stone Guard was defeated by their combined efforts. The two ponies then collapsed to the floor in relief and exhaustion.

Fluttershy’s weapon disappeared and she could have sworn she heard a voice say, “Just wait until you finally achieve balance...”

Naruko took in many deep breaths that she slowly let out. She gave a small smile and said, “Well that was exciting…. And tough…”

Kyuubi shrunk down to his two tailed form and curled up near Naruko. “You didn’t even have to spend your whole time holding off the big rock head.” He said with only a small amount of annoyance in his voice at the Stone Guard.

“Well… Mission accomplished team….” Naruko said through her exhaustion. “We did good….” She then lifted up the Life Stone in one of her hooves and smiled at the others.

Fluttershy nodded. “I also learned a good bit about myself. The weapon I used and the power that came with it was from my dark side…. I feared to accept I had such a side. I will have to work really hard to find this balance the Watchers spoke about.”

Fluttershy then stretched and said, “But still.” She took in a deep breath and Fluttershy shouted, “Yay! We did it!” The second part was a good bit louder than the first part. Naruko and Kyuubi couldn't help but laugh with the butter yellow pegasus.

After a few minutes they all stood up and Naruko said, “Well time to get this baby to the princesses I think! And then we must celebrate!” She gave a big goofy smile that Kyuubi knew all too well.

“How are you planning to do that, Naruko?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

“Ramen! Of course! I know this place in Canterlot near the castle that makes some really good ramen,” Naruko said with glee. Kyuubi just shook his head, but still smiled at his partner.

“That sounds…. Ummmm…. Fun I guess…” Fluttershy said in her normal manner, but a little louder than usual. This meant Naruko actually knew what she said without guessing or asking again.

“Sounds fun? You Guess?!” Naruko's face turned serious as she looked over her friend closely. Kyuubi gave a chuckle. He knew what was going to happen now.

“Have you ever had ramen before Fluttershy?” Naruko asked with a raised eyebrow.

Fluttershy blushed and trembled a little bit. She was feeling much more like her old self now that the mission was over. “Not really…. I haven’t ever been anywhere other than Cloudsdale and Ponyville in my life…. Not that I mind…”

Naruko gave her a determined look and said, “Then you are coming with me and Twilight for some Victory Ramen!”

Before the usually shy pony could do anything, she found herself being dragged back to Ponyville by an over eager blonde unicorn. Fluttershy decided not to question how her friend was so full of energy after everything they had just been through.

Kyuubi gave a laugh at the situation and soon jumped up into the air and changed to his one tailed form just before he landed on Naruko's back. After having to face the Stone Guard head on by himself, he figured he deserved a lift back to Ponyville.

The trio of friends seemed to have forgotten they still had a large part of the Ever-Free Forest between them and their next destination. However, maybe Naruko's exuberance and chanting of "Ramen! Bow before the Food of Legend!" would scare away any would be predators after the massive explosion of purple light and the howls.

Author's Notes:

I know Fluttershy’s change might take a little away from her cuteness to some, but I always liked her for being both cute and strong for her friends when they needed her to be... eventually. In addition to this I wish to point out this is an AU! Things will change, but I hope to make the wonderful characters we love still be recognizable.

Also…. Wohoo! Yeah!!! Over 800 views and over 40 thumbs up!! I never expected that many. I would like some more thumbs up though.

I am sorry for the delay between chapters, but things have been crazy, and I want to be careful with this story. I know that won’t make too much a difference to most, but it is the truth. I care a lot about this story and have a lot planned for it. The only problem is implementing those plans sometimes.

Plus I feel that a Naruto crossover fic should be done right, so somethings have to be done for this to happen. There aren't too many that do this in my very biased opinion. This doesn't mean there aren't other good ones out there though.

Anyways. Sorry for the lengthy author’s note. I was just so surprised by everything. I want to of course thank you all for enjoying and supporting this story. I would like to hear more from everyone, but I understand. Also the favorites, views and ratings really help out a lot for me as it is!

Feel free to share this story if you want. Sorry if the grammar isn't always the best… I am the only one working on this story, and I am not the best at grammar. Plus after you read a really long chapter of a story you three or four times back to back it gets tough to keep making changes, even if you really like the story.

A fair warning!!!! Season four things will mostly not apply here. I may however, find a way to include some of the ideas if they strike my fancy. I guess in a way part of it did before it was even mentioned. I mean instead of searching for keys they will be searching for artifacts.

Ramen, Canterlot and Show Ponies

Fluttershy and Naruko emerged from the Ever-Free Forest much faster than they probably should have considering how deep in they were. “Ramen! Ramen! Ramen... the food of life!” Naruko sang happily. She was even bouncing a little.

Fluttershy was hovering behind Naruko as Kyuubi walked next to them both in his three tailed form. The blonde unicorn’s bouncing made for an uncomfortable ride on her back, so he decided to walk with them instead.

“This Ramen stuff must be very amazing if she is this happy about eating it,” Fluttershy said softly to Kyuubi. She wasn't at all seemingly fazed by the fact they were just in the Ever-Free Forest and had faced and defeated a giant stone solider.

Kyuubi rolled his eyes and asked, “Am I the only one who finds it odd we had no trouble leaving the Ever-Free Forest that quickly? Also shouldn’t we visit the Princesses right away?”

Fluttershy gave him a questioning glance. Kyuubi shook his head and gave a smile. “It may not really be that amazing to other ponies, but to Naruko… it is.”

“Ramen is amazing. It’s the food of Legends! It is pure utter ecstasy! Especially Victory Ramen!” Naruko said as she started her ramen dance and song again. Kyuubi and Fluttershy just went with it, and didn’t bother to say anything else about ramen.

As they approached Ponyville, Naruko was still bouncing and she was soon joined by a bouncing pink pony. “What are we bouncing for?!" Pinkie asked in her usual cheerful manner.

“Ramen, Pinkie! Raaaamennnnn!” Naruko said.

“OOOOhhh of course!!!” Pinkie said with her usual big and bright smile. She started bouncing in time with Naruko.

Fluttershy hovered over quickly and asked. “You’ve had this ramen stuff before, Pinkie? Is it any good?”

“Ohhh of course it’s super-duper ultra-amazing!” Pinkie said with full confidence. Fluttershy seemed to nod in interest with a hoof on her chin. “Of course I’ve never even heard of it until just now!”

Fluttershy had to catch herself before she fell to the ground as she stopped flapping her wings for a second. “How do you know it’s any good then…? Never mind… I shouldn’t have asked… sorry.”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy! I know it is amazing because Naruko here is so happy to be on her way to get it. I mean it must be really good if she loves it this much,” Pinkie said matter-of-factly.

Naruko just nodded and kept humming and going on about how wonderful ramen was to herself. She wasn’t as crazy about it all the time anymore, but when she did get crazy about ramen she really didn’t hold back.

“So are we all going to get this ramen stuff then?! Oooohhhh!!! Should I throw us a Ramen party?! That might be fun, of course I need to know what this ramen stuff is first. Is it a candy?! I really like candy, or better yet cupcakes! Everyone loves cupcakes! They are like cakes except in cups,” Pinkie said as she spaced out and started to drool, yet she still didn't miss a bounce.

“Cupcakes are good, Pinkie. But ramen is... Ramen!” Naurko said. “Do you want to come with us to have some too, Pinkie?! Fluttershy, Twilight, and I are going to go have some Victory Ramen!”

“That must be even more super fantastically amazingly awesome than just normal ramen! Sure I would love to have some!” Pinkie said. She then started to join in on Naruko’s ramen song.

Fluttershy didn’t want to be a downer, but she felt she had to at least tell Pinkie where they were going to get the ramen. “Ummm… Pinkie… We have to go all the way to Canterlot to get this Ramen…. Can you take that much time off from the bakery at this exact moment?”

Pinkie frowned and said, “Awww…. I can’t go then… At least not today….” She then smiled again and cheerfully said, “Oh well! You will just have to make sure to have enough of this wondertacticful Ramen for me then.”

Fluttershy gave a little nod in understanding as the pink pony turned ninety degrees west and shouted, “Bye lovely wonderful pony friends! Aaaand super awesome fox friend.”

The others gave her a cheerful wave goodbye, and Naruko already started making plans for a ramen expedition for her friends at a later date when they could all go. First though she needed her Victory Ramen with Fluttershy and Twilight.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight was pacing in the library. She was deeply concerned about Naruko and Fluttershy’s mission. Helping Rarity and the others all of this time had done little to ease her mind. It may not have felt like it to her adventuring friends in that temple, but it had been a total of three days at least.

Spike gave a yawn. “Twilight, you need to go and get some rest…. You haven’t slept much at all since Naruko left for her quest with Fluttershy. Your pacing is making me tired just watching.”

Twilight just gave him a look. Spike gulped and decided it was time to clean up the basement, or anything to stay away from Twilight right now. She was acting worse than when she somehow believed the reason Celestia hadn’t given her and Naruko any actual tests for a couple of weeks was to lure them into a false sense of security.

Twilight figured the princess would suddenly give them a pop test that would somehow involve levitating all of the Royal Guards, dodging fire bolts, and singing the Equestrian Anthem… backwards at the same time.

Soon Twilight heard a familiar voice singing about Ramen. Twilight’s purple eyes lit up and she gave a huge smile after frowning for three days straight. “She’s back!” Twilight shouted before she disappeared in a flash of light.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko finally stopped bouncing and looked right in front just as a pink white light appeared. Twilight then dashed forward and gave her a great big hug. “Ohh Naruko you made it back! I was so worried about you!”

She next looked and smiled at Fluttershy before giving her a big hug as well. “You too, Fluttershy! I’m so glad to see you made it! Not that I didn’t think you two would make it! I had complete faith you would both make it no problem! Still it is so good to see you both back!”

Fluttershy wasn’t quite sure how to respond to this welcome back. She was surprised when Twilight appeared right before them. The yellow pegasus decided on just returning the hug and smiling. It really was good to be back in Ponyville again.

Naruko waited until after Twilight finished hugging Fluttershy and then the blonde unicorn gave her friend a great big hug again. “I’m so glad to see you again, Twilight!” She looked her friend over and gave her a concerned look as she asked, “You did at least sleep? Right, Twilight?”

Twilight gave a nervous smile as she said very quickly, “Sleep? I didn’t have any time for sleep. I was too worried, but I don’t need sleep! Sleep is for ponies who don’t know how to pull all-nighters for consecutive days!” She tried to seem confident, but her frazzled mane and the noticeable dark circles under her eyes was a dead give away to the truth.

Twilight finally realized she wasn’t fooling anyone and sighed. “I tried to sleep… I just couldn’t…. I mean you two were on a dangerous mission! I feared I had overlooked something crucial. I know there will be other missions, and you will be alright, but I couldn’t stop triple checking, quadruple checking, quintuple checking, sextuple….” The purple unicorn gave a sheepish smile. “You get the idea.”

Naruko nodded as did Fluttershy while their friend continued, “I mean two ponies lives depended on any information I could find on their mission… Not to mention all of Equestria! Then Spike finally made me realize that I couldn’t figure out everything about that place because not even the princesses really remember much about it…. Spike finally made me go help Rarity and then others in any way I could to help me calm down… only I didn’t! Because I kept thinking about what I would do next time there was a mission.”

Twilight then took in a deep breath, placed a hoof to her chest, before slowly extending it outwards as she exhaled. She jumped a little when Fluttershy shouted, “AHH!!! You’re where Naruko got that from! I was wondering about it….” Fluttershy blushed after looking at her friends and added, “Sorry if I caused you to jump, Twilight.”

“Yes I learned it from her, Fluttershy. She learned it from her old foal sitter,” Naruko said.

The blonde unicorn then turned to Twilight and asked seriously, “Did you… you know…?”

Before Naruko could go further, Twilight shook her head. “Fortunately I managed to keep my worries mostly to myself, and didn’t cause any castle wall destroying accidental magic explosions this time.” She gave another sheepish smile and a small whinny.

Naruko gave a smile and placed a hoof on the other unicorn’s back. “That is good, Twilight.” She then gave Twilight another hug. Fluttershy decided she really didn’t want to know the details about accidental castle wall destroying magic.

“Sooooo…. Victory Ramen?” Twilight asked with a smile and a yawn. It seemed the relief she felt at seeing her friends allowed her body to actually realize how exhausted it was now and relax.

Naruko smiled and said, “Victory Ramen! Fluttershy is coming with us. She has never had it before! Can you believe that?”

“Yes I can actually, Naruko….” Twilight said. The blonde unicorn gave a look of betrayal to this. Twilight then gave her a serious face and said, “It is a tragedy how few know of the wonder that is ramen, Naruko. Remember it is our job as Followers of Ramen to enlighten the unfortunate.”

Naruko nodded emphatically. Kyuubi gave a soft laugh and muttered fondly, “Those two and ramen.” Fluttershy was even more curious about this food if even Twilight seemed to really like it.

Twilight spoke again. “We, the Followers of Ramen, must enlighten the blind to its glory.”

Naruko spoke. “We, the Followers of Ramen, must bring love and joy to others in the form of Ramen.”

Then the two unicorns spoke together, “We, the Followers of Ramen, must remember moderation. For if we don’t, then we won’t experience its true ecstasy, and will never reach Ramen Nirvana.”

Fluttershy blinked, not sure what to make of this until her two friends laughed. Twilight then spoke. “While it is really amazing and wonderful; I still can’t believe we really got that into it and made it a religion when we were younger.”

Naruko laughed and said, “When you say younger you mean until a year ago.” The two giggled and Fluttershy started to laugh as well.

“Did you two really do that?” the pegasus asked.

“Yes. They did,” Kyuubi answered. The two unicorns were still giggling. “In fact, it was Celestia who fortunately got them to make the last decree to their 'religion'. My partner rediscovered her love for the food while training in Canterlot. We found a ramen stand there and had some to eat. Thus her love for the food was reborn and we visited more often. She even dragged the others along with her.”

Kyuubi gave a laugh as he said, “You can only imagine the chef’s surprise when two of Celestia’s well-known personal students, and the princess herself, stopped by his little small food stand the first time.”

Fluttershy gave a giggle to the thought of that. Kyuubi laughed further as he continued, “Also he only made the mistake of giving them free ramen once… Naruko with Twilight’s and Celestia’s help almost ate him out of business. Celestia sent money later after they all recovered from their ramen binge.” Naruko and Twilight laughed to the memory.

Naruko gave a sudden serious look and said to Twilight. “Okay, Twilight.” The pony in question turned to her fellow unicorn. “We will all go and get some Victory Ramen. But you better actually sleep on the train ride to Canterlot. Understood?”

Twilight gave a frown. “You better do the same Naruko Uzumaki! I know you haven’t had much sleep, if any, while on your mission.”

Naruko frowned at Twilight. “Well I did at least sleep some. Unlike some unicorns who stayed up the whole time worrying.”

Fluttershy sighed and then said in a strong enough voice to be heard right away. “We will all sleep on the train ride to Canterlot, There is enough time for it.” She then narrowed her blue eyes, which held a determined glow daring them to challenge her.

Both unicorns lowered their heads and agreed with her as they made their way to the train station. Twilight was actually impressed with Fluttershy putting her hoof down like that. The librarian hoped it wasn't just a temporary thing.

{-} {-} {-}

Before the trio of ponies made their way to their compartment, Fluttershy sweetly asked one of the train attendants to check in on them once they were about ten minutes from Canterlot. The young stallion could only blush and nod to her words. Fluttershy was standing in a way that was reminiscent of “Cruletyshy” as the two spoke.

The butter yellow pegasus couldn’t help, but giggle at his reaction once he was gone. She felt happy that she could get a stallion to react that way. She thought that was something just for ponies like Rarity.

Thanks to Fluttershy’s intervention, the trio of ponies were able to enjoy a wonderful nap on their way to Canterlot. Fluttershy had some very interesting dreams on the way.

Dream Fluttershy was walking with a very impressive grace and sway to her flank. It got the attention of many stallions, and some mares as well. Dream Fluttershy was really happy to get this kind of attention from others. In the past, she was always a side lined mare to ponies like Rainbow, even in her dreams. Now however, she was more than capable of getting attention from others on her own.

Fluttershy decided she really needed to get a use of this part of her. She hoped “Cruletyshy’ might help her out in this regard. She didn’t want to become some whorse, but she wanted some attention in that way. In the end, she did care more about getting along with her friends though.

Naruko had dreams of a different kind. In the blonde unicorn’s dreams, she was devouring mountains of ramen. The mountains of ramen eventually turned in to a large field instead. Next to dream Naruko appeared Twilight and then the two started to run around playing in the field together.

Twilight had a very odd, but enjoyable dream. In her dream, she started out as her usual self studying in the Ponyville Library, which had substantially increased in size. Eventually she found something very crucial and took it to Naruko.

Naruko and her then went on the most exciting and enjoyable adventure ever for anypony. They even went into a foreign land that was covered in sand, but the sunset views were more breath taking than anything she had seen before in either picture or real life. During the course of the adventure many deep feelings were expressed, and the lavender pony was able to tell Naruko of her deepest and most secret feelings.

The dream then changed and she got some odd glimpse of what was clearly a different world. Also she caught a short glimpse of some vaguely familiar human forms, or as close as she could tell from Naruko's descriptions. Each figure looked similar to her friends.

The lavender unicorn shot up and took in a deep breath as she exhaled it. Twilight focused herself and used the tried and true calming motion Cadance taught her years ago. The gifted unicorn then taught her best friend the same thing. This seemed to have paid off if what Fluttershy briefly said about the mission was true.

Celestia’s most gifted student was in a cold sweat as she looked around the compartment. Naruko was busy sleeping and obviously dreaming about ramen if the murmurs of “Ramen! Food of the Gods! MMMM!” were anything to go by.

Twilight looked around and slowly regained her breath completely. She wasn’t sure what her dream was about. “I’ve read and heard that some really gifted unicorns received visions of the future, but they were supposedly jumbled up badly. Was that dream such a vision?” Twilight thought to herself. She always figured the ponies who supposedly had these visions were probably on something and used extremely vague terms very much open to interpretation.

She shook her head. “Visions… of the future…” she said to herself with a hint of distaste. She knew such things were stupid and unrealistic. “Whatever that was… the dream felt so very real though...”

Twilight sighed. “At least I was there with the girls. And more importantly Naruko...” the unicorn said to herself. She was surprised she felt warm at the last part. Twilight was troubled about this. She wasn’t sure where her feelings for the blonde unicorn really fell, and if said feelings were returned in the same manner.

However she knew no matter what, Naruko would always be there for her until her last breath. Twilight always did her best to show her appreciation for this whenever she could. She may be new to this friend stuff, but she was already wholeheartedly into it. Though she did kind of favor Naruko.

Whenever there was a fight between Naruko and somepony else. Twilight usually sided with the beautiful blonde Unicorn. She even knew if it came between Celestia and Naruko…. Twilight would choose Naruko…

Twilight was just very glad that situation was very unlikely to happen. Naruko was different, but she too saw the Alicorn princess as a motherly figure. Twilight felt the same way.

“I wonder if we should visit the princess while we're in Canterlot…” Twi thought to herself. She was 50/50 on the deal. She wanted to just be there with her friends Fluttershy and Naruko only, but she also liked the idea of visiting Celestia again.

In the end, the lavender unicorn decided it would be Naruko’s decision. Some would see this as a cheap way out of making the decision, but Twilight was different. In her case, it showed she would let Naru choose and go along with it. The pony deserved that after the mission.

Twilight sighed as she knew she wouldn’t be sleeping anymore on their way to Canterlot. She was a little happy that she at least had gotten some sleep, and from her guess woke up about twenty minutes from their destination. She took this time to sort through her thoughts and dreams.

She knew Naruko was very important to her, but she rarely realized just how much the blonde unicorn was. Twilight had mixed feelings about her dreams. She was thrilled by how close she seemed to be with Naruko, but there seemed to still be an irritating distance between them.

This distance was similar to what she sometimes felt towards Naruko in reality. Twilight was always better at magic than Naruko, but the blonde unicorn excelled at combat magic. Naruko excelled at combat magic more than anypony else Celestia had ever known supposedly.

“Was her training in that other world really that harsh…? Or is there something else that drives her…?” Twilight was once again plagued by a question that had often haunted her mind. She always felt like there was a part of Naruko she just couldn't even understand. She was kind of glad she couldn't understand that part of Naruko, but it still bugged her.

The pony shook her head. “Why does this bother me?! Naruko has shown she really cares about me. She even said if she were to ever get with a stallion, they would have to also really like me.”

The unicorn finally sighed as she thought, “Why am I bothered so much by these thoughts?!” She let out another long breath. This was no time for such thoughts. She would always stay by Naruko’s side as well… No matter what came their way.

{-} {-} {-}

The train finally came to a stop at Canterlot Exchange. Ponies of many types and from all over exited the train in an orderly fashion. Fluttershy felt a little overwhelmed about the proceedings, but she was happy. She was here with two really good friends. Nothing else mattered to her.

“Victory Ramen!!!” shouted Naruko. She then smiled at Fluttershy and said, “This doesn’t happen often…. But I'm treating you Flutters! After all you did for me and Equestria. It's the least I can do.”

Fluttershy blushed gracefully as she followed the others. The butter yellow pegasus managed to get some appreciative glances from part of the Canterlot Elite as they walked the streets. She was a little excited by this, but cared more about being with her two friends.

{-} {-} {-}

It didn’t take long for Naruko and Twilight to lead them to their final destination. Fluttershy was surprised how unimportant but homey the place felt. She instantly smiled to her friends. Fluttershy already knew this would be a night she would treasure for the rest of her life.

“Well well well!!! If it ain’t two of my most favorite customers and ponies… so long as they pay! How have you been?! Looks like you two brought a friend as well! That hasn’t happened in a long time,” the owner said cheerfully.

The owner was a tan bodied stallion with a light brown mane with just a touch of grey. His cutie mark was a bowl of noodles sitting on top of a napkin.

Naruko playfully rolled her blue eyes and grinned, “It was only that one time we didn’t pay!”

Twilight giggled and added, “And you were the one who said it was on the house.”

The stallion laughed joyfully. “Yep a mistake I made only once.”

“I believe you were paid in the end anyways,” Fluttershy said. The others blinked at that. “Kyu told me the story,” She answered the others. She also could have sworn she heard a huff of indignation at her usage of the shortened name from some where.

“Well come on you ponies! Have a seat! Tell you what, half price for you three tonight. I believe I heard a shout of Victory Ramen from a few blocks away.” The owner gave a blushing Naruko a grin.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight was the first to order in the group once they sat down. “I'll just have my usual to start with.”

Fluttershy looked at the menu skeptically as she read over what was in each dish. She finally made her decision, and was more than willing to give the staff her benefit of the doubt. However, it seemed Naruko was going to take the lead here and order for her.

“Two Miso, four pork, three veggie ramen for me. Fluttershy here would like to start off with a small of each type!” Nauko smiled as the owner got busy right away.

Fluttershy was close to protesting, but decided against it. After all she had been through the Forest Temple with Naruko, she was sure not much would get to her now.

There was one thing that bothered her. “It isn’t really made of pig is it?”

“Nah. He messed around with the different broths and came up with some that a few gryphons said tasted similar to such things,” Naruko answered first as she started to stare off dreamily.

“He usually calls it something else, but Naruko here insist on calling it by the name the gryphons used,” Twilight said as well.

“Plus… though I don’t want to… I might have to eat meat sometime…” Naruko answered with a little frown. As a pony, she had gotten more than used to how her body worked and she wasn't happy to eat meat. Was she still in her own world she might be craving the stuff, but here it didn't seem appetizing to her.

Fluttershy gasped and looked horrified. “Why would you ever?” She might have completely flipped out hearing this from Naruko, but she knew there had to be a good reason for it.

“Well part of my eventual duties as a Contract Guardian will be to visit foreign countries. I will have to respect their customs the best I can,” Naruko said with a nod.

“Ohh… I never really thought about that before,” Fluttershy said. She soon picked up several wonderful scents as several bowls of ramen came out for the group. She looked in awe as she saw the many steaming bowls. Her mouth soon started to water, and she noticed her’s wasn’t the only one. Both Naruko and Twilight were drooling next to her.

“Here you go, you three!” The owner handed out the meals and sat down to wait. He was expecting more customers to start showing up soon enough. His place wasn’t large, but it was roomy and thanks to a certain group of ponies his humble food restaurant became rather popular.

He then gave a chuckle as he spoke up. “I never did thank you two for the business you inadvertently gave me.”

“What do you mean?” asked Twilight. Naruko was too busy enjoying her victory ramen to say anything. Fluttershy was happily trying each of her bowls in turn but listened.

“Well your brother Shining Armor of course! You two dragged him here a couple of times. Afterwards once he started guard training, he and his fellow cadets made this one of their hangouts when off duty,” the ramen chef pony said.

He gave a hearty chuckle, “I even added to my restaurant thanks to all of the business. It seems things caught fire after Shining Armor and a couple of others came to love the place.”

He then gave a wide smile as a couple of ponies he recognized made their way over to him. “How are you two wonderful ponies tonight?” He greeted them.

“Oh simply wonderful, my Friend. My lovely companion here insisted we come here tonight,” said a voice that Naruko would have recognized if she wasn’t too busy eating. “Not that I complained mind you.” The pony then gave a friendly chuckle.

The owner joined in the chuckle. “So do you two want your usual spot tonight?”

The pony who first spoke was about to answer, but blinked in surprise as he exclaimed, “I say. Is that Naruko and Twilight? Along with a lovely pegasus mare?”

Naruko and Twilight looked up. They gave a smile as they saw a white coated unicorn stallion with a light blue wavy mane and thin stylish mustache. He was dressed stylishly as always and gave off a pleasant aura like always as well. He gave them a smile.

“Fancy Pants?” Naruko and Twilight asked together.

“Yes, indeed. I must say it is smashing to meet you two here of all places again. Not to mention this wonderful friend of yours,” he said with a smile as Fluttershy blushed.

“I hate to interrupt… But who are your friends here exactly? I don’t really recognize them,” a rather quiet voice from behind him said.

The group looked and saw an earth pony mare in a wonderful but simple dress. She had a light blue coat and a black mane and tail. On her flank was a cutie mark with an artist easel and two crossed fine tipped paint brushes.

“Oh sorry, I simply got caught up in meeting two friends of mine that I haven’t seen in a while.” He then pointed a hoof to the mare next to him. “This is, Fine Brush. She is a delightful mare who also is the curator at my main art gallery.”

The mare next to him gave a polite friendly smile and bowed to the others. Fancy gave her a smile as he spoke again. “These two ponies here are delightful friends of mine, who sort of introduced me to this place the first time I came here.”

He pointed a hoof at Twilight first. “Twilight Sparkle of the Sparkle family and also Celestia’s most talented and faithful student. She is such a delight and one can really have an engaging conversation with her about almost anything.” The lavender unicorn gave a bow and blushed.

Fancy then motioned to Naruko. “This here is, Naruko Uzumaki. She is Celestia’s most perceptive student and studies alongside Twilight personally with the Princess. She is also Equestira’s Contract Guardian. She isn’t always formal, but she really is a wonderful mare as well.”

Naruko gave a very well-practiced curtsy and smiled as she said quietly, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Fine Brush.”

Fancy then chuckled as he added, “I guess I should have mentioned she can be very elegant and polite when she wants to be, or the situation calls for it.”

Fine Brush stared in awe for a bit. She then put herself into a deeper bow. “I am sorry for not recognizing you two right away! I hope I didn’t offend either of you.”

“They aren’t really much for formalities, my dear,” Fancy said as Brush stood up and blushed a little. “Sorry Naruko and Twilight. Fine Brush here is used to the usual Canterlot types. If you know what I mean.” The ponies chuckled to this.

Twilight then spoke up and pointed to Fluttershy who was just watching everything with interest. “This lovely pegasus you noticed is a good friend of ours. Her name is Fluttershy. She takes care of most of the animals in Ponyville and the area around it. She is also the Bearer of Kindness.”

Fluttershy gave a soft smile and gracefully curtsied to the new ponies. “It is nice to meet you sir and ma’am. I am sorry, but I am not very familiar with you.” She felt a little bit sad she didn’t know these two ponies.

Brush and Fancy both gave polite chuckles. “It is nothing to worry about, Miss Fluttershy. We are hardly important ponies outside of Canterlot. Besides we should be bowing to you,” Fancy spoke. He would have been more polite and respectful, but he could tell such manners would only make the pegasus mare uncomfortable.

“He is right, Fluttershy. We weren’t responsible for bringing one of the two princesses back. You are a national hero. Sorry if we haven’t treated you properly,” Fine Brush said as she bowed again.

“Oh no don’t worry about it. It's alright,” Fluttershy said quickly. “Though if you pardon me I would love to get back to this meal if that is alright with you. Ramen really is delicious.”

“Go ahead. We too are Followers of Ramen. We know how important it is,” Fancy replied with a serious smile. He then looked to Twilight and Naruko as he said, “Shining Armor initiated us into the esteemed group.”

The two ponies then gave the Ramen chant Twilight and Naruko did earlier. All four said the last part together. Fluttershy was starting to think she needed to find out how to join this group. Ramen really was good. She loved how the salt mixed with the ingredients and was only barely noticeable to somepony like her with very discerning taste buds.

“Well then you two should join us tonight for Ramen. Unless you want to keep to yourselves,” Naruko said cheerfully.

“We would love that opportunity!” Fancy said ecstatically. Fine Brush just nodded enthusiastically in reply.

{-} {-} {-}

Fancy and Fine had three bowls each, all smalls, before they finally left the group. “Remember. Have Ramen in moderation my Friends.”

“We would, but this is Victory Ramen!” Naruko shouted before she gave them each a hearty goodbye.

Fancy Pants gave a lighthearted chuckle as he said, “Well enjoy it then. It was really nice to meet you all again.”

Fine next gave a rather relaxed smile as she spoke, “It really was! I hope to see you all again sometime.”

“Perhaps we should take a trip to Ponyville sometime? Yes?” Fancy asked. Fine nodded. She could use it as both a business trip and a pleasure trip.

“Oh? If you do that. Be warned you might attract a lot of attention from a certain pony we know,” Fluttershy giggled. Her cheeks were a bit flushed as she placed a graceful hoof to stifle her giggle.

“Yeah! If Rarity hears you are from Canterlot she will pester you with all kinds of questions!” Twilight said with a giggle as well. Naruko giggled but kept eating her ramen.

“Oh? Like how she did when you first met her?” Fancy asked with a smile. Twilight and Naruko had told him a lot about their time in Ponyville during their meals. The two unicorns nodded to him.

“Fluttershy, when I visit there you will have to introduce me to your animal friends and show me some of the scenery,” Fine Brush said.

“You can count on it,” Fluttershy said as they left.

The two had really hit it off when Fine talked about her pet dog. The curator also talked about how she was really into landscapes now as well, and was a bit of an ‘amateur’ artist herself.

Fancy chuckled to that and told them not to let her humility fool them. Fine Brush had placed in several contests and a good bit of her ‘hobby’ stuff was on display at many art galleries in Equestria.

“I wouldn’t let some snotty pony who wasn’t passionate about art their self, run my gallery after all,” he said with a charming smile.

{-} {-} {-}

Shortly after the other two ponies departed their company. The group of friends finished their meals. Surprisingly it was a rather red faced and giggly Naruko that told them, “Let’s blow this joint and see what fun we can get up to!”

Twilight might have been the sensible one and pointed out they weren’t exactly in the right state of mind to go gallivanting around Canterlot. However, the salt and lack of sleep was getting to her as well. Plus they did have some drinks. In Equestria, there wasn’t really too much of a ‘drinking age’.

Fluttershy was of a fairly clear mind, and kind of knew better. However, she was feeling more alive and daring after her mission. After all once you faced odds like that, you deserved a night or two of irresponsible fun she decided. Also she had never had an opportunity like this before and was eager to enjoy it to the fullest.

Naruko gave a grin to her friends. “Come on girls! I know of this club in the area! We should check it out!” The others decided what the hay and left with her. Naruko made sure to pay for their food and left a good tip. The shop owner might have tried to talk some sense into them, but he was busy with other customers when they left.

Once they were on the streets, Naruko let out a loud. “WHOO!! Yeah! What an awesome night to be alive!” Twilight giggled.

Fluttershy took in a deep breath and jumped into the air and shouted, “I love Equestria! Yeah!!!!” She blushed when she noticed a few ponies look to her. Some gave smiles, some giggled, and a few stuck their noses in the air as high as they could.

Naruko then led the charge to the destination only she knew at this moment. They soon heard some deep bass music play as the approached a night club. It had a bright neon sign with a familiar cutie mark on it though they couldn't really place it. However the club kind of stood out from all of the others in the area.

“Stargazer Lounge,” Twilight read with her head cocked to the side. She stuck her bottom lip out as she tried to place where she heard that name. It soon clicked and her eyes lit up. “Hey isn’t this where Vinyl and Octavia are preforming after the Gala?” She asked excitedly. Naruko had told her that little tidbit a while back.

Naruko just grinned and nodded. Fluttershy was busy fluttering all around the place gazing at all of the bright signs and the ponies everywhere. She had never seen so much going on at night before in her life. The ponies were dressed in all kinds of outfits and styles.

“So these are those ‘night clubs’ I've heard about!” the pink maned pegasus said to no one in particular.

The trio of friends then went up to the door and asked to enter. The bouncer pony gave them a look over and asked in a low voice, "Names?"

Naruko looked a little confused, but answered anyways. "Naruko Uzumaki, Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy we're from Ponyville."

The bouncer raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Well I'll be... Go on in you three. Vinyl works here a lot and put your names and a few others on the list. Since she brings us a lot of business she got this privilege no problem."

He then shook his head in amusement. "I never thought you would actually show up here myself and teased her about it. I guess I owe her a night out drinking now." He gave a sigh as he knew that night would be an entire pay check possibly.

As the three friends entered, they heard some loud music and a familiar voice speak up. "Is everypony ready to really rock out now?!" There were several whistles, cheers and hoof stomps in response. The three friends just smiled as they entered the club. It was going to be an awesome night. Maybe even a Rainbow Dash awesome night.

{-} {-} {-}

The group was now in a different club. Fluttershy kept dancing to the music the band was playing. She loved this music. It had a beat to it she just let ‘flow’ through her as Vinyl called it. She still couldn’t believe how amazing this night was already turning out to be. They went to the Stargazer and caught the last half of Vinyl’s set.

Once the DJ saw them in the crowd, she demanded they hang with her tonight. Surprisingly she took them to a different bar that played a completely different kind of music from her own. “Got to respect the Swing, fillies!” was the DJ’s response when asked about this by the others.

Vinyl usually preformed music that was heavy on the bass from the genre ‘Dubstep’. However, it turned out the DJ liked other music as well. The white unicorn seemed to love Swing music. She did her own thing music wise, but she loved artist like Frank Hoofnatra, Dean Manetin, and even Cab Gallopway.

“How in the world did you come to like this music, Vinyl? It is pretty cool, but still. Not really close to what you do,” Naruko asked.

“Yah, I know what you mean. Octavia introduced me to it actually. I told her bass and when it dropped was all that matter in music. So she dragged me along to a few places like this as a way to show me that there was more to music, and instruments actually mattered in more than just classical music,” the DJ pony gave a chuckle.

“I had teased her about that a few times. I also joked with her that older music was all prude and stuck up.” Vinyl then had a hard to read face as she said, “Boy was I wrong. They weren’t prude at all. They just knew how to use innuendo better in many cases.”

When they entered the place it wasn’t long until Twilight was bobbing her head to the music. Naruko joined the purple unicorn soon enough. Fluttershy at the time was just looking around in awe and taking it all in.

The pink maned pegasus liked this place. Several ponies were dressed in here. The dressed stallions were wearing suits that seemed to be a little lose fitting to allow for movement. The dressed mares were wearing dresses made with fine, but durable materials which flowed as they moved.

The mare was even more surprised by the way the ponies were dancing. They were really all over the place. However, the best part to her was the music. She loved the way it sounded. There were so many instruments and they all played well with each other. The large band members were stallions all wearing white tuxedos.

As the band played, one of the saxophonists started whistling and approached a microphone and started to sing. “Oh this is a good one!” Vinyl said. Naruko and Twilight listened as the DJ got their whole group Long Mane Island Iced Teas. She was going to make sure they enjoyed this night to the maximum!

Since that happened, Fluttershy had danced with several ponies. It seemed her natural grace, and natural ability made it easy for her to dance to the music. Each dance partner gave her some new tips. Fluttershy hoped she might have found a new past time with the way things were going.

Naruko and Twilight tried to keep up, but were only, “Cool for first timers.” Not that this wasn’t an impressive feat, but a few of the stallions Fluttershy danced with said she was a natural and better than some experienced dancers. Vinyl, despite her looks not really fitting in, was a master and many of the ponies knew her really well.

Regardless all four mares had a wonderful time. It was getting late now, but “The night is still young girls!” Twilight shouted to them all when Naruko pointed this out. “Besides! I can teleport us all if needed!” Twilight said with confident smile.

The purple pony was having way too much fun to let something like distance and needing to get back home get in the way. Also worst case scenario they could all crash at Twilight’s home in Canterlot or maybe even the castle if needed.

Naruko seemed to still have a song stuck in her head. They made a quick stop to get drinks at a local bar though before going on. When they first entered it was Twilight that decided to announce their arrival. “Whooooo! Yeah!!!!”

Naruko, Fluttershy, and Vinyl laughed to this. “So what is a good drink here, bar tender?” Naruko asked with a lazy but still beautiful smile.

The bar pony gave a laugh. He was a kindhearted older stallion. “Well we have a special on shots tonight. Do you lovely mares like that?”

Fluttershy gave a nod. Vinyl was like “Hell yeah!”

“What she said!” Twilight yelled in agreement.

“Depends on the shot, but yes I like them. Got any shot to recommend?” Naruko asked. She then looked to her friends and noticed Fluttershy had disappeared. She looked around quickly and saw the pegasus looking over the jukebox.

The pink maned flyer gave a smile as she selected a song performed by Cab Gallopway. One of the singers sung this song in the last club and she really liked it. She wanted to hear the original version.

“Well I’ll be… Seems we got here a few mares who like real music,” the old bar tender said with a chuckle.

“Tell me do you lot like cinnamon?” he asked. The group all nodded. The bar tender gave a smirk. He had a chance to possibly make something more than the usual drinks here. It excited him. “How about A Starry Night for all of you?”

“Hmmm…. That sounds interesting,” Vinyl said. She was a drinker, but usually stuck to the normal hard liquor drinks.

“Sure! On me!” shouted Twilight. The bar tender chuckled as he prepared the drinks.

“Oooo…. It looks pretty,” Fluttershy said as she looked at the gold flakes in her shot. “This isn’t toxic or anything is it?”

“Only if you drink way more than you should like all alcohol,” the bar tender said with a smile.

After each mare looked at their shot, Twilight finally nodded. “Alright!” she raised her glass. “To Naruko and Fluttershy. Two great mares that proved more than their worth to Equestria!”

Naruko and Fluttershy felt a little warm in their hearts hearing that. Vinyl wasn’t sure what was going on, but she would toast that. She guessed it had to do with their adventures in saving Princess Luna or something.

The group of ponies each downed the shot. “Woah! Cinnamony,” Vinyl said with a slight cough. She really hadn’t expected that kind of strong flavor.

“Mmmm… Cinnamony,” Fluttershy said with a smile as she smacked her lips. She liked the shot a lot.

Naruko and Twilight just blinked at the taste. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t their favorite. It was kind of strong though.

“Oh wow… that was strong. I don’t know about you lot, but I need to even out the taste…” Vinyl said. She seemed like she was about to ask something she really didn’t want to ask even though both other unicorns in their group nodded in agreement.

She bit down on her own teeth as she asked. “Can we have a round of Whiskey Sours?” she knew it was a ‘Filly’ drink and heard a couple of chuckles, but she liked the taste and really needed it after that shot.

The bartender just nodded and made the drinks. Fluttershy wondered what the problem was with the shot. She really liked it.

After their Whiskey Sours, the group paid and left. As they left, Naruko’s blue eyes lit up as she got an idea. “Hey girls follow me!” She then charged off as she had thought of something crazy fun to do.

Soon the four ponies were standing in front of a large grand fountain right outside of the castle. Vinyl was watching with a curious eye. Fluttershy was still thinking about all of the dancing and the Starry Night shot. She got the recipe before they left. It was half jaeger and half goldschlager. Twilight was only a little nervous that they were all so close to the castle.

“What's the big idea, Naruko? Don’t keep us in suspense,” Vinyl finally asked.

Naruko then seemed to get a beat in her head as she jumped into the fountain and started dancing. She even let off a large spell discharge with her horn. A bright blue light soared into the sky and burst into some kind of firework display. A couple of ponies watching nearby clapped their hooves before continuing on to their destination.

“Alright!” Vinyl shouted as she jumped in and joined Naruko. Flutteshy soon followed suit.

Twilight was a bit scared thinking the Royal Guard, and worst yet, her brother would come out and see what was going on. When nothing happened, she cheered “To hay with it all!” as she joined the others.

Vinyl’s horn glowed briefly as a tune started to play that matched there separate dance moves somehow. As the group danced, they got several observers some even joined them in the dancing thing. A few even jumped into the fountain as well.

The royal gaurds watching this unfold just stood there. One of the younger gaurds asked, “Should we…. Do something about this?”

The veteran Captain in charge just smiled and chuckled. “They aren’t doing anything to hurt anypony else. I say we let them have their fun.” The other guards nodded in agreement.

Once the music stopped Naruko gave out a shout. “Yeah!!! The Princesses are awesome and rule! I love them! Woooh!!!” Twilight gave a giggle as she nodded to the words.

Fluttershy shouted her own words. “I love Swing Music! I love dancing! I love Equestria!!!” Several of the nearby ponies ‘amened’ her words even if they only agreed with part of them.

Shortly after the fun finally stopped, Naruko asked for a ride home. Twilight not really caring that she was drunk and tired said she could do it no problem. “Want a lift, Vinyl?” she asked their DJ friend.

“Nah! I’m cool. Got myself a room in one of the hotels. I have to perform again in a couple of days at the Stargazer anyways. See you cool chickas later.” With that, the DJ pony made her way back to her room for the remainder of the night and most likely half the day tomorrow, or well today really.

“Alright Gals! Gather round me! Welcome to the Twilight Express! Enjoy the ride. Don’t mind the bumpiness it isn’t permanent,” Twilight said. Fluttershy and Naruko laughed as the gathered around her.

The group of mares were soon encased by a pinkish white light after Twilight ‘charged’ the spell a good bit. Once the light vanished, there was a loud boom and a burst of light that many nearby cheered to as it faded thinking it was some kind of light show.

Soon after there was a loud burst of light and a small cloud of smoke near Fluttershy’s cottage. The three happy but tired mares marched slowly into Fluttershy’s home and without looking around all collapsed on Fluttershy’s bed. They snuggled in real tight and didn’t even bother with the sheets. Naruko’s horn seemed to glow briefly as they were all encompassed in a pleasant temperature. Twilight might have asked about the spell, but she was to happy and exhausted to ask things like that.

{-} {-} {-}

The next day, or well actually the same day but later, Naruko and Fluttershy were at the nature loving pegasus’ hut still sleeping off their Ramen adventure from last night. Twilight would be there with them, but she woke up that morning and without thinking and teleported herself to her bathroom. She didn’t realize what she had done until Spike handed her a cup of coffee and asked, “Where were you and Naruko last night, Twilight?”

The purple unicorn blushed to this but only said, “Having a little bit of a girls’ night out…?” It came out as a half question. Twilight hoped Spike didn’t pick up on this and ask for elaboration.

“Yuck! Does that mean you all stayed up chatting about stallions or something?” Spike asked in a half disgusted and half interested voice. Regardless the Unicorn knew her wish was granted and Spike took what she said at face value.

Twilight gave a nervous giggle as she thought about some of the things they did. Also the dancing at that club. Her and Naruko had danced a lot and even danced with each other before they left. She blushed a little bit. She remembered her and Naruko shared a drink at one point.

She blushed and said slowly to spike. “Yeaaa… That’s right. Nothing else happened…. We most certainly didn’t go to Canterlot and go out partying or anything like that,” she said the last part in a rush as she gave a small whinny. Spike just shrugged his shoulders and went about his morning chores.

It was now a little after that awkward conversation. Twilight was currently practicing some different spells. Each spell was very different from the other. She had just given Spike a mustache which he thought made him look fabulous. He frowned as Twilight took it away saying to him, “Sorry Spike, but the mustache has to go. This was just for practice.”

Spike frowned as he looked over the list and said, “Still 25 spells. Geez that’s a lot of magic, Twilight. I knew unicorns had lots of spells they could use but this is amazing.”

“I think it would be better said as 25 types of spells. If I wanted too, I could do a lot more actual spells given all of the different, but still similar spells unicorns learn. Usually a unicorn learns lots of spells dealing with her specialty,” Twilight said in her teacher mode. She still slipped into it every so often, but not as much as she used to, since she got a good bit of her teaching bug out of her system with Naruko when they younger.

“Then how do you have so many different types of spells, Twilight?” Spike asked.

“Well Spike, my specialty is magic, but I don’t know much at all about combat magic. That’s more Naruko’s department. She probably knows just as many types of spells, but most of them combat oriented,” Twilight said as they went out for bit of a breather.

“Still, Twilight. That was awesome,” Spike said with a bright baby dragon grin. It then fell from his face as he sighed, “Wish I could kept the mustache though.”

Twilight gave a laugh. “Maybe if you behave yourself I’ll give you one again, but only for a little while.”

“Yes!” Spike shouted. It would have caused a few ponies to glance at the two, but oddly enough there weren’t many out at the moment it seemed. As Twilight felt a little embarrassed, she took notice of this fact.

“Say, where is everypony? I know I wasn’t so hung over from the Victory Ramen Fest that I actually missed most of the day before magic practice…” Twilight said. Her ears then drooped a little bit and she asked quietly, “I wasn’t right?”

Spike gave her a look. “Well you were a little bit out of it this morning when you returned and it took some time to wake you up today completely.”

Twilight frowned, but then gave a smile, “Maybe. But last night was worth it!” She then decided to brighten up anyways and kept walking forward. Spike shrugged his shoulders and followed.

It wasn’t long until they found all of the ponies. They were gathered around some wooden traveling trailer. “I heard she is a great witch,” one pony said to another.

“I heard she picks on hecklers at her shows, and that is when the real entertainment starts,” a second pony replied.

Many other ponies were going on and on about a show mare of some kind. Twilight was actually intrigued by this. She knew she probably knew better magic than this pony, but she never had the bravado nor the charisma for telling stories and showing off to others.

She walked over to Pinkie Pie. “So what exactly is going on, Pinkie?”

“Oh hello, Twilight!” the pink pony said in her usual friendly manner before giving her purple pony friend a great big hug. “Apparently there is this new pony in town. She is some kind of Show pony. I wanted to greet her like I do all ponies, but she refuses to come out of her trailer at the moment.”

Pinkie then frowned in confusion, “I even offered her some fresh cupcakes, but she refused. I don’t know what pony could say no to cupcakes. Like I told Naruko yesterday, they're cakes, but in cups! What's not to like? So where is Naruko anyways?”

Twilight gave a snicker. “Her and Fluttershy are still recovering from the Victory Ramen we had last night. We ended up at Fluttershy’s somehow, but I still managed to get home this morning.”

“Wow! I just knew that stuff had to be good, but I didn’t think it would be that good,” Pinkie said in reply. She gave a slight frown. “I really wanted to go, but I had to work at Sugar Cube Corner last afternoon and into the early evening. It sounded like so much fun….”

Twilight frowned as well. She hated seeing a friend sad, Pinkie Pie especially. The party pony seemed to switch between moods far too quickly to be healthy. At the same time, she was just as easy to cheer up usually. “Well Naruko did mention getting everyone, which includes you, together for a Ramen trip sometime.”

As Twilight predicted, Pinkie was almost instantly back to her usual Pinkie Pieness. “That sounds like lots of more fun! I can’t wait!” Pinkie was smiling big and running in place. She wanted to burst out in song, but she had a feeling the show pony was about to start her show.

As if on cue, the trailer expanded into a sizable stage as a voice spoke out calling for attention. “Come one! Come all! And witness magics unseen before, and hear tales untold! The Great and Powerful Trixie is here for you, Ponyville!”

At about the same time, Applejack and Rainbow walked up and stood by Twilight. They were quietly complaining about a lousy show-off pony or something. Rarity trotted up next to them, but she remained silent. Twilight hoped AJ and Rainbow wouldn't keep complaining and interrupt the show or anything like that.

“Hmmm… That stage setup requires some decent enchantment work,” Twilight thought as she watched events unfold. She wasn’t really listening to her friends at the moment.

Once the stage was set and the message spoken, there was a blaze of light and fireworks as a mare with a blue coat and a sleek silver mane stood confidently in the center of the stage in a magic cape and hat.

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. She hadn’t been to a magic show in a while. This one looked to be good and entertaining. Plus she already had thoughts about asking the mare about her firework spells. It was something she could see being very handy to know.

“Behold! The Great and Powerful Trixie! Trixie is the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestriaaaa! Watch and enjoy feats of amazement and funnnn!” the unicorn said with a confident smirk was she brought out all of her charisma to sell herself to crowd. It was something any traveling performer had to do for the crowds.

“I hope this show goes well. I want to show off my new tricks!” the show mare mentally wished excitedly, though she didn’t show it. She did have to keep a certain persona while on stage after all.

Due to her excitement, she barely heard a couple of ponies complaining about magic and mentally frowned. She saw they were standing next to a purple mare she short of recognized and was sure she heard about in Canterlot a few times. She wasn’t sure though. Maybe she could find out later… but for now she had to regretfully deal with ponies interrupting the show.

“Oh? It seems we have some Neighhhhsayers! You doubt Trixie’s greatness!” She wasn’t sure how this would go, but it could make for a good show. She kind of hoped it wouldn't escalate, but if it did she would deal with them as she could to make it part of the show.

She knew didn’t have any confederates in Ponyville causing the ruckus. It was such a small town, but the perfect practice ground for her new tricks. She would have to be careful with this approach, and find a way to figure out their skill level in anything if they decided to go further. After that, it was simply a matter of finding a way to keep the show going. Hopefully the ponies wouldn’t be too belligerent, even if it was a bit gratifying dealing with such ponies and she had no problems with doing so if needed. More than that she kind of hoped they would just be quiet and watch the show, she hadn't even done much yet to get it started.

“Ah sure am a Neigh sayer. We Apple’s don’t take kindly to some high an mighty braggart!” a pony with a Stetson hat said.

“So it’s going to be that way is it? Trixie knows how to handle ponies like this,” the showmare thought to herself a little disappointed, but ready to make this a spectacle for the show.

Twilight wanted to say something to calm down Applejack, but Spike was begging her to stand up to this “brag pony.” Twilight guessed he hadn’t been to a magic show in a while, or maybe it was because he got a personal one almost everyday as she practiced. Either way he didn't seem to realize traveling performers kind of did brag as a way to draw in attention to their performance. She had been to a few festivals when she was younger in Canterlot and it was rather impressive if you had two performers close to each other fighting for crowds. They would end up bringing out their best and each would get plenty of recognition.

Twilight also guessed Applejack had never been to a show before and that was why she took offense. “She is probably too busy on her family’s farm or selling their goods for something like that,” Twilight thought. Still, it wasn’t polite to interrupt a show like that, especially when all of the other ponies were happily enjoying it. AJ also seemed to be already up on the stage.

“Ah bet yer fancy lights and words can’t do anything like this!” Applejack said as she started doing rope tricks using her tail. That was pretty impressive, but doing something like this in the middle of another pony's show wasn’t the right thing to do. Applejack finished by lassoing an apple from a nearby tree and eating it in one bite, core and all. The crowd cheered, and the show pony gave a smug smile.

“Well that wasn’t too bad, gentle farm mare,” Trixie said with a bit of teasing lilt to her voice. “But watch and be amazed by Trixie’s amazing magic!” More fireworks burst to life behind her, without a noticeable glow to her horn.

Twilight was curious about this. The show mare either had stage hands, a switch built into the stage, or she was that good with the spell that the magic wasn’t seen. Twilight knew something like that was possible, but it took a lot of practice and familiarity with the spell. Even then it was usually a basic spell or something dealing with a unicorn’s talent. She was a little more interested in this mare's magic and she kind of momentarily forgot AJ was about to be dealt with even if she did kind of think the farm mare brought it upon herself by intruding on the stage which showponies held scared almost.

Trixie’s hat floated above her revealing her horn. It was letting off a soft pink glow. The mare then jumped to her hindlegs and waved her forehooves as one tip of the rope started to dance to music. The other end stealthily grabbed another apple and before AJ knew what happened the farm mare was hogtied in her own rope with the Apple stuffed in her mouth. Many ponies laughed to the sight.

Twilight was a little conflicted here. It was kind of funny and AJ did sort of start it by interrupting the show. However, Applejack was still her friend, so Twilight didn’t really feel like laughing at the moment. She hoped her friend was alright as she got off the stage and that no pony else would interrupt.

“How dare you come to town and try and show off like that!” Rainbow spoke up once Applejack was untied and off the stage. Twilight mentally sighed. Of course Rainbow would say something like that and cause further problems. She was also disappointed because given Rainbow's love of the Wonderbolts and how she had been to a couple of their shows, she should know better than to interrupt some other pony's show like this.

“Especially when that's my job!” Rainbow said as she puffed out her chest and raised her head proudly towards the sky.
The rainbow maned pony then gave a challenging smile. “I know some unicorn magic spagic can’t compare to what I can do!”

Twilight actually felt a little offended her friend was putting unicorns and magic down like that. She might have been angry, but she knew Rainbow Dash didn’t actually mean anything by it and didn’t even understand how her words could offend somepony. She still didn't think it was right to get up a stage and steal a traveling performer's spotlight like that.

Rainbow Dash then took off into the sky and swung around on a windmill for some reason, before then punching a hole through the center of several clouds. She then paused midair in the center of the sun’s light. Twilight was sure she posed or something, but no pony could see it without blinding their eyes.

The cyan pegasus then darted back towards the ground and managed to bring a trail of water droplets with her as she skidded to a stop and the droplets formed a rainbow above her. “They don’t call me Rainbow and Dash for nothing!” she said with a huge self-satisfied grin.

The scene was impressive and several ponies did cheer loudly. Not so many unicorns though, even if there weren’t as many of them in Ponyville. “Seems like I wasn’t the only one a little offended by her statement about magic,” Twilight thought to herself, even Rarity didn’t look amused. The fashion pony kept her ever present poise though and didn’t let it show too much.

Trixie then gave a smirk. “The only thing they will be calling you after this is Loser,” she said quietly as her horn glowed again.
Trixie then used her magic to make the rainbow solid and she wrapped it around Rainbow Dash quickly and pretty much spun the pegasus like a child’s toy top.

“Woah! Woah!” Rainbow said as she finally came to a stop on the ground. Her rose colored eyes were swirling. “I think I’m going to be sick…” the mare said quietly.

Twilight once again had mixed feelings about this. She felt a little vindicated. “Ha! Magic’s not so easily dismissed now is it?” she thought. Okay she felt really vindicated, but if any pony needed their ego brought down a little bit it was Rainbow Dash.

“If she doesn’t learn to control that ego of her’s. It will get her into a lot of trouble, and eventually too much trouble for her to handle.” Twilight concluded her thoughts. She was actually a little genuinely concerned for her friend in this regard.

“So does no one else dare to challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie?! Or has Trixie proven to you all that she is the greatest equine in Equestria!” the show pony said as she shot off more fireworks.

“Okay maybe there are two ponies that need their egos brought down a little bit. No pony is better than Naruko! Or Celestia!” Twilight thought to herself. She was just about to challenge the pony, but then paused as she wondered why she suddenly thought of Naruko again, and more or less in equal regard to Princess Celestia.

She then gave a little frown. “I do wish Naruko was here…” she thought with a sigh.

“Trixie supposes it only makes sense no other pony would dare challenge Trixie’s greatnesss,” the mare said casually. She mentally smiled. It was now time to finally start her show properly. She knew how to start it off with a little bit of a teaser.

“After all no other unicorn has the power to vanquish the dreaded Ursa Major!!!!” Trixie said aloud with a flourish of fireworks and a low grade light show of her waving a wand at an Ursa Major in the sky above the ponies.

“Oooo!!! That is awesome!” said a tall orange coated colt unicorn with a snail cutie mark.

“Yea!! For sure! Trixie really is the greatest unicorn in all of Equestria!” said a chubby steel blue coated unicorn colt with a pair of scissors for a cutie mark.

“Oh come on! You didn’t see it! I think what we need is a unicorn to challenge her. You know a good old unicorn to unicorn magic duel!” Spike shouted as he looked imploringly at Twilight.

Twilight shook her head out of her musings about Naruko and was about to say something when Rarity spoke up next.

“Enough! Applejack and Rainbow Dash may be brash enough and competitive enough to let such words provoke them. But Rarity is not. Rarity conducts herself with poise and grace at all times. She is above such matters,” Rarity spoke raising her nose in the air only a slight bit.

Twilight blinked. “When did Rarity start using third pony speech? I guess she thought Trixie’s speech pattern was worth using as a way to reinforce her ‘high society’ status. I will admit it is kind of cute, but if it continues Naruko and I will have to talk to her about it, and set her straight. I won’t let one of my friends get that pompous and stuck up!”

“Ooo… what’s the matter? Afraid you will get a hair out of place in that sorry excuse for a rat nest you call a mane?” Trixie said as she smirked and shook a hoof at Rarity. She might have been getting a little carried away now with the rush of getting the hecklers to stop.

“Okay…. I can understand her calling out Rainbow Dash and Applejack, but Rarity was trying to avoid the conflict.” Twilight thought with a frown.

Rairty’s eyes narrowed as she said, “It. Is. On.” The fashion pony then hopped up on to the stage and started lecturing the show mare on how a unicorn should properly conduct herself around others.

Twilight simply rolled her eyes, but was secretly rooting for Rarity. She still thought Rarity was making the situation worse with the lecturing like that. You were supposed to lecture in a manner it was obvious you were trying to teach and not looking down on somepony.

When the lecture was over, Rarity magicked up a dress and redid her mane while covering herself in a curtain she neatly detached from the stage backdrop. Once the curtain was tossed aside by magic, the white unicorn was in a beautiful dress with her mane done up in a large and elegant top bun.

It was impressive because she did it on the spur of the moment with little time for preparation and execution. Plus, she didn’t have any materials here apart from the curtain. It was something else to make an illusion spell that solid looking. Twilight and several others “ooed” at it.

Trixie seemed to be a little bit impressed, but she wasn’t about to let another unicorn steal her show especially after just helping herself to her stage property like that without asking. Trixie was caught up in the moment now and didn't realize it was kind of okay what Rarity did, since she did challenge the pony more directly. “My My… Such lovely hair. It is a shame it won’t last!” with a flash of her horn Rarity’s mane was no longer lovely.

The white unicorn’s mane was now a green mess with a few stray twigs in it. “I need a mirror now!” Rarity demanded. “I need to know what she did to my mane!” She stomped a hoof and somepony floated a mirror over to her.

Rarity gasped aloud as she saw what happened. She then cried as she whined, “Green is such a horrible color!” The fashion pony then bolted away racing right pass a pony with a green colored mane who didn't look pleased with Rarity's comment.

Twilight felt bad about this turn of events, but at the same time she wanted to roll her eyes. “Oh please it won’t take you long to get it back to normal, Rarity. Don’t be so melodramatic in front of all these ponies.”

Many experimental spells had shown Twilight just how bad a mare’s mane could get, but so long as it wasn’t falling out you were okay. She supposed mane’s had a magic of their own. It usually took one good wash, maybe two if it was really bad and singed, to get it back into order. Sometimes a good shake alone made it presentable.

Rarity's behavior was also a bit of a problem for what the mare wanted to accomplish in her life. If Rarity freaked out like that in public, she would be eaten alive by the so called “Canterlot elite” she so desperately wanted to be a part of, especially in the fashion industry. If Rarity so easily lost her train of thought to use a good mane touch up spell, she was doomed to fail… unfortunately.

Trixie smirked once again as Rarity left and looked around. “Does any other pony dare challenge Trixie and her greatness?” The show mare then looked right at Twilight. Probably because she heard Spike begging the purple unicorn to do something about Trixie. She also noticed the other ponies had been standing next to her as well.

“How about you?” she pointed a hoof right at Twilight.

Twilight gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of her mane as she gave a forced smile and answered. “Who me?” Trixie nodded, “Nope… Nothing special here… I don’t even know combat magic… and only just practiced 25 types spells,” Twilight said quickly so only one mare, Trixie, noticed what she said. It wasn’t intentional even then.

The show mare was impressed, but didn’t say anything. She was about to call this mare out, but that would have distracted from her show. Twilight obviously didn’t really understand how inconsequential her lack of combat magic was to other ponies. Apart from the royal guard, Naruko was probably one of the very few ponies who did know any, though Trixie didn’t know about the blonde unicorn at this time.

Trixie was a little relieved when the purple pony ran away dragging the baby dragon with her. Trixie then blinked as she finally realized something she should have earlier.

“Twilight Sparkle… She was the unicorn that hatched a baby dragon… Celestia’s personal student! I lucked out there…” She gave a confident smirk and looked over the crowd to cover her momentary shock at who she had just accidentally challenged to a magic duel on the stage.

“Nevertheless. It is time for the show to finally start!” Trixie finally regained her mental composure and spoke aloud. “Well it seems it is finally time for the entertainment to begin,” she said with her show pony smile. The remaining ponies cheered out loud for her.

“I don’t think I'll be able to try my new spells this show after all. Those challenges were difficult. It isn’t easy making light actually physical and then using it to spin a pony out,” she said to herself. She had a feeling her normal show with a little more flare would be enough though. If things went well enough, she could have another show tomorrow and hopefully the Neigh Sayers wouldn’t show up to disrupt her again. Then she could try her new spells and incorporate them into her show.

She was starting to understand why some show ponies had crowd controllers on their staff. She preferred to do things the old fashion way though. She always felt nothing was more uplifting and enjoyable than a live traveling show for ponies to watch. She tried to make it something bigger, but most in the biz wanted a steady job preforming in show venues instead. She was left to do it all on her own including hyping up the show because of this.

{-} {-} {-}

“Twilight can we please go back? That mare is insufferable! She kept bragging the whole time,” Spike whined from Twilight’s left.

Twilight shook her head as she said, “Spike. Trixie is a show pony. It is her job to brag and show off as a way to entertain others.”

Spike grumbled and then spoke again, “But the way she embarrassed Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. How dare she do that to Rarity!” He seemed a little extra angry towards the end.

“Applejack was interrupting her show and when challenged by Trixie, who was probably trying to just get AJ quiet to start the show, Applejack jumped up on the stage and called her a fraud,” Twilight said.

“And?” Spike simply replied.

“And as any worthwhile show pony would do, Trixie didn’t back down to the challenge. In show biz, reputation is important. If she let a pony cow her here then what is to stop others from doing the same elsewhere?” Twilight answered.

Spike sighed in frustration to that answer, but didn’t give up. “What about Rainbow Dash then? Huh?” Twilight raised an eyebrow at him. He already regretted his question, but didn’t back down.

Twilight gave a small scoff. “Rainbow not only interrupted the show after Applejack, but tried to steal the spotlight as well. Hay, she even insulted unicorn magic as a whole! She may be my friend, but I am not going to let her just insult magic like that and be okay with it.”

Twilight then let out a breath. “Besides Rainbow Dash wants to be a Wonderbolt. She should know better than to interrupt a show like that.”

Spike then quietly asked, “Rarity?” He was running out of steam for his anger by this point.

“Ok… I will admit that Trixie could have handled that better instead of provoking Rarity when she was trying to end the interruptions in her own fashion,” Twilight answered. Spike gave a satisfied smirk.

“But…” Spike’s smirk disappeared. “If Rarity wants to make it big in the fashion world and especially in Canterlot, she shouldn’t let herself be so easily provoked. All Trixie did was make fun of her mane. I know Rarity takes pride in her mane, but compared to some of the Fashion elite she wants to impress… Trixie’s comments are equal to a foal saying, ‘yeah? Well…. You’re stupid,’ and nothing more.”

Spike sighed. He should have known better than to try and argue with Twilight like this.

The two continued their journey home in silence. “I think Naruko and I will have to actually warn Rarity about the Canterlot elite she wants to mix with so much. I really don’t want her to ruin her chances with them because of their little snide comments. I also don’t want her becoming like them either,” Twilight thought to herself.

She then gave a sigh as she thought about her white coated unicorn friend. “I only hope she will listen this time. Unlike with Prince Blueblood… Still not going to give up on that argument so easily though.”

{-} {-} {-}

Once the troublesome ponies were gone, Trixie’s show was a blast for the audience. She even took volunteers, who wanted to help with the show and be a part of it. She decided she was going to perform once more before she left, since it had gone so well.

“However…. Those two colts might be trouble…” Trixie thought to herself. She loved fans, especially the young ones, because they were so excited and fun to meet. Those two unicorn colts though didn’t seem to be the brightest… She hoped they wouldn’t do anything dumb and stupid… Like think her stories were completely truthful and happened the way they did.

She purposefully made that tale very outlandish for entertainment. It always got the audience more excited and eager to watch. A small part of her feared those two might do something though. “Surely not… Their parents had to of taught them better than that… Right?” she asked herself. She ended up shrugging it off and deciding it couldn’t possibly be that bad in the end.

She did try to help the situation by having them do her favors. She hoped this would do one of two things. Either they would get tired of her and decide she was some stuck up snobby show pony, or they would be too exhausted to get into any trouble.

Unfortunately for Trixie and Ponyville, Snips and Snails weren’t easily deterred once they set their minds to something. For this night, they had set their minds on seeing some “Amazing Magic”. They figured naturally the best way to see that was to bring an Ursa Major to town.

They really thought endangering a town full of mostly Earth ponies with only one combat trained unicorn using an Ursa Major was a bright idea.

The worst part was said unicorn trained in combat magic and the pegasus specializing in animals, were being lectured and questioned about how they had time to go and ‘party it up with Twilight,’ but not to give a mission debriefing to the princesses who ruled the land. It was no surprise Kyuubi shook his head in disbelief to this.

“Ha Ha! You have to tell me about last night, Naruko. I cut off our connection to get a much deserved night’s sleep. If it was so amazing that it took priority over the princesses it must have been something else,” the foxy teased his lovable partner mentally. Said partner just mentally gave him a halfhearted glare.

On the plus side, Celestia did smile as she thanked Naruko for saying how she thought the princesses were awesome and loved them. She even was happy Fluttershy shouted all she did last night in the fountain as well. It was touching her ponies loved their land so much they just had to shout it out loud during the late hours of the night.

Princess Luna shook her head, but smiled. Hearing a pony admit they liked and loved her was wonderful to hear, even if she was lumped in with her sister. She didn’t mind that. She and Tia were close again and that was more important. Also she knew Naruko meant it and loved the two as separate ponies.

This all happened for the two adventuring ponies after a rather rough wakeup call while hung over at the ungodly hour of 2 PM in the afternoon. Ungodly after a night of binge eating ramen and other activities. Salt in mass was really one hell of a legal substance. The alcohol only compounded the situation, even if some of the drinks did taste good.

Down in the Ever-Free Forest at this time a young voice asked, “Are you sure this will work, Snips?” It was the tall unicorn colt who spoke first.

“Of course it will! Trust me,” said a shorter unicorn as they entered the Ever-Free Forest.

Soon after that there was a loud roar and the two colts quickly ran towards town to wake up the Great and Powerful Trixie to see some ‘awesome magic’.

{-} {-} {-}

“So a giant star bear cub was attacking the town?!” Naruko asked in surprise later that night after she returned with Fluttershy.

“You didn’t hurt the baby bear did you?” Fluttershy asked with concern.

Kyuubi was wondering why they deemed these questions more important than say. ‘Are you alright, Twilight?’ But the fox decided to just keep quiet this time. He was tired of being the voice of reason today.

“Yes, it did attack the town! A couple of idiot colts thought it would be a great way to ‘see some awesome magic’. I left their punishment up for the Mayor to decide. Trixie ran off before I could talk to her or anything though,” Twilight answered Naruko first.

The purple unicorn next turned towards the yellow pegasus and spoke. “Really? You’re more concerned about a giant star bear that could have easily destroyed the town than the town itself, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy looked a little upset at this accusation. “I am concerned about the bear. Yes the town is more important, but as you can see the town is still here and not too badly damaged.” Fluttershy then motioned a hoof at the town.

She may have seemed a little terser than she wanted, but after her hangover and an unexpected impromptu summon to Canterlot castle, which was followed by an equally unexpected forced teleportation. She felt she was allowed this terseness… a little bit. She still felt a little bad about it on the inside.

Twilight gave a sheepish smile as she scratched the back of her mane, not too much unlike a certain blonde unicorn. “Oh… I guess that does make sense…”

The purple pony then gave a cough and spoke again. “So… Where were you two? I mean I doubt you could have easily missed a loud bear the size of a large house marching out of the Ever-Free Forest right by your hut, Fluttershy. Even if you were still hung over from last night.”

“Heh heh…” This time Naruko was giving the sheepish smile, and scratching the back of her mane. Fluttershy, despite her mood, gave a warm smile at the actions. “I kind of forgot to report to the Princesses we were successful on our mission…”

Twilight’s purple eyes widened for a moment, but she soon rolled them and just shook her head. “Typical Naruko… Ramen gets involved and little else matters... Good thing it doesn’t get involved too often,” Twilight thought to herself and giggled mentally.

Fluttershy spoke, “Turns out Celestia wanted us to report back immediately after the mission, and figured her ‘most perceptive student’ would know this right off the bat. She figured we were still on our mission, but…” Fluttershy blushed here and hid behind her pink mane. “She heard about some of our… escapades last night.” Fluttershy blushed a little more hearing herself say that. Memories that were over all pleasant came back to her from last night.

“Hmph!” said a voice too deep for such a small fox. “The Sun Princess sent us an instant teleport summons shortly after these two finally woke up.” He then gave a grin. “It was actually a rather amusing scene to watch.”

“Hey… it wasn’t funny for us,” Naruko said with a frown.

“Of course it wasn’t. Usually when a pony is in trouble the scene is only funny to others as they are chewed out, if it’s funny at all. In this case, it was very entertaining,” the fox said with a fox grin.

“Well at least once we showed her the stone and the many treasures we ‘liberated’ from the forest temple. She was in a bit more of a forgiving mood,” Fluttershy said getting them back on topic.

Honestly, Celestia seemed more amused by the situation now that Fluttershy thought about it. At the time, the Sun Princess was too much for the two ponies to think of her as anything other than a little upset.

“Now that you mention it, I don’t think I remember seeing you three carrying any treasure. Much less a mythical artifact in the form of a heart shaped ruby encased within amber with two bronze tree branches on either side of it. Where did you two stash these things?” Twilight asked.

Naruko gave a huge grin. “Remember that fancy writing I started working on a couple of years after we met, that you didn’t recognize, Twilight?”

Twilight nodded her head. She had only seen Naruko practice it a couple of times. “Well during my Guardian training, I found out a way to use those characters to form special scrolls that can be used for storing things.”

“Those things turned out to be really helpful. Once she used them, they made returning home much easier,” Fluttershy said with a ‘happy Fluttershy smile’. This smile was so cute and heartwarming many had started calling it that. Pinkie Pie first came up with the term.

Twilight had a very determined look in her purple eyes as she ran up to Naruko and used her magic to look Naruko right in the eyes as she said, “You must teach me this! A new way to organize?! There is no way I will let you blow me off on this!”

Naruko gulped. She wasn’t opposed to teaching her best friend this, but the intensity of Twi's gaze was hard to bear. “Okay… Okay… but you do realize you will have to learn a new written language, not seen here in a very long time? Not even the princesses are very familiar with it. Are you sure?”

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Kyuubi each gave the blonde unicorn a deadpanned expression and a raised eyebrow. Twilight asked the obvious question with the obvious flat emphasis. “Really, Naruko? You’re asking ME if I am sure about learning something new, exciting, rare, and useful?"

Naruko gave her trademarked embarrassed expression in response. Twilight kept speaking, “Do I really need to answer that question?”

“Okay… I get it… Not really the smartest question to ask. Give me a break… I had a long time after a very fun, but long night, followed by a rough wakeup call this morning.”

“It was afternoon... sorry…. I didn’t mean to correct you,” Fluttershy said as she looked a little bashful when Naruko looked to her.

Naruko sighed. “Afternoon…” The blonde magic user then gave another sigh. “It will take some time for preparation, Twilight. But I will teach you about seals.”

The blonde unicorn then gave a confident grin. “Fortunately for you, I’m probably a master on the subject!”

“You mean I’m a master on the subject… You are very talented in it, but I am still the one that knows more about them,” Kyuubi corrected her.

“I did say probably, Kyuuuu,” Naruko said his cutesy name in a very cutesy voice much to the fox’s disgust, but to the others’ amusement. She even stretched out the ending for extra annoying cuteness.

Twilight was the first to finish giggling of the three mares. “Ok. I guess I can wait. But you better also try to teach me combat magic too in payment for keeping me waiting.” Twilight gave a smile in victory. She was sure she had Naruko here now.

The blonde unicorn just kept giving a pleasant smile as she easily said, “There are 204 ‘letters’ in the Hiragana and Katakana alphabets.” Twilight’s triumphant smile started to slip.

“Also I don’t even know how many Kanji there are total. I haven’t learned them all, even. I’m guessing there are probably 50,000 Kanji. I know at least 2,000 of them because they were, ‘common’.” Twilight’s feel of victory over her friend was completely gone now.

Naruko wasn’t done yet though, “Also you have to be very careful with them. If you don’t write the character’s just right, you might end up putting a hole in the space time continuum, or just blow yourself up.” Naruko was smiling. She knew Twilight would give up on learning combat magic… for now…

Fluttershy gasped in horror. That was absurd in her mind. “Language shouldn’t be that complicated,” she breathed to herself.

Twilight was equally gasping in horror. She loved studying and learning, but the homework and practice she knew she would have to undergo for this venture was on a completely different scale from what she had studied in the past.

Give Twilight the complete unabridged works of every pony philosopher and magic scientist in ancient Equestrian, and she might be looking at an equal work load. The fact Naruko had learned as much in 11 years along with her ninja training at the academy and under Kyuubi. Really said something about her true intelligence.

Twilight knew she was still more… ‘Educated’, but it was very impressive. She couldn’t help but feel even more awe and something else for her best friend. “No wonder she was able to rather quickly catch up in magic studies to work with Celestia and me,” Twilight thought to herself.

{-} {-} {-}

As Twilight met with her two friends again, Trixie was running as fast as she could from Ponyville. She was now a good distance away. She looked around to make sure no one was nearby. As she noticed she was alone, she let the tears she had been fighting back finally fall as she kept running.

She hated how things had turned out. She knew she shouldn’t have bragged like she did. Trixie knew she shouldn’t have lied and said she took on an Ursa Major alone when she hadn’t done so.

The thing was she was a show pony. It was her job to stretch tales and embellish a little on the truth. She was supposed to be entertaining. She just wished she hadn’t taken a story she told at foal parties, and made herself the star of it. This was the origin of the Ursa Major story.

She usually kept cool while entertaining, but all the ‘neigh’ sayers got to her. Maybe she did deserve a little karma kick truthfully, but did she really deserve to lose her home and all that she owned? No, she didn’t. It wasn’t her fault two idiots would actually go and try to get her to conquer what they thought was an Ursa Major.

She slowed down and paused for a small rest as she sobbed more. She just knew she was ruined. In show business, your reputation was a huge part of your success. She just knew Ponyville would ruin it for her. She hadn’t even gotten to try out her newer and more amazing tricks yet. Now she feared she never would get the chance, and it was all just because two idiot bucks thought it smart to bring doom to their town just to see ‘amazing magic’.

Trixie broke down for just a little longer before she started to run again. She never noticed the moon princess return to her castle having seen what transpired that night. Princess Luna was about to step in earlier that night, but smiled as she noticed Twilight Sparkle had the situation under control. However, one thing still remained on the dark princess’ mind that night. She needed to talk to her sister about that again, and she wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer this time.

{-} {-} {-}

Princess Celestia yawned as she woke up and made her way down to the dining room. It was time for her morning meal with her lovely sister. Once she stepped into the room and saw the frown on Luna’s beautiful face, she knew something was up. “What’s wrong, dear Luna?” She secretly hoped this wasn’t something too bad, but she had a sinking feeling it was.

“Sister…” Luna said with a cold tone in her voice that put Celestia on edge. “It is definitely time to start the patrol again.”

“Not this again, Luna,” Celestia sighed. She loved her sister, but she kept going on and on about the patrol lately. “You know what I have said about this before, Luna.”

Luna looked at her with narrowed eyes, which caused Celestia to stop and listen. “I do know what you have said. Even if the animals aren’t a problem the patrol is needed to, if nothing else, keep idiot subjects from dragging another Ursa Minor into the heart of Ponyville. Next time it might be an actual Ursa Major!”

Celestia’s jaw opened and her eyes widened in disbelief. “What?! Who would do that?!” She wasn’t sure how to respond to this. She wasn’t even sure if she should believe it or not.

Princess Luna approached her sister and touched her horn to her sister as she said, “Perhaps I should just show you, dear sister.” With those words her horn glowed and Celestia’s eyes widened even further as she saw the previous night’s events.

Once the show was over and the sisters were both sitting down, Celestia rubbed a hoof on her forehead just below her horn. “Of all the idiotic, half-witted, brain dead and stupid feats of pony kind, that has to be one of the worst ideas ever!”

Luna didn’t grin to this, nor smile in victory despite wanting to do so. The truth was they were lucky none of their beloved subjects were grievously injured.

Celestia took a long sip on her cup of morning tea, feeling this was going to be one of those days. “Okay I can see what you mean about needing the patrol again. I would rather it wait a little longer so the other ponies will be more receptive to working for you. However, we will just have to hope there are enough for it to start up. Do you have a captain in mind, Luna?” Celestia asked though she had a good idea about the answer to this question.

“Yes I do. Naruko Uzumaki. She has the drive to protect her home and friends. She has proven to have the skills required after the mission she was sent on, and she is the more combat oriented of your students. Twilight may be better at magic in general, but when it comes to combat, not even she can hold a candle to Naruko. And that’s even without her using Kyuubi’s powers in conjunction with her own,” Luna said as she took an elegant sip of her tea before placing the cup down gently.

She did however wonder what would happen if Naruko taught Twilight about combat magics. Luna couldn’t help but give a little shudder at the potentially unstoppable unicorn that would be born from this act. She wouldn’t admit it, but she actually found the prospect a little terrifying.

“I won’t argue with you on that. I only hope she can find some others to help her. I'll have Fluttershy give her and the others your captain gathers advice on creatures and dealing with them, including dealing with them in more aggressive and violent ways. Fluttershy knows how to do so despite it not being her preference,” Celestia said to Luna.

“Will she understand? She is the Element of Kindness,” Luna said with some concern. She wanted her patrol to be ready for the worst of situations. If these ponies were willing to risk their lives to help protect others, she wanted them to be as ready as they could be.

“I will make her if need be, Luna. However, telling her the purpose of the patrol and what it is they are dealing with should be more than enough persuasion. She does care for all critters and such, but even then Ponies are more important to her, even if it is only by a tiny bit. I have said this before, and I still believe it holds true. Plus, she was with Naruko on their mission. She understands sometimes you have to get dirty by now. The only difference here is the problem animals, most of the time, will be approached aggressively but still non-lethally,” Celestia said.

Luna gave a smile and walked up to her sister and gave her a wing hug as she said, “I’m just glad it didn’t take something worse than this to make you realize we need to push for it. What about funding?”

Celestia returned the wing hug and smiled. “I will deal with that today during the Sun Court, Luna. We will meet again tonight to go over the particulars, sister.” Luna’s smile grew bigger as she finished up before then heading to bed for the day.

Celestia wouldn’t say so out loud, but she felt happy seeing Luna smile like that. She just wished it wasn’t related to such an important issue.

{-} {-} {-}

Celestia walked gracefully into a room full of the Royal Cabinet. All of the gathered ponies were wondering what the meeting was about. Each of the ponies went silent the moment she walked into the room. The sun princess took her seat at the table and turned to them with a serious face.

“It is time we reanalyze the budget regarding the Ever-Free Patrol. My sister and I have decided due to recent events and other potential dangers, it should once again be pushed to the fore front. Luna has told me she wishes for Naruko Uzumaki, our Contract Guardian, to be the Ever-Free Patrol Grand Captain.”

There were many murmurs among the gathered ponies as Celestia settled in for the meeting. The princess could even taste the excitement in the air. She thought this odd, but would wait to see how the long meeting went. It was going to be a long, but hopefully productive day.

Author's Notes:

Will Naruko finally have her “job”? Maybe… maybe….

Also I know it wasn’t the best attempt, but I wanted to get the salt infused and drunk fun of our group kind of PG rated. Hopefully people don’t hate me. I wish to point out I do not endorse underage drinking in any country. I just decided that here I would be more lax with the “Drinking Age.” After all besides Naruko, who is really close to it, the others are at least ‘adults’ (even in my own country) and two of them did just go through a rather tough and life threatening quest.

Regardless I hope people enjoyed this chapter. I tried to make it a kind of breather chapter. I am sorry if it was long winded. I probably could have made it two chapters, but I decided since it was so long since my last update. It was better to lump it all in one long chapter instead for some reason. Feel free to comment and all of that stuff. I like hearing what you guys think. I am not so sure about this chapter, but felt I should get it out.

May 11, 2018: Edited chapter some to add in more as a way to better show what I was trying to accomplish with Trixie and how she is already different from her cannon self.

The Ever-Free Patrol is Reborn!

After a rather easy and busy meeting, the Cabinet was more than willing to start the Ever Free Patrol again. This caused Celestia to frown as she thought she had somehow missed some very important signs.

It took no time at all for the group to not only re-institute the patrol in Ponyville, but also come up with a viable means for expansion to other Pony settlements where it might also be needed. They even gave the group a very good start up budget, and had no problems at all making cuts from other parts of the Equestrian budget without any serious setbacks in those departments.

The most surprising thing to the sun princess was the inclusion of a plan to make the Ever Free Patrol a last line of defense in the event of an invasion from outside forces. The princess just sat there with her jaw wide open wondering what was going on in her kingdom and the world that she missed.

One of the Cabinet members spoke to her a little sheepishly, “There aren't any outside threats, your highness. Don’t worry. We just kind of read what all of the Patrol’s functions were back when it was active. We wanted to be ready for anything, Princess.”

Celestia looked at the speaker incredulously. It seemed several ponies had overheard her and Luna’s arguments on the Patrol and they went and looked into the matter just in case or out of curiosity.

“We assure you that there isn’t anything going on you don’t know about already, Princess. Though some of our foreign business partners are a little curious about Princess Luna’s return. We have of course assured them she is Princess Luna and not Nightmare Moon. They agreed to continue with business as normal, even if they will keep an eye on us just to be sure. Other than that there isn’t anything to be worried about. We simply feel it is good to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best,” a different member said.

“Well I figured her return would be an issue. I know you all realize I didn’t bring her back publicly lightly. I have good reason and information to believe she will be needed in the future. However, I will not disclose that information at this time. I am merely surprised how easy this meeting has been; even it has taken up a lot of time,” Celestia said before they continued their work.

They eventually took a recess until evening. This was the first recent case where a meeting would be held where both princesses attended, even from back before the Nightmare Moon incident. Usually the sisters would just have a meeting and then a wrap up meeting for the other when it was their turn to take over duties. The wrap up meeting was either just a summary or where the other sister gave their final approval, depending on if they were the one to originally bring up the issue or not.

{-} {-} {-}

That evening they resumed their discussions. Princess Luna was excited despite the seriousness of the meeting. It was the first time since her return she didn’t feel lacking as a ruler. She managed to keep her composure even when she looked her beloved sister in the eye. Princess Celestia covered a little smile as she could tell her sister was excited about this.

One of the cabinet members started the subject of Patrol Captains. “Not that we disagree with your choice for Grand Captain, Princess Luna. But we do wonder why it was, you decided to pick Naruko Uzumaki. We only wish to have an idea of what you desire for a Captain before we place recommendations for the other contingents of the patrol, once we are ready for it to expand.”

“I understand where you are coming from with that request, Administrator Loyal. I do doubt any others will meet her standard however. I chose her because of her background, loyalty to Equestria and loyalty to her friends, her determination to protect those she cares about, her skills in combat and her tactical thinking.”

Luna gave a small unseen smile. “She did fight me equally and bested me in combat as Nightmare Moon, even if I hadn’t fully recovered my power at the time. She merely wanted to keep me distracted while the element bearers prepared to deal with Nightmare Moon. She embodies everything the Ever-Free Patrol stands for, and has the training and ability to back it up.”

The cabinet looked to each other and the princesses before one asked. “Does that mean any potential Captain needs to have combat experience and capability to fight you equally, Princess Luna?”

The night princess shook her head and answered. “No, it does not. Actual training would be preferable, but I realize ponies have grown accustomed to peace and outside of the Royal Guard few have combat training. I have no problem with this. In fact, I’m glad this is the case. It shows things are going very well.”

“I do want ponies with the same drive as Naruko and have proven, as she has, they are more than ready for the responsibilities and tasks the position of Captain requires. As for the training part, we can have them learn from the Ponyville contingent can we not? By the time we move on to the expansion stage, they should easily have the experience required to train others, and can even have them work with the newer Captains a few times before the Captains start on their own.”

The ponies just waited and listened to their Night Princess. “It might actually be best if we wait a while before expanding the group. I just realized how difficult it will be to measure the attributes I listed Naruko having and desire in the other Captains. I think if we allow some time we will have a better idea of what to look for in a Captain of the Patrol.”

One of the cabinet members spoke an idea they had. “We might be able to let this thing sort itself out somewhat if we do go with having the Ponyville Contingent train the others. We should instead look at what we require of those that wish to join the patrol. Find ways to weed out those who are only interested because they have nothing better to do or something like that. Once a new patrol starts, the leader may end up being an obvious choice.” The group then discussed what they would require of those that wish to join the Ever-Free Patrol.

After a few minutes, they sat quietly for a little bit to catch their breath and collect thoughts before continuing. “Alright, now that we have figured out how to pick those that will join it. We have to discuss the matter of compensation. After all, despite their volunteering we will not expect them to do this dangerous duty without getting paid for it,” Administrator Loyal said.

One member raised their hoof. “Has it always been like this? If they are getting paid why do we tell them they have to volunteer?”

The Night Princess answered. “Due to the dangerous nature of the patrol, we keep their payment under wraps. We do not want ponies joining the Patrol because they need a job. Though most wouldn’t join it unless they really wanted to help protect their fellow ponies, there was a time when mentioning the payment brought a few undesirables into the patrol that treated it like a job.”

Princess Luna frowned at the memory, “They would just do the minimum to get by legally, but little more. The patrol is not something that should be taken lightly. We say they are volunteering, that way those who join for the right reasons will make it to the end and then learn the truth. We also had them swear not to tell those outside of the patrol what they are paid with few exceptions.”

“Is that really necessary still?” the same member asked in follow up.

Princess Celestia answered. “Fortunately, most ponies don’t care too much about how somepony gets their money so they don’t pry into it. However given that the patrol will undoubtedly gain a lot of notice, since it hasn’t been around for a really long time. Its past is mostly seen as myth and legend so questions will arise about the patrol. I agree with Luna that we keep this tradition around. We can allow them to tell family and maybe their closest friends, but those too must take the swear as well. Do you agree with that, Luna?”

“That is how I did it back when I was in charge of it in the past. I know we don’t use magical swears lightly, but I felt it was okay in this circumstance. They could tell those closest to them who might worry about money if they go into the patrol full time later on. Many would do this in the past. The way it is organized doesn’t restrict their schedule too much so a pony can still keep their day job if they wish. Those who go into it full time get a lot more responsibility to help the patrol as well as an increase in their compensation,” Princess Luna answered.

“About that…” started an accountant pony. “We have adjusted the levels of payment to reflect the changes in the economy from last time it was active. We also felt with the increasing danger of the forest, the base pay and above deserved a raise from what it was even after the changes we took into account. We have left room in the budget for this, but if the expansion becomes too much of an expense...”

The pony paused here. They didn’t like having to say what they had to, “We will need to come up with other sources of revenue. We wish to hear your thoughts on the changes as seen in this copy of the budget, and would like to hear any ideas you may have to offset further costs, your Highnesses.” The pony then passed out copies to the others gathered and they discussed the papers.

After looking it over, Luna and Celestia both agreed with the salary increases. They were thankful Naruko and Fluttershy recovered many treasures from their mission in case they needed more expendable income than the budget allowed right away. The Princesses didn't see this as a problem, but they decided taking precaution and planning for this was the best answer.

Luna spoke up with an idea after a few minuets of thought, “In the past, we would sell some of the technologies the patrol came up with during their active duty. Not all of them, but we were able to find ways to re-purpose some of the advances for normal everyday uses that we allowed some of our contractors to use and sell. Would that still be possible, Celestia?”

Celestia thought for a moment before answering. “If we are careful with these advances. I don’t see any harm in that, Luna.” They discussed many other things that evening and some into the night after Celestia finally retired and Luna raised the moon and night sky.

{-} {-} {-}

After Luna returned from seeing her sister to bed and taking care of the sky she said, “Alright it has been a long day for you all I am sure. I think we just need to cover this expansion plan a little bit then call it a night. I appreciate the work you have all put into this matter.” The others seemed a little surprised by Luna’s pleasant demeanor. They decided that maybe she wasn't as unapproachable as they once thought.

Loyal started the discussion. “We decided priority should obviously go to the other pony towns that share a boarder with the Ever-Free Forest first. We know in the past, despite it being called the Ever-Free Patrol, it extended to all forested areas, and other settlements that were in harsher environments.”

Luna nodded for Loyal to continue, “We thought doing this again might be a good idea with secondary priority to include other places such as Hollow Shades, Baltimare and some of the towns near the badlands.”

The administrator frowned in thought, “We have plans to actually send ponies to observe these other areas to properly assess the threats they face. Of course, Hollow Shades will be the first apart from the towns bordering the Ever-Free. We have had reports from there a decent bit in the past.”

Loyal then went to further explain the details of their expansion plan and mentioned they of course could easily change things around if needed. They left plenty of wiggle room in their plan to take into account the possibility of the Ever-Free Patrol’s duties changing from just the basics. In the past, the patrol also sometimes served as a manner of law enforcement and emergency response, depending on the area and the nature of those that volunteered to join it.

Princess Luna made a couple of changes, but nothing that required a complete overhaul of the plan. The Cabinet took it very seriously when they were told this would happen, and easily worked together for the best solution. There wasn’t any room for playing politics in this matter, so they came up with a great plan from the start. Once that was done, they decided when they would meet again the next day, and Luna agreed to pass on the message to her sister in the morning.

While all of this went on Naruko slept peacefully in her bed. She had just finished another night of foal sitting for Pipsqueak. At first she couldn't go to sleep, because despite the adventure she went on not too long ago, she felt like she was still searching for what she would do normally with her life.

She was given decent compensation for her mission along with Fluttershy, but that was after she argued saying she didn't need that much because it was done not to get money, but to help Equestria and it was a mission from the Princesses.

The blonde unicorn figured the payment was someway Celestia was still looking out for her, since her stipend would soon come to an end. Naruko cared for and loved Celestia like a mother, but she felt old enough to take care of herself for the past couple of years now.

{-} {-} {-}

It was now a couple of days after the Ever-Free Patrol was once again discussed by the Cabinet. Naruko was summoned to the castle and this time she was told there wasn’t any secrecy needed. Twilight would have demanded she come along as well, but she relaxed when she heard there wasn’t any secrecy this time or a mission.

Naruko soon found herself walking though the castle with Orbit by her side. The two had greeted each other friendly enough and talked a little as the attendant pony led the way to the Cabinet's room.

Naruko gulped before she entered the room. She was nervous. Fortunately, once she passed through the doors, she had regained her composure and noticed the atmosphere of the room wasn’t exactly oppressive. She mentally sighed in relief.

“For a second there, I thought there was an issue with one of the items we brought back from the Ever-Free Temple,” Naruko mentally said. She and Fluttershy didn’t think there would be any problems with the items they chose to bring back, but neither of them really knew. It was something they both feared a little, but they knew the princesses would be able to use the items in some manner.

Fluttershy thought they were already in the clear the day after. Naruko didn’t want to tell her friend she was wrong, but the blonde unicorn knew cataloging and examining the items for curses and such would take a while from personal experience.

Twilight was all about archiving items with Naruko’s help when they were younger and the blonde unicorn was perfectly happy to do so because she was with her good friend. However, Twilight was excessively thorough because she wanted to know everything she could find about each item. The two took far too long archiving as a result usually.

The Royal Artifact Archivists Association or RAAA eventually kicked them out and said they would need the Princess’ approval to enter the area in the future. This didn’t really change much, since they were both very close on a personal level with Celestia. Though Twilight did have a break down fearing she would be banished and then imprisoned at the place she was banished for disturbing the RAAA that much. To calm her down, Naruko promised if that happened she would demand to be banished there as well.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko approached the center with as much poise and confidence as she could muster. She didn’t hate the Cabinet members or anything like that, but she was always careful around authority figures she didn’t actually know real well. She took a carefully hidden glance around the room and was a little surprised to see both princesses.

“What’s going on here? Luna, Celestia, and the full Cabinet?! It doesn’t seem like I’m in trouble or anything.” The blonde pony wondered as she stopped in the center of the room. She looked to the princesses as the doors shut behind her.

“Do you know why we have called you here, Naruko?” Luna asked first.

“No, Princess,” Naruko responded. “Is there a problem of some kind? Am I in trouble, your highness?”

Luna gave a shake of her head. “No Naruko, you are not in trouble. However, there is a problem we wish to speak with you about.”

Naruko looked at all of the pony faces. Each face was grave, but she could tell whatever they were thinking wasn’t aimed at her.
Celestia spoke next, “I am sure you have heard of the Ursa Minor incident by now. Have you not?”

“Twilight told Fluttershy and me all about it, your Highness.” The blonde unicorn wasn’t sure what this had to do with anything, but she was paying full attention.

“The Ever-Free Forest is slowly growing more dangerous. Precautions must be taken to not only keep the ponies safe from the forest, but also their own selves. You are aware of the two colts who ventured into it and cause the problem in the first place?” Administrator Loyal said.

Naruko gave a nod as he continued. “Because of this Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, and this Cabinet have decided to re-instate the Ever-Free Patrol. The Patrol acts as protectors for pony populations in or near high risk areas. They specialize in both lethal and non-lethal, preferably non-lethal, measures against the ponies and wildlife if needed. Are you following so far?” The administrator looked to Naruko for an answer.

“Yes sir, I follow,” Naruko replied.

Loyal nodded to her and continued, “Each contingent of the Ever-Free Patrol is a volunteer organization headed by an appointed Captain. Each pony’s schedule will be considered when it comes to duties. A pony who is in charge of more than just their own contingent is also appointed as a Grand Captain. Beyond Grand Captain is Princess Luna, all members of the patrol fall under her protection and jurisdiction. Grand Captains are picked by the Cabinet by recommendation. However, it is up to the individual if they take the position. I trust you are still following.”

Naruko nodded again. Loyal gave her a nod and a smile this time. “This Cabinet, at the recommendation of Princess Luna, wish to offer you, Naruko Uzumaki, the position of Grand Captain of the Ever-Free Patrol and Captain of the Ponyville contingent. This will be the first contingent and observed carefully before consideration for expansion of the program is decided. Will you, Naruko Uzumaki, take this position?”

Naruko’s blue eyes widened as she thought it all over. She tried not to smile, but the more she thought about the offer the harder it was not to smile. “This is what I have been waiting for… I can do this and continue with my other jobs to get money.”

Naruko soon regained her composure and answered, “I will gladly accept this position, and the responsibilities that come with it.”

Luna gave a bright smile along with Celestia. After this, the Cabinet and Princesses filled her in on what her position and responsibilities would be. Naruko took it all in and understood it. It was a lot of work, but she would manage it. She knew she had found what she was looking for.

However… “I only wish it paid… I will do this regardless to help protect everypony I care about, but it would be nice if I didn’t have to worry about work on top of it,” the blonde unicorn thought to herself. She looked up as she heard Loyal clear his throat.

“Now on the matters of compensation...” he began.

Naruko gawked at him for a second and interrupted him. “I thought it was a volunteer position…”

“It is a volunteer position, Grand Captain Naruko. However, we are asking those in the patrol to take on very dangerous tasks as I am sure you have noticed.” She nodded to him. “Ponies do have to volunteer for it and once they prove they are ready for it and join they are then given payment for their time.”

One of the other Cabinet ponies continued for him. “They then take a Magical Swear which restricts who they talk about this payment with. Those ponies who learn of this information must take the same Magical Swear. We do this so only those ponies who truly wish to protect and help out their fellow ponies end up joining the Patrol. They are even allowed to take it on as a full time job if they want.” Naruko thought this over and was about to ask who she could tell this about, but her question was answered by Princess Luna.

“My sister and I have assured the council you have already proven you are capable of keeping secrets for the throne as has Twilight Sparkle. You may share this information with her, and the Magical Swear is only needed if you still wish to take it. You may not share this information with Spike at this time, but you can share it with your other friends. However, they will have to take a Magical Swear.”

Naruko cleared her throat and carefully asked, “Princess Luna, if I may ask… What exactly is a Magical Swear? I’m not really sure I’ve heard of it.”

Naruko seriously hoped she hadn’t just proved herself inept for her new position already. Luna smiled to her though. “It is a security measure not used lightly. However, if this information was abused and wide spread it could lead to a bad situation that put ponies’ lives at stake. The Magical Swear is a high level spell that courses through the entire body of a pony. It isn’t harmful, but it can sometimes be a little unpleasant.”

Naruko thought it over. “I’ll still take it. I want to know what my future patrol members will be going through.” She looked very determined when she answered. The look of determination was more than enough to erase any doubts that might have still been there about if she was right for the job or not.

After a couple of seconds though she gave a nervous whinny and scratched the back of her blonde mane and smiled as she spoke. “So…. We were ummm… talking about money?”

The members blinked a few times at the complete turnaround in her composure. Princess Celestia started to chuckle and she was followed shortly by her sister. The rest of the Cabinet gave small chuckles and went about explaining it to her.

{-} {-} {-}

It had taken awhile, but the ponies had finally sorted everything out. Naruko was now on her way to Luna’s room with the pony princess taking the lead. “Are you sure about this, Naruko? You don’t have to take it in your case.”

“I can’t expect other ponies I will be leading to do something I’m not willing to do myself,” she replied.

“Yes, but a leader must also not take unnecessary risks their self. Willing to lead by example and with your fellow ponies is admirable, but sometimes a leader must put their self above the others for the sake of the greater good.” Luna said to the blonde unicorn while she continued leading the pony.

Naruko paused mid-step. “Is this Magical Swear really that bad?”

Luna looked to her with a small smile. “It can be intense, but it isn’t harmful. It may be unpleasant for some, but to others it can be rather enjoyable sometimes. Either way it is not something to be taken lightly.”

The dark coated pony princess turned to face Naruko better as she went on, “Forgive me for my words earlier. I was speaking for you to consider your thoughts on leadership in more depth. Nothing more. Wanting to be there with your fellow ponies in the patrol is very key to your position as a Grand Captain and Captain.” Naruko nodded to this, but gave a puzzled look at the princess.

“When it comes to your position as Contract Guardian, or in the face of an enemy on domestic soil. You will have to think more in terms of a General in the military instead of a Patrol Captain at times. Your duty and obligations as a Contract Guardian for Equestria are very and sometimes more important. You will come to learn this eventually. I know Celestia is taking your Guardian training slow due to other circumstances.”

Luna turned back around and continued up the steps. “Also it is a function of the Ever-Free Patrol to be a key line of defense on the home front and in pony towns. Usually we try to fight battles on battle fields, but you never know when that method will fail. It hasn’t yet, but with all that will be happening in future...”

She stopped again and looked out a window to her left showing her part of Canterlot and more of Equestria. She took in a breath, “It might be something that happens.”

Naruko walked over to Luna’s side and looked out the window as well. The two ponies stood there in silence for a couple of minutes as the princess’ words sunk in for Naruko. The words only made her more determined to do her best to help protect her friends, Ponyville and Equestria.

The ponies started their trek once more. This time they didn’t stop until they were right in front of Luna’s Door. Naruko felt nervous. She had been in Luna’s room before when she spoke with the princesses about her mission, but this time it oddly felt more… intimate.

Luna opened the doors to her room. Naruko looked inside the dark room. It was actually rather beautiful even in this low lighting. When she was there with both Celestia and Luna the curtains let more sun light in the room. This time they didn’t. Instead there were several floating candles around the room each letting off a warm light.

Many of the candles were encircling the center of the room. On the floor, Naruko could make out runes in the candle light which looked more like seals to her. She didn’t remember seeing them last time.

“If you are wondering about the curtains it is simple. Last time you were here we didn’t need to keep light from shining outwards. During this ceremony the light of my magic glows brightly. If it was seen by ponies outside, they would possibly be startled.” Luna said as she went around and double checked the curtains.

“Oh okay. I was wondering about that, but I was more interested in the seals… I mean runes on the floor,” Naruko said.

“Ah. Yes those are only visible with these special candles lit and positioned in this arrangement. That way no one could copy them, or figure out how to break them. It is very unlikely you will remember them after all of this. If you do that would be impressive, but you wouldn’t be able to copy them even if you wanted to. They have to be done in a very particular way and order,” Luna explained to the blonde unicorn.

“This really is a lot of precaution,” Naruko casually stated.

“Well the Magical Swear is a very important and serious matter. They haven’t been used since the last days of the previous patrol. They were used more in the older times when this land was much more at war. Thankfully things haven’t been anywhere near that bad.” Luna said as she seemed to stretch out.

She looked at Naruko and answered the question she had a feeling her new Grand Captain was going to ask. “Fortunately, sister and I doubt they will get that bad any time soon. We are already taking precautions, we have plenty of time to solve things before they get that bad. If none of us start to slack in our duties we shouldn't have to worry about it.”

Naruko nodded to this. “So I’m guessing I stand in the center of these runes?” Naruko asked as she made her way there.

Luna smiled at her. “I would perhaps comment on your perceptiveness, but it is rather obvious is it not?” Luna ended with a small laugh.

Naruko shook her head with a smile as she got into position. “Do I need to stand or sit or anything like that?”

“Standing would be best, but for this it does not really matter one way or the other,” Luna replied.

Naruko stood in the center and braced herself for what was to come. “Some last minuet advice about the ceremony…” Luna started as she looked deep into Naruko’s blue eyes. “Do not fight the magic of this ceremony. It will make things much better if you don't. It can still be rather imposing nonetheless.” Naruko nodded to her and relaxed a little.

Luna closed her eyes and raised her head elegantly. Her long dark horn started to glow a medium dark blue. Magic began to fill the room. The candles started to circle around Naruko and the runes on the floor below her. The light seemed to be dancing in the air of the dark room.

Naruko couldn’t help but feel a little in awe at the magic. It was so thick in the air and it felt rather comforting for her. The blonde unicorn actually started to feel a little tingle around her as well.

The magic increased more as Luna opened her eyes. The Princess' eyes were glowing a soft white. Similar but not exactly like Twilight’s did when she used the elements. Luna started to rise into the air slightly as she spoke in a calm but powerful voice.

“Let the magics of the old listen to my command. This one offers their self willingly to the service of the Patrol. Help them protect the secrets others must not hear. Put them under my protection. Let them not falter in their duty. Protect them as can be protected until death take them, or they are dismissed from their service.” Luna said.

The magic condensed and started to surround Naruko. The blonde unicorn gasped in surprise as the magics started to flow through her body. The newly appointed Grand Captain’s breath hitched. She had never felt something like this before.

It was intense, but it wasn't at all harmful. In fact, if anything it was amazing and even pleasurable. The magic collected and condensed one last time. It then shot towards her quickly. Naruko let out a moan of pleasure as she softly collapsed on to the floor. She couldn't help the moans that escaped her muzzle.

The lights started to slow down and return to their candle sticks. Luna’s magic aura receded and the pony princess landed elegantly on the floor and folded in her wings.

Naruko lay on the floor and panted. She still felt tremors of pleasure pass through her body in very pleasant ways, even if they were starting to slowly fade. After a few seconds she spoke, “I thought… you said… it would be unpleasant, Princess.”

Luna walked over to her calmly and smiled gently. “I said it could be. Those who fight it because they are a little terrified don’t… enjoy it as much.”

Luna then gave a wider smile as she chuckled. “Also don’t worry. Your purity is still intact it isn’t really that kind of a spell. Even if it leaves the mare or stallion in such a state.”

Naruko blushed to this. “One last thing. That moan of yours was actually kind of cute,” Luna said as she covered her muzzle with a hoof and giggled. Naruko’s blush intensified.

She wasn’t ashamed or anything though. It really did feel that good and it did have that kind of effect on her. Still it was embarrassing to have your commander see you in such a state. Even more so if said commander is a beautiful Princess.

The unicorn’s deep blue eyes widened as she felt another intense jolt of pleasure. She couldn’t help but moan out again. This caused Luna to raise an eyebrow at her.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko finally recovered from the ceremony. It took her some time though. The blonde pony looked to Luna and asked, “That Magical Swear seemed awfully specific. Do the words and magic have more importance than the runes and candles to the ceremony? Does this change depending on the circumstances for the spell?”

Luna gave a proud smile. “You are right that the magic and words are very important. The runes and candles are much more important, but it is the words and magic that guide the ceremony and create the spell's effects. These, as you deducted, change based on the circumstance and secrets the spell helps guard.”

Naruko looked thoughtful. “So I guess the intensity and the feel of magic vary as well depending on the secret and circumstance.”

“Right you are, Naruko. You and your fellow Patrollers will end up privy to a great many secrets since you will also serve as the home defense if an invasion were to occur. However, your experience was much stronger than it will be for the others, since you are not only a captain in the patrol, but also the Grand Captain.”

“The Grand Captain?” Naruko asked as she raised an eyebrow questioningly. She sort of knew what it meant, but the ponies made it seem like her duties weren't all that different than a Patrol Captain's for the most part. Also she thought her extra duties were just due to her being the start up Captain.

Luna nodded to her. “Yes the Grand Captain. There aren’t going to be many. We may add one or two more after the patrol has expanded a lot more, but until then. And ‘then’ is far down the line, you are the Grand Captain. It is a hefty title and position with a lot of weight and responsibility behind it. In fact, unless otherwise noted in your orders for a mission. You are actually higher in the command chain than most of the Royal Guard.”

“This includes my Night Guard. Though for the most part I have them work directly with me and apart from others. However, unless otherwise told, if they are ever on a mission with you. You are their commanding officer.” Luna said as she looked the blonde pony in the eyes.

“I guess since the patrol hasn’t been around for a while. I'll have to prove myself to any others. Still, I feel a little like a cheat being given this position without really earning it.” Naruko said.

Naruko was surprised when Luna came up right to her and looked her square in the eyes. “You have earned this position. You have already completed a special and very important mission for the throne and you were able to take me one on one.”

Naruko was about to protest, but Luna placed a dark hoof on her muzzle. “It doesn’t matter that I wasn’t at my full strength. You know this. We already discussed it. I also know about your time as a human. The truth is with your incomplete shadow warrior training you are better trained than most of the Royal Guard. You may not have gone through the ranks, but you have earned your position.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed a little. “I would not have recommended you to go straight to Grand Captain otherwise, Naruko.”

The blonde unicorn looked down a little and scuffed a hoof on the floor. “Sorry. I wasn’t questioning your judgment, your Highness.”

Luna’s face softened. “Perhaps I was a little too intense with my words. I wasn’t meaning to criticize you or accuse you of such things. I merely wished to point out you have earned your position and you should not doubt that. Ponies will be questioning your authority at every turn in the beginning at least. Eventually they will learn of your deeds with the Ever-Free Patrol.”

Naruko looked up to her and was happy to see Luna giving her a soft smile. The night princess continued, “Back when the Patrol was last instituted the members were seen as heroes by all. Even the Royal Guard looked up to them. I will admit the patrol did do a lot more back then. It may gain more duties if they are needed as it grows once more though.”

Naruko stared in a little bit of awe. She had to admit part of her still wanted the attention that she so desperately craved when she was younger. It was sounding like the Ever-Free Patrol may in fact satisfy that small craving.

The blonde unicorn may have stood there daydreaming a little in awe, but Luna gave a smirk and spoke to her in a seductive voice. “So… Should we have dinner together or something? And… Was it as good for you as it was for me?” She teased.

The unicorn blushed as thoughts ran through her head. She finally regained control. “Geez…” She said. “You said it wasn’t like that…” Luna giggled at her. “Did I really seem that way?” Her blush deepened for no real reason.

Luna giggled more. “Sorry I couldn’t help it. You really are cute when you blush. But yes you really did seem to enjoy the spell a lot.”

The peach tanned pony blushed more. She hated this. She felt extra girly at this moment, but she didn't really mind it that much. She hated that fact even more.

“Really I just had to say that. I was watching this movie where two ponies said that after a rather interesting and comedic situation.” Luna said with a smile.

“Why were you watching that type of a movie?” Naruko was actually very curious.

“Well Celly told me it would help me with learning about the times and how culture has changed.” Luna blushed a little and added, “Some of it was rather a lot to take in. The way society and decorum is a lot more lax now is both shocking and at times entertaining.”

Naruko nodded to that. She then gave a foxy grin. Time to get a little pay back. “You know maybe we should get something to eat. I mean…” her voice dropped down just a little, “You really did rock my world. It will be quiet the tale for the others to hear about my private encounter with the Princess of the Night in her bedchamber.”

Luna paused and blushed as her mouth hung open. “You-you… you wouldn’t.”

Naruko gave a laugh as she made her way to the dining halls. Luna quickly followed her and begged her not to go around saying such things. It would be very scandalous if she did. Every gossip pony would talk about it and every magazine would have it on the front cover.

Naruko laughed louder. “Oh that was funny. You should have seen your face.” She figured since Luna had already broken down the walls of decorum and seriousness the two could act a little more like friends now.

Luna gave an “Hmph” and raised her nose in the air. “It isn’t proper to do such things to royalty, Naruko.” Naruko just laughed more. She might have been scared there for a second, but she saw the smile tugging at Luna’s lips.

“Joking aside…” Luna began with a somber tone. “We both have our work cut out for us, Naruko. I hope you are ready for it.”

Naruko gave a smug grin. “I was born for this kind of thing, Princess. Doing what I can to help those important to me and all of Equestria is very similar to what I would have been doing by this time in that other world. Here though I have friends and important ponies who love me and are more than worth all the trouble we will face.”

Luna once again started to smile. She knew she had chosen right to have Naruko as her Grand Captain. The blonde unicorn would do all she could for The Patrol and manage both her secret missions and duties as a Contract Guardian. The Princesses would help when they could, and Naruko’s friends will also be there for her when needed.

Luna looked out another window. “Some of them will just need to grow up a little bit first,” the Night Princess thought to herself. She quickly started moving again so Naruko wouldn’t think something was up.

As they walked into one of the casual dining halls Luna stopped again as did Naruko. Luna gave the unicorn a smile as welcoming as a slight warm breeze in the middle of a cool night.

Naruko paused and blushed a little at the princess’ smile. Luna would have been tempted to tease the blonde pony, but instead she just came closer to her. Luna then softly said to her. “I knew I made the right choice on this, Naruko.”

Naruko relished in the praise. Praise for her wasn’t scarce here in Equestria, but still a part of her drank it up. Luna then stepped back and said, “I look forward to all the time we will be spending with each other. I also look forward to the ways you further prove your worth to Equestria.”

“I suppose we will be working a lot together now, Princess Luna.” Naruko said.

She couldn’t fully hide the small bit of excitement at the prospect of working with Princess Luna. Sure Celestia and Naruko were very close, but it always felt like Celestia was more Twilight’s Princess. If that makes any sense. Luna was starting to become more Naruko’s Princess slowly.

Luna gave a smile and a nod. “Yes we shall, Naruko. After all, The Ever-Free Patrol is my responsibility alone. And I have always preferred a more hooves on approach in such matters. As I said, we have a lot of work to do, my Grand Captain. I will oversee and help with the first parts of the Patrol a good bit especially.”

Naruko gave a small bow. “I look forward to it, Princess Luna.”

Princess Luna gave her a nod and motioned for the unicorn to rise. “As do I, Naruko.” A moment later she spoke once more. “Now let us have something to eat then. You may pick.”

Naruko gave a smile. “Does it have to be here?” She motioned to the dining room around them with a hoof.

“Do you wish for one of the grander dining halls?” Luna asked with confusion.

“Nah… I was thinking of somewhere else. After all, this is something to celebrate. Is it not?” Naruko asked with hope in her blue eyes.

Princess Luna now understood what Celestia meant when she said it was hard to refuse either Naruko or Twilight. The look in the peach tanned pony’s eyes was very imploring. The Princess of the Night felt like if she refused the request it would be like drowning a sack of puppies. Something she would never do.

So she went with the obvious answer, “Yes it is, Naruko. Lead us to dinner.” Naruko gave a bright smile as she eagerly led the way.

{-} {-} {-}

“Well, well… I never thought I would see this day.” Said the restaurant owner as he bowed deeply. “Forgive me, your highness. I am deeply honored and thankful you are here at my humble business. I'm just surprised.”

Luna looked around with a half frown. She saw a few of the Canterlot Elite, several of the off-duty Royal Guard, and even some of the well-known food critics in Equestria, all of whom were bowing to her. The place was actually very busy it seemed.

Princess Luna motioned for them to rise and go about their business. The ponies did without hesitation. She then turned to the owner and spoke, “If you call this a humble business, then I dread your definition of a grand and esteemed business.”

The owner bowed in thanks as she continued, “But it is Naruko you should thank, not I. She wanted to come here for dinner.”

The owner gave an easy smile to the blonde unicorn who was still amazed at the scene before her. “Aye. She is almost making up for skipping out on her first bill here.”

“Oh please… Not that again…” Naruko whined. Both Princess Luna and the owner laughed to this. Soon Naruko joined them in laughter before finally ordering her meal.

By the end of the meal Naruko knew Luna was more than likely a new convert to the Followers of Ramen. The blonde unicorn was sure after another trip or two Celestia would induct her sister into the apparently esteemed order.

Once all was said and done, Naruko returned to her home. She mostly went straight to bed. She promised to fill in Twilight on everything in the morning and maybe even let the unicorn observe some of the proceedings, with her boss’ permission of course.

All in all it was a very good day, plus that spell… Naruko blushed as the flood of pleasure returned with the memory. Eventually she fell asleep, and had pleasant dreams that night. Things were going to be different now. She was excited by this.

Author's Notes:

I know this is shorter than most of my chapters, but I felt it was good to do the next part of this would be really long chapter as a separate chapter. Also I didn't want to keep you all waiting too long for a new chapter. I feel it is still a decent length word wise though.

So now Naruko has found her place in Ponyville and Equestria. Hurray! Hopefully it will be interesting and entertaining to see how this plays out and effects things.

The First Volunteers, the Expert and New Information

Naruko, wearing what looked suspiciously like a highly stylized military uniform, over looked the new recruits standing before her. She did feel a little embarrassed by her current outfit, but she couldn’t really say no after the face Rarity made once it was complete. It also wasn’t the most comfortable thing to wear. Naruko sighed mentally to herself. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told Rarity about the Ever-Free Patrol being like a more awesome and personal military unit after all.”

------- Flashback starts ---------

When Naruko woke up the day after receiving her assignment as Grand Captain, she happily told Twilight as much as she could about it. Surprisingly it was a good bit. The blonde unicorn figured this was because she hadn’t really come across much information that needed to be kept quiet yet.

She didn’t go into detail about certain subjects, because Spike was busy cooking breakfast this time and the baby dragon was very good at listening to what they said while he did so. Some of the things she wanted to explain about she felt he shouldn’t hear. Mostly because she didn’t want to be bothered with answering a million questions with what she felt were obvious answers. Twilight was the teacher type, not her.

Right when they were close to sitting down for breakfast, they heard a knocking on the door. “I’ll get it,” Twilight said as she cheerfully answered the door. “Oh hello, Rarity! How are you doing this morning?”

“I’m doing simply wonderful my dear friend. I just wanted to pop in and at least say hello to my two favorite unicorns in Ponyville,” came Rarity’s elegant and sophisticated voice.

“Well good morning then. Naruko, Spike and I are about to have breakfast. Do you want to join us?” Twilight asked with a cheerful smile.

She was more excited than usual because of what Naruko was telling her about. It all sounded so very interesting. Rarity was a bit surprised by this level of excitement from her purple coated friend at this time of the day. Twilight wasn’t usually a morning pony to this extent.

“I already had some this morning, but I wouldn’t mind a glass of orange juice.” Rarity then pretended to be looking for somepony before adding, “Just don’t tell Applejack.” Twilight burst into a laugh and Rarity soon did as well.

“Your secret is safe with me. If she ever bothers you about it, do what Naruko and I do,” Twilight said with grin.

“Oh and what is that?” Rarity asked playing along.

“We simply say it’s so we can better appreciate Apple juice when we have it,” Twilight said with a laugh as she led a laughing Rarity into the kitchen.

“Morning, Rarity,” Naruko said to their white coated unicorn friend.

“Morning, Rares!” Spike shouted from the kitchen. “Want anything?”

“Sure my dear Spikey Wikey. I’d like a glass of orange juice, if you’d be so kind,” Rarity said with a beautiful smile.

“Coming right up!” Spike said as he placed the waffles and fruit on the table quickly before heading back to get the juice.

When he returned he started up the interesting conversation from before again. “So you were talking about this Ever-Free Patrol thingy. Are you going to be like soldiers for Ponyville or something?”

“Oooo what is this?” Rarity asked with burning curiosity in her eyes.

“Not exactly, Spike. I’ll just start at the top again for you, Rarity,” Naruko said as she served herself some waffles. She didn’t mind answering some questions. She figured she’d have to get used to it anyways. Rarity would also be able to follow along better than Spike and he would try to act cool in front of Rarity and not ask too many questions.

“Princess Luna and Princess Celestia decided to re-establish the Ever-Free Forest Patrol again.” Naruko took a bite as Twilight filled Rarity in some.

“It was a very prestigious group that pretty much kept all of the towns in Equestria safe at its height. It was even in some cases more respected than the Royal Guard. Ponyville would have had a contingent if it was around during that time, even,” Twilight then took a bite of her breakfast as Naruko took back over.

“Princess Luna pretty much had full control over the Ever-Free Patrol. It was a bit of a problem during her rebellion, but even after that Celestia reinstated it for a brief period of time with herself as the Stewart of the patrol. She wanted it to still function as it was before things got complicated and it mostly did,” Naruko said as she took a break.

Twilight continued for her with a big smile. “It not only is back now, but Naruko here is pretty much the second in command of the entire Patrol! It’s only her and Luna right now and just for Ponyville, but even when it expands she will still be Grand Captain Uzumaki.”

“True, but it’s just a volunteer only thing. So I’ll still be doing the occasional odd job to get money. The patrol has always been a volunteer thing. That way only ponies completely dedicated to protecting their homes and other ponies join up. There isn’t any room for slackers or career only people,” Naruko said with a nod.

“That makes it sound even cooler! I mean you are like well Superheroes or something like that. I mean not with the super hero powers, but you know the whole fighting for what is right and not to get paid kind of thing,” Spike said as he ripped into his waffles.

“I guess we kind of are in a way. Anyways, we aren’t really full on soldiers, but we will more or less be trained like them. At the same time though, we are a civilian group. If that makes any sense to you," Naruko said with a nod.

Rarity’s eyes seemed to be sparkling. “Ideaaa!” she called with glee. Her eyes then narrowed on to Naruko and she said, “Naruko… You will come to my boutique after you finish here!” She then slammed down the rest of her orange juice and excused herself.

Naruko felt a little uneasy after Rarity left. The blonde unicorn wasn’t sure what to make of Rarity’s request/demand. She would go along with it. She just needed to get herself mentally prepared. There really wasn’t any way to say “No” to Rarity when she was like this.

------ End Flashback -----

When Naruko went to Rarity’s shop, she was soon outfitted in a paramilitary dress uniform. “So you can look professional and no nonsense for any new recruits while still being stylish,” Rarity assured her.

The blonde unicorn surprisingly found herself enjoying Rarity dressing her up. She even thought when it came to Gala Dress time it might not be that bad. Plus, doing these things with Rarity was usually a blast.

“Ha! Letting your girly side show are we, Naruko?” Kyuubi’s voice came to her as she thought over the memory again.

Naruko just ignored him this time. She was getting ready to meet with three potentials and talk to them. She doubted they would make it. She figured they were merely curious ponies wanting to see what was going on and nothing more.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko looked out to the immediate volunteers again. Bon Bon, Lyra Heartstrings and Cloud Kicker signed up the moment the announcement was made more or less. This actually impressed Naruko a little. It showed they might actually be here for something more than just sating their curiosity after all once she noticed the dates and times they signed up. She didn’t know why that was recorded, but she figured it was just some kind of administrative paperwork thing. She’d have to look into it later.

The gathering started off with the Grand Captain giving them information about some more of the specifics of the Patrol’s purpose. They all stayed and looked just as eager. This was another plus in Naruko’s books.

“Alright, I need to give you all some physical tests and such to get an idea about where your skills actually lie. I’ll also have a bit of a spar with you all as well, but nothing too serious, so don’t worry. I just need to see what I’m working with to make sure this patrol will live up to it’s past. You can of course quit the training whenever you want, but you won’t be allowed to join the patrol,” she explained to them. They again weren’t disheartened.

Naruko was surprised at seeing how skilled Cloud Kicker was with flying at the start of the skills test. The honey gold maned pegasus wasn’t Rainbow Dash level, but she was much better at control. Also those airbrakes of her’s were amazing!

She was even more surprised to notice that Bon Bon and Lyra even had some form of working fight training. To further impress her, Lyra could even fight without using magic. The green unicorn wasn’t as good without it, but she was more than good enough.

“I’m guessing you two have some kind of previous training. That really is… interesting. I know you two weren’t a part of the Royal Guard. Where did you get your training?” Naruko asked.

The two ponies gave nervous laughs and Lyra answered. “Well we don’t really have any formal training. We kind of taught ourselves.”

Naruko’s eyes widened a little to this. That really was something else if they were to this level from self-study alone. “Why?” She asked.

Bon Bon answered this time. “Well after the whole Summer Sun Celebration and Nightmare Moon thing I asked Lyra to help me. She already sort of taught herself a bit out of plain boredom.” Lyra blushed as Bon Bon giggled.

Naruko gave them a critical gaze as she said, “You do realize by joining the Ever-Free Patrol you are one of Princess Luna’s subordinates correct? She is our boss. She even, in most cases, has superiority to us over Princess Celestia. Our main goal is still home front defense more or less, but she is our ‘Commanding Officer’. This isn’t going to be a problem for any of you, right?”

All three ponies gave her serious faces as they answered, “No, Ma’ma.” Naruko gave a small smile.

“Besides… She isn’t really Nightmare Moon anymore and I’m pretty sure she isn’t going to be anywhere close to being that again,” Cloud Kicker replied.

“Plus, she is the one responsible for bringing the Patrol back in the first place. We agree that shows she cares about the safety of all ponies even in a town like Ponyville," Lyra added with a confident smile.

“Yes, she does. Princesses Celestia and Luna both care about all of us ponies. From what I have learned, Princess Luna was usually the one who took a more personal and active approach to things. Princess Celestia was the one who took a more ‘grander scheme’ approach to things. It is part of the reason before the whole Nightmare Moon incident Equestria was said to be an even better utopia despite all of the war issues and such in the world,” Naruko said to her very interested audience. She guessed it only made sense they wanted to know as much about the Night Princess as they could.

Bon Bon nodded her head in understanding. “That really makes a lot of sense and explains some things.” Others nodded in agreement.
Naruko continued giving them test after test to see if they had what it took to continue with the patrol. She was surprised all three made it to the very end and were relatively okay. They were tired and had some minor pains, but it wasn’t anything to worry about.

“Am I going too easy on them?” she thought to herself.

She heard a chuckle in return to her question. “If you were training full-fledged ninjas back home maybe… But here there isn’t an established military school that takes volunteers and trains them as children.”

“Alright everypony. Follow me. There is one more thing we all have to do. It is very important before you all are officially members of the Ever-Free Patrol,” Naruko said with a smile.

The other ponies were curious and followed her. She entered a protected area where she and Luna had agreed upon earlier. The Night Princess was standing there looking them over.

“So. These are my brave little ponies who have proven themselves and wish to join the esteemed ranks of the Ever-Free Patrol?” Princess Luna asked with a smile on her face.

The other ponies, apart from Naruko, were completely stunned. They didn’t think they would actually meet their Boss Princess ever really, but here she was standing before them. Luna sighed and made a mental note to try and get them past this reaction.

“However, for the moment it might be best. They will probably listen to me and do as I ask even if only because they are too stunned to do otherwise,” Luna thought to herself. She nodded mentally and gave them their instructions.

“Okay everypony. Please stand right here.” Luna pointed in front of her. As the other ponies did what she asked, she smiled and told them one last thing. “I am about to cast a spell on you all known as the Magical Swear. It will be intense, but shouldn’t hurt if you just let the magic flow through and not fight. It might actually feel good.”

{-} {-} {-}

After the magic swear was finished, the three new recruits were feeling pretty good. Not to the extent Naruko did, but good none the less. Luna and Naruko then answered questions the volunteers had for them.

“So why did we do all of that? Is it standard procedure?” Lyra asked out of curiosity.

“I had to go through the same thing as well. It is standard procedure,” Naruko answered first.

Luna followed. “The reason for the swear is because you will learn key information about Equestria’s defenses and past that could be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hooves. That information you won’t be able to share with anyone who hasn’t taken the full swear unless the worst case scenario happened in Equestria.”

The ponies were giving their full attention as their princess continued. “That would be if you had to protect Ponyville or other pony settlements in case an invasion force were to make it to the home front. Then you could share information with the Royal Guard and others as needed.”

The ponies were wide-eyed hearing this, but their Capitan put them at slight ease. “This has never really happened before. However, it is our duty in case it does. Relax. Something like that is very unlikely to happen.”

“Really? I thought that was something the Royal Guard had to worry about,” Cloud Kicker asked in amazement.

Luna answered. “Yes really. As for the Royal Guard… In the past, when the Ever-Free Patrol was last instituted and at its peak. It was considered more honorable and prestigious to be in the patrol. The Royal and Night Guards looked to those of the patrol as their superiors with respect in some cases.”

The new Patrollers were stunned again, but listened. “Because of this you will all receive training in combat from probably the most qualified pony in Equestria. Naruko Uzumaki your Captain and our Contracted Guardian. We will find an aerial combat trainer for you Cloud Kicker in addition to this.”

The group were actually kind of excited about this and cheered. They were going to protect their home and learn the skills to do so. They also thought it would be cool if the Patrol got to the level it used to be as well, though that was merely an added bonus to everything else.

Once they calmed down, they saw the Princess giving them a beautiful smile along with Naruko. “In addition to that,” Naruko started. “You will all be given monetary reimbursement for your sacrifice.”

They ponies just stared and blinked with their jaws hanging open as their Captain continued. “We don’t advertise this because it would draw undesirables to our cause. The reason you all made it is because you showed you were here to help protect Ponyville and/or showed extraordinary dedication in your commitment. You can tell your family if they wonder about your surplus of income, but we have discovered they too undergo a magical swear as well. It’s just more or less an extension of your own. They won’t be allowed to tell anypony else directly.”

“Of course if you choose to go full time. Your salary will increase a good bit along with your responsibilities,” Naruko reminded them. This caused some excited chatter, but none of them were full time at this moment.

{-} {-} {-}

Luna and Naruko took turns explaining things to the other ponies and answering questions. In conclusion, Naruko said a few closing thoughts. “We are still working on some defense protocols and strategies so there will sometimes be meetings to explain these things in the future. Also in closing…”

“Two days from now at about this time we will be meeting with Fluttershy at the Library. She will do what she can to explain what she knows of the surrounding wildlife that we will possibly be interacting with on our missions. She knows that we will have to use aggressive tactics, but will not be aiming to grievously harm the animals. She will do what she can to tell us what she knows,” Naruko said.

“Really? That sounds rather… unfluttershylike,” Cloud Kicker said.

“She has been through some things that have changed her views a little bit. She wasn’t happy about it, but she knew it was important. You would also be surprised how many of her animal friends are actually more or less forest refugees. She knows the dangers and she came to realize how important our role will be not only for ponies but other animals as well,” Naruko assured them.

They asked a few more questions before dismissing for the day. All three of the recruits decided to meet up and celebrate their new positions. They asked Naruko who regretfully replied, “I am sorry I can’t go this time. However, I will join you all some other time. You better believe it.” She finished with a wide smile and the others smiled in return before going off excitedly.

“Well, do you think they will be up to the task, Naruko?” Luna asked seriously.

Naruko nodded with confidence. “I believe so. Tartarus! Lyra and Bon Bon already have some training they did with each other on their own. Cloud Kicker will be really amazing as well. She is very good at air braking and maneuvering already. Give her some training like you promised and she will be good in the air. Plus, it is my job to get them in shape for the task and I will do my best there.” Luna nodded in thought to that as she started to mentally list possible names of trainers.

{-} {-} {-}

It was now a couple days since the new Patrol members were accepted. A yellow pegasus with a pink mane gave a sigh to herself. She wasn’t sure how to do what she was about to do. She knew few if any ponies had her talent of understanding animals like she did. She thought back to her discussion with the princesses and Naruko.

---- Flashback starts----

“You want me to do what?!” Fluttershy asked in an uncharacteristically loud voice, for her, due to surprise.

“We want you to teach the Ever-Free Patrol what you know about animals and how to fight them, but without the intention of seriously harming them… unless there really isn’t any other way,” Celestia said calmly.

“I-I-I get the first part and have no problem with that… but that second part…” Fluttershy said in a much more quiet, but normal for her voice.

“I know how you feel about your animals, but the Patrol will be vital to protecting both ponies and animals alike in the grand scheme of things. I will not ask ponies to risk their lives without all the help and tools they can get to perform their job,” Luna said in a firmer voice than she wished.

Fluttershy still looked unsure. Naruko then gave her a serious look. “Fluttershy.” The pegasus nodded showing she was focusing on her blonde unicorn friend. “Do you remember the things we came across in the Forest Temple?”

The pink maned pony gulped and then steeled her nerves and nodded. Naruko continued, “Their might be other threats like that out there that we need to watch out for. We will do all we can to make sure the animals we encounter will be fine.”

Naruko narrowed her eyes, “However, like the Princesses are saying. We will have to be aggressive at times to achieve our goals. We can’t talk to animals like you can, and unless you want us coming to you for every problem. Including Timberwolves… You need to do this.”

Fluttershy blinked with wide eyes. She knew a lot about Timberwolves and more of the meaner animals in the forest. She understood the scale of what the patrol would be facing.

“Also…” Naruko started darkly. “We do still have that overarching danger out there to deal with and it might cause problems for the animals in the forest as well. The Patrol will be dealing with that as well if needed.”

Fluttershy was finally firm in her resolve and nodded. “I will do it. I think I can even see how this will help the animals there as well possibly. Some of my animal friends left because they had no choice.”

“Great!” Luna said excitedly and smiled. “Now to discuss when and how to approach this….” With that they started working out the details the best they could at this moment.

---- End Flashback----

Fluttershy took a deep breath and let it out slowly using Twilight’s and Naruko’s hoof motion. She was still surprised how effective it was in calming her down. “I will and can do this,” she said with confidence. Despite her resolve, it was still frightening talking in front of a group of ponies like this.

She had a lesson plan and everything for it. She would be meeting with them a few times to cover everything. Naruko would be attending and taking notes as well. She was going to use Fluttershy’s lessons for future ponies who joined the patrol later.

She also kept in mind what Naruko told her many times. “You are the expert here. They will want to learn from you. They will already respect you if not like you. If not I will whip them into shape extra hard.”

The memory gave her both confidence and a chuckle. She was surprised how close she had become to Naruko after their mission. She only hoped she would get closer to her other friends as well.

Apart from Rainbow Dash she had never really had any ponies she considered friends. She got along with lots of them, but none of them were friends. Now she had already gotten closer to the other girls and maybe she would get closer to the princesses as well. This thought caused her to smile.

“I will do what I can to be there for my friends and Equestria. These lessons will be best for everyone. Pony and otherwise.” As she asserted herself again, she felt warmer and gave a more confident smile to herself and unknowingly narrowed her eyes in a confident and sensual manner.

Her animal friends were surprised by this, but didn’t feel it was bad or anything. One of them gave a thoughtful look unseen by the pony. He could feel things were coming together slowly and his mission was about to get more involved. He was excited by this and a little nervous. He would do his clan proud though. He’d bet his fluffy tail on it.

Fluttershy took in a deep breath and gave her usual content smile. She gathered her things and left. She was now eager for what was to come. It might actually be a lot of fun to teach others about animals.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko looked to her three new patrol partners. She hoped more would join them sometime. She didn’t want to over burden these three brave ponies alone. Still she gathered herself and smiled. “I’m glad you all could make it.” She then noticed their notepads and pencils.

“I’m further glad you're all ready to take notes. This will be very important information. After Fluttershy’s time is up, I will start your physical training and in later sessions train you in hoof to hoof. Even you need to know this Cloud Kicker before you move on to your personal training,” Naruko said as Cloud Kicker nodded.

“Without further ado… Fluttershy. Ponyville’s expert on animals,” Naruko said as she joined the others and pulled out her own notepad and pencil to take notes. The others gave polite claps.

Fluttershy gave a nervous smile and cleared her throat. “Come on Fluttershy… You can do this… it will help everyone… especially Naruko, and she is a very important friend that helped many times.” She thought in an attempt to calm down. The trick worked. Her blue eyes steeled and she nodded to herself.

Naruko thought she might have to help her friend, but soon her flying friend was ready. “That’s impressive compared to how she was.” A deep rumbling voice said in her head.

“Kyuubi?” Naruko asked in response.

She could have sworn the fox rolled his eyes and gave a sigh before grinning. “Of course. Who else would it be? You know I will be helping you a lot. I need to know this as well as I can by following through your eyes and ears so pay close attention.” Naruko mentally nodded in return.

“Alright… It is good to know that Princess Luna got the patrol back up and running. I was a little concerned at first about what I would do, but I soon realized your work is important for ponies and animals alike. I will do what I can to teach you what I know. Feel free to ask questions. We will be meeting several times. I will even sometimes get my animal friends to help,” Fluttershy said in introduction. She then started talking about all of the different animals.

{-} {-} {-}

It was coming to the end of the first session and the ponies were asking questions. “Ummm… I hate to ask this, but how do we deal with cockatrices again, and why is it important?” Lyra asked.

Fluttershy was smiling now. As the lessons went on, her confidence rose and she came to actually feel more comfortable around the other ponies and relaxed. She also noticed the glances from Cloud Kicker ever so often. They caused her “Sexy Confident Shy” side to smirk. She didn’t want to think of it as her “Crueltyshy” side anymore.

“There is no reason to feel shy about that question, Lyra. It is very important. The Cockatrice is a very tough and dangerous animal. You do not look it in the eyes. If you make eye contact it starts to turn you to stone.” The ponies again gulped, but they weren’t about to call it quits.

“I have my stare which can get them to reverse their power, but no pony else does that I know. If you look at their body you can counter them and do what needs to be done. You can have their eyes just barely in your vision and be safe. Still be careful,” Fluttershy ended.

The ponies nodded and Bon Bon asked a question. “About Manticores… Can you go over the basics again there?”

Fluttershy gave a nod. “They are tough and you will have to fight them sometimes if you can’t avoid them. If you only need to scare them off you should be good so long as you prove to them you aren’t worth the effort for a meal. If you travel in pairs or more they will be less inclined to attack.”

The ponies nodded and took notes, “They are even more vicious and stubborn if they have a nest or a cub in the area. In that case, back away while not dropping your guard. They will pursue for a bit, but once you get a bit past a certain distance they will leave. BUT do not let your guard down or show weakness to them. If you do they will see you as food for their cub probably.”

Naruko nodded to her words remembering the encounter they had with a manticore family on their mission. She was still in awe of what Fluttershy did in that situation. She partly wished Fluttershy was in the patrol even if only part time, but she knew the pony had many other obligations.

{-} {-} {-}

Once they finished asking Fluttershy questions for this session and they planned out their next lesson, the pink maned pony left and the others joined Naruko in a clearing. They were now going to start their physical training. They weren’t sure what to make of this.

“Alright ponies. These first sessions are going to be mostly just exercises on conditioning. I need to see where you all are at physically. A few sessions later I will spar with each of you again and see just where you need help the most. I know you don’t have any training Cloud Kicker, but I want to see how your instincts are alone,” Naruko said as she looked them over.

It was a couple of hours later and all of the new recruits were tired, but not collapsing surprisingly. Naruko couldn’t help but give a smile. She was really impressed and happy with this first batch of volunteers. She might even have to push forward her schedule.

“I know they aren’t academy students, but with minimal training they are much better off than academy students would be from that world. This place really is much better,” Naruko thought to herself.

“That may be the case, but don’t let up on them because of that. I have a feeling they can be better than ninja would be in their own way and will need it. This patrol is very important for Ponyville and Equestria,” Kyuubi replied. Naruko agreed.

“Good job ponies,” Naruko said with a smile. The first patrol members smiled at this. “We will rest for about twenty minutes and go for one last round and call it a day.” She then narrowed her eyes as she added, “If… you give it your all.”

She gave a smirk as the ponies groaned in frustration. However, they didn’t complain further and rested before getting ready for the last round of the day. They were serious about this patrol after all. They also didn’t really complain any more because Naruko did all of the exercises with them. This gave her more respect from them. She wasn’t just giving them the orders she was doing it with them.

Naruko had punishments planned, but she didn’t need them because they were for the most part in line and didn’t want to slack off. At this time, the Ever-Free Captain knew she had a squad any Jonin Instructor would dream of having. She knew they could go further too with the right training and proper attention.

The blonde pony never really thought of being a Jonin Instructor back in Konoha, but she felt excited about this opportunity. It was turning out to be even more than she wanted. She would still make time to foal sit and do some other things when she could, but this was part of her true calling she felt.

“I would love to bring a squad like this to the ninja world. Once they are trained up at least. Just to see how they would perform. I bet Konoha would be jealous of them,” Naruko thought with a grin.

She heard a chuckle in response. “Are you really saying ‘battle hardened’ ninja would be jealous of a group of candy colored ponies?”

Naruko gave a mental half frown at her partner. She took minor offense even if she knew he was probably joking. “Yes, I did say that. I believe it is true. Give them some time to get trained up and that will be the case. Though I suppose the ninjas would be even more jealous of the Elements of Harmony bearers trained up and ready to fight.”

“Missing your home, Naruko? You seem to be thinking about it a lot more lately,” Kyuubi replied smugly.

Naruko shook her head and sighed. “Of course not. I’m just once again realizing just how awesome these ponies really are. I mean for crying out loud you saw what Fluttershy did in the Forest Temple.” Kyuubi nodded to this as he remembered.

“Besides, isn’t it normal to feel pride in your unit?” Naruko mentally asked.

“True enough. Just don’t let it get to you and start slacking in training them,” Kyuubi replied.

“I know. They deserve the best I can give them as a fellow patroller, a captain, and an instructor,” Naruko answered back. Kyuubi just mentally nodded in reply.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko was now on her way home. She was really looking forward to a shower and then a good meal hopefully. She hoped Twilight wouldn’t ask her too many questions right off the bat. She gave a giggle and shook her head. Twilight would ask her lots of questions right away. That pony didn’t know patience when it came to something she wanted to know. Still, that was one thing she had come to find a bit endearing until it got to be too much in one sitting.

Naruko opened the door, gave a smile and called out, “I’m back!” She might have been careful of customers, but not many came by often. Plus, like everything else in Ponyville things were a lot laxer even here.

It took some time for Twilight to fully understand that, but she came to love having a library like that. Ponies talked in the library, but they weren’t too loud. They also weren’t too soft and quiet either. The two Canterlot unicorns were pretty sure quiet wasn’t something ponies in Ponyville were capable of usually. They blamed/thanked Pinkie Pie for this. She was rather loud, fun like that and very much everywhere here. As a result, quiet here meant something different from the usual.

“Hey Naruko!” Spike called from the kitchen as he peaked out wearing his favorite apron.

“Spike? I thought it was Twilight’s turn today?” Naruko asked.

“It was, but she got carried away looking into something she said was very important. So she asked if we could switch. I take today. She takes tomorrow,” he answered. “So how was the training?”

Naruko was glad they had the foresight to put Spike and Twilight next to each other on their duties calendar. She gave him a smile. “It was great. Fluttershy was really helpful and informative. I knew she would be, but she still managed to impress me further. The volunteers were exhausted after training, but they were in better shape than I thought they would be.”

Naruko continued to tell Spike all she could about their day while he fixed up dinner. “Geez… I really wish I was big enough to join the patrol. Sometimes it’s tough being a dragon in Ponyville,” he said with a sigh.

“T-t-then I wouldn’t have my number one assistant here to help out,” Twilight yawned and smiled as she stretched and made her way to the table.

“It’s good to see you’re back,” Twilight said as she sat down.

“So how did your research go, Twilight?” Spike asked as he served up their meal.

“Pretty good. It was really interesting. I’ve known that music has always been a part of our culture, but I never knew there was at one time a temple dedicated to music alone. In the distant past it turns out most ponies saw music cutie marks as blessings from the gods,” Twilight said happily.

“You mean goddesses right? I mean that’s what many ponies believe the princesses are,” Spike asked.

Naruko actually answered this, “Celestia and Luna weren’t always so well known in the past. They don’t really control everything in this world.” She hoped this would head off a lecture about the past from Twilight.

“Wait… Wouldn’t ponies in the past have to keep moving because of the Wendigos?” Spike then asked.

Naruko gave a small sigh. They were going to get a Twilight lecture after all. “At least Twilight doesn’t screech like those two 'future Kunoichi' did,” she thought to herself.

“That is part of the reason music was held in such high regard back then. It kept them away. Also the Wendigos weren’t really a problem until later when the three tribes formed from what I have managed to put together so far,” Twilight stated.

“Woah! So you mean this is like ancient ancient stuff?” Spike asked. Naruko’s eyes widened to this. This was looking to be more interesting than she thought.

“This whole project Celestia has me working on has been filled with things like that. This is really ancient history. It is interesting but a little sad that ponies were very well unified, but then something happened to cause them to form the Earth Pony Tribe, the Unicorn Tribe, and the Pegasus Tribe. While those three groups sort of kind of worked together barely... before them, ponies were very different…” Twilight then went further into detail about what she knew about Wendigos and the tribes to some extent, but that was mostly stuff Naruko already knew.

Once they finally had supper and Spike went to bed, Twilight and Naruko were still up and talking. “It’s good to hear things went so well, Naru,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Thanks. I’m really looking forward to training them more. I feel like this patrol and hunting down the artifacts is what I was meant to do. I’m really glad I’m full time being the Grand Captain and all, but I will still make time for the odd job here and there to keep up appearances,” Naruko said.

She then gave a fond smile as she said, “Plus, I kind of like Pipsqueak. So I’ll probably always foal sit for him when I can.” Naruko gave a laugh as she added, “I never thought there would be a day I like foals this much.”

Twilight gave a giggle as she said, “In time, I just may get to see more of the mare just waiting inside you to jump out. The one who likes cute things like dresses, sweets, foals and fillies.” Naruko rolled her eyes but laughed.

“It is good to see you are making more progress on your assignment. Just try not to get too absorbed again in the future and make Spike take over for you too often,” she told her friend.

Twilight gave a blush that caused Naruko to giggle a little. The blonde unicorn really liked it when her best friend blushed, a lot. “What caused you to get that distracted?” she asked.

“I think I might have found another one of those artifacts. I was trying to narrow down the location of this next temple. I still have some work to go, but I know for a fact the next temple will be something music based. It’s too bad none of our closest friends have music cutie marks. The princesses might have to get you help from other ponies. Maybe Lyra can help you,” Twilight said with a thoughtful face.

Naruko shook her head. “I don’t want her for this. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna want to keep the knowledge of these things closely guarded and the ponies with that knowledge small. Lyra would have to keep secrets from the rest of the patrol. I don’t want to put her in that position. I don’t want to put any of them in that position if possible."

Naruko gave a frown and continued, "Keeping secrets from ponies in general is hard, keeping them from those who you will be fighting besides is even harder. I was trained to do such things since I was six years old. I’ve had experience in such matters since then as well. No one was allowed to know about Kyu back there. I didn’t even know about him until after I died of starvation.” Twilight moved over to hold Naruko close as she talked about her past. Naruko was thankful for her friend's action.

Naruko gave a deep sigh as she looked to the floor, “I’m only alive because he more or less brought me back soon enough thanks to the seal... Later the patrollers might have to keep some secrets from the others, but that should be much later if ever.”

“I’ll be sure to mention that in my report when I have finished everything,” Twilight said quietly. She then turned to her friend and nuzzled her affectionately as she said, “That was in the past, Naruko. Things are much better now. I’m here for you.” She knew Naruko would remember other unpleasant things as well when talking a little about her past on the ninja planet. It took Twilight a little while to realize this when they were younger, but she learned her lesson back then.

Naruko returned the gesture and said, “I know. And thanks, Twilight.” After they held each other like that for a while, they finally stood up and shared a pot of tea before calling it a night. Each of them would be busy the next day and they needed their rest. Twilight especially needed it. She probably only made it to her bed because Naruko helped her.

Author's Notes:

Alright… so yeah… it’s been a long time… I know. I know. It will probably still be a long time until the next chapter. Hopefully this one wasn’t too boring. I’m not sure how messy it is grammar wise or the quality compared to other chapters in other stories of mine either. I did make some more corrections. I really wanted to put this chapter out because it was fairly far along to begin with and also I wanted people to know that even with the… two years of silence (on this fic)… I haven’t forgotten about it.

As I have said before, I have written future chapters for this fic, but they are kind of all over the place timeline wise. I do still one whole arc apart from a fight completely and fairly clean, but that is far in the future of this fic. Hopefully people enjoyed it .

The Forest and The Unexpected

Chapter 16: The Forest and The Unexpected

Things were rather quick moving with the new Ever-Free Patrol. They were still only four ponies total, but Naruko had come to accept the fact it would grow a little slow at least in the start. There were some ponies who were curious, but all of them quit rather quickly during the testing phase. It was upsetting for the Grand Captain so few with skill actually wanted to be a part of the patrol, especially after the first three volunteers proved so wonderful.

At least regarding the first three, things had been amazing. Naruko couldn’t be prouder of them. Their sessions with Fluttershy finally came to an end not too long ago and that was longer than she originally thought they would last. The reason they kept going is because her squad wanted to learn even more about the animals of the forest and other areas. Fluttershy was happy to help out. She had really come to love teaching them before it was over and volunteered to come by again if ever needed. She had also decided to keep a bit of an ongoing journal or what some would call a bestiary and share new information with the patrol and even let them have copies of the bestiary once she finished it.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko was now looking around the new meeting place for the patrol. It had taken a while for it to be good to go, but now it was. The Ever-Free Patrol now had an actual headquarters in Ponyville. Well more like just outside of Ponyville and close to the Ever-Free Forest. It was just off the main trail heading towards the forest, but it still wasn’t too far from Ponyville.

It didn’t take her long to reach the two story building. Inside there was a reception area, even if they didn’t have a receptionist. The room has a few benches for ponies to use and a large desk area for patrollers to use if needed in the front area. Past the reception area there was a hallway with a good sized break room on one side. The break room had a good sized kitchen area along with a radio and sitting areas with tables and book shelves and a magazine rack. It also had some nice windows that could be secured magically when needed.

On the opposite side of the break room, there was the locker room. The locker room had a couple of restrooms and a couple of shower rooms in addition to the lockers. The locker room was also enchanted to easily expand if needed later. The floor was covered with a short but sturdy carpet in many places.

Next to the Break room there was the infirmary. It had a few operation tables with plenty of cabinets for medical and surgical supplies if needed. It was better than a simple field hospital, but it wasn’t really designed to be as useful as an actual hospital. It was more of a place for emergencies if getting to the hospital wouldn’t be fast or safe enough.

“I really hope we get some volunteers who know about this stuff,” Naruko sighed. She knew a little bit, but that was it. She wasn’t a medical pony and didn't have the control needed for such magic. Hopefully this room would never be needed, but it was better to be prepared for the worst that never came than under-prepared for actual problems when they occurred.

Naruko walked out of the infirmary and walked into a room just past the locker room area. This room was mostly empty for now. They didn’t have or need supplies to fill it yet. She did intend to find a use for it eventually.

After leaving the supply room, she walked to a room at the end of the hallway. There wasn’t much in this room. It was just two stairwells that led down below. The area at the bottom of the stair well was mostly a large bunk room. It was for either visiting patrollers or used for resting after a long day. It had some sitting areas and plenty of lights and decorations that made it more homey. The whole office and especially this room could be used as temporary shelter if needed. The area again was enchanted to make expanding easy if needed.

When she finished looking over the barracks, Naruko headed up to the ground floor office and then down the hall until she came to a stairwell between the break room and Infirmary leading upwards. The second floor was smaller and included her Office and a meeting room area. There were also a couple of smaller offices as well.

Naruko’s office had filing cabinets, a bench and pillows for sitting on. There was also a nice desk for her to use. Something Naruko had a feeling she might be using often given her new job. She was happy to have a nice window area behind her desk at least. She looked outside and her eyes traced the fence around the building.

There was plenty of space around the building for the patrol to use as needed. Mostly training areas for now, but maybe something more later if the patrol really took off. There was space for a workshop if they ever needed one to make items for their missions. “I need to ask Fluttershy about her armor again,” Naruko mentally told herself. That could possibly be their first use of the future workshop. She knew they would have to get the help of a pony who actually specialized in creating things for that to work. Maybe they could figure out a contractor or something in the future for such needs.

Naruko also liked how the surrounding area had varied geography for training purposes. She had decided she wanted the patrol to be held up to ninja standards and found more than capable. Training had really taken off and that dream seemed just a little more attainable than she previously thought. Ponies were really amazing and their potential was something, even the Uchiha bastard would be jealous of if he mattered in this world.

Naruko was in thought as she heard a knock on the doors and a buzz of the doorbell. “Coming!” she called out of habit. She doubted anypony could hear her, since the patrol was off-duty at the moment. She figured it could be a possible member wanting to sign up. She only hoped if that was the case they wouldn’t quit the training and instead make it all of the way. She had clones, but that wasn’t the best answer to more members of the patrol.

The Grand Captain’s eyes widened in surprise when she opened the door.

“Hi ya!” Derpy Hooves said with a salute.

Naruko recovered from her surprise and said, “Hello, Derpy. What did you want?”

“I want to join the Ever-Free Patrol,” Derpy said with a serious nod.

Naruko looked her over in thought. She knew Derpy was capable of flying fairly well as a part time mail mare and could do some impressive baking feats, even if their possibility could stump Pinkie. That was all different from what a patroller did though.

“Do you know what our purpose is?” Naruko asked. It was a basic question but important.

“Protect ponies from the forest and others! Protect the forest from us as well inna way,” Derpy replied.

“Do you know who we answer to?” Naruko asked.

“Princess Luna! I’m guessing even more so than Princess Celestia,” Derpy replied.

Naruko nodded to this. “Why do you want to join the Ever-Free Patrol?” she asked.

Derpy gave a serious expression as she said. “I want to do all I can to protect my girls! The best way to do that is to protect the whole of Ponyville and even Equestria if needed.”

Naruko liked the sound of that. It showed that Derpy had the potential to be one of the most dedicated patrollers if she managed to pass. Hopefully the pony had some other decent skills and/or the potential to learn what she needed to know for working as a patroller.

“Things can end up being really tough as part of the patrol and you won’t be getting much in return for your efforts. You do seem to have the dedication though. I will have to test you and see if you have the ability for being in the patrol. If you do pass we can work out a schedule for taking into account your mail mare job, but first let’s see what you are capable of,” Naruko said to her.

Derpy nodded. “We can start now if you want,” she said.

“Good to know,” Naruko said with an eager smile. “Follow me! This will be the perfect time to test the patrol’s new training grounds. You can of course drop the training test at any time, but you won’t be in the patrol.” Derpy followed and seemed both eager and determined to not do that. Naruko liked this as well.

“If you do end up a part of the patrol, you may someday in the future be asked to do other missions as well that are out of Ponyville. This is mostly because the Ever-Free Patrol is still new and we are very limited in our resources. You don’t have to go on these missions if your schedule can’t allow it, though we would encourage you to do all you can to get it to work before deciding you can’t do it,” Naruko said as she looked to Derpy. Derpy didn’t seem to care about that. It was almost as if she had already taken this into account and decided how she would handle such things. If that was the case, it was an even better example of the seriousness she put into this decision.

Naruko kept leading the way to the first stop as she explained more to the potential member. “Since we will be going to other places as well, the training grounds here help with that by having several different types of terrain available for practice. I am curious. Do you have any experience in disciplined fighting or self-defense?”

She knew Derpy had been on adventures with the Doctor and it sounded like they got into some very hairy situations, but they didn’t usually take a fighting approach. They instead usually avoided actual combat and took care of problems at the root. This was good, but not really an approach the patrol would always be able to take. They would have to fight until they incapacitated their opponents sometimes and giving the fact they could end up fighting a battle on their home front, they needed to know how to fight even if that was a remote possibility.

“I know some moves, but no real training or style,” Derpy admitted.

“There is a combat test, but it mostly serves to give me an idea where your skills are at and how to train you,” Naruko explained to her as they made their way to the starting point.

{-} {-} {-}

Derpy dodge as Naruko attacked. Derpy had passed the tests so far and the combat test was proving very enlightening to Naruko. The blonde unicorn got behind Derpy unnoticed by the pegasus and used a beam attack on her. Derpy however seemed to hit a tree wrong and bounced off to the side a bit so the beam passed her with little problem and the pony now knew where Naruko was and counter attacked.

Naruko had evaded earlier and was again chasing after Derpy about to attack her when the pony accidentally clipped a wing, but not enough hurt and went flying off at a really random angle before bouncing off a rock with her hooves and launching back at Naruko at a different angle just as awkward and unexpected as the first one. Naruko had no choice but to dodge.

Derpy was very clumsy at times, but could be really focused as well and her clumsiness always worked out in the pony’s favor. Naruko and her were engaged in hoof to hoof combat which the pegasus was decent at. Naruko had ‘missed’ a couple of beam attacks that she was now going to have hit Derpy in the back. Just as the beams were about to hit Derpy the pony let out a mighty sneeze that sent her backwards and into the sky forcing Naruko to defend from her own beam attack instead of continuing her offense.

Oddly enough it seemed when Derpy wasn’t having ‘accidents’ she was a much easier target and the pony couldn’t control those accidents. Derpy knew this and didn’t want to rely on them. She knew she had a long way to go, but it was nice knowing she had a sort guardian force looking out for her or something.

Part way through the long combat test, which was more like a training session, both Lyra and Bon Bon showed up for practice and a couple of patrol rounds. Naruko had them join in and the three of them fought against Derpy together. Derpy’s accidents seemed to happen even more to make up for the numbers advantage they had over her.

Naruko then had Lyra and Bon Bon face off against her and Derpy in a two vs. two fight. Lyra’s and Bon Bon’s already stellar teamwork had improved even more since they joined the patrol and trained properly. They could both work well with Naruko and Cloud Kicker but Bon Bon and Lyra worked best with each other. During this part of the training session Derpy’s accidents weren’t happening as often as earlier, but they would sometimes work in a way they helped Naruko as well. Despite all of this Derpy still didn’t come out completely unscathed, but they weren’t using too much power against her for the combat test so she wasn't really hurt either.

When they headed back to the HQ, Derpy went to take a long much needed shower while Lyra, Bon Bon and Naruko were in the meeting room. “So, what do you think of our new potential?” she asked them.

The two looked to each other with concerned faces. “Well she seems really good, but so very clumsy…” Lyra said.

“Can we let her in with that clumsiness? I mean she could at times be very focused, but still…” Bon Bon replied.

Naruko nodded before speaking. “That happened a lot when it was just the two of us earlier as well. However, there was never a single time her clumsiness didn’t benefit her a good deal.”

“It was just coincidence, right?” Lyra asked. It seemed impossible it could be otherwise.

Naruko shook her head. “It happened far to often for that to be the case. I’ve read in books about an old pony fighting style called Drunken Hoof. It was a style that could be learned and taught, but it was difficult. It revolved around the principle that your movements would seem as if you were drunk, but you would still be able to fight well. You would use these movements to catch your opponents off guard and more. It was also said there were some ponies, though few, who were natural prodigies at Drunken Hoof and didn’t even require a lot of training until they wanted to control it.”

“But she didn’t seem drunk or anything,” Bon Bon said with a frown.

“I think what Derpy has is Clumsy Hoof or whatever she wants to call it since it is her natural prodigy style. She can’t control it, but it is something ingrained in her body or something. She also doesn’t want to rely on it and wants to learn and train as well. She passed everything else test wise with amazingly good results. She has more than enough determination. She literally told me she would protect all of Ponyville and even Equestria to protect her girls,” Naruko said.

Bon Bon and Lyra looked to each determined. They would find their own way to be even more determined than they already were. They didn't want to be left behind in the determination department. Lyra then said, “It sounds like you already made your decision. Why did you ask us?”

Naruko gave a nod again. “I have, but you two are also patrol members and I wanted to hear what you had to say since you also were part of her training and combat test.”

Lyra then smiled. “Can we plan her welcoming party?”

Naruko gave a chuckle. “You aren’t going to just ask Pinkie are you?”

Bon Bon shook her head. “Pinkie Pie is Ponyville’s party planning pony, but this isn’t Ponyville. This is the Ever-Free Patrol! We will welcome our new members. Besides, Pinkie Pie is always really busy and we wouldn’t want to overload her schedule, even if she never misses a date when it comes to a party.”

“Well then you two can plan it and even involve Cloud Kicker too if you want,” Naruko said. She gave a smile as the two friends high hoofed each other. “I’ll go tell our new member the news. You two have work to do.” They nodded and left to do their duties.

Derpy felt refreshed as she finished her shower. She really hoped they would let her join. She had a good feeling they would considering how long her testing process took, but she was still a little nervous. Her hubby always said he found her slight clumsiness rather endearing, but she didn’t really like how bad it got today. Sure, it helped her out like it always did when she was in a fight, but it annoyed her that it happened so often.

As Derpy left the locker room, Naruko called her to her office. Naruko was smiling, which was a good thing. “Derpy. I wanted to be the first welcome you to Ever-Free Patrol!” Naruko said as Derpy squeaked in happiness and hugged her. Naruko returned the hug. She then said, “Now your official induction has to be done soon before I tell you more details about the patrol. When would be a good time?”

Derpy was in thought. “How long does it take?”

“The main part, the Magical Swear takes 15 to 20 mins, but Princess Luna has to be here for that and she usually wakes up late evening to meet with her sister and share a meal with her. So, it will have to be early night time probably. I mean I can message her and I don’t need a baby dragon to send it to her quickly, but it would take some time,” Naruko answered.

Derpy looked out the window in the office. It was late afternoon/early evening. She was in thought. “I can do it tonight. I can have Amethyst watch Dinky for a little bit after we have supper or maybe Hubby will be back from his trip tonight.”

Naruko nodded to this. “I can set that up. Princess Luna will be very happy to have a new member of the patrol. After the Magical Swear, we can decide when I give you all of the information and details about the Ever-Free patrol.”

{-} {-} {-}

“I’m actually glad you could end up joining, Derpy. I don’t know how you manage to have accidents that almost always work out conveniently, but it is good that you can focus when needed. I hope you do really well here. We can use all of the volunteers we can get. Provided they are up to snuff,” Naruko said to Derpy.

Naruko smiled as she said, “I’m also glad to have our first full time patroller. I don’t really count since I am the Grand Captain and all.”

“Now you know why scheduling isn’t a problem for me so much,” Derpy replied with a smile. The reason she wasn’t concerned when Naruko mentioned that part of the job was because she had intended to go full time from the start if she made it on to the patrol, or well as full time as she could as a volunteer. Learning there was actual pay after she went through the Magical Swear and everything was just further incentive for that choice. She did have a bit of abnormal time table setup so she would still spend time with her family, but it still worked out really well.

At the moment, Naruko and Derpy were about to take a round along the edge of the Ever-Free Forest. They were also going a little into the forest, because there were some concerns about a strange sound coming from not too deep inside the trees lately. The two patrol ponies weren’t sure what they would find inside, but it was their job to investigate. They wouldn’t get the others involved until they knew more. One thing Naruko had been training the patrol on was doing recon before engaging when possible. She was doing that now and using it as a chance to teach this lesson to Derpy as well.

“So, this strange sound has been described as an echoing and distant wail?” Derpy asked. Her offset eyes giving a very strange, but thoughtful look as she continued to hover a little off the ground as they kept moving.

Naruko nodded as she paid attention to their surroundings. “It also doesn’t seem to have too much of set schedule either. It can usually be heard in the evenings and nights, but also afternoons as well at times.”

Derpy nodded in thought before looking quickly to the side. “Oh, just a jackalope. No worries there. Those horns always get me at first.”

Naruko gave a slight chuckle as she said, “And many other ponies as well. Good job on not panicking and actually figuring out what it was. I could also tell you were ready to act if needed.”

Derpy beamed at the praise. Naruko really liked having a pony like Derpy in the patrol. She had actual experience in dealing with really weird and dangerous situations. Naruko really wanted to see where the pony’s potential would lead her in the Ever-Free Patrol.

Derpy dropped to the ground and seemed to almost focus her eyes just as Naruko similarly got ready. They heard the sound in question. Naruko looked to Derpy and the pony nodded as the two slowly and carefully followed the direction of the sound.

The two patrollers continued to follow the sound a little deeper into the forest. It seemed less like a strange echoing and distant wail and more like a pony crying. Naruko turned to make sure Derpy was still following. Derpy seemed to be taking extra care not to have any kind of an accident that might alert whatever it was they were now tracking. They crept closer to what they figured was the source of the sound.

The sound changed again. It wasn’t a wail or a pony crying. It seemed more like muttering and they couldn’t understand the words. Naruko wasn’t sure about this. It could be some kind of mad pony living in the woods. They would have to deal with this pony, but mad ponies could be unpredictable. She looked to Derpy and whispered, “Can you fly stealthily? Or would that be pushing your chances of something happening?”

Derpy was in thought. “I can do it,” she whispered back with conviction.

“Good. I want you to fly a little higher and be ready to approach from a tree while I go in from the ground. If this is some dangerous mad pony, we will subdue from both the air and the ground,” Naruko explained. Derpy nodded and quietly took to the air while slowly getting a little higher, but not high enough she would get caught in the tree branches.

When Derpy signaled she was ready to Naruko, the blonde unicorn approached a little louder, but still carefully. She wanted to let the pony know she was coming, but she wasn’t going to foolishly rush into the clearing. The pony kept muttering though.

Naruko approached and entered the clearing and was surprised at what she saw. It was a makeshift campsite in poor condition. There were empty bottles of alcohol and a few twigs built together with leaves as a roof and more leaves and dried grass as a bed. There was also a fire pit and a stream nearby. She also recognized the mare from the description she heard from other ponies, even if the pony was a mess currently. The dirty hat and cape covered in stars was also a key give away.

“Trixie?” Naruko asked out loud.

“Who’s there?! Trixie isn’t supper!” the pony said before shooting a random, but weak beam of magic at Naruko. The patrol captain easily rose a shield that absorbed the magic attack. She also cursed herself for speaking out loud like that.

“I’m Naruko Uzumaki. Captain of the Ever-Free Patrol: Ponyville Contingent,” she said as Trixie blinked but seemed to relax a little. “Are you calm?” Naruko asked. Trixie nodded and sat down next to her fire pit. “I just want to talk with you,” Naruko admitted. Trixie seemed to motion for Naruko to sit down. “First thing though…” the blonde unicorn started. She looked up and said, “You can come down now Derpy.”

Derpy landed and stubbled a little bit before smiling and asking, “Want a muffin?” She held out a muffin she had with her in her saddle bags.

Trixie’s eyes widened and her mouth watered as she quickly used her magic to grab the muffin. She then munched down on the muffin without any care for manners. “Trixie hasn’t had anything like this in so long,” she said as she continued chowing down on the muffin and had a second one Derpy offered her.

Naruko was sitting close now and asked, “What are you doing here, Trixie?”

Trixie seemed to look away as she said, “Trixie is camping…”

“How long have you been camping?” Naruko asked with concern.

Trixie blushed a little as she didn’t quiet meet Naruko’s eyes as she said, “Since the show…”

“That was several weeks ago!” Derpy said in surprise. Trixie remained silent.

Naruko gave a frown and looked even more concerned. Time had seemed to pass so quickly for her since then with the patrol starting up and all.“ Aren’t you from Hooffington?” she asked.

“Yes. But Trixie can’t go there… I’ve lost everything,” she replied.

“What do you mean by that exactly?” Naruko asked.

“I used my wagon as my home. Trixie enchanted it to expand into a full house when she was at home in Hooffington,” the show pony explained.

Derpy frowned to this. “Surely you have somewhere you can go home to…” Trixie shook her head.

Naruko was in thought and had to admit she found it was really impressive to have such a wagon. She believed Trixie because she didn’t see any reason for her to lie at this point. She had a couple of ideas on how to help Trixie, but she wasn’t sure if they would work. The Patrol Captain was wondering if she could let Trixie stay at the Patrol HQ for a while, but that might mean the pony would overhear things she wasn’t supposed to hear. The HQ could be used as an evacuation shelter, but that wasn’t really supposed to be for long term. Naruko didn’t want her patrol members to feel on edge or having to be overly cautious for an unknown but possibly long-term amount of time.

Naruko made up her mind. She would deal with the consequences if she had to later. However, she had a feeling this choice might be for the best in the end. She had once hit rock-bottom as well, though in her case it was much more severe than Trixie’s, but it was after that Naruko started to discover herself finally.

“I might have a better option for you, Trixie. It won’t be easy in many ways and might end up being more burden than not, but it will at least get you out of here,” Naruko started. Trixie was staring at her with wide hopeful eyes.

“You would be living near, almost in Ponyville,” Naruko said.

The hope left her eyes briefly. Trixie shook her head in determination. “Trixie wouldn’t be Trixie if she couldn’t handle that.” Her expression saddened a little. “Though I will admit I don’t fully like the idea, but still it has to be better than living out here any longer. Will those ponies come by?” she asked.

Naruko had to think about her words for a moment. She then remembered what Twilight told her about the show. “I’m not sure. I don’t think they would come around to the place I'm thinking about though. If they do and they cause trouble I will handle it,” Naruko replied.

Trixie felt it was right to trust Naruko here. It may be because of her desperation, but she chose to trust the blonde unicorn. “What else? I won’t be a freeloader,” she said. She had too much pride to just be a freeloader, even after what happened in Ponyville.

“Well you might hear things you won’t be allowed to share with anypony else. My boss might even use a form of magic to make sure you keep the secrets you might accidentally come across,” Naruko said seriously. She had no idea what all would be required of Trixie for this arrangement to work and she intended to ask Princess Luna as soon as she could on the matter. She still felt it was only right to warn Trixie of this.

“That sounds serious… Is it necessary?” she asked in a mix of curiosity and concern. Naruko nodded and Derpy, who seemed to have figured out what Naruko was planning, nodded as well.

Trixie thought over the suggestion again before she voiced her decision, “I’ve been living out here ashamed to go near any ponies since that disaster with the Ursa Minor… If taking all of these precautions means getting out of here. Then so be it.”

Naruko smiled a little and then asked, “By the way, do you know how to cook and clean?” Derpy seemed to gasp a little at this question.It seemed too much in her opinion considering the other requirements.

Trixie looked them over and gave a smile. “The Great and Powerful Trixie may be the best show pony in all of Equestria, but even she has learned these life skills.” She added a bit of her show pony flare and both Derpy and Naruko laughed a little and smiled in response. “It gets old eating out every night and sometimes nothing beats a homecooked meal. Besides, every show pony has to learn these things so they can survive while on the road.”

“I suppose that is true,” Naruko started as she stood up to use magic to clean up the campsite. Trixie helped a little, but she wasn’t in the best form so it wasn't much. Derpy helped as well. A mom knows how to do such things. Naruko then chuckled a little as she said, “Though you would be surprised how many ponies don’t know such things. It took awhile before Twilight got the hang of such things. She mostly started learning cooking and such after she realized I already knew how to do such things.”

Trixie dropped the couple of empty bottles she was floating. “Twilight? As in Twilight Sparkle?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Naruko answered and turned around to look at Trixie. “That isn’t going to be a problem is it? She’s been my best friend since I was in Canterlot.”

“But isn’t she friends with those ponies?” Trixie asked.

“Yes, she is. I am too, but I know they make mistakes and I don’t blindly take sides. Sometimes not taking a friend’s side when they are in the wrong is better for them. Anyways, I don’t think you have to worry about Twilight. I don’t think she will be making trips to Ever-Free Patrol HQ. If she did, I would explain the situation to her and she would understand,” Naruko said.

“Trixie hopes you are right,” Trixie said, but dropped the topic there. She wanted out of this forest. She then realized what Naruko had said about where she was staying. “I’m staying in the Patrol HQ? Is that possible?” she asked in surprise.

“It is. HQ has lots of beds, break rooms, working restrooms with showers and even a working kitchen. It works as a bunkhouse for Patrollers who need a place to stay and can be used as a disaster relief shelter if needed,” Derpy said with a smile.

“I see you’ve memorized the details in the HQ report,” Naruko said with a matching smile as the pegasus pony hovered in the air and nodded.

She then turned to Trixie. “It isn’t meant to be a permanent solution for your situation, but it can work for a good while and give you time to get back on your hooves.”

Trixie nodded in understanding to this. She would find time to make a new wagon, but in the mean time she would make herself useful. She didn’t want to be a freeloader or earn an ungrateful guest reputation to ruin her name. She was the Great and Powerful Trixie, even if not so much at the moment, but she for sure wasn’t the whiny and useless Trixie.

{-} {-} {-}

The three ponies returned to Patrol HQ together. Trixie was looking forward to a proper bed, a proper shower and a proper meal after “camping” in the forest for so long. She was impressed when she saw the HQ building and grounds. As they got to the door, she asked, “By the way, Naruko. Who's the boss you were talking about earlier?”

“There you are, Naruko. We were worried about thee,” Princess Luna said as she stood in the lobby of HQ. “We feared… I feared something happened because you were taking so long on your patrol.”

Naruko gulped and rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry, Princess Luna. I didn’t know you were visiting today. I don’t mean to get you angry, but what we do is dangerous work. That’s why you reinstated the patrol and things can happen…”

Princess Luna might have blushed at her overreaction in this matter, but no one would dare say so given her status. “I am sorry. It is still new doing this whole thing, especially the mentor/friendship stuff my sister said I should try more. What did you come across on your round? And who is this pony unicorn with you?” she asked. The unicorn seemed familiar, but she had been very busy and excited about her work lately. She was actually getting to do work in her Night Court sessions, even if it wasn’t much yet.

“This is Trixie. Derpy and I found her living in the Ever-Free Forest. She was unintentionally the cause of the most recent reports we received,” Naruko said.

“What were you doing living in a place like that? Zecora lives in the forest, but she is special and knows how to live there,” Princess Luna said.

Trixie was standing still and completely in awe of the Alicorn Princess in front of her. Princess Luna wished the pony would speak, but she was also thankful the pony hadn’t screamed in terror or anything like that. Maybe more ponies were coming around to her after all. Celestia said it would happen and Luna got along with the Patrollers, but she figured they were exceptions, kind of like Naruko.

Naruko decided to answer instead of Trixie. She was the Grand Captain and Derpy seemed to decide she wasn’t allowed to speak to the Night Princess yet and just stood at attention. “She doesn’t have anywhere to go. Her wagon was extra special and her home even in Hooffington.”

Princess Luna frowned in sorrow to that. “I am sorry, Trixie Lulamoon. If the patrol was started sooner that whole incident would have never happened. Sadly, my sister and I couldn’t fully agree on how to handle the patrol until after the Ursa Minor Incident took place.”

“She knows my name?” Trixie seemed to ask Naruko quietly.

“Of course, we know our ponies names! It just takes some time to put a name to a face,” Princess Luna said and almost sounded offended that Trixie dare think otherwise.

“She’s just surprised, Princess Luna,” Naruko quickly explained.

“Oh…” Princess Luna said and she might have once again blushed, but the ponies would just keep the memory of it to themselves.

“It is actually good you are here, Princess Luna. I kind of thought Trixie could stay here for a while. She’s agreed to help out around the HQ and to keep secrets she might learn while staying to herself. I was wondering if you felt you needed to perform a version of the Magical Swear on her or something. She seemed to be a little concerned about that, but agreeable in the end,” Naruko explained.

Trixie seemed to snap out of her trance as she realized Princess Luna was the boss Naruko spoke about earlier. She then bowed as she realized she was in the presence of royalty. “I will do what is necessary for this arrangement, your Highness.”

Princess Luna was in thought for a moment on this. “I’m not sure that will be needed. I think the fact you got her to agree to those circumstances is enough. We shall see, but I think either the swear was extended to her through you, or it isn’t needed because she was sincere when she made that agreement.”

Trixie was in thought on this. She intended to keep up her end, but she didn’t really want any chances in this matter. Naruko was taking her in at the HQ to help her and it was a move with some risk for her fellow unicorn. “Trixie… I would feel better if there was some kind of magical swear just in case,” she admitted.

Princess Luna looked her over. Trixie felt a shiver at the intensity of Luna’s gaze. It felt as if Luna was looking through to her very soul or something. Princess Luna gave a nod as if confirming something to herself. She then spoke again. “We shall see, Trixie. I believe you shouldn’t so quickly jump to a magical solution, but if I deem it necessary. I will take the proper actions. Don’t sell yourself short.” Trixie looked up and stood. “After all, a show pony knows how to keep secrets. You especially will if you do learn anything while you are here and realize the gravity of said secrets,” Princess Luna said. “We aren’t talking about stage secrets here.”

Princess Luna then turned to Naruko. “I think this will also serve as a form of training for the rest of the patrol as well. While it is unlikely given Equestria’s status and the fact we are in a time of peace, it is still a possibility there are spies around. The others can use this as a way to be careful at all times so they won’t accidentally slip up. While they can relax here, the patrol is still more or less a part of Equestria’s military power.”

“I understand, your Highness,” Naruko said with a bow.

Princess Luna nodded to that. “Now on to the real reason I am here. What do you think of the Patrol’s HQ?” she said and seemed a little giddy about this new topic.

Naruko smiled. “I really like it!” Naruko and Luna then spent a good bit of time discussing the HQ building.

Derpy hung around for a while and decided to cook a meal for everyone that night. Both of her daughters were off spending the night with friends and her hubby was on another timey whimey adventure at the moment.

Trixie went to go and enjoy the longest and warmest shower she had had in a long time. She was extremely grateful to have a proper place to stay while she figured things out. She wondered what would happen while she was here and she hoped to learn more about the Ever-Free Patrol. Their title kind of explained what they did, but understanding how they did it and their reasons for joining was something which peaked her curiosity.

Trixie broke off her musings about the patrol the moment she felt the warm water from the shower pour on to her coat. Trixie let out a deep contented sigh at the feeling. "Trixie must admit she really missed this!" she said to herself while she started to hum during her shower.

Trixie was surprised she actually stayed up long enough to make it through supper with the others and even managed to find a bed in the bunk area to make her own. She wouldn't have been surprised if she had simply fallen asleep in the middle of the hallway instead. That night she slept better than she had in a long time.

Author's Notes:

"Late!" "I thought this story was dead!" "I don't even remember when I last read it or anything that happened in it!" I know. But I was really busy with a different story I posted on a different site and it really consumed my free time. I did finish it and now I need a break from it before writing the second part of that series and decided to work on some other stories for a while. I have the next chapter for this story pretty much ready, but I haven't decided if I want to release it separately from the chapter that follows it. That chapter is very far from ready. I've barely written any of it, though I do know what I want to do with it. Anyways, hopefully people will enjoy this chapter.

A New Assignment

“The Great and Powerful Trixie shall now demonstrate how to properly clean a Kitchen!” Trixie said with some of her show pony flare. She had been at Patrol HQ for a few days and actually fit in pretty well.

Cloud Kicker gave a giggle and said, “If you insist, Trixie.”

“For this demonstration, Trixie requires a volunteer!” Trixie then dropped her flare and looked to Cloud Kicker. “That’s you, Cloud Kicker,” she said easily. Cloud Kicker gave a nervous chuckle in response. Trixie raised an eyebrow at her. “You were the one to make the massive mess…”

Cloud Kicker sighed, “I know. But hey the first cake was really good and you all liked it. I don’t know how it was the second one made this mess, especially the part in the oven.” She gave a grimace at the mess that was the oven.

“Still a mess is a mess,” Trixie said. Cloud Kicker sighed again before shaking her head at herself and getting to work with Trixie.

As the two ponies were cleaning, a small filly gave a girlish giggle. “Come on mommy… I’m not that little anymore…” Derpy was nuzzling her littlest filly and tickling her.

“Sorry Dinky... But mommies always find it hard to admit how much their little fillies have grown,” Derpy replied with a wide grin. Dinky wasn’t too upset in all honesty.

The whole patrol plus Dinky, who was there while her mom went on a quick round earlier to make sure a situation was dealt with at the moment at least, were in the common room at the HQ. It was a large room with a full kitchen and lots of tables and comfy chairs and pillows. The patrol just finished a small celebration to officially welcome Derpy into their ranks. They had a different plan at first, but Derpy told them she had to bring Dinky with her so it had to be family friendly.

Dinky was supposed to be with her father that day, but a situation came up at the store he owned in Ponyville as part of his normal life as a pony that he still had whenever he could. He had to be there to take care of the situation himself. He was going to bring Dinky with him, but she would have found being held up in his office kind of boring and bored fillies usually get into lots of trouble.

“Hmmm...” Bon Bon hummed aloud as she was contemplating her latest candy creation again. She had brought several for the patrol to try and they really liked them. Dinky especially liked the sample candies. Bon Bon however was always very careful and serious with her craft. She was still very proud to be a part of the patrol and thankful for it and happy she could still keep working at her candy shop as well.

She had been briefly tempted to join a group one of her fillyhood friends talked about called S.M.I.L.E., (Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria) but changed her mind when she and Lyra found out about the Ever-Free Forest Patrol. She was glad about this choice because she didn’t have to keep secrets from Lyra and when she looked at the two closer she realized SMILE was more about glory of the hunt and woefully uninformed about the many beasts of Equestria despite claiming otherwise. Bon Bon took a moment from her musings regarding her newest candy creation as she thought back to discussing SMILE with Naruko. It was rather enlightening.

---- Flashback Starts ----

There was a knock on the door to Naruko’s office. She still thought that was impressive in its own way that she had an actual office. She even had one in Canterlot as well from what Luna told her, but she had yet to visit it. “Come in,” Naruko said to the pony behind the door.

Bon Bon walked in the office and looked as if she was a little worried about something.

“Bon Bon, what’s on your mind?” Naruko asked.

“Well… There is something I want to talk about, but it is kind of difficult and sort of possibly secret…” she said nervously.

Naruko raised an eyebrow at her. “You do realize I have taken a much heavier and important Magical Swear than you have? There’s also the fact I’m Equestria’s Contracted Guardian. I actually have the highest level of security clearance you can get in Equestria and Princess Luna feels she shouldn’t keep much secret from me due to my duties as Grand Captain alone.”

Bon Bon gulped and nodded. “I’m also not sure how… ummm… legal it is… and I really don’t want to get any pony in trouble…”

Naruko grew a little serious as she motioned for Bon Bon to take a seat. “What is it, Bon Bon? I’ll try to help the best I can.”

“Well… you see… before Lyra and I heard about the Ever-Free Forest Patrol and decided to sign up. I was given another opportunity from an old friend of mine. Lyra doesn’t know about it and I decided it didn’t matter, but after everything here, I’m not so sure anymore,” Bon Bon said with a sigh.

“Do you want tea or anything for this discussion?” Naruko asked. Bon Bon nodded thinking the tea might help her get through this discussion.

Naruko’s horn glowed and a copy of herself appeared next to her and went off to make some tea. Bon Bon had heard about that ability the Captain had, but was still shocked to see it for real. “Wow… can other unicorns do that?” she couldn’t help but ask.

Naruko gave a chuckle. “Maybe, but not a lot. It takes a lot of magic and concentration and isn’t too easy usually. I’ve always had more magic power than I could do with and it got even worse once I ended up becoming a Contracted Guardian. Shot my control all to hell on top of everything else. I still have to really work at it even now.”

The door opened again and the pony clone returned with some tea before then bursting into smoke and disappearing. Naruko gave Bon Bon a cup and filled it before doing the same for herself. “Now. You were going to tell me something,” she said bringing Bon Bon back to matter at present.

“Yeah. I don’t know if you are familiar with them, but there is a group of ponies that call themselves the Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria or SMILE for short,” Bon Bon said.

Naruko actually nodded to this and surprised Bon Bon. “We do know of them. Princess Luna is even keeping a close eye on them for two reasons.”

“Really?” Bon Bon couldn’t help but again ask a dumb question.

Naruko nodded. “Since you are aware of them. I’m guessing they approached you for recruitment.” The candy making Earth Pony nodded. “I don’t know how much you know about them, but they are more or less run by a group of rich and often bored ponies looking for an adrenaline rush and glory while taking pride in not being able to talk about it with other ponies.”

“That’s kind of what I think now that I’ve been here with the Ever-Free Patrol. I’ve talked a little with my friend who tried to recruit me for SMILE. Haven’t told her too much, but she was really impressed with the training we go through,” Bon Bon said.

“While they had been trying to push for becoming an official government agency, they didn’t get it. They are much more reckless and not really as dedicated as we are to protecting. No one will end up joining the Ever-Free just to feel more important and take pleasure in knowledge others don’t have like happens with a lot of the ponies in SMILE. The training and entrance tests for joining the Ever-Free take care of ponies with just that thinking. Because of this, Princess Luna is keeping a close eye on them in case they do something that we will have to clean up,” Naruko said.

“And the second reason?” Bon Bon asked. She was glad to hear the princesses knew about SMILE and were keeping an eye on the organization.

Naruko gave a smirk here. “Well despite their original intentions and the atmosphere of SMILE. There are some ponies in it that are there for the right reasons and have the right skills to really help out. When it comes to expanding the Patrol, these individuals will be approached and given a casual suggestion of looking into the Ever-Free Patrol. We won’t really force them or actively recruit them, because the Ever-Free Patrol is about volunteering to protect Equestria. There is also the fact that some of the potential ponies who are in SMILE might make the change on their own. We also need to keep in mind that each contingent of the Ever-Free Patrol does need a captain and while those things might sort themselves out it is a good idea to have ponies in mind for such a role.”

Bon Bon’s artic blue eyes widen a little hearing this. She then said, “If you want I can meet with my friend again sometime closer to the expansion phase with that causal suggestion. She’s from Hollow Shades. Well New Hollow Shades, but it is still just called Hollow Shades. I only considered joining because I knew she was in SMILE for the right reasons.”

“I see… I will keep that in mind and mention it to Princess Luna when she starts that phase. Hollow Shades is one of the priority settlements given its location,” Naruko said.

Bon Bon looked a bit bashful as she said, “Sorry if I’m stepping out of bonds with that suggestion. I won’t lie. There is a part of me that wants her to be in the Ever-Free. She’s always had mixed feelings about how things are in SMILE.”

Naruko finished sipping her tea and smiled as she said, “Thanks for telling me about this, Bon Bon. I know I already knew about what you were telling me, but it is still good you came to me with this. I want there to be a lot of trust between all of us in the Ever-Free Patrol.”

Bon Bon finished her own cup of tea. “Thanks for listening to me. I’m glad to be here in the patrol. If you don’t mind I would like to go now though. I promised to meet Lyra for supper tonight at our favorite restaurant in town.”

Naruko gave an exaggerated sigh. “Back to paperwork for me then… Appreciated the distraction.” The two ponies shared a laugh. “Go ahead, Bon Bon. Thanks again. Enjoy your dinner with Lyra.”

---- Flashback ends ----

Just as Bon Bon finished thinking back to that discussion, she heard Naruko’s thoughtful/frustrated sigh.

“What is it? Boss?” Lyra replied cheerfully. She had come to like calling Naruko Boss almost all the time. Naruko tried to get her to stop at first, but soon gave up on that deciding it was futile to get the mint green unicorn to just call her Naruko.

“I’m just wondering about what you said in your report. It was correctly filled out and everything like that, but the contents… What do you think about the timberwolves? You dealt with them,” Naruko asked.

Lyra grew serious. She and Cloud Kicker dealt with the situation. They were lucky it wasn’t too big of a problem in the end, but still it wasn’t easy. “They were quickly turned away and ran off in the end, but that could be they just weren’t sure what to make of us actually standing up to them in a way. I think they just happened to wander a little too far and that was it. They didn’t seem hungry or anything.”

She sighed. “Those teenaged ponies didn’t help matters either. They went a lot deeper into the forest than they should have because of a dare. We found the spot they were staying at for the dare. I doubt they will try that again, but we might need to do something about some ponies as well.”

Naruko nodded to this. Derpy sped over her eyes entirely focused on Lyra as she asked, “Amethyst wasn’t with them, was she?” The panic and concern was evident in her voice.

Lyra felt a little uneasy under the focused gaze. Derpy had quickly proven she was a pony to take seriously, even if she was probably one of the sweetest ponies you could meet. “No, she wasn’t. There were a couple of mares with the three stallions, but neither one of them were your oldest…”

Derpy sighed in relief and hugged Lyra quickly in thanks. Amethyst Star was a good pony and a very well behaved teenaged pony, but teenagers were still teenagers. She then went back over to Dinky again. The small unicorn filly looked to her mom concerned, “Big sis isn’t a bad pony is she?”

Derpy gave a smile and shook her head. “Nope. She may be a little embarrassed by mommy every now and then, but she is a good pony and she does love us deeply,” she said warmly.

“Then why would she be embarrassed by you?” Dinky asked. Her young mind was unable to comprehend such a thing. Mommy wasn’t embarrassing to her. “I mean you’re awesome, mom! You’re in the Ever-Free Patrol! You protect us. That’s not embarrassing at all. Cupid Comet’s mom is embarrassing. She’s always going on and on about beauty pageants she won when she was younger. I mean she is nice and all, but really…”

“Well, muffin. Teenagers just get embarrassed by their parents simply because their parents are their parents,” Derpy explained.

Dinky shook her head. “I’ll never be embarrassed by you. You’re cool and not embarrassing. Unlike Cupid Comet’s mom…”

“What did Cupid Comet’s mom do, Dinky?” Derpy asked. Dinky then went full speed ahead as she explained the epic tale of Cupid Comet’s mom’s embarrassing habits while she continued coloring in her coloring book.

{-} {-} {-}

Shortly after her discussion with Lyra, Naruko made a note to keep more of an eye out for Timberwolves. She was sure her and Kyuubi could make short work of them if needed, though she wasn’t sure how well the forest would survive their actions. She would keep an eye out for alternatives to this solution.

“There! See that is how the Great and Powerful cleans the kitchen,” Trixie said with a stretch. Cloud Kicker didn’t reply as she washed her hooves for yet another time. Some of the cake’s remains were refusing to wash off of her. Cloud decided next time she would be more careful when it came to baking. She wasn’t super great at it, nor was she super terrible at it, but she could definitely improve.

As the ponies were relaxing, there was a small sound as a letter floated in front of Naruko. The other ponies looked at the letter in a mix of awe and curiosity. “Princess Luna has her own means of delivering letters to ponies. No baby dragon required,” Naruko explained as she opened the letter and read it.

Her eyes narrowed and she read it again. She was in thought for a moment. She didn’t like the short notice on this one. She would barely have time to even say hello or goodbye to Twilight. Naruko teleported to her office, she could do so for short distances at least. She filed her paperwork she had just finished and went back downstairs to several pairs of worried eyes.

Naruko looked them over for a moment. “Derpy…” she said. Derpy’s gold colored eyes focused in response. “I hate to do this to you, but I have to make an immediate trip to Canterlot. It isn’t for Patrol business, but it is important. I want you to be in charge while I’m gone.”

Derpy nodded to that. “Sure thing, Captain!” she replied with a salute. The salute wasn't required but Derpy liked it and the other patrollers were slowly starting to pick up on the habit as well at times.

Naruko bade goodbye to the other ponies as well before teleporting to the library. “Twilight?” she asked. There was no response. She guessed Twilight was busy with their friends at the moment.

“Spike?” she asked. Again, there was no response.

Spike was probably with Twilight or he was hanging out with Big Mac. The two had surprisingly become good friends. Spike claimed he needed to spend sometime away from girl ponies and Big Mac was actually really good at Hoofball statistics and had a lot of what the baby dragon just said was “knowledge”. Kyuubi also joined the two at times as well.

Naruko wrote a note and hoped she would get a chance to explain it personally to Twilight soon enough, but she doubted that would be today. It was late and she was having to make a trip to Canterlot. Pegasus Chariot was fast, but it still took some time to travel. Naruko wasn’t talented enough to teleport directly to Canterlot. She wasn’t sure if even Twilight was that talented… yet. She didn’t really count the whole Twilight Teleport Express on their trip with Fluttershy. They were pretty sure that was a fluke and didn't even fully remember how it all happened.

Naruko stepped outside and looked up just as a pegasus chariot landed in front of her. She stepped on board and got ready for the ride. “Thanks for the lift guys,” she said.

“No problem. The Princesses ask us to give you a ride to Canterlot. We give you a ride to Canterlot,” the white pegasus on the left said to her as they took off into the sky.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko donned the disguise of Little Missy Sunshine as they drew closer to the pony capital and landed. She made her way up to the secret entrance to the castle. The guards, who were expecting her, let her in without too much fuss. Naruko sighed as she made her way to the Princesses’ private study and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Luna replied.

Naruko stepped inside and closed the door while removing her disguise. “What was so urgent?” she asked.

“We’ve found another temple’s location thanks to Twilight’s hard work. We would have invited her as well, but we figured she would rather spend time with the other elements. She won’t be going on this mission with you either,” Princess Celestia said.

Naruko frowned to this. “You know she won’t let you keep sidelining her like this for much longer, right?”

Celestia sighed and nodded in response. “It isn’t that we want to exclude her from this mission. It’s just that she wouldn’t be needed and would only increase your party even more. There is still the fact that she is busy working on figuring out more temples as well. She’s made a lot of progress there, but she isn’t finished. It is still surprising how much she has discovered for us on that front.” Celestia couldn’t hide the pride she felt in her bookworm of a student at that moment.

Luna looked to Naruko and continued. “I’m guessing you’ve been following Twilight’s current investigations?” Naruko nodded to this. “Good. Then it shouldn’t surprise you too much learn the next artifact is in this ancient Temple of Music.”

Naruko’s eyes widened a little in curiosity. It was strange hearing even the princesses say a temple was ancient.

Luna seemed to nod to Naruko. “Yes, this temple of music is actually from well before Tia and I were born.” Naruko couldn’t help but gasp at that. Princess Luna couldn’t help but giggle a little at the blonde unicorn’s response. “I know it seems Tia and I have been around for all of eternity to all of you ponies, but that is hardly the case.”

Naruko gave a nervous laugh. “Sorry. It is hard to wrap my mind around that. I mean… How did ponies raise the sun and moon before you two existed?”

“Actually, they did. It took a lot of unicorns to do so, but they did. The unicorns who raised and lowered the Sun were held in high regard among other unicorns,” Celestia explained. The teacher part of her managed to slip out and give a little lesson to Naruko. Naruko gave a thoughtful expression to that for a minute.

“Regardless of that, the truth is you will need help with this temple. We aren’t sure what dangers await inside it, if any, but we want you there in case something does happen,” Celestia said getting back to business.

“Where am I going? And who am I taking with me?” Naruko asked. There were a number of ponies with music skills, even in Ponyville alone. Heck there were ponies who could sing and much more who didn’t even have a cutie mark for music.

“The temple is locked away in the mountains west of the forest by Baltimare. That forest should be easy to trek through. It isn’t like the Ever-Free Forest,” Luna explained.

“As for who is going on this quest with you?” Celestia started. “We wanted to pick ponies you were familiar with already and who were living in Ponyville. Lyra was a contender. In the end, we thought it would be a bad idea to take away not only the Captain of the Patrol, but also a second patroller, since it is still small. For this mission, you will be going with Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Melody.”

“Really?” Naruko said in a mix of surprise and happiness.

“Yes, really. Octavia is very good at many different forms of music and instruments. Vinyl does create dj mixes for her choice of career, but she has a very deep understanding of music that is rather amazing. That is partly why she has been so successful,” Luna replied.

“Plus…” Celestia started with a snicker. “The two do know how to fight, even if one is a brawler and the other very refined, so that could help.” Naruko didn’t bother to ask the sun princess which one was which. It was rather obvious in a way to her.

“We want you to have a little time to prep for this mission and to meet with Octavia and Vinyl. I am hoping you will be able to make preparations for the Patrol while you are absent,” Luna said.

“I have some ideas on that already, Princess Luna. All of the patrollers are capable, but there are a couple who have stood out a little more than the others. I am thinking of making a second in command soon. I was meaning to ask you if there would be any formal rank advancement in the patrol or not,” Naruko said.

Princess Luna gave a hum in thought. There was an old way to it, but it was a different time now and the land was in a much different situation. “That is something I will work on while you are on this mission,” Princess Luna said.

Princess Celestia looked to Princess Luna for a moment. She then turned to Naruko and said, “Sadly, there isn’t really much else we can tell you about this mission of yours. We don’t even have an accurate account of the artifact in question. We just know there is a guardian protecting it. Well... Good luck, Naruko.” Celestia then gave Naruko a hug with her wings.

“I do hope you, Octavia, and Vinyl make it through this challenge perfectly fine. I believe in you, Naruko, my Grand Captain,” Luna said with a warm smile as she gave Naruko a tight hug. Naruko felt warm in the hug. She enjoyed hugs, but there was something about Luna’s hugs that really seemed to reach Naruko.

Once they broke their hug, Naruko sniffed a little and smiled as she said, “I won’t let myself fail, you better believe it.” Princess Luna and Princess Celestia smiled to that. They wished there was more they could do to help with this mission, but they didn’t know much about this temple or the artifact.

“Feel free to use your old room tonight, Naruko. It is late," Celestia said with a mighty yawn.

Luna gave a chuckle and said, “What? Tired already? Where did that ever burning energy of yours go? Where is the Tia who had to be dragged out of pubs at 3 AM some nights?”

Celestia blushed as Luna chuckled. Celestia then gave a mischievous smile that ended Luna’s laughter. She then said, “Oh? Who’s to say I don’t simply get my partying done earlier? After all, 5pm is the traditional start of drinking and partying. Plus, Day Court sessions end at 4pm. Sadly, someone here keeps insisting on sleeping until 8 or sometimes even 9pm.”

Luna looked a little indignant to Celestia’s words as the older sister laughed in amusement. Luna then grinned as she said, “Then I guess we will just have to start our tradition of evening cocktails on Saturday again.” Celestia actually smiled brightly at this. She loved that tradition of theirs.

Friday night was the usual pony party/drinking night and so it could easily end up being a busy night for Luna. However, that meant Saturday most ponies were rather sluggish and usually spent most of the day recovering from the night before. This meant Saturdays were usually very boring and monotonous for Celestia and Saturday nights were usually the same for Luna. This being the case the two sisters used to share drinks with each other Saturday evenings. Luna would get up earlier for this fun and Celestia would usually stay up a little later as well. Fortunately, being Alicorns they didn’t usually suffer hangovers and so Celestia would be up and ready to go come Sunday as usual. Luna would recover before the night was too late and usually her escapades wouldn’t do too much more than give the astrology ponies a rather odd but exciting Saturday night occasionally.

Naruko gave a laugh to the sisters’ words and asked, “Do you two ever end up dancing in fountains claiming your love for Equestria?” The princesses laughed to that for a bit before Naruko bade them goodnight and went to her room, which was like a sizable apartment to her. The meeting with the princesses had taken some time and there was no way she was going to make the trip back to Ponyville tonight.

{-} {-} {-}

“Ugh…” Vinyl moaned as she nursed a slight hangover from the night before. She was off for a good while now, but last night easily made up for the time off she would be having in the coming weeks. She was hoping her and Octavia would get a chance to do some more work on their new concert they were planning together. It was going to be something Equestria had never experienced before and they both knew it would be amazing. It might attract a different crowd from their usual, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Still, “Ugh….” Vinyl moaned again.

Octavia snickered. “Rough time last night?” she asked with a smirk.

Vinyl looked to her with unimpressed eyes and slowly nodded. She then gave a laugh. “It still wasn’t as crazy as that night I went out with Naruko, Twilight and Fluttershy.”

Octavia gave an enchanting laugh to that. “I doubt you will ever have a night that compares to that one again. Unless Naruko is again involved.” Octavia was a little disappointed she didn’t get to have fun that night with them all, but she got over it. She still would have loved to see Fluttershy in such a mood. Now that she thought about it, Fluttershy was actually a bit more outgoing than she used to be, but she still somehow managed to have that Fluttershy charm she was known for by many ponies.

As the two musical ponies enjoyed breakfast together, they heard a knock on their door. “Were you expecting anyone?” Vinyl asked.

“No,” Octavia answered shaking her head. She didn’t need to ask if Vinyl was expecting anyone. Everypony knew you didn’t really bother visiting Vinyl in the morning after she had a show. It was just common knowledge and it wasn’t hard to know if Vinyl had a gig the night before or not, because she had a large following.

There was a second knock and the two looked to each other in question before they went to the door. Octavia was the one to answer it. She couldn’t help but think, “Speak of the devil…” Naruko wasn’t really a devil, but the saying worked well for her at times.

Naruko was grinning as she said, “Do you two want to go on an adventure to ancient temple dedicated to music?”

“Huh?!” was the response both musical ponies gave her.

Author's Notes:

Some might be wondering why I chose Vinyl and Octavia for the music temple instead of Pinkie Pie. The answer is simple. Pinkie Pie might sing a lot and love music, but in series her talents in such fields are sometimes suspect according to others including her own friends. Vinyl and Octavia have their specialty in music. Pinkie Pie’s special talent is party planning, not music specifically. I do have plans for Pinkie to go on a temple adventure in the future sometime down the line, so don’t worry if that is something you were looking forward to. In truth, all of the mane six ponies will go on a temple adventure (or maybe two in certain cases).

Music for an Ancient Past

“I know it is a sudden question, but really do you two want to?” Naruko said.

“Huh?!” the two asked again.

Naruko gave a chuckle. “Mind if I come in?” She then turned remarkably serious as she said, “It is very important and I will explain everything to you I can.”

Vinyl gave a sigh. This was going to be one of those days. Octavia gave Naruko a nod and motioned for her to come inside their house. “Sure, come on inside.”

“Thanks,” Naruko said as they made their way to the kitchen.

Once they were all sitting, Naruko spoke again. “I was using a joking tone, but I really am here to recruit you two for a very important mission to an ancient temple for music.”

Vinyl had fully recovered now. It was odd how sometimes it just took a little push in the right direction to recover from a hangover. “It sounds like you should start from the beginning,” she said to Naruko.

Naruko gave a teasing smile as she said, “I’m half tempted to say ‘In the beginning there was only darkness’ and then go on with the tale of our planet’s creation.” Octavia chuckled a little to this as Vinyl sighed again. “I’ll save you the long-winded tale though. You see… there is this cosmic darkness that is going to cause us loads of trouble unless we do something about it. Both Princesses have been working along with Twilight and me to hopefully stop it before it grows to be too much of a problem. To do this, we need several ancient artifacts to help us…” Naruko then told them both everything she could.

{-} {-} {-}

“So, we really are going into some ancient Music Temple?” Vinyl asked. She didn’t really need any clarification, but it was something to swallow finding out that ponies literally worshiped music in the past. Naruko nodded in answer to this.

“It really sounds ever so exciting. I really want to go and help Equestria. I would also like to learn more about the music ancient ponies enjoyed in the times before Celestia and Luna,” Octavia said very excitedly. Naruko was surprised Octavia seemed to be the one more on board with this trip. Vinyl wasn’t opposed to it and she seemed excited about it, but Octavia was really eager for this mission.

“Good to hear. I know I asked first, but really… You two didn’t actually have a choice…” Naruko said with a nervous laugh. “This trip actually comes as an order from both princesses.”

“Wow…” Vinyl said in surprise. That was some heavy stuff to take in. “I still want to go because it sounds awesome, but wow… I never thought my cutie mark would get me sent on a mission from the princesses to help save all of Equestria.”

Octavia nodded in agreement. She never thought Vinyl would be sent on a mission by the princesses to save Equestria.

“So… Do you need help from the princesses to shift around your schedules?” Naruko asked.

“Unless this mission is going to literally take weeks. No. I’m off for a while. I wanted to spend time working on our new project with Octavia, but that’s about it,” Vinyl said.

Octavia was going over her own work schedule in her head. It wasn’t anything she couldn’t fix right now on her own. “I just need to make a few calls. How long do we have to prepare?” she asked.

“We’ve got a couple of days at most, but the sooner the better. I’d like for us to set out tomorrow morning if possible,” Naruko said. She wanted to spend some time with Twilight and set things up with the patrol for the time she was gone on this mission, but she didn't want to wait around afterwards.

“Ahh… I was hoping we could go now. I suppose most ponies like time to prepare for things though,” Vinyl said with a sigh.

Octavia raised an eyebrow at her friend and house mate. “You do realize we are going to be traveling to an ancient temple that probably hasn’t been entered in years? It isn’t the kind of thing you do on a whim…”

“Exactly!" Vinyl interrupted her. "Like there’s much a pony can do to prepare for something like this!” The two then spent a little time arguing back and forth about the importance of or in Vinyl’s case the futility of preparing in advance.

“I’ll leave you two to it then,” Naruko said as she excused herself. She doubted they even heard her.

“Later/Bye, Naruko,” Vinyl and Octavia said while not losing their place in the argument. Naruko was actually a little surprised they even replied as she closed the door behind her.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight was pacing as she sighed. Naruko was leaving again. This time she was going to be with both Vinyl and Octavia on a mission. “Grrrr… Why can’t I go for once! I do the background work…” she growled and stomped her hoof. Twilight felt like she had to keep giving her best friend to everypony else. She understood the whole thing with the patrol. That was Naruko’s job, but all of these hundreds of missions, which were really just two but that was beside the point in Twilight’s mind, that was something different.

“I told them you wouldn’t be happy. I told them I didn’t really like leaving you out of it, but they said you coming along would be too much. Honestly, they told me I was only going to more or less protect Vinyl and Octavia in case something happens and they need it,” Naruko replied with a frown.

“Why can’t I go anyways?! I mean this is an ancient temple about pony music worship! So much to discover and study. They need a pony like myself for those reasons alone,” Twilight vented to Naruko.

Twilight was actually almost on the verge of tears if Naruko wasn’t mistaken. “Twi… are you okay?” she asked in concern.

Twilight didn’t even try to put up a front this time. “No! I’m not…” she sighed and sniffed a little. “You’re going on another possibly dangerous mission. And again, I have to stay behind.” She then went silent.

Naruko gave a bit of a worried frown. “Is that really it?”

Twilight looked to Naruko and sniffed again. “No… It feels like you’re being taken away from me lately… The patrol keeps you busy and I understand that, but this too… It's like the world wants us separated more and more or something.” She then stood up with a determined look at Naruko and said, “We’re doing something. Anything! With just us once you get back. I’m not losing more time with my best friend.”

Naruko’s heart felt really warm hearing Twilight. She smiled and said, “Sign me up for that!”

“I wish I could already start making plans, but who knows how long this mission will take. I still wish I could go and see the temple,” she said with a frown.

“Maybe we can make arrangements for that sometime if you want,” Naruko said.

Twilight shook her head to that, “By then you would already know everything about it. I want to be there to discover a temple. Not just see it. The only exception is maybe the Temple of Life you and Fluttershy went to, but that trek sounds extra dangerous, even if the place sounds a million times more amazing.”

“It really was. Maybe someday ponies will be able to go to it again in the future for studying and contemplation. That would be cool if I helped clear out and secure a temple for ponies to actually use. Plus, I’m sure lots of ponies would like to meet the bunnicans,” Naruko said. She knew it was just a dream and if it did come true she would probably already be long dead, hopefully from old age.

“Maybe you still will. It seems we will be visiting, or at least you will be visiting several different temples while we gather these artifacts. I’m sorry I couldn’t find out more about this temple or even what the artifact looks like. It sounds like Celestia and Luna couldn’t either though,” Twilight said.

“Don’t worry about it, Twi. We wouldn’t even know this temple existed if it wasn’t for you. For crying out loud, even Celestia and Luna call it an ancient temple,” Naruko said and shared a laugh with Twilight.

“We really should make sure we can get together for real though, once you’re back. I’m going to make room for it in my schedule, even if I have to push around some of my studies,” Twilight said with certainty.

Naruko snickered, “Nice to know you are willing to reschedule study time to be with me.” Twilight gave a pout before the two giggled together. “I'll also make sure we can spend time together, I promise you.” Twilight smiled to that and gave her friend a big hug.

{-} {-} {-}

It was finally time for Naruko, Otavia, and Vinyl to leave for their mission. Right as they were outside and a little distance from Octavia’s and Vinyl’s house, Vinyl stopped them. “Just one second,” she said as she pulled something out of somewhere with a button and pressed it. Right as she pressed the button a bright blue wavy energy looking barrier seemed to surround the home and its surrounding property. It looked like the waves of the barrier were beating in time to an unheard tune of some kind. “There. Don’t know how long we will be away on this mission. Got to use the wub barrier.”

Octavia and Naruko both blinked in astonishment at the sight. “When did you have time to make that without telling me?” Octavia asked. She then shook her head and said, “Nevermind, I don’t want to know.” Vinyl gave a chuckle to that.

“What does it do?” Naruko asked.

“Protects the area inside the barrier from any harm. I also improved the design so animals will steer clear of it. The first results were a little too effective… Please don’t tell Fluttershy. That pony may be nice, calm, and quiet, but she can turn fierce when it comes to animals,” Vinyl explained.

“Let’s just get going. You won’t get any good from trying to figure out Vinyl’s ‘Wub-Tech’, Naruko. Trust me. I know. I tried to in the past,” Octavia said leading the way as Vinyl grinned and Naruko nodded dumbly and followed.

They were almost to the train station when they ran into Fluttershy. “Hey Fluttershy. How’s it going?” Naruko asked. Vinyl freaked a moment thinking Naruko would tell, but the blonde unicorn waited for her friend’s reply.

“Oh, I was going to visit some of the others. I found a couple of really cute and fuzzy little critters I’ve never seen here before. I’m trying to learn about them, but they are so adorable and I thought the girls might like to see them too,” Fluttershy answered with a very potent happy Fluttershy smile. “Do you want to come?” she asked.

Naruko gave a frown and shook her head. “Can’t. Got to catch a train. We’re going for another artifact,” Naruko explained while motioning to Vinyl and Octavia. They were surprised Naruko just mentioned their secret mission to Fluttershy so easily.

They were just as surprised when Fluttershy nodded in understanding and gave them each a sincere face as she said, “Be careful. Best of luck.” Fluttershy then continued on her way.

Naruko was a bit puzzled when she saw five little very colorful puffballs with wings pop out of the back of Fluttershy’s mane. “That’s a bit too many for a couple,” Naruko thought to herself. She would admit the things were ridiculously cute and probably would be a big hit, especially when she heard they made some kind of sound that was a mix of a twitter and a purr. “Way too cute for me…” Naruko thought, though she did want to pet one to see if it was as soft and fluffy as it seemed. Maybe a couple of the others just to be sure as well.

“Come on, Naruko!” Octavia called from the station entrance.

“On my way,” Naruko said as she quickly caught up.

“Wait a minute,” Vinyl said as they were in line getting their train tickets. Naruko and Octavia looked to her in question. “Is that what you three were celebrating Victory Ramen for?” she couldn’t help but ask.

Naruko nodded. “Fluttershy helped me with the first one of these.”

“Cool,” Vinyl replied.

The three of them got in a compartment they were sharing on the train. They were on an express train to Baltimare then they were using a mix of hiking and teleports, but mostly teleports, to make there way to the actual temple the quickest they could.

The express train was actually a little shorter than regular trains and it also had a sleeker design. It was enchanted to have minimized friction with the tracks. It wouldn’t derail or anything like that, but it was really fast. The enchantments disengaged when the conductor pulled on the brakes. The pony conducting did of course have to start braking sooner than with regular trains, but there were markers along the tracks to help out newer train ponies. The one in charge on their trip wasn’t new though, he was an expert.

{-} {-} {-}

“Hey Fluttershy,” Twilight said with a smile as her friend walked through the door. “What do you have there?” she asked.

“Ohh! I’m not sure what they are, but they are so cute I just had to share them with all of my friends,” Fluttershy said as a few parasprites appeared from her mane. “I don’t remember meeting this many of them though…”

“They do look cute. I wonder how they reproduce,” Twilight asked just as one hacked and seemed to spit out another one. Twilight grimaced at the sight, but then again birth was pretty much always messy. It was the act of bringing a new life into the world that was beautiful. The ponies sadly had little idea just what it was Fluttershy had accidentally unleashed on Ponyville that day.

{-} {-} {-}

“Wow…” Octavia said as they arrived at their destination. “That was really quick… No wonder this train is smaller than the others. It seems there really is a reason it is called the express train.” She was then thinking back to some of her earlier gigs and really wished she had the chance to take such a train back then. She was very good at what she did and she loved music and performing music for others. However, there were a lot of ponies who had music cutie marks and while there was a high demand for it, things were always tough when you first started out in the industry. Unless you were Vinyl who was kind of a bit of a prodigy and breaking new ground in music.

Vinyl’s form of music had really caught on over the years, but she was one of the ponies to start it. She also made it very popular. In the distant future if the genre was still around, which it probably would be in one form or another, Vinyl’s contributions would probably be taught to ponies or at the least heavily referenced.

Octavia sometimes was a little jealous of the other pony, but they really liked each other. Vinyl got a deeper appreciation for music in general thanks to Octavia and Octavia learned that innovation and changing things up wasn’t really a bad thing. This is why they were on the cusp of possibly introducing something to the music world that could bring about a completely new genre and love for music. The two had looked into such things when they first toyed with the idea of their new project and they couldn’t find anything about it. This was something that worried them a little, but excited them a lot more.

“Blatimare…” Naruko said with a bit of a wistful note in her voice.

“Is this your first time here?” Vinyl asked.

Naruko nodded. “Too bad we don’t have time to actually visit the city. Maybe one day…”

“We could try to after we finish the mission,” Octavia said in the hopes of cheering Naruko up.

Naruko gave a chuckle. “Nope, we won’t. The only thing we will have time to do is go home and then for me to visit the princesses to turn in the artifact as soon as we figure out what it is and retrieve it.” She then turned to Octavia and gave her friend a sincere smile. “I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”

The three stepped off the train at the station and Naruko took in a deep breath. “Alright. Time to hop on the Naruko express everypony! Our final destination! The Music Temple.”

Octavia gave a smirk as she literally hopped on to Naruko’s back causing the pony to look at her with a raised eyebrow. Octavia just gave an innocent smile as Vinyl laughed and placed a hoof on Naruko’s side. She then said, “Wait! This isn’t going to be like the Twilight express. Is it?”

Naruko gave a smirk as she said, “Similar, but I’m not drunk and high on salt.” She then disappeared in a flash.

Naruko reappeared a good distance away. She smiled and said, “I also know my teleportation distance including friends coming along on for the ride.”

Vinyl blinked a little as she said, “You mean to tell me Twilight teleported you three all the way from Canterlot to Ponyville?” Naruko nodded. “In one go?!” Naruko nodded again with a smile. Vinyl shook her head. “Celestia, that girl is scary powerful at times…” Narko chuckled and nodded. Octavia was just silent as she kept up her proper mare appearance while containing her excitement to be on a genuine adventure with her friends. Naruko disappeared once more.

{-} {-} {-}

Rarity’s eye was twitching as she watched several of these things Pinkie called Parasprites reproduce. Pinkie had said, “Yuck!! Why would I want to touch a Parasprite?!” The pink party pony then said something about needing a trumpet and disappearing again. Rarity wasn’t sure what her friend was going on about, but she had to agree the Parasprite’s means of reproduction was very disgusting.

However, she still found the critter rather cute and adorable in a way. It didn’t matter that she disapproved of their reproduction methods, or their eating habits... or their poor taste in manners even for beasts… “Why am I putting up with them?” she wondered as she couldn’t help, but pet a few with her hoof and listen to their twitterpurr sound. “How can they be so darling?!” she thought even if her eye twitched as another few spat out more. Things might get out of hoof here soon if they didn’t stop, but she still kept petting them.

{-} {-} {-}

“This is wicked!” Vinyl said out loud as she looked at the music mural on the wall to examine it. They hadn’t had too much trouble in the temple yet from enemies. Some popped out but Naruko was able to quickly dispatch them while the music ponies figured out their next move.

This temple was indeed ancient. Rooms were falling apart, but that in a way added a certain beauty to the ruins. They were also lucky the damage and weathering from the ages wasn’t too bad considering everything. They could still make out what puzzle they needed to solve in each area.

Every room or collection of rooms had a musical puzzle of some kind. It was really cool for the music loving ponies. Vinyl was glad she could help out as well. She feared this would mostly be Octavia’s show here and she would be useless, but the two of them worked together on each puzzle pulling from both of their expertise. This temple was also an inspirational gold mine for them.

“What are you two doing?” Naruko asked as she dodged four stone guardian ponies before using a combination of hoof to hoof and magic usage to defeat them. She noticed both Vinyl and Octavia were scribbling away in notebooks of some kind.

Both ponies gave guilty whinnies as they put their notebooks up. “Heh heh…” Vinyl said with a nervous scratch of her mane. “Sorry about that Naru. We got a little carried away there.”

“Really?” Naruko asked dryly with a raised eyebrow.

“Well it looked like you were having fun with the stone guardians and we simply didn’t want to interfere,” Octavia said as she cleared her throat and didn’t fully meet Naruko’s eyes. There was a part of her that kind of wanted a little in on the action Naruko was getting.

Naruko wanted to deny what Octavia said, but it was true. She had in a way taken this mission as an opportunity to train a little. She needed to improve her base skills and not rely on Kyuubi too much. She treated these stone guardians like they were more solid and better performing training dummies. Naruko blushed a little as she said, “Okay you got me this time… Let’s all get more serious from here on out though. Okay?” Octavia and Vinyl both nodded in agreement. “Now can you two please figure out what the solution to the puzzle is here now?” she asked.

Octavia gave a nervous chuckle. “We kind of did that a while ago… Vinyl. If you would be so kind…” she started. Naruko shook her head and sighed in disbelief.

Vinyl shot different concentrations of magic at a total of 10 magic stones. The magic stones started to thrum in a pattern that was bass music of some kind. Several sections of walls broke away as water started to pour in from different sections of the wall. Naruko was worried something had gone horribly wrong, but Vinyl used magic to redirect the water flows in a certain way. The hall they were sitting in started to sing a wonderfully ancient and majestic song thanks to the bass stones and the water flows.

{-} {-} {-}

Appointed Commander in charge Derpy Hooves wasn’t sure how to handle the Parasprite menace once the area was soon overrun by the adorable little monsters. The Ever-Free Patrol didn’t have any ideas on what to do regarding these threats. However, the walled eyes pegasus soon came up with a plan of action. The beasties weren’t coming after HQ. She then helped the others as they evacuated all of Ponyville to the HQ where they could take shelter until this crisis was solved or over.

Derpy was in the air with several other pegasus ponies as they helped younger ponies get to the base. She also noticed Lyra and Bon-Bon leading a large group of ponies to the base on the ground under a shield charm. Derpy was really happy the mint green unicorn was a graduate from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns and knew how to cast and maintain a decent sized shield for extended periods of time.

Twilight and her friends were doing what they could, but there wasn’t really any communication between the Element Bearers and the Ever-Free. Twilight had cast a spell under haste to try and stop the Parasprites’ hunger. Sadly, because of the short notice and lack of parasprite DNA understanding, the spell caused the monsters to eat non-organics instead. Ponies weren’t about to be eaten, but the beasts were very messy and sent debris all over that would travel for good distances and some of it was large enough to cause harm to ponies.

Trixie was outside HQ when she noticed Derpy and the others return with a lot of ponies. The ponies were shaken but partly relieved as they entered the HQ and followed orders to go into the sheltered bunker inside. Trixie stopped working with some of the wood she was using to remake the very base of her new and would be much improved trailer. She looked up and watched as Derpy landed to collect her thoughts.

“Are you okay?” Trixie asked with concern.

Derpy nodded and sighed. “This whole thing is a mess. I think the evacuation is going to work out fine, but it isn’t easy…”

Trixie looked to the wall-eyed commander in charge and saluted as she asked, “How can I help?”

Derpy looked her over and thought for a moment. She nodded and said, “Can you go inside and help get everypony sorted? There are a lot of ponies out of town fortunately, but there are still a lot here.”

“Trixie is more than capable of providing such assistance to her friends,” the show pony said with her particular brand of flare as she went inside HQ. Derpy was relieved. Trixie wasn’t Ever-Free, but she knew her way around HQ well enough by this point and would be able to help out a tremendous amount with the other ponies hopefully.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko gave an exasperated laugh. She, Vinyl and Octavia were surrounded by several stone guardians and these guys looked really tough. Vinyl winced yet again. She had messed up a little bit on this puzzle and it brought this mess upon them. It wasn’t entirely her fault. She supposed it was only a matter of time until they came to a room where the puzzle key was also a crumbling ruin like the rest of the temple.

“Well… It’s a good thing you two know how to fight. Princess Celestia told me it was part of the reason you two were selected for this mission,” Naruko said with a resigned sigh. She was tempted to call Kyuubi, but she wasn’t sure it would work in this place and she didn’t know if he would fit in here all that well. The chamber they were in wasn’t the most spacious with all of the stone guardians. “That’s it… From now on I bring Kyuubi on these things no matter what… It was stupid of me to dare and tempt fate like this for training,” she thought to herself.

“Alright! Let’s show these Stone heads a lesson of three. I’ve been itching for some real action for a while now!” Octavia said in a rather brash manner as she punched her hooves together and grinned wildly.

Naruko watched with her mouth open as the earth pony dashed into the fray and started throwing punches and kicks in every which way. Octavia’s Fair Pony Mare demeanor was all but gone at that moment. It was a good thing the pony seemed to have very good instincts even if she was fighting in a very unladylike and brawling manner.

Vinyl gave a chuckle as she assumed a martial arts fighting position that had little to no openings. “I know exactly what you're thinking, Naruko. Octavia is a very refined mare in many ways. She is very respectable with a calm temperament. However, when it comes to fighting… She doesn’t really give a damn about such things as grace and refinement.”

Vinyl dove into the fight as well and threw some very well measured and obviously practiced strikes. Naruko couldn’t help but watch in awe for a moment. When Octavia sent three of the heavy and tough stone guardians right at her, Naruko snapped to it and dodged. She too joined the fight and even used a few support spells on her comrades.

Seeing Octavia tossing around stone guardians with relative ease, Naruko fully realized that while Octavia was a very refined pony, who even Rarity would compliment on her manners, she was still an Earth pony. This meant that while she didn’t have wings or a horn, she still had that tremendous Earth pony strength and stamina. Naruko gave a smile as she fought along side the others. She remembered even Earth ponies without farming cutie marks were still able to coax the very earth itself to grow and help them to an extent.

“This should be fun,” Naruko said with a grin. She looked forward to fighting with both Octavia and Vinyl on her side.

{-} {-} {-}

As she helped another group of ponies, Trixie realized just how important the Ever-Free really was. Sure, the ponies weren’t being attacked by these parasprites, but it would have been very scary, dangerous and stressful for all of these ponies to still be out in Ponyville while this all happened. She didn’t even need to see the two ponies wearing hazmat suits as they entered the shelter to realize just how hopeless ponies would have felt up there.

The show pony looked over the crowd of gathered ponies with a sense of sadness. They had what they needed and once this was over with they would all rebuild Ponyville as needed, but still the sense of hopelessness and worry was so thick she could taste it as she breathed. Trixie looked to see two fillies holding each other crying while their parents didn’t really know what to do because of how worried they were about everything else. She was glad the HQ had plenty of supplies and there were ponies working on meals upstairs, but that was still a way off.

Trixie’s eyes seemed to shine in comprehension as her mind flooded her with old memories of when she first got her cutie mark and started being a show pony. She had started off performing for foals, colts, and fillies at parties. Her act wasn’t as big back then, but it was still fun and the ponies loved it. Trixie remembered the whole reason she wanted to become a show pony in the first place was to bring happiness to other ponies while also enjoying the thrill performing on a stage gave her.

She sighed as she realized how far she had strayed from that path over the years. She had made a name for herself and was invited to bigger gigs. She might have at times lied to herself and claimed she was doing what she was doing for the sake of others, but the truth was for many years she had been more focused on her reputation and the fame she gained, even if it was small.

Trixie shook her head. She wanted to do more. She wanted to show the Patrol it wasn’t wrong for Naruko to have taken her in like she did, even if they didn't seem to think that way. She wanted to not only get these children smiling again, but also find a way to help protect those smiles. She made up her mind. Some in the biz might laugh at her for what she was about to do and carry on about how far she had fallen, but that didn’t matter right now.

The brilliant blue show pony walked over to a box she had used to store some of her old items she managed to find over the past weeks she had been here. Her horn glowed pink as she pulled out several puppets. She had the puppets move through the ponies.

One puppet, which was a pony obsessed with standing on two legs, marched right up to a scared filly who was crying. “What are you crying for? Little Pony?” the puppet asked.

The filly was purple in color with an orange red striped mane. “Pa-pa-pa… Parasprites…”

“What is a Pa-pa-pa…parasprite?” the puppet asked in a squeaky voice.

“They're these mean and nasty things that try to look cute and eat everything… I hate them!” she cried.

The puppet frowned here. “Oh… You mean parasprites…” it said. The filly nodded as she frowned still angry at them. The puppet then stage whispered to her, “You want to know what a parasprite’s worst enemy is?” The filly nodded a little. “A stomach ache!” the puppet said as its forehooves spread outwards.

The filly couldn’t help but laugh. A few others nearby laughed as well. It was a laugh of both relief and humor. The puppet then made a forehoof motion as if it was playing an instrument and started to sing.

“The parasprites march one by one hurrah, hurrah.

The parasprites march one by one Hurrah!Hurrah!

The parasprites march one by one, they’re march far away from here.

And that’s why we're singing this song…”

The other puppets joined in as well.

“The parasprites march two by two hurrah, hurrah.

The parasprites march two by two…”

“… Hurrah! Hurrah!” several other fillies and colts joined in on the song and followed the puppets.

Trixie led the marching children to where she had made a small makeshift stage towards the back of the barracks. Some other ponies followed as well even if they were mostly the children’s parents. They were really relieved that it seemed somepony or ponies had found a way to calm and distract their children while they were here in the shelter.

Once all of the ponies coming to the show were in front of the small stage, the puppets came together and shouted, “And now it’s time for the Great and Puppety show!!!” Trixie was off to the side using her magic to bring the show to life as several ponies cheered in excitement. Trixie was also surprised at how excited she was to put on this show, even with the short notice.

{-} {-} {-}

“Haaaa!” Octavia shouted as she sent two stone guardians flying up into the sky with a solid buck.

Vinyl used a combination of her well-practiced and disciplined fighting style with some magic and sent two more guardians up as well.

Naruko used magic and her abilities to launch herself up high into the air. She was shooting up faster than the enemies and her horn glowed before she showered the four stone guardians with harsh and strong cutting winds that had enough force and power behind them to cut through the enemies causing them to collapse and crumble away.

The blonde unicorn controlled her descent as she landed next to her two friends. Both Octavia and Vinyl were out of breath, but had pleased smiles on their faces. “Ha ha! That’s how you do it,” Naruko said in excitement as she took in a couple of deep breaths. They had just destroyed a massive army of stone guardians which attacked them in waves.

The Ever-Free Captain was happy they won, but she feared what would happen if they had a boss fight like she and Fluttershy did in the Temple of Life. She was also wondering, “How do we get into the next area?”

Vinyl and Octavia were still a little tired, but they were examining the room again. Octavia shook her head, “There really isn’t any way we can do this the proper way…” She frowned at the remains of the once great wall which had the music puzzle to solve.

Vinyl was examining the door into the next area. It was closed and sealed, but it was obvious it proceeded further into the temple. It was also a rather ornate stone door, even if it was severally weathered and probably weakened. Vinyl’s shades dropped in surprise as her eyes widened in comprehension. She just had an idea. She tapped the stone doors to get a feel for their acoustic properties in several spots.

“Alright! I got an idea,” she said out loud as she moved to a certain spot in the center of the room. “You two should stand behind me,” she said. Octavia was already making her way over there having an idea what her friend and housemate was about to try. Naruko followed as well, even if she was confused what was going on here.

Naruko’s jaw dropped again in surprise as Vinyl pulled a cubic object from her saddle bags. The DJ unicorn then hit it with a spell and the thing seemed to unfold and grow in size. “Wha?!” was all she could say.

Octavia rolled her eyes and answered, “More Wub-Tech.” Naruko nodded absentmindedly in reply.

Vinyl’s horn glowed and soon the thing that looked like a special speaker started to play a tune with a lot of bass to it. The object even shot out sonic waves the other two ponies could make out as ripples in the air. The tune was kind of cool, but it was obvious the effects of the tune were deadly.

As the sonic waves hit the door, it started to shake and vibrate. It took a couple of moments, but eventually the stone door started to crack. Soon after it started cracking the stone began to crumble away. Naruko couldn’t help but whistle at the effects of the speaker after Vinyl put it away.

Vinyl smiled in triumph. “I didn’t expect it to be that effective!”

“Well I’m glad it was. Now we can continue forward,” Naruko said as she led the way. Vinyl and Octavia high hoofed each other at the success of their mission so far. It hadn’t been easy the whole time, but it had been interesting.

As the trio entered the next chamber, they were surprised by how massive it was. The room had very highly vaulted ceilings. In fact, Naruko wouldn’t be surprised if they reached the top of a mountain or something since they couldn't even see the top. The lighting of the room was dim but evenly distributed. There was a stage in the center of the room with several stone benches around it on all sides. Some of the benches were broken, but most of them were surprisingly well maintained.

The group carefully approached the stage in the center. They weren’t sure what to expect, but Naruko was again cursing herself for leaving Kyuubi behind for this mission. She remembered last time she entered a temple’s large massive chamber. Vinyl and Octavia could fight, but she wasn’t sure if they would be as ready as Fluttershy was. There was also the fact that while she was friends with them both, the three of them didn’t have the synergy she had with Fluttershy which really helped them in the first temple.

They were right in front of the stage. Magical light turned on from somewhere and focused on the stage. Epic and enchanting music started to play from up above. There was a flash and smoke as a tall figure stood in the middle of the stage. He was wearing ancient robes of fine quality and a gold leaf crown on his head. The biggest surprise was the figure’s shape. It was very alien to Vinyl and Octavia. Naruko on the other hoof recognized it. The figure had a humanoid body and was much taller than they were as he stood confidently on two feet and gave them a bow with a flourish.

“So, three ponies come before me, in seek of the treasure I guard, the Entertainer’s Jewel,” the man said as he looked them in the eyes. “The esteemed ponies who created me believed entertainment was greatest of gifts and so I am well versed in them all. However, these masters of emotion deemed music stood apart far above the rest, and I agree with them.”

He then sat on the stage with a confident smile. “You three have done well to have passed the trials before coming to me. You showed a great appreciation and understanding for the musical arts and remarkable creativity with how you got through that last door. It is no small feat to use sound waves as means to shatter stone.”

He stood up again and looked them once more in the eyes. “However, that does not mean you are yet proved worthy of the precious item I guard. I have three more tests for you before I decide if you have earned the right to the Entertainer’s Jewel.”

Naruko decided to try and bypass this test and spoke. “We only wish to use the jewel to protect all of Equestria and the planet as a whole. That is why we were sent here by the princesses to retrieve it.”

The figure nodded in understanding. “The power of words is often underestimated and speechcraft is a tool of remarkable importance and strength. However, I am not capable of giving the jewel until you prove you are worthy. Nor am I allowed to make the tests easy on you as a way of circumnavigating the requirements.” He looked to Naruko and there was sorrow in his eyes, though the blonde pony wasn’t sure how sincere it was. “I am sorry about this… But I believe if your hearts are as true as your claims on intention, then you will pass the tests I must give.”

He then gave a stretch and waved a hand as several ancient instruments and more recent ones, meaning they were just considered old by the time Celestia was born, appeared around him. “Now then… Are all three of you going to test, or do you plan on using representatives, even if there are only three of you ponies.”

Octavia stepped forward. “Vinyl and I, Octavia Melody, will be the ones testing. Our friend Naruko is here to help us as she can.”

The man on the stage gave a sniff and flicked away a tear. “Friendship is truly wonderful and is often such a great inspiration for music.” He then gave a smile that was more wicked than it appeared so far. “Especially when it comes to betrayal. The shear volume and intensity of emotion such a foul action brings about is so palpable the gods of entertainment bless those who can express such things effectively. It is always real-life experience that makes for the greatest dramas and stories.”

He then took in a deep breath before speaking again. “Regardless of my feelings on such things the truth is I have three tests for you two to perform. May the gods and ancestors of music guide your hoof.” He then gave another bow before he took up a position in the middle of the stage.

“The first test is rather simple. You two need only repeat the notes I use. Though you can’t really pick your instruments for this test. Fate and fortune will decide for you,” he said with a smile.

He then played a beautiful tune that started out slow before suddenly speeding up and ending in a wonderful flourish of notes blending into each other. Naruko had to admit it was some beautiful music this man was creating even if she wasn’t so sure about him.

Once the song was over, two instruments appeared before Vinyl and Octavia. Vinyl had a harp and Octavia had a complex series of wind pipes. The two looked to each other concerned. They were about to try and trade, but the entertainer didn’t let them. “You two are not allowed to exchange instruments with each other,” he said with a bit of a condescending smile.

The two music ponies sighed to this. “However, you are allowed five minutes to test the instrument. Good luck. I get the feeling you two will need it,” he said.

Octavia and Vinyl wasted no time in testing their instruments. They didn’t have enough time and they had to repeat the tune he just played. This was not fair at all! “Then again… This is a test for an ancient and powerful artifact,” Octavia thought to herself.

“Begin!” the man roared to them after their time was up. Octavia and Vinyl each took in a deep breath to focus. They started playing and cringed at how terrible it was, but the protector of this temple didn’t stop them and let them continue.

It took a little extra time, but eventually the music ponies were able to match the notes he played. When they finished, they were relieved to have completed the first test. They didn’t know how well they did, but they were relieved never the less.

The Entertainer clapped his hands politely to their performance. “I must say that you two did manage to do as I requested. It wasn’t awful and it wasn’t great either. It was passable though,” he said with a faint smile as Vinyl and Octavia congratulated each other.

“Yes. Well done indeed… However, you still have two tests left and that was the easiest one,” he said with a slightly dark smile. “For the next test, you two have to accompany me in the song I play. I will continue playing until you either give up or have properly accompanied me for a total of 10 minutes in a row. You also have to use the instruments you were given. It is a good thing you had that first test to get used to them.” He gave them a Cheshire cat grin as Octavia and Vinyl scowled at him.

Naruko was really worried here. She didn’t like that there wasn’t anything she could do for them. She could only watch and hope for the best. If she had known about this music temple in the first place, she might have taken up an instrument or two while abusing shadow clones to advance her skills with it.

The Entertainer started out again with a slow tempo tune. It was filled with deep emotion which he slowly transitioned into happiness. Vinyl and Octavia tried to match him, but they weren’t really doing too good at that. It was even annoying him a little bit how poorly they were accompanying him, but he had his rules and they couldn’t be changed.

The musical test went on for several minutes before Vinyl and Octavia were able to accompany him. It was really impressive given he wasn’t using a known song or anything. They were simply doing what they could. There was some leeway, but not enough they could slack off.

It felt like it was way later, when he finally stopped playing. He stood up and gave a bow to a non-existent crowd. He then motioned towards Octavia and Vinyl. The two ponies caught off guard by this bowed as well. They then looked to him and frowned as he gave a chuckle. “I am sorry. It is just too much fun doing that. Congratulations you two passed the second test. It wasn’t the fastest attempt ever, but it too was fairly decent.”

They breathed in relief as Naruko made a clone of herself and handed it a bottle of water to take to Octavia. The Entertainer’s eyes actually widened when Naruko did this. He had seen ponies, especially his creators, do amazing things, but he had never seen a pony make an actual clone of their self. He let the ponies rest a little bit before he started the last test.

It was a few minutes later the Entertainer once again stood up and got their attention. “Well done. You two have really proven yourselves. However, many before you have done much better on the first two tests and still failed the last test. I wonder if your luck will be any better.”

He then took in a breath and let it out. He had enjoyed their company even if he didn’t show it, but the last test was pretty much impossible to pass. He snapped his fingers and the lights changed. They were focused on Vinyl and Octavia now.

“For the final test. You are allowed to use any instrument or equipment of your choice,” he said. Vinyl and Octavia smiled at this. They were thinking they had a real chance now. “In this test. The last trial for earning the right to the Entertainer’s Jewel. You two have to do something simple yet, more difficult than the previous ones.”

He started to use his hands as he spoke with passion. “You have to perform something for me and impress me. It has to be something I have yet to hear or experience!”

Vinyl and Octavia were in shock at those words. They tried not to let it show, but they were very certain they had this in the bag now.

“I know what you’re thinking. Oh. This will be easy. This guardian is ancient and stuck inside a ruin of a temple that hasn’t been visited in years if not eons!” he said. Both Octavia and Vinyl despite their better judgement couldn’t help but nod to this in agreement.

“However, when I was created. When I was blessed! When I was gifted with the privilege! Of guarding this treasure. My creators did something else. They designed me in a way that I knew of music trends happening across the land even while I was in here. Pop music?! I heard it when it first started. Rock and Roll? My ear was with the Gods of Rock from the start!” he added a flourish to his mannerisms.

Octavia and Vinyl were still confident they had this in the bag.

“Techno! Dubstep! EDM! All forms of Electronic music. I’ve heard and experienced it all,” he said looking right into the eyes of his audience.

Vinyl looked to Octavia. She nodded and smiled. Vinyl looked to Naruko who was momentarily worried, but when she saw Vinyl’s face more or less saying, “We got this”. She knew what they were going to do and smiled at their approaching victory.

Vinyl got her compacted and packed away gear out and expanded it with her magic. The entertainer looked to them curiously. He was glad they would at least be trying to impress him. He was a little surprised the blue maned unicorn managed to bring so much with her.

He looked over to the other pony. She pulled out a violin. He was actually a little curious now. He couldn’t help but shift his position to the edge of the seat he conjured up on the stage.

Vinyl and Octavia bowed and got to work. Vinyl started her equipment and used it to create a base tune she looped. She was adding in a little extra here and there. It was a rather beautiful and gentle tune with a sense of wonderment.

The entertainer had to admit he liked how it sounded, but he had heard many use this form of music. This song was still ranking up on the top. It still wasn’t enough to pass this test. To be fair, it was a rather impossible test to pass.

Shortly after Vinyl started her thing, the entertainer’s eyes widened and he sat up at attention. He clasped his hands together as Octavia started playing the melody to the song using her violin. The melody had wonderful rises and falls and the tempo picked up a little more.

Then the violin faded as Vinyl used her equipment to take over the melody. The feel of the song changed a slight bit but was still impressive. It grew a little more complex. Next the melody dropped and the bass played for just a little bit before the melody picked back up and the violin joined in once more. The two melodies complimented each other and he could feel the emotion that went into the song. Neither was overpowering the other. Neither felt forced or out of place. It was as close to musical perfection as he had experienced in a while.

He was standing by the time the song started to come to an end with the equipment and violin fading out together equally. When the song was over, he couldn’t help but clap in appreciation. He sniffed a little as he wiped a tear of happiness from his left eye. “Bravo! Bravo!” he cheered and whistled to them.

“That was amazing! What is this music?!” he asked.

Octavia smiled as she said, “Something unique and impressive that you never heard before.”

The Entertainer gave a good-hearted chuckle. “You got me there. It has been a long time since I was that into a song. I’ve never heard of this kind of combination before. Especially with how well it works with you two! I look forward to hearing more as you two continue with your new music. I look forward to how it will change the music landscape.”

He then gave another chuckle as he hopped off the stage and waved his right hand. The instruments he conjured earlier disappeared. He walked forward until he was standing in front of the ponies. He gave them a friendly smile as he turned around and said, “I suppose you want the Entertainer’s Jewel now.”

Naruko and the others nodded. He reached out with both hands and rose them to the sky. “I, Guardian of sound and music, have deemed these ponies gathered here worthy of the temple’s treasure. They have passed all trials and shown creativity beyond measure. They have earned the right to the Entertainer’s Jewel. May it serve them well,” he said in a booming voice.

The temple shook a little and the stage glowed brightly. Then the whole chamber lit up brightly as if the show in a dark theater had come to an end and the audience was preparing to leave. As the stone in the chamber shifted, it almost sounded like applause for the performers who had amazed and wowed the crowd. Then it went quiet.

Once there was silence in the theater chamber, a sparkling bright jewel descended from above slowly as it twirled in the air.

The Jewel was a beautiful sapphire blue with silver on the edges. Inside of the jewel, there were two gold colored masks. One was of a frowning pony. The other was of a smiling pony. There also seemed to be a red stone beneath the masks with silver music notes as if it was connecting the two masks.

“This is the treasure of this temple,” the entertainer said in a sad voice as Naruko took it and secured it for transport. “It is priceless, but you have earned it. You can use it as you see fit, but I do hope you won’t take it for granted. That is my final wish…”

“But… you said you looked forward to hearing more of our music and how it would change the music landscape…” Octavia said with some sadness in her Mulberry eyes. He was a bit of a jerk to them, but he was doing what he was supposed to do and he was a wonderful musician.

He gave her a weary smile. “I’m old… I’m ancient. I’ve fulfilled my purpose as my creators designed me to do. I will stay around for a time, but I will not be able to leave this temple and I know not for how long I have left. The only regret I have is that my creators didn’t also design me to teach others the craft of true entertainment. Too many get wrapped up in things like money or sending out heavy handed political messages and they lose track of the art to the craft. You can have politics in your entertainment, but it should not be so brazen that it is the only thing others remember of it.”

Vinyl nodded as she decided something. “We’ll just have to find a way to tell your story and wisely use the inspiration this temple and you gave us,” she said. Octavia nodded in agreement. Perhaps they could make a musical about the trails or something.

Naruko was in thought as well. “If you two ever come up with something. I can talk to the princesses and see if they will help with it. I really wish there was something more I could have done.”

Vinyl chuckled. “You did teleport us here even if we made stops on the way. I know that isn’t easy magic.”

Naruko nodded and sighed. “I’ll get ready to do it again once we get out of here.”

The entertainer smiled to them. “I can help you with that. I want to apologize for seeming harsh during the tests, and to thank you ponies for the lovely music.” The trio of ponies were surprised by this. “Where do you wish to go?” he asked.

“Ponyville!” the three shouted together.

“Ponyville it is,” he simply said before making a hand movement and snapping his fingers. The ponies then disappeared from the temple with the Jewel in tow. He gave a smile. “Now I just hope to hear Vinyl and Octavia perform at least one more time before my end comes.”

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight wasn’t very happy at the moment. Fluttershy was making this whole mess even more of a problem than it already was. “Why in Celestia’s name did she think it a good idea to hold on to even more of these things?!” she wanted to shout. She, Rainbow, AJ, Fluttershy and Rarity had just rounded up the annoying pests, and then they all find out Fluttershy had just as many tucked away inside her home once they opened the door.

It also didn’t help that Pinkie Pie was constantly going on and on about needing the most random assortment of instruments. Not only was it completely unrelated to helping them out, but it also kept reminding Twilight that Naruko was off on an adventure going through and ancient music temple. She was here stuck trying to clean up the mess of parasprites. She hated how they reproduced by making a giant disgusting spit wads.

“What do we do now, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“I really don’t know,” She replied. They were trying to get back to Ponyville to regroup and try to hunt down the nasty beasties again. “I’m just glad Naruko came back with a message saying Princess Celestia had to cancel her visit here. I don’t even what to think about how stressful I would have been if that was still going on…”

“You’d probably come up with some idea like building an exact duplicate of Ponyville or something,” Rainbow said.

Twilight was about to argue, but she could actually she herself trying something like that so she remained silent. Rainbow Dash was many times brutally honest. Twilight had a couple of times wondered if maybe she got Rainbow’s and Applejack’s elements mixed up. Then again, the two ponies were a little similar at times. Both were loyal to their friends and both could be very honest, Applejack had more tact between the two of them though.

The group of friends heard what sounded like a marching band or something in the distance making its way towards them. Twilight wondered if Pinkie finally got her instruments and might bother actually helping them finally. When they were close to the sound of the music, the five ponies paused and their mouths hung open...

{-} {-} {-}

Lyra was relieved they had enough food in storage at HQ to help the ponies taking shelter here. Several other ponies also brought what food they could salvage from their homes during the evacuation, since the Parasprites only ate non-organics now. She was helping with the kitchen and serving ponies after Trixie’s impromptu show managed to calm most of the ponies down and came to an end.

The puppet show was actually pretty funny. The puppets argued with each other in joking fashions over the most absurd things while seeming extra serious on the matters. “Who knew where you placed lint piles had such a huge impact on the house foundation,” Lyra thought and chuckled while serving a couple of ponies who thanked her. There was also a little slapstick in the show as well which the young ponies really enjoyed.

Lyra was in mid serving for a pony when I pink blur snatched her away and replaced her with another pony without causing a mess. The new pony and the ones nearby blinked a little in confusion before she shrugged her shoulders and continued serving the other ponies. She had already finished her meal and decided this was the best way she could return the favor for now.

“Pinkie Pie?” Lyra asked once she gained her bearings. Pinkie was in front of her with a rather ridiculous music pony outfit and she didn’t look her usual cheerful self.

“Hey, Lyra…” she started. “Can you play an instrument loud enough to be heard over an area? I would do it myself, but this Music Pony outfit isn’t exactly in the best of shape.”

“What am I doing this for?” Lyra asked.

“To help get rid of these disgusting parasprites! I hate them! They caused us a lot of trouble in the town near my family’s Rock Farm. You play music and they will follow you in a trance. Then you just take them somewhere so nature can take its course. Lots of animals love eating the things for some reason,” Pinkie Pie said.

Lyra nodded. “I’ll help! I can cast a spell on my harp so the sound is amplified. Anything to get rid of those things.”

“Great! I tried to get Twilight and the others to help, but they kept calling me crazy,” Pinkie Pie said with a frown.

“Did you tell them you were getting rid of the parasprites exactly?” Lyra asked. She doubted any of the ponies here in Ponyville would have refused to help get rid of them.

Pinkie paused for a split second and didn’t answer the question. “Come on let’s go! Do you know of two other ponies who can help? With this many Parasprites four us would be the best.”

Lyra would have sighed at the fact Pinkie didn’t answer the question, but they had more important matters to attend to at the moment. “I do actually. I’ll go and get them. They’re both here and should be finished eating by now.”

“Great! Can you lead us to the Ever-Free Forest with them once we’re there? I can guarantee none of the beasties with sharp teeth will go for us if they notice the parasprites,” Pinkie said.

Lyra was a little uncomfortable with this idea, but she saw the reasoning. “Okay… But we get out of there, even with parasprties in tow if I say so.”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Well duh… You're the Ever-Free Patrol member here, not me.”

{-} {-} {-}

There was a loud zapping sound as a dome of blue light appeared near an entrance to Ponyville. Two unicorns and an earth pony stepped out of the light and gasped in shock. “What happened here?!” Octavia couldn’t help but ask. It looked like the town had been attacked by chewing missiles or something. There were teeth marks on signs and buildings and chunks missing from seemingly everything. One or two buildings seemed to be little more than their metal frames, by this point.

They heard music in the distance leading away from Ponyville. Naruko, Octavia and Vinyl ran over to see what it was. They were surprised to see not only Twilight and the others nearby staring in shock, but also a four pony marching band. Lyra was playing her harp, Pinkie was playing a tuba, there was a pegasus hoovering just above the ground beating on a drum and another unicorn was playing a trombone with their magic. The ponies were marching parallel to each other and all four had a line of bouncing, jumping, and dancing puffballs following them as they left Ponyville.

Vinyl and Octavia shook their heads. Octavia asked, “Do you got it from here, Naruko? We kind of want to go and check our house.” Naruko nodded and so they left.

Naruko made her way over to her still in shock friends. “What happened while I was gone?” she asked breaking Twilight from her shock. She blinked her purple eyes and then hugged Naruko tight.

“It was horrible… Those things are evil! Pure evil! They’re called parasprites. We tried to get rid of them, but that didn’t work out so well. I thought Pinkie really was just being random at such a critical time,” she said as she watched the procession leave Ponyville. “It turns out she knew what was going on this whole time.”

Twilight then turned to Naruko and hugged her again. “I’m glad it’s over for now. I was really close to losing it a few times. In case you’re wondering, I saw Derpy and the other patrollers evacuating ponies to the HQ. Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and I spent most of our time trying to fix this. How did you get back so soon?”

Naruko nodded in thought before she answered. “Once we finished the temple, the three of us were given a teleport back here. I’ll tell you more details later. Right now, I need to go and check in with the rest of the patrol."

When she reached HQ, Derpy was happy to see her. “I heard you did really good in my absence, Derpy,” Naruko said.

Derpy blushed a little and said, “I didn’t get rid of the parasprites though…”

“Doesn’t matter. You made the best choice. You had the others help you gather up ponies and evacuate them here to safety. The town can be rebuilt, but ponies can’t really be replaced. You did well, Derpy,” Naruko said giving the pegasus a salute which she happily returned. Naruko had made her decision regarding the patrol. She would see if there was any official ranking system, but even if there wasn’t Derpy was going to be her second in command.

{-} {-} {-}

The parasprite infestation had taken a toll on Ponyville. Naruko and the rest of the patrol did a final scan of the town to make sure Pinkie and her marching band cleared out all of the pests. Fortunately, they did it turned out. It was still difficult seeing how much damage the pests did on the town. Ponies were wondering how this happened, but Naruko and the others remained silent on the matter. They didn’t want the ponies being upset with Fluttershy over this. It was terrible, but it was still an accident.

“Alright everypony. We will be working together to rebuild Ponyville. In the mean time, I got permission from Princess Luna to allow the use of the Ever-Free’s HQ as a long term shelter until all of the buildings are rebuilt,” Naruko shouted to all of the gathered ponies. The ponies cheered in relief and immediately started working on clearing out debris and inspecting homes.

One good thing about Ponyville is they had a lot of construction ponies to help arrange everything and Twilight helped organize the work teams to help with efficiency. The Ever-Free Patrol increased patrols temporarily to make sure animals didn’t stray into Ponyville by accident looking for more parasprite snacks. Lyra took them to the forest as Pinkie requested, but they didn’t go into deep and still the things were quickly munched up just like the pink pony said would happen.

When the patrol members weren’t out on patrol, they were doing their best to help out around town. They surprisingly didn’t have to worry about the HQ much, Trixie was handling that and doing fairly well at it. She was occasionally calling herself the Great and Helpful Trixie. She also helped with morale usually at the end of each day with a show of some kind. There weren’t any ponies trying to heckle her here and her shows couldn’t be interrupted as bragging.

Twilight and Naruko were both relieved the damage done to their home’s structure was minimal, but the books were a different matter. Twilight sighed as she tossed another partially chewed book into the pile with the rest. She was keeping the ones where the pests somehow managed to eats the words but not the books thanks to her spell in a different pile.

“At least Naruko’s here now,” she thought to herself as Naruko brought in some more damaged books from a different part of the library/their home. While they were cleaning up Naruko told her all about the trip.

“That sounds really interesting that this guardian didn’t fight, but tested you all instead. I’ll keep that in mind for future research in case there is mention of something along those lines. I still wish I could have gone,” she said with a frown.

“Well the mission was short this time and I really hope you can come along as well next time. We still have our day with just the two of us to look forward to at least,” Naruko said.

Twilight smiled to that. “So, you remembered. I was scared you understandably wouldn’t, given everything that happened.”

Naruko shook her head. “I wouldn’t forget. I made you a promise and I don’t go back on my word.”

“I know,” Twilight said with a warm smile as Spike came in with some refreshments for them and they got back to work. They talked a little more about how recovery was coming along. They were both relieved there was at least one pony home that made it through this mess without any problems.

{-} {-} {-}

Vinyl and Octavia were standing in front of their home as soon as they left Naruko and the Pinkie Marching Band. The area around it had been hit really hard by the Fuzzy terrors, but the shield was still up. Vinyl was a little worried as she deactivated it. When the shield disappeared, the two ponies eyes were wide in amazement as they both let out sighs of relief. “See aren’t you glad I put the Wub shield in the first place now, Octavia?” Vinyl asked with a knowing grin.

Octavia shook her head but smiled. “I am. I swear if an inventor pony ever learns of your Wub-Tech, Equestria will see an unprecedented level of technological advancement.”

Vinyl shook her head to this. “Can’t. They would have to specifically have my understanding of music and such. I tried to teach a couple of ponies in the past. The results weren’t pretty,” Vinyl said with a frown.

“Really?” Octavia asked.

Vinyl nodded. “Remember how I told I was kicked out of my old Canterlot apartment?” Octavia nodded. “My roommate Muse Tech tried to use it after I explained it to her and we ended up blowing up the apartment. Luckily no ponies were hurt.”

Octavia winced at the image in her head, “Maybe it’s better nopony else learns of it.” Vinyl just nodded in agreement as the two walked inside their home feeling exhausted from their adventure. The two didn't even bother to eat anything before they fell asleep in their beds.

Author's Notes:

I know that was a long chapter. I didn't want to break it up though because of the way I chose to write it. I wanted to have a temple that was "easier" while there was chaos (Discord excluded) going on in Ponyville at the same time and show both sides. I hoped everyone enjoyed it.

Troublesome Dresses

Now that things were finally completely back to how they were before Parasprites, Ponies started focusing on the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala. One pony in particular was really looking forward to it. She was in fact looking so forward to it she even volunteered to make dresses for her friends Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash in addition to the one she had already started making for Naruko. It probably wasn’t the best business decision when she decided not to charge her friends, but she chose this because they had given her so much inspiration.

She was even going to host a fashion show featuring her friends’ dresses as well, though she hadn’t told any of them yet. She had just recently started working on them after making sure to get all of the details right in the dress sketches. Word had started getting around to all of the right ponies for such a show surprisingly, but the date wasn’t officially announced and her friends were clueless about the Fashion Show for the moment.

Rarity was currently excitedly singing to herself as she worked on the gala dresses for her friends. She had come up with unique and wonderful ideas for them all that she felt fit each of their characters. She was even more excited because she had heard Hoity Toity was coming to visit Ponyville because of her fashion show. It was going to be her big chance to debut into the fashion world and her friends’ dresses would be perfect for it. She even knew her friends would be great models as well and eager to help her out, though Rainbow might take a little convincing just so she would feel it was acceptable to model despite such a thing being so girly.

Rarity gave a refined giggle. “Rainbow Dash can be a bit silly at times. She always tries to play it cool, but I know she really likes so called girly things as well to an extent,” she thought to herself with a smile. She made a quick change to Rainbow’s dress design that would perfectly accentuate this part of her fast flying friend while still being ‘cool’.

She had made a wonderful dress with a nature feel to it for Fluttershy.

Applejack was more focused on selling treats at the Gala, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still be stylish. In fact, it was more important for her to be stylish as a means of helping draw in a crowd.

Pinkie was Ponyville’s party planning pony and Rarity made sure her dress expressed this in a very fun and brightly colored way.

Twilight’s dress had a star design since despite magic being her talent one of her biggest passions was astronomy. Rarity figured that was why her cutie mark had stars in it.

The fashionable dressmaker was putting in a lot of extra time to get the dresses right, but that wasn’t a problem for her. Dressmaking was easy for her because she loved it so much. Her keen eye for detail didn’t hurt either. She was making these dresses for her friends, so a little extra time wasn’t too much to ask in her opinion.

{-} {-} {-}

Rarity gathered most of her friends for their dress reveal. Naruko and Twilight were currently meeting with the princesses about something in Canterlot. From what she gathered, it was something they were supposed to have done sooner, but the Parasprite mess interfered with that. Still she had already scheduled a fitting for them so they would get to see the masterpiece dresses she made for them soon enough.

Despite two of her friends not being able to make it, Rarity still called over the other four to reveal their dresses. She was excited to show what she created just for them. She had the dresses behind a curtain on her center podium which could serve as a stage if needed. “Good to see you darlings,” she greeted her friends.

“I’m really excited to see what you created for us, Rarity,” Fluttershy said in her usual voice.

“Then wait no more!” Rarity said as she revealed the dresses to her friends with a flourish. She was really excited she just knew she could hear their cheers… “Why aren’t they cheering?” she thought to herself as she looked to her friends. “Well. What do you think?” she asked.

“Ummm…” Applejack said.

“Is something wrong?” Rarity asked.

“It isn’t that…” Pinkie said.

“Did I mess up the dresses?” she asked more to herself as she looked at the dresses with a critical eye checking off all of the details.

“Well. The dresses are fine but…” Fluttershy said quietly.

“Mine’s not as cool as I thought it would be,” Rainbow said not beating around the bush.

“Rainbow…” Applejack said in lowered voice.

“What? She asked…” Rainbow explained.

Rarity was feeling real nervous now. She felt like she was failing her friends. “It’s okay… I can redo them,” she said with a strained smile. She could, but she wasn’t looking forward to all of those work hours again. She would have to put off making her own dress even more and the Gala was coming quickly in her mind, but she really wanted to make her friends happy so she would do the extra work… again...

Her friends dismissed themselves not really seeing how stressed Rarity was at the prospect of redoing the dresses. She also had a feeling they might be more nosy about them this time around and get involved in the actual process. She was concerned about that despite loving her friends.

{-} {-} {-}

Rarity gave a sigh as she finally took a short break from her dress making. She had wanted to do something more to get ready for the fashion show, but that hadn’t worked out. She hadn’t even gotten the chance to ask all of her friends to perform in the show yet. She hadn’t even gotten Twilight and Naruko in for fittings yet. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack kept making drastic changes to their dresses. She had to scrap designs two or three times each. They simply couldn’t make up their minds on anything.

Pinkie kept wanting balloons, then cupcakes, then candies, then sprinkles before then wanting both cupcakes and balloons alone. Then there was the whole streamers thing.“Streamers! On a dress!” Rarity thought in horror.

Fluttershy kept changing her designs as well and she was actually extra picky and who knew she knew so much. “Not much about dressmaking, but tons about sewing and stitching,” Rarity thought with a whimper. She kind of regretted getting her best friend and spa buddy to admit what was on her mind. She only pushed because it was Fluttershy and while she was better at asserting herself, the pony still needed a little push here and there.

Rainbow Dash was Rainbow Dash and it was extra annoying when it came to dress making. “Really?! 20% cooler?! What does that even mean?!” Rarity growled a little to herself before again whimpering. Her designs were being bastardized before her very eyes and there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

Applejack was probably the worst. “Galoshes! In case it rains?!” Rarity said with a dramatic whine. Many would think it was overly dramatic, but in this case, it was just the right level of dramatic. Her career was ruined! She just knew it. She hadn’t even had a chance to work on her own dress apart from the design. She wasn’t even getting paid for these atrocities. “It feels like it was all for naught!” she cried as she laid down while thinking over the first dresses again and how she was really going out of her way for her friends.

{-} {-} {-}

Rarity wasn’t sure how long she had been laying there, but it couldn’t have been for too long when she heard the bell to her shop ring. She woke up quickly and looked at the time. “Hello?” Twilight called from below. “Do you think she’s asleep?” she heard Twilight ask somepony, probably Naruko, quietly.

“Coming! Just give me a minute!” Rarity called before she tried to quickly fix her appearance with little success. She was at least passable, but that wasn’t the usual for Rarity. She figured and hoped Twilight and Naruko wouldn’t mind though. She needed to get their fittings finished finally. She gave a horrified shiver at the thought the two of them might make complaints and design changes as well. Rarity shivered a little more at that thought before shaking her head and trotting down stairs.

“Hello… Darlings…” she said sounding just as tired as she felt, but far more tired than she cared to sound.

“We didn’t wake you, did we?” Twilight asked a little cautiously.

“We can come back another time if you want,” Naruko said with some concern.

“NO!” the fashion pony said more forceful than she wished. Rarity cleared her throat and straightened up. “I mean no. Don’t worry about it. Things have just been really busy for me lately. Let’s get your fittings done, shall we?” she asked. She really hoped they liked her designs at least. She wasn’t sure if she could handle either of them wanting revisions.

“Okay!” Twilight said sounding rather excited. Naruko looked excited but said nothing.

Rarity gave a mental laugh to herself. Naruko was also one to sometimes avoid things girly and cute. She was sometimes just as bad or worse than Rainbow, but other times she was the exact opposite. After all, Naruko was the one who called Kyuubi, Kyuu the most and could be surprisingly huggy even by pony standards at times. Rarity did think it was a shame Naruko changed her tail style, but sometimes Naruko would wear her mane in what she called Twin tails, because pig tails were short and not as ‘cool’. Fortunately, when it came to her dress Naruko assured Rarity she would be wearing her mane in her usual loose flowing style.

“Oooo… I can’t wait to see your dresses, Rarity!” Twilight said with a squeak while clapping her front hooves in excitement.

“I’m actually a little excited as well,” Naruko admitted with a smile trying to hide just how eager she was to see the dresses.

Rarity would have loved their reactions a lot more if it hadn’t been for the way her other friends had behaved after seeing their dresses. Instead Rarity gave them a smile and just kept leading them to where she had the dresses.

She was too tired to even try and be her usual energetic self when it came to fashion. She really needed to get more rest, but that was pretty much impossible with everything going on at the moment. She swallowed a lump in her throat fearing after this fashion show she might have too much free time for resting.

It really was hard being an element that kind of went against your own self interest so much at times. Maybe she needed to figure something out there, but what could she do? Generosity did kind of fit her fairly well in many cases, but at times like this it was difficult.

Naruko and Twilight looked over their dresses before standing up on Rarity’s fitting platform. Naruko was looking her dress over and seemed kind of surprised in a good way by it. “I didn’t expect you would go with my favorite color. Everpony always kept telling me it was an eyesore and clashed horribly and so on. Thanks,” she said with a bright smile.

Rarity gave a more genuine smile to that compliment. “It does clash in way, but! I am Rarity Dress Wondermaker!” she laughed as both Twilight and Naruko did as well, even if it seemed like there was something on Twilight’s mind. “Besides Kyuubi kind of inspired me when you appeared in that pillar of flame to rescue Twilight after the uh… ticket fiasco… and before that, your fight with Nightmare Moon. Hence the flame motif and the mixed in black and dark red.”

Rarity pinned some parts of the dress that would need some readjustment and made a couple of notes on other places to fix. She was actually surprised Naruko was slightly slimmer than she thought at first. It made sense given all she was going through with the Ever-Free Patrol, but even with that taken into account Naruko’s body was better toned in all the right ways without being overly so than Rarity thought it would be. It was a surprise because the white unicorn prided herself on how well she could figure out a pony’s sizes usually. Part of her business pride was how few fittings ponies usually needed when they got a dress from her versus most of the competition.

Twilight was being fitted now while Naruko stayed there next to her still wearing the dress Rarity made her. Rarity was using pins and making notes as she asked, “How do you like it, Twilight?” She felt a little fearful asking, but she had to know.

Twilight hummed in thought as if she was thinking of something but afraid to ask it. Naruko gave her friend a small frown. She then sighed. “Twilight…” Naruko said getting an eep in response from the other unicorn. “As cool as you think it would be for a dress to have accurate constellation designs…”

Rarity froze in horror about to have a panic attack to those words without either Naruko or Twilight noticing.

“It isn’t practical and not exactly pretty. Besides no one else would really appreciate such a thing. Do you really want to constantly lecture bored noble ponies on the importance of constellations all night?” Naruko continued.

Rarity wasn’t sure how that would make a difference. Twilight loved lecturing and teaching ponies.

“Not to mention how bulky it would have to be,” Naruko then said.

Twilight gave a nervous laugh in response and closed her eyes for a moment and grimaced. It was as if the pony was playing out that scenario in her head. Twilight then gave a small twirl just as Rarity moved out of the way. She would have to redo the pins, but seeing Twilight’s smile as she twirled again and her purple eyes light up, was worth that in the dressmaking pony’s mind.

“Ohhh… I love this dress, Rarity!” Twilight said with a huge smile. “Look, Naruko!” she said and twirled again. Naruko liked it as well. “I love the way the stars twinkle in the light as I move and it feels so light and easy to move in!” Twilight gave a giggle in delight as she said, “I might even try dancing some instead of just staying with Celestia the whole time.”

Naruko gave a smile and then sighed, “I only hope I can actually get a break from dancing…”

“Why?” Rarity couldn’t help but ask.

Twilight snickered and answered, “Naruko doesn’t mind dancing, but is always so stiff when it comes to Ballroom dancing. Celestia told her she will just have to keep dancing until she gets over it. Naruko may have a natural grace, but it doesn’t translate well to the dance floor in most cases. Plus, all of the nobles love getting their friend or cousin or son or anyone else to dance with her so they can brag about how well Equestria’s Contracted Guardian hit it off with their family at the last event.”

Naruko let out another sigh. “There’s also the fact it’s known I’m not in a relationship or anything and I do have to get used to such dances. I am still relatively new to the whole Political Canterlot Elite. I can’t really afford to say ‘no’ to too many of them yet when it comes to a dance.”

“But haven’t you been more or less surrounded by it all? You and Twilight kind of acted like that was the case when we first met and talked about that stuff,” Rarity said.

Both ponies sighed to that and shook their heads. Twilight then gave an actual answer, “I was born into all of that stuff it will probably still be another 10 – 20 years or saving all of Equestria five more times, before I am considered ‘still young but at least not a filly’, by them. Naruko has her position, but she’s been in all of that stuff for only about four years, if that.” Naruko nodded in agreement.

Rarity kind of frowned to that revelation. It sounded kind of stupid to her. How many of those ponies could say they’ve faced Nightmare Moon and fought her evenly? She wasn’t as inclined towards the Political Elite so much anymore, but Prince Blueblood wasn’t just political elite. He was social elite as well! He was also still so dashing she was sure of it. The whole ponce blueblood thing was just Naruko and Twilight misunderstanding him.

Twilight then gave another snicker, “I at least don’t have to be obligated to dance with them.”

Naruko gave a frown and scoffed to that as Twilight giggled a little more. Naruko then gave a mischievous smile as she said, “At least I’m only a little stiff when it comes to dancing. Miss Hooves all over the place!”

Twilight scoffed this time as Naruko giggled. Rarity laughed as well. These two were so much fun at times. Twilight thrust her muzzle into the air and said, “I’m just free-spirited.”

Naruko laughed out loud and asked, “That’s what you’re calling it now?” Twilight was silent. Rarity looked to Naruko questioningly. "Twilight tried taking ballroom dance lessons as well once she learned I was taking them. She didn’t want to be out studied by her best friend in anything after all. She knows the steps but gets way too into her own beat in her head and her instructors all deemed her unteachable.”

“The nerve of them! I happen to be Celestia’s number one studious student. Thank you very much!” Twilight said. Her tone caused both of her unicorn friends to laugh.

Naruko then stopped laughing as she said, “I actually find it kind of cute in a way how she can’t dance.” Twilight blushed and smiled to that.

Rarity would have “Dawwed” at that as her mind went to places of romance like it often did, but she was still too tired from everything. She was relieved and really happy Twilight and Naruko at least loved their dresses. She realized that she was running short on time as she happened to glance at the clock on her wall. She was able to quickly fix the pins needed for Twilight’s fitting before putting away the dresses.

Rarity gave a smile that was much more Rarity than she seemed earlier as she led her friends to the door. She saw these two as possibly her saving grace and maybe she wouldn’t be completely run out of the fashion world and business after all. She was about to ask them about her fashion show, but she heard Twilight speaking to Naruko.

“I really can’t wait until Thursday!” she said. Naruko looked excited as well.

“Thursday? What’s going on Thursday?” Rarity asked.

Twilight looked a little guilty as she said, “Sorry. I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud. Naruko and I are taking the day off to spend it with each other completely. We’ve both been really busy lately and missed having time to ourselves just the two of us. Sorry…” She didn’t want to accidentally be exclusive of her friends and usually wouldn’t mind extra company, but that wasn’t the case in this instance.

Rarity’s heart sank at those words. Thursday was the fashion show. Her two best hopes weren’t even going to be there to make it. She hadn’t gotten to ask them sooner and now it was too late. It seemed as if this was something they had both been planning for a long time. She didn’t let her smile slip as she said, “Oh, darling. Don’t be sorry. I can understand that. I was merely curious is all. I’ll get in contact with you both once your dresses are ready. I’m really glad you both loved them. It was good to see you both again, since I’ve also been busy and will be until the end of this week. We should try to get together sometime after that to relax and let it all out.”

Twilight smiled to that. “That sounds wonderful. Of course, your dresses are lovely. You’re amazing at dress making. Sorry about my terrible almost idea from earlier. I should have looked closer and realized what Naruko did. Really… constellations on dresses… What was I thinking?” Twilight let out a genuine laugh to that as Naruko snickered a little and patted her on the back.

Rarity gave them a smile as they left. When they were out of sight, she wiped a tear from her eye. She was really happy they liked her dresses, unlike the others. She would at least know two of her fabulous creations were appreciated, even if Hoity Toity dooms her at the fashion show. She tried her best with what her friends demanded, but there were just some disasters that couldn’t be fixed. This was even worse than when that show mare messed up her mane. That at least washed out and the magic faded before the end of the day.

“But really… Galoshes in case it rains…” Rarity laughed even if it wasn’t a laugh filled with humor. She shook her head. She at least could distract herself a little longer with making the alterations to improve the fit on Twilight’s and Naruko’s dresses. She would at least have her dress ready in time for the Gala once this was all over since she would be cast out of the fashion world and have too much free time. That is… if she even decides to go after the horror that will be the Thursday fashion show.

{-} {-} {-}

“Do you think Rarity will be okay?” Twilight asked Naruko.

Naruko shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean she seemed really tired, but she did say she was really busy this week. We know how those kinds of weeks can go.”

Twilight nodded. She decided she might try to visit Rarity again before Thursday and bring something refreshing with her for her friend. She wished she knew how to help with dress making, but that wasn’t something she ever thought to learn. There was no way she could be of any help in time this week, but maybe she would be able to help out sometime in the future if she learned a little bit.

{-} {-} {-}

Sadly, the rest of Rarity’s day wasn’t as enjoyable as it was when she was fitting Twilight and Naruko. Her other friends had made yet more changes to their dresses. Really what was up with them? She was doing this for free for them and yet they kept going on and on about how their ideas were better than hers! She was the dressmaker not them. Rarity sighed, “Get it together Rarity… The customer is always right… even if they don’t know what they are doing.” She muttered the last part of her thought.

{-} {-} {-}

It was Wednesday. Rarity wasn’t even sure when exactly she fell asleep last night. All that mattered was she had to have everything finished by tonight and her friends weren’t helping. “More revisionsss….” She whined. “Get it together, Rarity! You can do this,” she tried to encourage herself.

The dressmaking element of generosity was busy doing all she could. Her friends still weren’t leaving her alone to work on their hideous creations. These were not her dresses anymore. There wasn’t any semblance to her original ideas and creations left in these things.

As she continued working, she heard the bell to her store ring after a knock. She let out a whimper. “Come in…” she said with little enthusiasm. “Who is it this time? Pinkie wanting cupcake sprinkle cookie streamers? Applejack wanting her already outrageous hat to be even bigger? Rainbow Dash claiming I still haven’t reached the 20% cooler mark yet? Fluttershy with some extra picky obscure stitching request?” she wondered.

She let out a sigh and turned to see which friend it was. She blinked and her eyes shrunk a little as Twilight smiled at her. “Twilight?” she asked.

Twilight looked at her and said, “Hello, Rarity.”

“Is something wrong with your dress after all?! Did you not like it?! Do you want to cast it into the fiery pits of Mount Neighroom?!” Rarity asked not hiding her panic as she started hyperventilating.

Twilight was really concerned now. “No. The dress is perfect… I just thought you could use a little refreshment.”

Rarity calmed down as she let out laugh in relief. “Glad to hear. No time. No time for tea! No time for food or sleep!”

Twilight then said softly, “It’s Earl Grey… From Canterlot…”

Rarity paused what she was doing. “Well I suppose a cup or two wouldn’t hurt…”

Twilight led Rarity to a table where the dressmaking pony plopped down in a very unladylike and very uncharacteristic manner. Twilight poured them each a cup and hovered one to Rarity. Rarity gladly inhaled the scent and took a sip. “Are you doing okay, Rarity? You seem… stressed.”

“I’m not okay… I need to finish these dresses tonight! They keep making changes and alterations… I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I feared you were one them with a new demand. I shouldn’t have freaked out like that on you,” Rarity apologized.

“No. I should apologize to you. I should have been clearer about my reason for visiting you or let you know in advance,” Twilight apologized in return. “What kind of demands are they making?” she asked.

Rarity gave a whine. “Simply awful ones! And they are all over the place! And Fluttershy is being extremely difficult with her, for lack of a better term, Freakish sewing knowledge. It doesn’t translate well to actual dress making though. Maybe if the steps were described to her in detail she might be able to make a dress, but left to her own devices it is most assuredly a disaster.”

Twilight took a sip and asked, “Why do you need to finish them by tonight? The Gala is still a way off.”

Rarity sighed. She wanted to shout the truth and beg for Twilight’s and Naruko’s help during the fashion show tomorrow, but that would interfere with their plans. Instead she gave a partial truth with a heavier sigh. “I just want to get them finished as soon as possible. I plan on getting my beauty sleep for at least two days once this is over.”

She then gave a dreamy sigh as she took another sip of the delicious tea. “Followed by two days of the Rarity package at the Spa.”

Twilight gave a giggle. “They gave you your own package?”

Rarity smiled and nodded. “Aloe and Lotus Blossom are wonderfully nice ponies and they are miracle workers.” Rarity said ‘miracle workers’ in a dreamy voice.

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad you have a goal of relaxation to work towards. I didn’t start having those until Naruko talked about such things and how they gave even more encouragement to see a project until the end,” Twilight said with a fond smile.

“Oh… I need it. I deserve it after all of this,” Rarity said not bothering with trying to keep her usual couth manner intact at the moment. She was too exhausted.

Twilight frowned in concern. “I really wish there was something I could do to help you out, Rarity.”

“I do too…” Rarity said in a barely audible voice. She then spoke louder as she asked, “I don’t suppose you know how to clean up a dress design studio really well do you?”

“I can try. You might have to tell me if you have any particular order to things that can’t be easily figured out from looking around the room,” Twilight said.

“Usually I wouldn’t dare dream of such a thing. My inspiration can’t be contained in such a manner at times,” Rarity said. “However… this time I can work with that.” Rarity explained where some of her things went she felt Twilight needed to know and her friend took mental notes.

{-} {-} {-}

After their tea break, the two ponies were in Rarity’s studio. Rarity was busy working away while Twilight cleaned and occasionally gave something to Rarity the pony asked for. Twilight looked around at the dresses on display and frowned. These things weren’t Rarity’s designs anymore she could tell. They looked terrible. She might have said something to Rarity, but the unicorn was busy muttering to herself as she worked.

Twilight looked around for a second and saw four dresses seemingly packed away. They were beautiful and she could immediately pick out which one was for which of her friends. They were perfect for each of them! Applejack’s had a lovely hat and boots. Pinkie’s had candy designs and was frilly and colorful with a little white hat. Rainbow’s matched her mane’s color and had gold hoof shoes and a wonderful hair decoration to go with it. Fluttershy’s had a very light and breezy feel to it with butterflies just like her cutie mark. Fluttershy loved butterflies.

The purple unicorn looked at the current dresses and even she grimaced at them. She wasn’t a very fashion conscience pony, but she could tell they were bad. She guessed if those were the dresses her friends wanted then they would be happy, but she wasn’t sure about it. They weren’t even paying for the dresses and they didn’t really know much about fashion. Pinkie also didn’t usually seem to be able to make up her mind unless it was for a party. Her newest dress reflected this in a not very flattering way.

Rarity was busy working away hard and seemed to be even more worn down than Twilight first thought. She was about to say Rarity should just tell her friends to calm down and back off, but the window opened and Fluttershy flew inside. She went straight to Rarity and said, “French haute couture, please.” Rarity replied with an exhausted and slightly disgusted sigh.

Twilight wanted to say something, but Fluttershy was surprisingly vocal about her newest revisions. The butter yellow pegasus didn’t even seem to know the other unicorn was there. Twilight helped the best she could for a little longer before she had to go.

Before she left, Twilight noticed a picture of another dress. “This one must be Rarity’s” she thought. She looked around the studio again and even in the closet with the other dresses. “I don’t see it,” she thought. She felt bad Rarity hadn’t completed her own dress yet, but she wasn’t about to dare and mention it to her friend at the moment. Rarity was far too busy with the others for better or worse. Twilight made a copy of the picture using magic to take with her. She would use it when she had a talk with her other friends after this whole dress fiasco was finished for the week.

“I have to go… Rarity… Are you going to be okay?” Twilight asked yet again.

“What?! Oh yes. Fine fine,” she replied. She then turned to Twilight and gave a tired smile. “Thanks for the tea. It was much needed. Your company was much appreciated as well and your help was wonderful. Bye.” She gave a slow and tired wave to Twilight as she left.

The Friendship student left feeling even more concerned and disappointed in herself. The more she thought about how she first wanted her dress changed the worst she felt about it. She had almost ended up as bad as her friends were behaving now. She owed Naruko another one for having talked some sense into her while they were getting their fitting.

“I’m having a very serious talk with those four soon. They should not have gotten like this,” she thought with certainty. She would meet with them now, but she figured they were all too caught up in this dress business to listen to her. She hoped Rarity could handle it all. Dressmakers should always be ready for very busy work weeks, but it seemed as if something else was really going on making it particularly tough on Rarity. The fashion unicorn was usually calm under pressure and could handle things. That might not be the case this time.

{-} {-} {-}

Despite her concerns about Rarity, Twilight couldn’t help but feel excited when she woke up Thursday. She was finally going to get to spend some time with Naruko alone. Spike wasn’t even coming with them. He and Kyuubi were going to look after the house and even talked about inviting Big Mac over since the Apple family stallion said he had some free time today.

After she showered, she took in a deep breath and inhaled the wonderful scents of breakfast. She was really surprised when she saw it was in fact Naruko cooking breakfast today. “Morning Twi,” Naruko greeted as she prepared some omelets and grits with toast. Twilight’s mouth might have watered a little.

“Smells good…” Twilight said a little dreamily causing Naruko to chuckle. “What did you put in them?” she asked.

“Mushrooms, peppers, cheese and tomatoes,” Naruko replied her eyes showing just how hungry she was herself. “I also made some gem encrusted toast for Spike to have.”

“Alright! You’re the best!” Spike said as he entered the kitchen. He then looked a little nervous and said, “I mean you’re also the best…
Twi… Just you know. Gem encrusted toast with omelets and grits!”

Twilight let out a laugh as she smiled at Spike and gave him a tight hug, much to his supposed displeasure. “I get it, Spike.”

“So, where all are you two going today?” Spike asked.

Twilight answered since Naruko was concentrating on breakfast with her tongue sticking out just a little bit. “We’re actually going to Canterlot for a while before coming back here. Princess Celestia got us a chariot for there and back. We’re going to a nice restaurant for lunch and then going to a couple of shops and places before heading back here. We should be back by late afternoon.”

“Wow. You two got a chariot just for your trip?” Spike asked in surprise.

Twilight giggled. “Yep. Benefits of being Celestia’s students and Naruko’s status as Contract Guardian.” Twilight then sighed. “I still wish I remembered how it was I managed to teleport us all back from Canterlot when we had our night out with Fluttershy.”

Naruko gave a chuckle. “I believe you decided you could just do it. And we were all a bit of a mess afterwards though we didn’t care at the time.”

“Oh yeah... your Girls Night,” Spike said with a yuck face. The two snickered at him.

Before Spike could get upset at a joke he was missing, Naruko said, “Alright! Breakfast is ready!” She then severed out their meals and they all dug in to enjoy it.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight gave a smile as she let Big Mac in the door. “I’m really glad you had time off Big Mac. Spike really likes getting to see you from time to time."

Big Mac gave a nod and said, “Eyep.”

“You shouldn’t have to worry about too much. Kyuubi is also here and if anything does happen and Naruko and I are needed he can get in contact with us right away,” Twilight said as she led the way to where Spike and Kyuubi were waiting.

“Eyep,” Big Mac again replied before chuckling and replying, “I still find it impressive he talks after all this time.” He wondered what Winona would say if she could talk. “Probably something along the lines of play, play, hungry and pet me!” he thought to himself.

“Hey Big Mac!” Spike greeted excitedly.

“Hello Big Mac,” Kyuubi greeted as well in his far too deep for such a small animal voice.

“Howdy, y’all” Big Mac replied before sitting down with them.

“Well, its time for us to go,” Naruko said after greeting Big Mac and teasing Kyuubi a little.

“Just one more thing-,” Twilight was cut off as Naruko dragged her away. Twilight had already said everything she needed to say at least a dozen times this morning and if she was left to it they wouldn’t leave until after lunch. Twilight protested for only a minute before smiling brightly and trotting after Naruko happily.

“So, what do y’all reckon we do first?” Big Mac asked.

“I want to get right into that game! Ogres & Oubliettes!” Spike cheered. Kyuubi contained himself, but the others knew he was also excited to play the game.

Big Mac gave a chuckle as he got the things they needed from his saddle bags. “I figured as much.”

His character was Sir McBiggun he was a unicorn barbarian with a massive broadsword. He was going to change it up for their next adventure, but O and O games could last a really long time.

Kyuubi was a ninja Fox Kin. It was a custom class the talking fox came up with, but it worked really well into the rest of the game. It wasn’t too overpowered and it wasn’t too weak.

Spike was a summoner called Spike Beard! His character was a bit of a mess because he tried to make it into a character similar to Naurko. Sadly, summoners in this game weren’t as close to Contract Guardians as he thought.

Kyuubi had told him to make a custom class and he would help him, but Spike insisted on doing this himself and decided custom characters were too difficult. He tried to make up for it through leveling even if it was kind of slow going. Granted if they made it into really high levels his character might be really good, even if it was an odd build. He did at least still get to have some awesome moments in the game.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko and Twilight were enjoying lunch at a wonderful café in Canterlot. It was a new place to them. They originally had a different restaurant in mind, but lately some of the restaurants were becoming rather samey. The original place they wanted was currently undergoing changes it turned out and from what they heard it sounded as if it was going for the same route as these others. Some ponies were blaming the changes on some new food critic pony in the area, but there were still several options available. Most of the ponies who actually cared about the food they ate instead of the place where they ate it, were just moving around to different restaurants and fearing eventually all of the restaurants would be just like the others. Many felt this was preposterous and decided the restaurants were just going through some fade or trend that would eventually die down.

“I really can’t wait to try that new magic shop!” Twilight said with a broad smile as they left the restaurant.

“You know most of those shops are gimmicky right?” Naruko said.

“Yes of course they are! But you can still sometimes discover genuine finds in them and they’re lots of fun,” Twilight said not at all deterred by Naruko’s comment.

They made their way to the store Twilight was talking about. It was a place called Ping Tok’s Exotic Magics. Twilight let out a squeal before they entered. Naruko had to admit she really liked seeing Twilight excited like this at times, she just wished it was over something cooler than a magic junk shop, as she called them. The two ponies entered and looked around the store. Naruko had to admit she still kind of enjoyed the atmosphere of these shops oddly enough, even if they only sold junk. Twilight was already zipping from “artifact” to magical “artifact”.

Shortly after they had been in there Naruko brought up her guard when she heard Twilight shout in a worried manner. “What is that?!” Naruko looked over to see Twilight pointing at something and a confused almost worried store keeper sweating a little bit.

Jall Ping Tok was actually a little worried when the purple unicorn pointed to what he got as a show piece because of its “History”. He had been so sure the history was as accurate as the prescription for his glasses, meaning non-existent, so he didn't mind buying it.

Jall watched as Twilight seemed to pull some magical reference book out of thin air. It was actually a spell Twilight had created after learning about Naruko’s storage scrolls. It worked similarly but was a sort of pocket dimension she created for her truly most important reference books. These weren’t books in the “Every book is really important” category. These books were books even Celestia and Naruko would agree were very important.

Twilight flipped through the pages to the right one as the store owner swallowed a lump in his throat and sweated nervously. He was worried he had actually stumbled across something truly dangerous instead of something hyped up to be much more dangerous than it actually was for the sake of selling the story.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. Naruko got ready to take action if needed and immediately secured any exits the shop owner might use to escape. “This is the alicorn amulet, isn’t it?” she asked accusingly.

The store owner’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open as his ‘reading’ glasses fell to the counter top. “It’s real?” he squeaked out in shock.

Twilight nodded. “And very dangerous.”

“I-I-I wasn’t going to ever sell it I swear! I just thought it was a fake piece of jewelry with a really good story. I only bought it to get customers interested in the shop. I swear!” he defended.

Twilight pulled out a scroll and started writing down on it quickly. She was going to send an emergency letter to Celestia about this dark artifact. She could use a teleport scroll spell this close to Canterlot Castle.

Naruko looked at the shop pony dangerously. “Where did you find it? Who sold it to you?”

“It was a trader that I’ve worked with before… He said it was a fake artifact and gave me a good price for it claiming he was tired of carrying it around in his saddle bags… His name is… Swinn Del Sale I believe…” he was too nervous at the moment to think clearly on details. Swinn was actually pretty reputable despite his name.

“It doesn’t matter…” Twilight said as she received an immediate response. “Inspector BlackHoof is on his way to confiscate it.”

“I-i-inspector BlackHoof… Who are you two ponies?” he said in even more shock. Inspector BlackHoof was both famous and infamous in the magical shop and pawn businesses. He was seen as both a hero and a villain, but all of them begrudgingly agreed he and his agency were necessary for Equestira and their business. The fact these two ponies were able to more or less summon BlackHoof was really saying something.

Twilight and Naruko kind of ignored his question. “There will also be a full investigation in to this matter,” Twilight continued.

“Please…” he started to beg. “I-I-I just opened for business… an investigation could ruin me…”

Twilight raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. “You should have thought about that before you bought dodgy artifacts from sellers. BlackHoof keeps his investigations quiet. I’m sure a pony such as yourself already knows this.” He gave a sigh and slow nod. These two ponies were serious and they weren't going to give him a break.

“I didn’t do a full scan, but it seems like everything else here is harmless,” Naruko said to Twilight who nodded.

After Naruko’s words the store’s bell rang as two stallions walked in led by a unicorn stallion. The stallion who was the leader wore a long coat that was both fashionable and functional. He also wore a dark colored stylish hat. He had a grey coat on his body with golden eyes and a dark green mane styled in a respectable business fashion. “Naruko and Twilight. I should have known you two would be the ones to come across this,” he said in a friendly manner with a deep baritone voice that many mares and stallions found themselves drawn towards. He gave a chuckle as he said, “If you weren’t in the Ever-Free Patrol, Naruko. And you weren’t on assignment from Celestia in Ponyville, Twilight. I would have recruited you two both into the agency.”

He then morphed into a business manner as he approached the artifact in question. “Did you two find anything else out before I arrived?” he asked. They had found dangerous things before and that was how he has come to know them.

“He said the pony who sold it to him was called Swinn Del Sale. He claimed to not have known what it actually was and thought it was just more or less a fancy looking trinket,” Twilight said.

“I secured all exits, but he didn’t even show a sign of trying to bolt. He seems cooperative. I think he honestly didn’t know it was dangerous,” Naruko said as Twilight nodded in agreement.

“That is good to hear. If he keeps on this path the investigation should go well and be finished soon enough,” BlackHoof said.

The two obviously incognito guards with BlackHoof took the artifact and left back to the palace. “Celestia will send you confirmation once we have dealt with the amulet,” one said as they left the shop.

Jall Ping Tok was relieved they seemed to not be angry with him. He intended to fully cooperate with the investigators. Perhaps his Grand Pappy was right to criticize his father for loosening up on thoroughly checking artifacts and dealers he did business with. Jall had always been a bit worried about his dad while growing up, but the stallion was still alive today so that said something about him. He had managed to always keep him and his sisters fed and their mother happy, but Jall decided he was going to be much more thorough with dealings from now on and would also have other investments outside of the shop as a safety net if nothing else.

While Jall was talking to BlackHoof, Twilight continued looking around the shop. She gave a gasp of excitement as a book caught her eye. She zoomed over and looked at it longingly. “Is this really the 7^th edition of ZapMane’s Magical Laws and Theories?!”

Jall and BlackHoof paused in their discussion as the shop owner looked over towards her. He gave a smile. “Yes it is! The Ping Tok family have always been collectors of magical books. They are usually an investment that doesn’t begin to pay off until a generation or two later, but we know how to get good deals on them. Schools are always eager and willing to sale out of date textbooks so they can both make room and a little money,” he said proudly. He was hoping today wouldn’t be to much of a bummer after all.

“Can I check it?” she asked almost reverently.

“Of course, you may, milady. Our family have the best preservation runes and spells you could ever find. In the past we would even take contracts from the government itself because of those skills,” he said. He actually loved it when customers checked their books. All of their books were legit and never forgeries. It was rather satisfying when a pony did all they could to check the books and realized they were the real deals. They also sold at a pretty price as a result.

Twilight checked it and was speechless for a moment or two. Naruko shook her head smiling at her best friend. Twilight seemed to come back to reality after a moment. “Do you have editions 24 and 13 as well?” The shop owner just smiled.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight burst out with a loud squeal of excitement as she left the shop with Naruko. She had bought not one, not two, not even three, but four rare editions of books. “I told you there were interesting things to find in shops like this!” she said to Naruko.

“Yes. Yes, you did,” Naruko said with a smile. She had bought something herself. She was quiet about it so she could get a good deal, but it seemed she actually found a ninjutsu scroll in the shop. The owner said it was something one of his ancestors bought from a so-called seer pony who claimed to have seen beyond to other civilizations across the stars. Naruko was glad Twilight not only recognized what she had, but also managed to contain herself as well. It sill cost a decent amount of bits, but the price was nothing compared to what this scroll was actually worth, even if it was a mystery how it got here of all places.

It turned out that so-called seer pony, was actually a seer pony. She had told the truth, but that truth was so hard to believe that no one thought it remotely possible. Naruko had in her hooves a genuine Uzumaki seals scroll to study. She had come to a land of Ponies and already found more about her family than the old man had ever bothered to tell her while she was in Konoha.

“Naruko.” Kyuubi’s voice boomed in her mind.

“Yes? Oh! You will never believe what I found while I was here Kyuubi I found-”

“You and Twilight are needed here in Ponyville. Try to end your trip a little earlier,” He replied as he cut her off.

Naruko’s sapphire blue eyes widened. Twilight looked to her with concern. She knew their fun trip was over way earlier than they originally planned. Twilight was saddened by this, but she knew it was something important.

“We’re needed back home…” Naruko said as Twilight nodded and teleported them to their waiting chariot.

“Make it quick boys,” Twilight ordered as the guards nodded and smiled to each other before putting on the speed.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the cliff hanger at the end, but not really sorry. Anyways I really wanted to get this chapter out, but it might be a little bit before the next one. I'm going out of town for a while and not sure if I will have time to really get the next chapter ready for posting before I get back.

Fashion Fallout

“So Big Mac, what is Applejack doing today anyways?” Spike asked. They were all three taking a break from their game.

“They’re at that there fashion show for Rarity,” he replied easily. Spike’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “Y’all didn’t know?” Big Mac asked.

“No!” he replied. “I don’t think Naruko or Twilight knew either.”

“No, they didn’t. They would have postponed their trip to Canterlot until later if they knew and were asked to be there. Maybe Rarity didn’t need their help?” Kyuubi said in thought.

Big Mac gave a frown. “Now, I don’t know all about that fashion samshion stuff, but Ah believe it was gonna be a big ol’ deal. Supposedly, one of them fancy ponies from Canterlot was gonna be the judge and all. Pretty sure she would have wanted everypony there.”

Kyuubi narrowed his eyes in thought. “Hoity Toity…” he said. Spike groaned. “I saw him poking around Ponyville earlier today. Perhaps he’s the one judging it,” the fox continued.

Spike groaned again. Hoity Toity wasn’t necessarily one of the bad Canterlot Elites, but he wasn’t nice like Fancy Pants. Hoity Toity fell in the middle and kind of swung a little towards the negative side of the spectrum at times. It was funny to see him interact with Naruko when they crossed paths though. Whenever Naruko got upset at him the fashion stallion would usually cower a little, but he was over all reasonable for the most part. However, when it came to fashion he easily got carried away. Spike knew Rarity was wonderful and probably the best and most beautiful fashion pony in all of existence, but he wasn’t sure if she was ready for a Hoity Toity ambush.

“When’s it start?” Spike asked.

Big Mac looked to the clock on the wall. “It should start here soon now,” he said.

Spike leapt up. “We have to help Rarity! We need to tell her.”

Big Mac was a little worried with Spike’s response. He knew the dragon had a crush on his sister’s friend, but he didn’t usually react like this because of a problem. “Hop on!” he said as he stood up getting ready to go.

“I suppose I’ll tell Naruko and Twilight to get back here. You two go ahead. Hopefully it isn’t too late,” Kyuubi said. The two nodded to him and galloped off.

“Naruko…” Kyuubi mentally said.

{-} {-} {-}

---- Flashback ----

“Ugh! These Armature designs hurt my eyes! I’d be blind of not for my sunglasses,” a stallion said in an upper crust sounding voice earning giggles from the other ponies watching the show.

“Mishmash of everything but the kitchen sink…” Hoity Toity said in response to another pile of moving cloth. He would not give these things the decency of thinking them dresses.

“Who forced us to watch this travesty of fashion! Who subjected us to these horrors of eyes?! Not to mention wasted my valuable time,” he said and again earned giggles from some of the gathered ponies at his reactions.

---- Flashback ends ----

Rarity sniffed as the recent memories replayed in her head for the thousandth time already. She was ruined. She was a laughing stock. It wasn’t her fault! She just gave her friends what they wanted. She was forced to take a walk of shame out to the edge of the runway in front of what felt like all of Ponyville in the end.

Spike had tried to help, but he wasn’t there soon enough to warn her about Hoity Toity as a pony. He also hadn’t seen the dresses that were going to be modeled. He tried to help by being a great MC to hype up the audience. It worked, but in this case that was a bad thing. The four ponies who trooped out there on the runway wore dresses that failed spectacularly to meet even the lowest of expectations.

Rarity sniffed again. Her makeup was a mess. Her mane was a mess. Her dress studio was a mess. Everything about her was a mess, except her Gala dress which didn’t even exist at this point and probably never would. She wouldn't dare show her face at such an event after this.

“Rarity…” she heard two concerned voices say to her.

She looked up with watery eyes. She could barely make out the pony shapes in front of her. She was so exhausted and depressed that she thought her mind was playing a cruel trick on her. “If only you two were actually there…” she mumbled before breaking down in a new fit of hysterical sobs.

Naruko looked to Twilight. Twilight was very pissed. She was angry they didn’t learn about the fashion show. She was angry her other friends forced Rarity to make such awful dresses for something so important. Twilight looked to Naruko who nodded in agreement before the purple pony teleported out of there.

She cooled off a little bit before approaching the first house. She was still angry at them all, but she understood them. Her friends were excited about their dresses, but they shouldn’t have gotten so bossy and picky. Rarity made all of their dresses free and knew what she was doing.

She knocked on Fluttershy’s door. She was starting here. Twilight had a plan and hoped Fluttershy’s freaky sewing knowledge would help out. They were all going to work together to make Rarity’s amazing Gala dress for her. Naruko was going to meet with Hoity Toity and find a way to get him to give Rarity a second chance. First, she was going to spend some time with Rarity, if the white unicorn allowed it. They would all work together to make this right.

Fluttershy was sniffling a little as she opened the door. She cowered as she saw Twilight’s fiery purple eyes. “I-I-I guess you heard... about the fashion show…” she said in her smallest voice.

Twilight slowly nodded. “I’m disappointed, Fluttershy. Rarity went out of her way to make all of you dresses and still you got really picky with her and kept harping on her to change it…”

Fluttershy swallowed. What kind of element of kindness was she being? Kindness didn’t mean rolling over for others, but it didn’t mean she could have behaved the way she did. She had realized this, but it took Twilight’s words to really drive it home. Fluttershy knew she had a long way to go before even coming close to finding that balance and becoming the full avatar of her element.

Twilight floated a piece of paper over to her. Fluttershy’s blue eyes widened. “This was the dress Rarity wanted to make for herself?” she asked. It was beautiful and would be perfect for her friend and spa buddy.

Twilight nodded. “She didn’t have the time for taking care of herself, let alone making her own dress because of the constant demands you and the others kept making.”

Fluttershy sniffed again and was about to burst out in tears. “We will all make it up to her,” Twilight said in a stern but not harsh voice.

Fluttershy fought back the tears trying to escape her eyes. She regained her composure and looked to Twilight in determination as she asked, “How?”

Twilight now liked the look in Fluttershy’s eyes. “I’ve heard… for lack of a better term… you have a freaky knowledge about sewing…Rarity’s design is very detailed with her thoughts and instructions written down. I’m betting you can follow it.”

Fluttershy took the design in hoof and nodded. She would improve herself starting now. She would strive extra hard for her balance even if it was a long way off. She would become not the True Avatar of Kindness, but the best Avatar of Kindness. After this problem was dealt with, she would tell the others what she learned from the Bunnicans in the Temple of life. She was the first to face her trial. She would help the others be better prepared for their own trials when their time came.

The shy pegasus flew off faster than she thought possible for herself. There were things she needed to get for this plan to work. “Meet at the library!” Twilight called to Fluttershy. The flying pony heard her but was far too gone to reply. A couple of fillies and colts playing near the edge of town stared in awe as they saw a pink and yellow streak cut through the sky. It wasn’t as awesome as Rainbow’s streak, but it was still pretty and impressive.

Twilight wanted to soak in this moment as she watched Fluttershy fly away and replayed the look she had. Twilight felt it was very important, but she had other friends she needed to visit. She Teleported away and reappeared near the Apple Family Farm. Just as she thought, she heard the sound of hooves hitting a tree and apples falling.

AJ was deeply disappointed in herself. “Why in tarnation did I think Galoshes in case it rains was a good idea?” she thought to herself out loud. She hated that she blew it for Rarity all because she got carried away about dresses. She didn’t know nothing about making dresses and all that such. She should have just left it to her friend Rarity.

AJ heard a pony coming her way. She looked up to see a disappointed Twilight coming her way. Applejack sighed. “Y’all don’t need ta say anything, Twi… I know ah don screwed up.”

Twilight was a bit surprised but realized she shouldn’t be. AJ was the element of honesty. She probably knew how to be honest with herself usually as well. “Good… We can make it right though,” she said calmly.

AJ looked to Twilight with hope in her green eyes. “We’re all meeting at the library to help Fluttershy make Rarity’s dress for the Gala. She didn’t have time for that given circumstances. Naruko’s also going to try and get Hoity Toity to give Rarity a second chance. When that happens… You will wear the lovely dress Rarity originally made for you.”

“She still has it?” AJ asked in surprise. Twilight nodded. “Well alright then! See ya at your home. Yee haw!” With that, AJ was off as fast as she could run towards the library.

Twilight smiled and made her next stop. She appeared before Pinkie’s house which was near Sugarcube Corner. She went up to the door and knocked. She was shocked when she saw Pinkie answer the door. Pinkie’s normally poofy mane was lying flat and the pony was obviously sad and actually seemed dimmer in color, if that was possible. Honestly, if it wasn’t for how depressed Pinkie looked Twilight would admit her pink friend kind of looked good with a straight mane.

“Hello… Twilight,” she said, her voice low and sad.

Twilight didn’t have the heart to look angry or disappointed at Pinkie like she did the others. It was rather heartbreaking seeing the party pony like this. “We’re going to make it up to Rarity. We can make it up to her,” she said neutrally.

Pinkie gasped and suddenly it was as if her color looked brighter and her mane was starting to poof back up. It was rather very interesting, but now was not the time for studying such observations. “Really?” Pinkie asked.

Twilight smiled a little and nodded. “Yes. We’re all helping Fluttershy make Rarity’s dress and Naruko’s going to get another chance for Rarity to show Hoity Toity what she can really do.” Pinkie squeaked in happiness as she hugged Twilight extra tight and dashed for the library. Twilight hadn’t even told her where they were all meeting up, but Pinkie was Pinkie and it seemed she already knew.

She just had one last friend to meet. She really hoped Rainbow wouldn’t be too difficult. Rainbow had a habit of pushing away from hard things at times. Twilight appeared below the cloud house her weather pony friend lived in. “Rainbow!” she called up.

“I’m not answering!” was the reply she got in return.

Twilight sighed. “Then why did you say you weren’t answering,” she muttered to herself with a shake of her head.

She looked at the house above her. She could blast it with magic, but that felt like it was an overreaction. She thought of what she could do instead. Maybe she could get another pegasus pony to go in for her. “No… that wouldn’t be right,” she said to herself in thought.

She then got an idea. It was a bit of a long shot, but it theoretically should work. Clouds where made of water vapor. Water vapor had H2O in it. Clouds did have a physical form it was just very fragile and changed shape a lot. She started making calculations in her head. She had an idea how much power she needed and everything.

Twilight took in a deep breath before teleporting into Rainbow’s house. She appeared just as Rainbow stumbled backwards yelling in surprise. Twilight then cast a spell on her hooves. It was bit weird at first, but she quickly compensated for the imbalance as she channeled more magic to her hooves using the water walking spell she learned from Naruko. She was surprise how much power it required though.

“How did you get in here? How are you doing this? Why are you here?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight narrowed her eyes on Rainbow. “You know why I’m here,” she said coolly. Rainbow frowned and looked away, but there was a blush of guilt on her cheeks. “I got in here with a teleport spell and I’m using a very modified water walking spell to stand here. Clouds are made of water vapor after all.”

Rainbow was about to ask more questions not wanting Twilight to have a chance to say what she was sure was on the unicorn’s mind. Twilight didn’t give her a chance to side track their conversation. “You and the others were far too picky when it came to your dresses! You all know she’s the dressmaker. She was even making them free of charge. You even made demands of her to make more revisions. You all ruined one of Rarity’s biggest chances with the fashion show!” Twilight said. She didn’t like being this way, but you had to be tough with Rainbow when she got in a mood like this. Trying to ease into it or be ‘mushy’ as Rainbow called it didn’t work.

Rainbow kept grimacing at herself with each of Twilight’s accusations. Twilight was right on the mark and Rainbow knew it, but she hated this kind of stuff. She wished it would just fix itself. She finally got a little angry when Twilight mentioned the fashion show. “Yeah?! Well you and Naruko didn’t even bother to show up! Don’t you get on my case about that.”

Twilight’s look was unyielding and Rainbow knew she had lost this argument. She just didn’t know how she had lost it yet. Twilight’s next words really cut. “We were never told about it in the first place. We went for our fittings and Rarity didn’t mention it to us. We would have helped, because we could tell she was running herself ragged and she’s our friend. She heard me talking about how excited I was for today because Naruko and I had planned to spend the whole day with each other in Canterlot, since we’ve been really busy lately and hadn’t had a chance to be alone as best friends. We came back here as fast as we could once we heard we were needed.”

Rainbow felt doubly terrible now as she landed and scuffed the cloud’s surface with her front hoof. She couldn’t be mad at them for not even knowing. She and the others not only screwed things up for Rarity, but they also ruined Twilight’s and Naruko’s plans as well because the two came back to try and fix the mess the four of them made. She actually felt 20% worse than doubly terrible. She didn’t know what to do.

Twilight took in a deep breath and let it out as she extended a hoof outwards. She calmed down. “We’re going to make it right,” she said.

“How?” Rainbow asked her rose colored eyes eager to fix this mistake.

“We’re helping Fluttershy make Rarity’s dress for her. We’re working on something else too and I will tell you what to do then,” Twilight said. She sharply pointed a hoof at Rainbow and added, “You will do what I say without complaint when that time comes. Understand?”

Rainbow gave several quick nods. Twilight could be really intense when she wanted to be. “Let’s go then. I’ll have to run back from here. I’m glad you’re close to Ponyville currently,” Twilight said.

Rainbow nodded. “I’ll go with you,” she said.

Twilight nodded and got back onto the ground. She and Rainbow started running together. Rainbow was a little surprised how fast Twilight was able to run. She was of course much faster, but Twilight was pretty good. She still couldn’t help but ask, “Why can’t you just you know. Teleport back to your house?”

Twilight frowned as they kept running. “I’ve been teleporting all over Ponyville getting everyone. The water walking spell took a good bit of magic. I had to teleport a letter in Canterlot. I scanned an amulet for dark magic and even used my magical pocket space book spell I created. Forgive me if I’m a little winded.”

“Dang…” Rainbow said. She then grinned a little to her friend. She was feeling a little better now that they were all going to help Rarity out. “But really? A water walking spell?” she asked. Twilight nodded with a smile. “You’re gonna have to show me what it looks like in actual action,” she added.

Twilight nodded. “After all of this is over. I’ll even show you the tree walking spell as well. I can walk up trees with it. I don’t actually make them walk. That spell is actually much easier to use surprisingly.”

Rainbow shook her head. “Pocket dimensions for books. Walking up trees. Walking on clouds and water… You have some crazy spells, Twilight. Where did you learn them?”

Twilight smiled as she said, “Naruko.”

Rainbow chuckled to that. “Figures… It seems most of the crazy things you do are from Naruko. Inspired by Naruko. Or you made up yourself, usually because of Naruko.”

Twilight frowned a little. “I know a lot of magic from books too you know…”

Rainbow chuckled again. “I know. But those aren’t as cool,” she said with a grin as the two ran a little faster.

It wasn’t long until they were at the library and Twilight was a little out of breath, but everyone else was already there and getting to work. “How can I help?” Rainbow asked. Fluttershy smiled at her and started giving her orders which Rainbow easily followed.

Twilight helped out by getting refreshments for them so they wouldn’t have to stop. She really hoped things went well with Naruko. She had faith in Naruko. A lot of faith, but she was still a little worried. Hoity Toity could be difficult at times and sometimes he actually had good reasons for being difficult.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko sighed as she looked over Rarity. The pony was still crying and even going so far as to mention exiling herself. Naruko tried to comfort her, but Rarity wasn’t in a listening mood and the blonde unicorn couldn’t blame her.

Naruko had plenty of feelings about what was currently going on at the moment. She was angry this happened to Rarity. She was angry at her other friends. She was angry they ruined the dress ideas Rarity made for them all out of the kindness of her generous heart. She was upset Rarity hadn’t told Twilight and her about the fashion show. She was frustrated Rarity wouldn’t stop sobbing and actually talk to her. She was sad she and Twilight couldn’t have gotten here any sooner.

The most surprising feeling she had though… was disappointment. She was disappointed this happened and as a result she and Twilight couldn’t enjoy their day with each other. A day they had planned for a while now. There was a part of Naruko that started to think maybe Twilight’s words about the world currently seemingly trying to keep them apart from each other might not be as far-fetched and crazy as she first thought.

“Is this because of that cosmic darkness?” she wondered. “Or am I overthinking things?” she sighed as she heard Rarity’s heartbreaking but still overly dramatic sobs. Naruko wasn’t so sure if she was overthinking things or not anymore. She remembered how Nightmare Moon was so very subtle in her plans had she and Twilight not been on their guard they might have thought it was all just coincidence which had caused most of their problems on their way to the Castle of the Two Sisters.

These thoughts were pretty heavy and maybe far-fetched, but they were there. However, this new theory required this ‘cosmic darkness’ to have some form of sentience to it and motive. Naruko was lost in her thoughts until there was a sudden flood of information. She nodded to herself, created a shadow clone to look after Rarity and made her next move.

Twilight didn’t have to explain to her this plan. It was obvious once they learned Hoity Toity was the pony judging the fashion show. Twilight and the others were working on Rarity’s dress as a form of apology. She was going to talk to Hoity Toity and get him to give their friend a second chance. She had sent out a shadow clone to find him and now she knew where he was.

Naruko teleported to nearby where the Fashion guru was currently sipping some tea. The blonde pony walked from a few blocks away casually as she came up to him. Hoity Toity could be friendly enough if you knew how to approach him. He could also be very annoying and he got scared whenever he saw Naruko angry. They had a couple of unfortunate run ins with each other in Canterlot, but luckily they also run into each other on better days as well.

Naruko paused in her step. She blinked a couple of times and walked over to him with a pleasant contented smile on her lips. “Well hello there, Hoity Toity,” she said.

He looked up from sipping his tea. “Naruko?” he asked. She nodded and he motioned for her to have a seat. Naruko was glad it seemed he was in a decent mood despite the failure of a fashion show earlier. She sat down and he asked, “What brings you to this… place?”

“I actually live here currently along with Twilight,” she answered as a server came over and she placed an order and said to bill her separately. It wasn’t polite to just assume he would pay for her simply because they ran into each other.

“The both of you? Really?” he asked in surprise once the waiter left to get her order.

Naruko nodded. “Yes, both of us. Twilight’s here on a long-term assignment from Princess Celestia.”

Hoity nodded. “That makes sense, I suppose. I’m just surprised is all. What about yourself? Are you here just because Twilight is? Did you get the same assignment?” He didn’t mind Naruko’s company so long as she wasn’t angry and she wasn’t too bad company.

“I’m here partly because of Twilight, but that isn’t the only reason,” she answered as her own drink arrived. She looked to him and asked, “Are you aware of the Ever-Free Patrol being re-instituted?” He nodded. That was some rather hot gossip even now. “Well. Princess Luna picked me to be the Grand Captain and the first contingent is actually here in Ponyville. We are close to the Ever-Free Forest after all,” she said. She had to give him some hot gossip he could brag a little bit about to put him in a more agreeable mood. Plus getting more word around about the patrol was a good thing and would help out in the end.

“Fascinating… I had heard rumors, but there wasn’t really too much of a ceremony about it all,” he said.

Naruko gave a nod as she sipped her tea and relished the taste a moment. She then looked to him and said, “That’s because there was need for a rather more immediate implementation.” She then asked him, “How has your visit here been so far? What brought you here?”

“This town has been a rather mixed bag for me so far. It isn’t Canterlot, but it does have a certain… charm to it. I have a few business dealings here actually. I also came here because I heard rumors of a fashion show going on here.”

“Really?” Naruko asked in surprise.

“Yes, quite so. It turned out to be terrible in the end. A bit of a joke even…” he said.

“What happened?” she asked. She was actually curious about this. Spike hadn’t been too good with details and she hadn’t talked to the others yet. Rarity wasn't really in a talking mood either.

“Oh hoh… you wouldn’t believe it…” he said before he started to recount the tale.

{-} {-} {-}

“Wow…” Naruko said in shock as he finished. It was a bit crazy to hear just how bad it got.

“I know!” he said with a shake of his head.

“And you said the dresses were made by Rarity?” she asked in mock confusion.

“Yes. Do you know her?” he asked. It made sense he guessed, small towns and all.

“I actually do… She’s actually a friend. I didn’t know she was having a fashion show today,” Naruko admitted.

“Really?” Hoity was curious. “Why wouldn’t she tell you?!” In his opinion, Naruko and Twilight would have made much better models than the ones at the show. Plus, there was a part of him that really wanted to get Naruko modeling some, even if it wasn’t for his own brand. He felt it was a waste for her features not to even dare it.

Naruko gave a sigh. “Probably because Twilight and I already had plans for today and she overheard us talking about them some while she was fitting us for our Gala dresses… oops…,” Naruko said adding the oops on purpose to make it seem like she had accidentally let it slip as her eyes widened a little.

Hoity Toity actually had to adjust his glasses a little in response to this tidbit. “You’re actually going to the Gala this year?!” he asked. That was news. Naruko had been making some appearances at events, but she had yet to be at the Gala.

Naruko sipped her drink and blushed a little under his intense gaze as she nodded. “Yes, I am. Twilight’s going as well.” She wasn’t going down alone. Plus, Twilight didn’t care if others knew she was going really. She was still dead set on spending most of her time with Celestia.

“I see…” Hoity said in thought. “That means you would need a dress.”

Naruko was pleased she didn’t smile in victory. She was pleased that she didn’t reveal her intentions to him. Her plan would work now she was sure. She gave a pleasant smile as she said, “I already told you I was getting a fitting. I do have a dress. Rarity made it and when she was giving us our fittings she heard about the plans Twilight and I had for today.”

Hoity Toity looked over her a little in disbelief. “Surely you jest. After the dresses I saw her models wear… There is no way she could make something that would do either you or Twilight justice.”

Naruko looked a little annoyed, but not angry at him. “The dresses she made us are fantastic.”

“Really? But then what about the ones I saw earlier today?” he asked.

Naruko pretended to be in thought for a moment. She then gave a “Oh…” in comprehension. “Those dresses you talked about probably weren’t really her dresses.” He raised a curious eyebrow at her. He was begging for her to elaborate.

She did.

“You see those models were some of our other friends as well. She was making them dresses and they kept making alterations and wanting revisions and they kind of got carried away with there demands. Actually it sounds like they got very carried away from what you told me. I remember Twilight mentioning something about seeing first hoof just how bad they got. You know how fussy customers can be. These customers were friends of her’s and she wasn’t sure how to handle them.”

Hoity Toity gave a resigned sigh to this. He knew exactly what Naruko was talking about. He still wasn’t about to give up on making a dress for Naruko though. He was about to say something when he noticed a look in Naruko’s eyes.

“I really want to help my friend out, but there is only so much you can do for another pony. However, I just got a good idea,” she started. He was entranced by her deep blue eyes and intrigued by this idea she mentioned. “How about we make a deal,” she said.

He was even more curious now. “What did you have in mind? I’m very curious, Naruko.”

She smiled to him. “How about you give her one more chance. She really loves fashion and she is very good at dressmaking. Sadly, it sounds like that first fashion show was a bit of a bomb.”

He nodded to this in agreement, “But what is it for me?” he asked.

“I wasn’t finished explaining yet. I want you to give her one more chance. I will model the dress she made for me this time and you will see the dresses she actually made for her other friends before they all got carried away. If you aren’t completely blown away by what you see… I will get my Gala dress from you instead,” she said.

Hoity Toity’s eyes were lit up in thought. He liked the idea of having Naruko wear one of his dresses to the Grand Galloping Gala this year. She also knew him. He was honest when it came to fashion. Many would say he was very brutally honest. If Naruko’s confidence in her friend was well placed he would know it and he would be truthful about his thoughts on the dresses. He also liked the idea of getting to actually see her model a dress period. “I am a very busy pony though, Naruko,” he said.

Naruko thought on this. “When are you leaving? What time would work for you?”

“I am leaving Saturday. That means this fashion redo will have to take place tomorrow. I also can’t ruin my reputation by being seen at two back to back fashion catastrophe shows by the same pony. Especially a pony in such a small town as Ponyville even with its charm,” he said to her.

Naruko nodded. “That is fair enough. I am asking a lot of you I know, Hoity Toity. We’ll have the fashion show at Rarity’s shop The Carousel Boutique. She actually has a small show stage in the middle of it.”

“Hmmm… That could work,” he said in thought coming around to the idea.

“That way if anypony sees you they will just notice you enter a shop and even if they know it is Rarity’s shop they won’t know why you entered it. As far as their concerned, you could be going there to buy her fabric supply because of how offensive her failed fashion show was and you don’t think she deserves such fine cloths to destroy by using them in her dresses. Or maybe you are going there to chastise her or any number of things, but they wouldn’t think you were going there for a private fashion show,” Naruko said.

Hoity Toity chuckled to this. “You are definitely going to be a very dangerous member of the political elite someday, Miss Uzumaki.”

Naruko smiled a little at his complement. He didn’t even know just how dangerous she already was in that regard. She let him think a little longer on the plan.

He gave a nod. “Alright. I agree to this deal. I do hope you won’t back out on your end. You know how hard I am to impress when it comes to fashion.”

“I’m just as likely to back out on my end as you are to back out on your end. Which means I won’t back out,” she said with a giggle and earning a chuckle from him in return. He was a pony of his word among other things.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko made a new long-lasting shadow clone to keep an eye on Rarity for the rest of the night. Her friend was fast asleep now, but before she fell asleep she thanked Naruko and her clone for keeping an eye on her. She also admitted she appreciated somepony, even if they were a shadow clone, staying the night in her home to help her if needed. She was still toying a little with the idea of self-imposed exile, but she wasn’t sure how to pack for exile.

“Goodnight Rarity,” Naruko said even though her friend was asleep. She really hoped the dress the others were working on was almost finished and Twilight had explained to them the last part of their plan.

As she opened the door to the house she and Twilight shared, she was greeted by a yawning unicorn. “H-h-how did it go with Hoity Toity?” Twilight asked as she stretched.

“I got him to agree to a private fashion show in Rarity’s shop. He’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. How did it go here?” Naruko asked as she and Twilight looked over the sleeping pile of ponies in the middle of the room covered in blankets.

“I think they’ll be able to finish it tomorrow before the show. I got them all to agree to doing a redo, but this time with the actual dresses Rarity made them,” she then sighed. “It seems we still didn’t get that fun filled day with just the two of us.”

Naruko nodded in agreement. “Hopefully we’ll find time to make up for it. Maybe we will get more patrol members and I will be able to get some more time off sometime in the future.”

Twilight nodded slowly before looking downcast. “What’s wrong now?” Naruko asked.

“I feel bad about this. I mean if it wasn’t for you talking sense to me during the fitting I probably would have caused Rarity the same problems they did. I’m upset they did that to her, but do I have the right to be upset at them even?” she asked quietly.

Naruko frowned in thought as she sat next to Twilight. “I don’t think this is about who has the right to be upset at who. Even if you were with them on this, I believe you would have realized what you all did was wrong and still went about fixing things like you are. They didn’t think to do that. Maybe they would have eventually, but they didn’t before you did.”

“That doesn’t really make me feel much better, but you’re probably right,” Twilight agreed. She gave a soft chuckle, “I still find it odd a pony like me with such little experience in friendship is the one to come up with friendship solutions.”

“Well…” Naruko started softly. “You did have me and Kyuubi around for a while before we came here. It takes a special kind of pony to befriend a human ninja and tailed beast from a completely different planet. Even if the human is now a pony. You did that just fine. Maybe you’re more of a natural at this stuff than you think.”

Twilight laughed and then covered her mouth hoping she didn’t wake any of the sleeping ponies. Not that she thought she could given Rainbow’s snoring. “Maybe. You were pretty helpful yourself when it came to that. I still have a lot to learn.”

“I think we all do Twilight,” Naruko said with a small smile. She then stretched and asked, “So are we joining the pony pile sleepover or should we use our own beds?”

Twilight was in thought for a moment. That lasted until Rainbow let out yet another particularly loud snore and it sounded like it was going to continue for a while yet. “I think it would be too crowded if we tried to join in with them,” she said with a smile.

“Yep. Totally agree with you,” Naruko said as well. The two ponies then went up to their own rooms for the night and closed the doors.

{-} {-} {-}

It was finally time for the Fashion Redo. Rarity’s dress was finished and they were about to surprise her with it along with her second chance. Rainbow had actually surprised Twilight with how she didn’t even need to be reminded of their discussion earlier to go with the plan of modeling for a new Fashion Show. “Element of Loyalty…” Twilight thought with a smile. Rainbow didn’t really like girly stuff but she was going along with their plan without complaint for the sake of her friend.

Twilight was a little nervous because she had never modeled herself before this. She knew the basics of walking down the runway or out on the stage with good posture and a smile, but that was it. Maybe she would throw in a little pose that showed off the dress at the end. She was thinking the classic fore leg pose.

One thing that did surprise Twilight was Naruko. Naruko was nervous for this Fashion Show it seemed. She wasn’t sure why and she didn’t really have the time to find out yet. She really hated that she had to leave this alone, but they were in a hurry to help Rarity and Naruko was off collecting their surprise guest.

Rarity sniffed as she finally answered the door to her home and stepped outside to follow a smiling Twilight. Rarity only dared show her disgraced face because it was Twilight. She was surprised when she rounded the corner and saw the others except for Naruko there looking a little nervous. “So…” Twilight started as she looked at the others.

They sighed and all gave a deep bow and, “We’re sorry, Rarity! We didn’t mean to mess things up for you.” Rarity felt a little better hearing this, but it still didn’t change much. However, maybe she wouldn’t completely exile herself after all.

Twilight then spoke again, “I know an apology isn’t enough here, so we all worked together for this!” Twilight and the others moved to the side and Rarity’s eyes lit up.

Rarity rushed over as she gasped. She couldn’t believe it! It was her Gala dress. She inspected it and was surprised how well made it was. Twilight gave a giggle as she said, “We mostly relied on Fluttershy’s freaky sewing knowledge and the details on your design page, but we all helped out how we could.

Rarity gave them each a hug despite still being a mess with her makeup and everything. “Thank you, girls, so much. This means a lot to me,” she said to them. She then gave a sad sigh and added, “It is just too bad my business and reputation are still ruined…”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile brighter to this as she said, “Actually… That might not be the case.” Rarity looked to her in confusion. She then heard a set of familiar voices.

“So, this is the shop?” Hoity Toity asked.

“Yes, it is. She has a stage inside and everything like I said,” Naruko explained.

“Well then. I haven’t got all day,” he said.

“Just a little longer, Hoity Toity. I promise again it will be worth it,” Naruko said as they headed inside.

Rarity’s eyes were wide and she was on the verge of shouting for joy. Twilight came to her and said, “Naruko helped us set up this next part. We’ll all be modeling the wonderful dresses you originally made for us.”

Rarity recovered and she used a quick touch up spell as she said, “Well then girls. You heard him! He hasn’t got all day. Let’s do this!” The others cheered and followed as she led them in through the back entrance to her shop.

{-} {-} {-}

The girls were all ready to go finally and were lined up. Rarity was about to start the show, but Twilight decided she had enough time to ask Naruko what was on her mind. “I’m not sure how I feel about this. I trust in Rarity, but I really hope this goes well and not just for her sake,” Naruko said when asked.

Twilight gave a frown, “What did you do, Naruko?”

Naruko blushed a little. “I kind of made a deal with Hoity Toity. I told him if he isn’t completely blown away by this show I would let him make my Gala dress. I have full trust in Rarity and her skill, but Hoity can be a pretty tough judge.”

Twilight sighed. “Naruko… Surely you didn’t have to go that far,” she said. Now she was feeling a little worried. Naruko gave a nervous whinny causing Twilight to give a small smile and just in time. The curtains were opening and the lighting in the shop changed and Twilight was the first to start the show off.

“Amazing! The Sparkle and design!”

“Wonderful! And suddenly I am really craving some apple products.”

“Such color! Such fun!”

“That is how you do spectacle!”

“I feel a fresh and lovely spring breeze and a gentle but enchanting smile!”

“Fire! Pure Fire! I can feel the heat rising and I’m perfectly fine with that!”

Hoity Toity was completely blown away by the show and dress designs as he hoof stomped in approval. “Come out and show yourself you wonderful fashion pony you!”

Rarity was smiling brightly as she came forward wearing her own dress.

“Brava! Brava! Magnificent! Encore! Fantastic! Amazing!” he couldn’t get out enough compliments to describe his feelings towards these designs of Rarity’s and he realized he wouldn’t be making Naruko’s dress this year for the Gala. “And with a design like that! I shouldn’t!” he thought as he once again envisioned Naruko in her orange fire designed dress.

“I must say, Rarity. I’m impressed. It seems your friend Naruko was right when she placed her confidence in you. I can now tell without a doubt those other monstrosities were not of your choice,” he said.

Rarity was over the moon in excitement at his words.“ Thank you. Thank you so much!” she said.

He then smiled and said, “Now I need a dozen of each by next Tuesday!” Rarity was in complete shock as her eye twitched. She missed the look Naruko shot Hoity’s way and his sudden nervous sweat. He then cleared his throat and chuckled. “Sorry. That was a joke. I couldn’t help myself.” Rarity was relieved to hear that. Hoity was relieved Naruko went back to her regular expression. “I do want a dozen of each dress, but I will not rush fashion! So, get them to me when you can,” he said as Rarity nodded in agreement and he noticed Naruko didn’t have a problem with this choice.

He and Rarity then talked a little with each other as the other friends did the same. They also came over and thanked her with genuine words before going about their business. Naruko and Twilight stayed behind a little longer to help clean up. They felt the others deserved some rest after finishing Rarity’s dress.

It was soon just Rarity and Hoity Toity, who wasn’t as keen on his time after the successful fashion show, left in the shop. He then looked to the clock and was actually a little surprised at the time and did need to take his leave. Before he left though, he had one last thing to say. “I will admit I am a little jealous, Miss Rarity.”

“Wha?” Rarity asked in surprise.

He nodded and smiled. “I know. You’re wondering why. I was equally impressed you actually managed to get Naruko to willingly model for you. I’ve been trying to get her to do so for years now. You have a way with dressmaking and you seem to have a way with ponies. Both are very important in the fashion world. I think you’re ready for it though,” he said as he closed the door behind himself. Pleased he would no longer think of his trip to Ponyville as a mixed bag.

Rarity was still trying to wrap her head around everything for a few minutes longer. Once she accomplished that, she squealed in a not so ladylike fashion out of happiness. Her Gala dress was completed. Her friends did love the dresses she made them. She got Hoity Toity’s approval and there was still some time until the Gala happened. She had a feeling this was going to be the best Grand Galloping Gala ever! It didn’t matter that it was her first time. More than anything else though, she was thankful to have such great friends.

Fluttershy's Decision

Fluttershy woke yet again with the utmost determination to tell her friends all about having to find balance and their elements. “I’ll do it this time!” she said in a voice that was loud and filled with determination for Fluttershy.

Her animal friends looked to her with concern as she got ready for the day.

“First, I need to make breakfast for you all,” she said. The animals nodded in understanding. Breakfast was important and Fluttershy was very good at making it.

After breakfast was made and consumed, Fluttershy nodded to her reflection in the mirror. “Now I need to clean up the yards,” she said.

Her animal friends frowned a little to this as she searched around the already well groomed and maintained yards. She had done this yesterday already and the day before that. It used to be she only did this when it was needed which worked out to about twice a week sometimes three times a week, but never three days in a row.

“Alright that was good,” the butter yellow pegasus said to herself after working in the yards and cleaning them up when they were already in perfect condition. “Perhaps I should check on Mr. and Mrs. Beaverton and see if they are alright,” she said to herself with a nod and flew off slowly.

Two raccoons face palmed at her actions as the others gave their animal equivalents of sighs. It was going to be another one of those days… again.

{-} {-} {-}

“Alright! Now that I’ve done everything I should go and really tell my friends all about everything!” Fluttershy said with renewed determination. She then frowned. It was getting late. She had been very ‘busy’ today. “Maybe next time… It is late and I really need to make supper for everyone,” she said with a frown.

Fluttershy made a wonderful supper for all of her animal friends and while they enjoyed it, they were chittering away with each other in a manner Fluttershy wouldn’t overhear them. They were all voicing their concerns to each other. They knew they should act, but they didn’t really have the strength to possibly upset Fluttershy or push her around even a little bit.

Angel Bunny stood up and stomped his foot a little. The other animals looked to him. He squeaked out some words and the others were in thought. They discussed what they could do on the matter. Angel Bunny again squeaked and the others nodded in understanding. A couple of the animals even saluted him.

{-} {-} {-}

Fluttershy woke yet again with the utmost determination to tell her friends all about having to find balance and their elements. “I’ll do it this time!” she said in a voice that was loud and filled with determination for Fluttershy.

“But first I need to make everyone breakfast,” she said with a slight worried expression on her face.

Fluttershy entered her kitchen and her mouth opened as she blinked her eyes. Her animal friends were all very busy. She saw two raccoons with chef hats on and a few squirrels were carrying around bowls to the different animals.

“Oh my! This is wonderful everyone. I can go straight to cleaning the yards then,” she said. Her animal friends didn’t respond as she went to open her door and go outside.

As she opened the door, she stood before a very unhappy looking Angel Bunny. “Oh ummm… Did you need something, Angel Bunny?” she asked a little worried.

He frowned and stomped his foot on the ground. “I was just going to clean up the yards. I can help you with anything after that if you really need it,” she said her voice smaller than usual.

Angel Bunny shook his head and frowned.

“Do you need me to help you out now?” she asked.

Angel Bunny shook his head again and gave Fluttershy a look that said, “You know what you really need to be doing today. You should have done it days ago.”

Fluttershy swallowed and whimpered a little. She then teared up as she sat on the ground, “I know! I need to talk to everypony, but it’s scary! What if I annoy them or bore them? Rainbow hates lectures or serious discussions usually.”

Fluttershy sniffed a little as Angel Bunny came over and patted her on the head in understanding. “I know I’m finding excuses… I’m just worried and scared I’ll mess up,” she said with a sniff.

Angel Bunny said something to her that she understood because of her gift with animals and how close she was to him. “You’re right! I can ask for help! I know just who to ask first. I probably should talk to her about this anyways to let her know,” Fluttershy said before she zoomed off. Angle Bunny A.K.A. Angelus Victus of the bunnicans gave a sigh. He had hoped his mission would get easier, but that didn't seem to be the case after all. He needed to be more vigilant and helpful to Kindness from now onward.

{-} {-} {-}

Trixie gave a nod to herself in the mirror at Ever-Free HQ. She had come to a decision and she was set on it. She wanted to speak with Naruko about it first. She had made some good progress on her trailer ever since the end of the Parasprite invasion, but it still needed some work. Now however, it was about time she have this discussion with Naruko.

“Trixie is great and powerful and caring! She can do this…” she thought to herself. “I hope I can at least.” Her choice was a bit of a hard one. She had come to like the patrol members and come to see the HQ as a home, but it was close to time for her to move on with her life. She might still stay around for a while longer at least. She still worried she wasn't fully prepared for her decision. She could mess this all up.

However, before anything else she felt she owed it to Naruko to talk about her choice. She was eternally grateful to Naruko after everything. She hoped she didn’t fail to meet the Ever-Free Patrol Captain’s expectations of being a guest in the HQ.

Trixie was a bit nervous so she forewent common courtesy and used her show pony flair for encouragement as she burst through Naruko’s office door. “Trixie has something she wishes to say!” she exclaimed. However, once she looked around she actually blushed. Naruko wasn’t alone. There was a pretty pegasus pony with a long pink mane sitting to one side on the front of the captain’s desk.

Before she could apologize the pony spoke up, “You’re Trixie?” she asked.

“That is Trixie’s name,” she replied warily.

“I’m Fluttershy,” the pegasus replied.

Trixie was caught a little off guard here but replied. “Trixie is pleased to meet you, Fluttershy.” The show Pony then turned to Naruko and said, “Sorry for interrupting. I wasn’t interrupting anything important, was I? Trixie is sorry if she was.”

“I don’t know yet. Fluttershy said she wanted to speak to me, but she hasn’t said what yet,” Naruko replied looking between the two ponies.

Trixie was about to leave, but the pegasus stopped her again. “I’ve heard about you. It was kind of mean what you did to Rarity, even if it didn’t last.” Trixie frowned here in thought trying to place who this pony was. “I also heard you did a lot of good things here. I really liked it when I heard you had calmed the little ones down and helped out during the Parasprite Invasion,” Fluttershy said leaving her part in the crisis out.

Trixie was about to smile when Fluttershy spoke again. “That still doesn’t make it alright what you did to Rarity that wasn’t very kind. I can understand the others… But not Rarity.” Fluttershy liked all of her friends, but Rarity was special to her.

“Trixie prides herself on being a show pony. I will admit I have been rather unkind recently. But that has changed! Trixie discovered why she first loved being a show pony in the first place during that crisis,” Trixie replied.

“As touching as this is, what was it you wanted to say Trixie?” Naruko asked interrupting the exchange between them.

“It is nothing that can not wait. Trixie is sorry for barging in like that,” she then bowed and left rather quickly. “Perhaps I should go and apologize to this Rarity pony before I speak to Naruko about my choice,” she thought as she went back to her room area. She would have to find out where this Rarity was and how to approach her before taking action though.

{-} {-} {-}

“So, what was it you wanted to talk about Fluttershy?” Naruko asked once Trixie left.

“It is very important and shouldn’t be overheard,” she said.

Naruko nodded in understanding and activated the secrecy runes she had in her office for such matters. “That will make sure no pony overhears or interrupt us,” she explained.

“I want to speak with the others about what the bunnicans told me in the temple. I want to help them so they will be better prepared for their own trials. I get a feeling this whole finding a balance thing will be something very important and take a lot of time. I wanted to ask if you had any advice and if you know… you were okay with this,” Fluttershy said starting out strong but ending in typical Fluttershy fashion.

Naruko looked her over in thought. “It is your choice if you tell the others. I’m not an element. If you think it is important to tell them then it is. I do agree with your choice for what it matters. Both Celestia and Luna have mentioned that it is very likely I will be going on different Artifact missions with each of the Elements at some point so them learning about them isn't too big an deal. This last temple was an exception given its unique nature. Turned out they were right to send me with a couple of music cutie mark ponies.”

Fluttershy gave a relieved smile. “Thanks for that Naruko. I feel even better knowing you agree with my choice.”

Naruko gave a smile. “That’s what friends are here for. To help each other out. Regarding how to go about it, well you need to give yourself some more credit there, Fluttershy. You were an excellent teacher for the patrol. I’m sure the others will listen to you if you tell them to listen to you on this. Twilight can help you out as well if the others give you trouble. She knows a lot about the missions already so if you tell her or hint to her what you want to talk about relates to them she will help out. I’m sure.”

“Okay… Thanks for the help. I’m still nervous, but I will do this! Angel Bunny wouldn’t forgive me otherwise. Goodbye Naruko, see you later,” Fluttershy replied as she left once Naruko deactivated the security measures.

“Good luck. It was nice seeing you again,” Naruko replied before getting back to work with a sigh. Her horn glowed and two more Naurkos appeared next to her. “Let’s get back to it,” she said as the three Narukos got to work. She learned she could use shadow clones to help with paper work so long as she continued to work as well. If she didn’t they would work for a little while before dismissing themselves and usually giving her memories of rude pony gestures as a farewell gift. Not that Naruko could blame them given they got their hatred of paperwork from her.

{-} {-} {-}

“Are you sure about this, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked as she walked with her friend to gather the others. Fluttershy told her she had something important to tell them all regarding her experience in the Temple of Life.

“Yes, I am, Twilight. I even asked Naruko and not only did she say it was my decision and she agreed with it, but that you would also help. Constantly asking me if I am sure is not helping…” Fluttershy said with a frown.

Twilight looked a little sheepish to this. “Sorry, its just this is big… It is a lot to carry…”

Fluttershy looked to her still frowning. “Are you saying you don’t trust the others?”

Twilight sighed. “It isn’t really that. Trust isn’t an issue. I can actually cast a spell to help them not spill the beans. It isn’t a magical swear, but it in a manner of speaking it locks the information away so they know it, but they can’t share it. If there comes a time it is okay to remove the spell I will, but I just hope whatever this is the others are ready for it.”

Fluttershy’s frown deepened. “I’m not so sure about your approach. Ponies usually wouldn’t say trust doesn’t matter because I have a spell… But perhaps in this situation it is for the best.”

Twilight frowned a little now. “I may rely on magic a lot, but I don’t throw it around easily like that. I’m just afraid without the spell they will have trouble keeping the temple missions a secret. Especially Applejack given how terrible she is at lying and even finds it hard at times to just simply omit certain facts.”

Twilight then gave Fluttershy a look as she said, “I do wish you would at least tell me what it was now. That way I can help you more with the others.”

Fluttershy gave her thankful smile. “I appreciate the offer, but it is going to be difficult enough for me to speak about it in the first place. I’d rather do it in one go instead of multiple times. I’m just glad we know they're all available now. AJ is off from chores for the day and Rainbow doesn’t have weather duty and is visiting Pinkie currently. Rarity took time off from her shop as well.”

“We are lucky there. All of our friends get rather busy,” Twilight agreed. She was also including Naruko in this given how she still hadn't had that proper day alone with her yet. That still got to her and she further believed the world was out to keep them apart for some reason.

It didn’t take them long to gather the others and head towards a hill outside of Ponyville to talk. “So why are we all here and not just talking in like Sugar Cube Corner or something?” Rainbow asked.

“Because… ummm… It is really important and not something other ponies should hear. Its something for just us, the Elements…” Fluttershy said quietly though loud enough for the others to hear.

The others listened carefully, even if it was because that was the only way to hear Fluttershy speak at times. Fluttershy took in a deep breath and stood up tall. Angel Bunny would be upset with her if she went through all of this trouble to do something she really wanted to do and then just blew it anyways.

She then looked to the others with determined eyes that actually caught them off guard and made them more curious about what she was going to say. “Some of you may have noticed I have changed a little bit recently…” she started earning nods from the others. She was still shy and quiet but now her quiet was actually able to be heard. “Well it isn’t for no reason… I went on a… trip with Naruko…” she said.

“Ooo? Where did you go? When was this? Was it when you all did that Victory Ramen thing? I still haven’t had it yet…” Pinkie asked and finished with a thoughtful frown.

“It kind of is… I went to a temple in the Ever-Free Forest…” Fluttershy answered and paused as the others gasped.

“Why in the hay did you go back in there?” Rainbow asked hovering off the ground in surprise.

“You do know that place is dreadfully dangerous right? How is there even a temple there?” Rarity asked.

“Ah sure as hay wouldn’t go wondering in there for anything. The whole elements thang was important and all, but Ah sure don’t like that place one bit at all,” Applejack said.

“Ummm…” Fluttershy wasn’t sure what to say here. She looked to Twilight for help.

Twilight seemed to figure out what it was she needed. Twilight’s horn glowed and soon they were surrounded by a privacy bubble and there was another flash of Twilight’s horn that covered each of Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie and Rainbow. “Sorry about that extra spell there, but it is a security measure. It won’t allow you to share what we’re about to say with anypony apart from us, Naruko and the Princesses. It sort of just locks away the knowledge so you know it, but can’t recall how to say it to others. The spell can be broken unlike a magical swear, but it isn’t easy and no one would really think to break it.”

“Why did you have to do that magic thingy?” Rainbow asked annoyed. She was a little upset it was done to her without her permission.

“What I am about to say, since Fluttershy asked me to help, is information retaining to not only Equestria’s safety but the whole planet’s pretty much,” Twilight started. Rainbow no longer felt upset if it was something this big. “There is a certain evil force out there called the Cosmic Darkness for now. It is really bad and filled with dark negative energy. It is partly responsible for Nightmare Moon in a way. Princess Luna was still jealous, but this cosmic darkness worked on her emotions to give her a little push in that direction. It is also something that at it’s strongest can infect the very land itself.”

“Woah! Really?” Applejack asked with wide eyes.

Twilight and Fluttershy nodded. Twilight continued, “It isn’t that bad yet. Naruko and I have been working with the Princesses to prepare defense from this darkness in the hopes we will avoid being too affected by it. It will probably still start to change things for the worse, but we will hopefully be able to fight it and push it back before it gets too bad.”

“Now I’m really glad you did that whole magic thing. Even I would have trouble keeping quiet about this until we need to actually say something about it,” Rainbow said and acted as if she was never one to gossip or anything like that. She kind of was at times, but no one was going to argue the point.

“Yes. That is why I cast that spell. I am sorry for that. I wouldn’t use such a spell on you girls otherwise,” Twilight said with a frown showing how sorry she was, but resolute in her decision. “To fight this Cosmic Darkness, we are gathering ancient artifacts. Artifacts so old even Princess Celestia considers them ancient. Fluttershy here went on the first mission with Naruko into a place called the Temple of Life in the Ever-Free Forest,” she concluded.

“Why is it called the Temple of Life?” Pinkie asked.

“Because it is actually the birth of all life on the planet more or less…” Fluttershy started.

“Where did you learn that?!” Twilight asked. This was information she hadn't come across in her studies of the place.

“From an ancient tribe of a race long thought gone. They’re also really important to why I gathered each of you here. I went to the temple with Naruko. It was… a very scary experience, but it was also very important. While I was there, I learned that I wasn’t even a true bearer of Kindness by that time. I also learned there is a lot more to the elements then we know or even the princesses know,” Fluttershy said as Twilight seemed to be having some trouble for a moment believing Princess Celestia didn’t even know everything about the elements.

“What do you mean, weren’t even a true bearer of Kindness?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Well I met this race who lived in the temple called the Bunnicans. They ranged from looking like regular bunnies to being Spike’s size and able to talk in a way ponies could understand. They called themselves the Harmony Watchers. They said that I, we, were all supposed to actually become our elements and there was more to them than just being tools used together for blasting bad guys with rainbow magic. They each have their own special powers on their own,” Fluttershy explained.

“Become our Elements?” Rainbow asked in confusion. How did you become Loyalty?

“I think they meant becoming avatars or true representations of the Elements of Harmony and each one’s powers,” Fluttershy said.

Rainbow seemed to better grasp that. “Like what powers though?” she asked.

Fluttershy nodded and closed her eyes in concentration. She focused on what she felt during her battle with the Stone Guard. There was a glow in front of her hooves she sensed and she grabbed it.

She felt it again. The power. The strength. The shaft of her weapon. She also heard all of her friends gasp in shock as she opened her eyes again.

“Wicked…” Rainbow said as she looked at the weapon in Fluttershy’s hooves with wonderment.

The butter yellow pegasus frowned a little. It still looked the same as then, though she guessed that made sense. She sadly hadn't made much progress there. She had quickly fallen back to old habits once her adventure was over in the temple.

“Fluttershy! Why do you have a weapon?!” Twilight asked a little in panic.

Fluttershy gave it a twirl in her hooves with ease and a few practice swings away from her friends. They were mystified. “This weapon was bestowed upon me by the element of kindness, though it isn’t… balanced yet,” she explained as she again looked over the shaft and the curved blades at each end.

“It looks powerful… and scary…” Pinkie admitted as she frowned a little.

"And awesome!" Rainbow added though the others ignored her outburst.

“It is and the power is very seductive, but it doesn’t match what I first felt during my trial,” Fluttershy said.

Rarity watched with concern. While her other friends were focused on the weapon, she noticed there was a certain darkness in Fluttershy’s blue eyes. The look of them made her feel both uneasy and oddly drawn towards them. The eyes had a strange enticement to them she couldn’t really explain. She continued to listen and made a note to ask Fluttershy about this at another time.

“I went through a trial in the Temple of Life. In my trial I had to face my inner darkness, I didn’t really want to believe it existed but it did. Once I finally defeated it, I left the trial room and the Bunnicans pronounced me the True Bearer of Kindness, though I don’t think I am really at that level yet. They explained to me we will all have to find a balance of some kind before we can actually achieve our destinies and save more than just Equestria,” she said.

“That weapon still seems wrong in a way. Like Pinkie said it seems a little scary…” Twilight said as her mind raced with thoughts.

Fluttershy nodded as she gazed at the weapon and felt a deep yearning for it and its promise. She also felt a stronger yearning for how it was in the trial chamber. “They said I would have to find out the powers of my element both the good and the bad. That is what I have to find a balance between. The elements are about bringing harmony. Meaning everything working in accordance with each other or a balance. It is possible they can be used for darker purposes… as some odd way of restoring balance if needed,” she said the darkness in her eyes dimming a little bit.

The others were silent for a bit as Fluttershy’s words sunk in some more.

Fluttershy then spoke again and her eyes lightened and the mood seemed to as well. "I think we just have to realize this and figure it out and know those powers, even if they are a bit darker, to achieve our balance. I also believe we have to find balance within ourselves with who we are. However, we will be using these powers to fight the darkness not bring it about." Fluttershy then dismissed her weapon as the others were quiet in thought for a moment.

Twilight was the first to speak again. She gave a nod before she spoke. “How can you truly understand kindness if you don’t know cruelty or laughter if you don’t know tears of sadness.”

“Are ya sure about that Twi? Ah don’t right like the sound of that. It makes me fear what I might do for that or something…” Applejack admitted.

“I’m not saying it means you have to go and do those things, Applejack. You just have to understand them. A pony won’t truly realize the importance of honesty if they don’t understand the lack of honesty. I could be wrong… I am just guessing and thinking out loud. Sorry… if that upset you,” Twilight said with a frown.

Applejack shook her head. “Don’t worry about it sugarcube. Ah too was just thinking out loud.”

“But you’re both kind of right…” Fluttershy said. “We need to further discover what we are capable of as Elements and that can be very scary, but it is something we have to each do for the sake of each other, our friends, and Equestira. We will all be there for each other and we have other friends too such as Kyuubi and Naruko. We can get through this together.”

The others nodded and were again lost to their own thoughts. Pinkie frowned a little to her thoughts. She knew what it was like to be sad and she hated it. That was why she got her cutie mark, but she also knew she didn’t have this balance Fluttershy was talking about yet. She just didn’t know what to think about it.

Rarity was thinking about a couple of things. One of them was her relief Fluttershy’s eyes were back to their usual brightness. She was also thinking about her recent thoughts during her time while making the dresses. She had since then played them off as ramblings of an over exhausted mind, but maybe there was more to it then she first thought after all.

Twilight was wondering how she was supposed to have a balance. Her element was magic. “What would the opposite of magic be?” she wondered to herself. Would it be no magic? “But all ponies have magic, even Pegasus ponies and Earth Ponies. It just worked through them all differently,” she answered her question with a rather unsatisfactory answer. This was clearly something that needed more thought.

After they were all silent for a moment longer, Fluttershy spoke again. “I am sorry for making everyone feel sad or whatever is going on here… I really felt this was important to say...”

Rarity smiled to that. “Nonsense Darling. We aren’t sad or anything. It is a lot to think about and it is that important. I think we are done for now though. Do you all agree?” the others nodded to this. “Is there anything else you wanted to say, Fluttershy?” she asked.

Fluttershy felt a slight bit better but still worried. However, she agreed they couldn’t do anything else for now. “There isn’t. If I figure out anything else I’ll share it. Hopefully you all will as well.”

“Of course, we will,” Rainbow said as she rolled her eyes and smiled. “You said we were in this together. Maybe we also need to figure ourselves out a little on our own or something first. You know to better understand our friendships and elements as well.”

“Make sense,” Twilight started. “If the elements are supposed to also work individually as well as together then you might be right, Rainbow.” What she didn’t say was she felt they would also all have to figure out how to fight. She should really start seriously on that training routine Naruko gave her. Twilight originally thought it was just something her friend did as an excuse from teaching her combat magic, but maybe there was more merit than she thought to it.

She stood up and dismissed the privacy bubble she erected as she turned to her friends and smiled. “Well we all have things we need to do for now. Thanks again for talking to us about this, Fluttershy. I have a lot to think about.”

Fluttershy felt a little nervous still, but she understood she hadn’t upset her friends. She hovered in the air for a bit and said good bye for now as the others did the same. They each went their own way to figure things out.

{-} {-} {-}

It wasn’t too long after Fluttershy left Naruko’s office that the pony let out a frustrated sigh along with her clones. The clones then dispelled themselves and Naruko frowned at the stacks of paperwork. She had at least finished a lot of it, but she couldn’t go on anymore. “I’ll have to ask Princess Luna if we can search out an administrative pony to volunteer for the patrol. I seriously can’t be expected to do all of this paperwork on my own,” she said to herself with a whimper.

She took in a few breaths and used the common hoof motion as she let out her breaths. She then stood up. She decided she needed to do something. Anything! That required her body move. She got an idea and made her way to the barracks area. “Trixie? Are you here?” she asked.

“Yes?” Trixie almost seemed to eep in surprise as she broke from her thoughts on how to find Rarity without running into those ponies.

Naruko came over to her and smiled brightly as she asked, “Do you want train with me some?”

Trixie was a little surprised by these words. She also really liked the idea oddly enough. “What sort of training?” she asked.

“Just some basic stuff. Exercises and maybe a little magic and hoof to hoof or anything you want,” Naruko replied.

“Why do you want to train with Trixie? Not that she isn’t grateful,” she said not fully meeting Naruko’s eyes.

Naruko gave a whine. “I need a break from paperwork. I’ve also seen you watch sometimes. I thought you might like to give it a try. Was I wrong?”

“No of course not! You aren’t wrong. I’d love to. I’m just surprised,” Trixie replied a little more eagerly than she meant to reply.

“Good!” Naruko said smiling brighter. Trixie had to admit she liked it when Naruko smiled like this. She nodded and followed as Naruko led the way to the training grounds.

{-} {-} {-}

Trixie gave a moan as she leaned on Naruko and they returned to the main HQ building. Training had been tough. Trixie didn’t realize how much she had relied on magic for pretty much everything until this moment. They had run a lot. They had even gone through some basic fighting moves, since Trixie didn’t really know any. They had even done a lot of magic training as well.

That had been tougher than the show pony thought it would be. She sadly came to realize how much more power Naruko had than her. Trixie wasn’t a slouch. She may not have been in Celestia’s school of Gifted Unicorns, but she had a lot of power. She had even held her own against Lyra on the few occasions when she had convinced the mint green unicorn to let her train as well when she was bored.

“Are you okay?” Naruko asked in concern. She had really gone more all out than she originally thought she would with Trixie. She actually felt both good and some exhaustion after what they did.

Trixie gave a tired smile as she stretched and finally started to slowly walk on her own. “Trixie is feeling pretty good. She just needs a wonderful shower to rejuvenate. Don’t you dare think this is the end for Trixie, Naruko!” she proclaimed with tried sounding show pony flair.

Naruko couldn’t help but chuckle a little and Trixie soon followed. Naruko then said, “You’ve got the right idea there. A shower sounds just like what we need.” Trixie nodded with a grin. She had come to really love showers in a new light after her time in the forest.

{-} {-} {-}

As Twilight left the others, she was thinking about so many things. She also felt a lot more uneasy about what all Fluttershy explained than she let on to the others. She felt the others might as well, but like her they felt what Fluttershy chose to tell them was important and they didn’t hold it against her.

Twilight also felt a little lonely oddly enough at the moment. Hearing you would have such power and needed it to save everypony was really something. For the first time in Celestia knew how long, Twilight didn’t want to be left alone with her thoughts. It was a lot to swallow and being around Spike wouldn’t really work here. “Besides, he was actually going to be spending a lot time with Apple Bloom and the other CMC today anyways,” she thought to herself. Letting Spike make his own friends was very important and she didn’t want to interfere with that.

She still really wanted to be with some pony and her heart was telling her to go to Naruko for that company. Twilight knew where to find her friend. She started to run faster. Perhaps she was seeking out Naruko because she had always seen the blonde unicorn as having such dangerous power and balancing it or maybe she simply wanted to be with the first pony her age she made a connection with. It could be anything.

There was a part of Twilight that saw this as a great chance to finally see the Ever-Free HQ in its entirety. Naruko worked there a lot, but Twilight had never really gone to the place herself. She hoped Naruko wouldn’t mind the company. “It’s getting late, so she should be winding down for the day anyways,” Twilight told herself.

As she approached, she had to admit the base was impressive. She found the sight of all of the training grounds and the main building amazing. It wasn’t right inside Ponyville, but it was close and this place was huge by Ponyville standards. Twilight walked up to the main door and knocked. When no one answered, she entered the place. It was decently lit and she saw signage pointing to where Naruko’s office was.

Naruko heard a knock on her office door. “Come in,” she said. She supposed it made sense Trixie would knock after earlier today, but she was surprised the show pony would come to see her. She figured Trixie would be resting after their training earlier.

She was again surprised when it wasn’t Trixie who entered but instead it was, “Twilight?” Naruko greeted.

Twilight gave a smile. “Yup. I wanted to come see you. I hope you don’t mind,” she said.

Naruko smiled in return. “No problem. I was meaning to have you visit here sometime anyways. So, I guess Fluttershy met with you all, already?”

“She did,” Twilight said with a smile that was a bit forced.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Naruko asked as she looked her friend over.

“Not really…” Twilight replied as she sat down in front of the desk. “How is all of this responsibility treating you?” she asked with a teasing grin.

Naruko sighed. “I tell you. When I was younger in Konoha all I ever wanted to do was be the Hokage. I was always thinking. He’s the strongest ninja in the village and the strongest ninja ever! You know how it is with those you look up to and such.”

Twilight chuckled. “Yeah. When I was first getting tutored in magic before I got into Celestia’s school, I used to think all of my teachers were absolutely amazing and no pony was more powerful then them except Celestia and Starswirl. However, now I know a lot more about magic and spells than some of them could ever dream of knowing.”

“Yep. That’s how it goes. I still wanted to always be Hokage even after I grew up a little. I still thought he was the strongest ninja and I was dead certain if I became Hokage then everyone would have to stop ignoring me and finally recognize me,” Naruko explained.

Twilight was thinking this would be a much more serious discussion than she first thought and she wasn’t sure about such a discussion at the moment. Then Naruko gave a chuckle. “If I could go back in time to my younger self I would tell her, ‘Don’t do it… Paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork’. That would probably scare me off from that dream completely.” Twilight gave a laugh.

After the two laughed together, Naruko spoke again with a sigh as she stretched. “I can’t even imagine how much of this stuff Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have to go through even after their aides narrow it down. The worst part is my paperwork load will just grow once we expand.”

“Why?” Twilight asked without thinking. She wasn’t in too much of thinking mood at the moment shockingly.

“Not only am I the Ponyville Contingent Captain, but I’m the Ever-Free Patrol’s Grand Captain. That means the only one higher up than me is Princess Luna herself when it comes to the patrol,” Naruko explained.

“Wow… I mean really wow… I knew you were, but it never really hit me what all that meant until you just now,” Twilight replied with wide eyes.

“Well. Let’s not think on that for now,” Naruko said as she came over and gave Twilight a tight hug. Twilight really appreciated it after earlier that afternoon. “I believe I owe you a bit of a tour, unless you want to grab something to eat first,” Naruko said with a grin. Twilight blushed and her stomach gave a small growl. Twilight gave a nervous giggle, which Naruko could only think of as Twilight cute. It was degrees above normal cute.

“Where will we eat?” Twilight asked.

“Here of course. Spike’s probably going to end up eating with the CMC given Applebloom’s family hospitality. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of that,” Naruko said with chuckle as she poked Twilight lightly in the side.

Twilight gave a pout, “I know for sure you wouldn’t have been able to say ‘no’ to Applebloom’s filly eyes either.”

Naruko nodded in agreement. She then realized something she needed to explain to Twilight first. “Oh yeah ummm… Before I cook us some dinner in the dining area, I need to tell you something.”

Twilight looked to her to continue.

“You remember Trixie, right?” Naruko asked.

Twilight gave a slight frown, “Yes, I do. Why?”

“Well... She’s actually been living here in the HQ for a while now. She’s kept away from Ponyville and when Derpy and I found her she was ‘camping’ in the forest,” Naruko said.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“It turns out her trailer, which the Ursa Minor crushed, was her actual home as well. She had put a lot of enchantment and rune work into it so it had a home mode she used when she wasn’t traveling and staying in Hooffington. She’s been staying here in the barracks while working on a new one,” Naruko explained. She really hoped Twilight wouldn’t get upset about this. Twilight witnessed everything that happened unlike her and Fluttershy.

“Oh no! That’s terrible,” Twilight replied with a deep frown and empathy in her eyes.

Naruko felt relieved by this response. It was more reason why she liked Twilight so much. “She might end up eating with us if she is awake, unless you really don’t want that.”

“I don’t see any problem with that. I did kind of want to talk to her anyways,” Twilight said.

Naruko looked a little concerned. “Can it not be about Rarity?” Twilight blinked in confusion before she remembered what happened to Rarity that day. “Fluttershy already got into her about that before she met with the rest of you. I’m pretty sure Trixie has decided to apologize even if she isn’t sure how to get Rarity alone. Running into either Applejack or Rainbow wouldn’t be a good idea,” Naruko continued.

“Okay. I won’t. If she brings it up, I’ll just say I heard Fluttershy already got on her case about it and tell her she does not want to get on Fluttershy’s bad side,” Twilight said. She then let out a sigh and added quietly, “After earlier… that is more apparent.”

Naruko wanted to ask what she meant, but she could tell Twilight was still in the ‘don’t talk about it’ mood. “Great then,” Naruko said with a smile as she led the way to the kitchen area. “Is there anything you want to eat in particular? We have a wide selection of food. Pretty sure I could make almost anything I know how to make.”

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight took in a deep breath as she smiled in delight at the scents of the food. Naruko and her decided to make a grilled veggie pasta dish with a slightly spicy red sauce. “It smells so wonderful!” Twilight commented.

Shortly after that the two heard another pony speak from down the hall, “Trixie smells something delicious!” As the now refreshed show pony entered the area, she actually paused in her steps. “I-I didn’t know you had company… Hello, Twilight Sparkle…” she said warily.

“Hello Trixie,” Twilight replied with a friendly smile. “I sort of popped in to visit Naruko suddenly. We didn’t disturb you, did we?” she asked as an attempt to make conversation and show she wasn’t here to bicker or anything.

“I was just resting after training earlier with Naruko,” Trixie said still a little unsure.

Twilight frowned and gave a small glare at Naruko. “So, you’ll train with her but not me?” she asked. She sounded deeply offended and almost hurt.

Naruko gulped as she nervously answered, “It was just physical type stuff you know running and such.”

Twilight quickly looked to Trixie for confirmation. The show pony wasn’t sure what she stepped into here but noticed Naruko motioning to her with a pleading gesture. Trixie still looking confused added, “Well that and some basic magic exercises as well. Naruko asked Trixie to train with her as a way of getting out of the office earlier.”

Twilight’s gaze softened and returned back to its normal friendly manner. “Oh okay… I was worried there for a moment that Naruko, my best friend ever, would decide to train in combat magic with someone else despite her best friend ever begging to do so with her.”

Naruko felt a little more relieved now, “Well you heard Trixie. It was just physical stuff and some magic stuff. It wasn’t what you keep asking me for Twilight.” Naruko then quickly gave Twilight hug and a friendly nuzzle, “Will you forgive me?” she asked. Twilight blushed and nodded.

Trixie found the whole exchange confusing and rather intriguing. She wondered what was going on here. Surely Twilight would be the best training partner Naruko could find. The two of them were probably the most powerful unicorns she met. She was of course Great and Powerful, but these two were more so than her. “Trixie still wants to taste this delicious smelling food. Is it ready?” she asked.

She wanted to change the subject. She might have found their exchange intriguing, but she also found it a bit annoying. It was most certainly not because she at all in any manner felt jealous of the two ponies’ friendship. “Most definitely not! I am the Great and Loveable Trixie…” she thought to herself, even if apart from her parents the patrol were probably the only ponies she was closest to in her life.

Naruko gave a smile as she nodded and motioned for Trixie to sit down next to Twilight. Twilight seemed inviting again and so the show pony did as instructed. “Food should be ready soon enough. It is a little spicy. Do you want anything to drink?” Naruko asked.

Trixie had half a mind to use her magic to serve herself, but she knew Naruko was being friendly so she didn’t. “I would like some Apple Grape Juice,” she said instead. Naruko nodded.

“I’m a little surprised you aren’t always using third pony,” Twilight couldn’t help but admit.

Trixie made a show of sticking her nose up. “Trixie uses third pony when she wants. It can be a bit annoying to do so all the time so I don’t always when I’m not preforming,” she explained as she gratefully took the offered juice. “Is that a problem?” she then asked as she looked to Twilight.

“No. Not really. It is kind of endearing in a way, but I could see it getting to be too much,” Twilight said. She was then surprised when she noticed the show pony blush a little to her words. The blush quickly disappeared as the food was served and Naruko joined them at their table with a smile.

{-} {-} {-}

Trixie was actually surprised how well the meal went. Twilight was actually very interested in her abilities. The show pony tried not to get carried away boasting after the Ursa Minor incident, but she might have just a little bit. “Well my mother is the one and only Mistress of Enchanting Daystar Darkmoon!” Trixie said with a big smile and a flourish with her hooves. Okay so she was really getting excited, but this was 100% true and not some tale she exaggerated for the sake of entertaining her audiences.

“Wow! I didn’t know that. You never told me while you’ve been here,” Naruko said in surprise.

Trixie gave a bit of a crestfallen expression. “I’ve been trying not to get boasty like I was then. Besides, you never really asked Trixie where she learned her abilities.”

Twilight was staring with her mouth agape. Naruko gave a smirk. “3… 2… 1…” she counted down to Trixie’s confusion.

The show pony’s confusion was short lived. As soon as Naruko finished counting down, Twilight started bombarding her with questions of all kinds and theories regarding enchanting magics and such. Trixie was actually a little scared and looked to Naruko for help.

“Breath, Twilight,” Naruko simply said as the purple unicorn calmed down and blushed.

“Sorry… Trixie. I just get really excited about anything regarding magic. It’s my special talent,” Twilight explained motioning to her cutie mark.

Trixie finally relaxed and caught her breath. She then did her best to answer the questions she heard Twilight ask. “… As for theories about enchanting. Well Trixie is sorry but she can’t help you there. I’m not an enchanting pony. I’m a show pony. I live to bring joy and happiness to others, even if I sort of lost my way for a while there.” Twilight frowned for only a moment before smiling again.

When it was time for Naruko and Twilight to leave, Trixie pulled Twilight to the side and asked, “How come you didn’t mention the whole thing with… Rarity… Yes, that was her name.”

Twilight looked to her. “Do you plan on apologizing to her?” she asked. Trixie nodded. Twilight smiled. “That’s all that matters. Naruko told me Fluttershy already kind of got into it about that earlier today. I don’t really blame you for the others, even if I think it might have been a bit much, but they started it. And Rainbow Dash, as much as I like her as a friend, does kind of need to learn things the hard way and have her ego put in check every now and then.”

Trixie nodded to this in understanding as she waved good bye to them. She then locked up HQ for the night. Naruko taught her how to do that. All of the patrol members knew how to lock and unlock HQ and she was included since she was staying there. She then sighed as she found a book to read. Trixie sighed again. She hated to admit it, but she usually felt lonely at nights in the HQ. During the day it was no problem, everypony was around her fairly often and even the one’s off duty would visit frequently and Naruko was almost always there along with Derpy.

The show pony sniffed a little at her emotions. She couldn’t believe how much she had changed during her time here. The whole Ursa Minor incident was terrible and the ‘camping’ was equally bad in its own way, but there was a part of her that was grateful those things happened. She’d never realized what friends were like otherwise. She got along with her neighbors back home, but she wasn’t usually around for to long being a traveling show pony and all.

She was on decent terms with other show ponies she met during her travels, but there was always a distance between them all. It was probably a mix of knowing their time together was limited and seeing each other as competition. There was also a lot of bragging that went on as well. “Perhaps that is why I got the way I did,” she thought. Her daddy had always told her every show pony needed a home stage. Trixie had taken those words in the literal sense, but she was thinking she knew what he actually meant better now.

Trixie gave a long sigh. “I never thought I would actually feel a little homesick and lonely…” she said aloud to the lounge room she was sitting in currently. She had made up her mind about some things and would mention them to Naruko soon, but she still had a way to go before it was time for that. Her trailer was still far from finished. She had to find and apologize to Rarity. She had to talk to Naruko and the others. That last part was what she was most nervous about honestly.

She thought again of Hooffington as she used her horn to play some music and continued to read. She smiled as she thought of some of her neighbors who had fillies and colts. Trixie remembered how they all enjoyed her shows. She was careful in Hooffington with her tales. They actually knew a few of them first hoof and she did not want to upset the ponies where she lived whenever she wasn’t on the road, as seldom as that was. Trixie started to hum along to the music as she closed the book and thought of her memories again.

She put the book to the side. She was starting to come up with tales based on the Ever-Free Patrol again. She had heard many things about what they did. She had seen many things. She had even lived one of the tales she would share. “Maybe I should edit out that I was the pony living in the woods wailing and crying,” she thought with a slight blush even though no pony was there to see it. Yes, she would find a way to go home to Hooffington soon and she would spread tales of the Ever-Free Patrol. She wanted to do more, but it was the least she could do for them.

Trixie felt better than she had in some time that night when she finally went to sleep. It was her renewed goal she had in mind and it was the training from earlier as well. When she fell asleep on her bed, she quickly fell asleep to happy dreams of Trixie the Beautiful Patroller. It was very much a fantasy of a dream but it was pleasant and brought a smile to her lips.

Gala Pre-Game

“What is that doing here?” Naruko said quietly as she looked through her binoculars with deep worry. “They were supposed to be gone…” she muttered.

Lyra was looking worried now even has she kept her focus. Trixie had actually recently taught her a new spell. It was a spell the show pony used in her shows to hide something. It was meant to be placed on a stationary inanimate object, but Trixie and Lyra found a way to get to work as an area of effect spell. The main problem, it was a channeling spell and required complete concentration on the caster’s side for this to work. Lyra had gotten a bit better with the spell to where she could talk a little bit while using it but not much more yet.

“Ummm… Boss is that what I think it is?” she asked. Naruko nodded. It was a good thing Fluttershy decided to teach them about them anyways in the end. “Why is it here? And alive?” she asked still holding the spell.

Derpy and Cloud Kicker were equally worried where they were standing. Naruko looked again. The eyes were normal. “It seems there are some that weren’t already dead and removed. I would say I can’t believe such a creature still exist, but there is the evidence in front of us. The biggest concern is why it is wondering this far out. They’re supposed to be much deeper in the forest.”

The creature wasn’t looking at them so Lyra dropped the spell with a sigh of relief as she almost collapsed to the ground. Naruko looked to Cloud Kicker and she knew what to do. She shot up into the trees above them to keep a better watch out for the beast. They were caught by surprise with it and that was why they used the spell at first. They heard rumors from a Botanist pony about seeing a new and unusual creature in the forest lately. The pony was deeper than ponies usually went, but she had permission to do so for her studies.

Naruko gave a sigh. The thing wasn’t a new creature after all. It was in fact a very old creature. She was wondering if this was the Cosmic Darkness starting to effect Equestria, or hopefully they were lucky and just one seemed to have survived. “These things are very dangerous. They stand on two legs, but they are faster than a regular wolf and deadlier. They freaking eat cockatrices for snacks,” she said as the other ponies gave her serious expressions.

“What’s the plan, Naruko?” Derpy asked.

Naruko sighed and closed her eyes in thought. She gave a whistle and Cloud Kicker landed next to them still keeping an eye on the beast. “It’s a land animal even if it can jump. I want you two to distract it with air maneuvers.” The two pegasus ponies nodded. “Lyra. I want you to use your magic to supplement them if needed. I know that spell isn’t easy to cast.” The mint green unicorn nodded in relief even if she was now determined to better master the spell and improve her stamina more.

Naruko gave another sigh. “I’ll kill it… Those things shouldn’t still be around and for sure not this close to the edge of the forest. Do you all understand?” They nodded again after swallowing nervously, but this is what they signed up for. They would handle this so other ponies wouldn’t have to worry about it. “Ready… go!” Naruko said.

Derpy and Cloud Kicker shot towards the beast. Each gave it a good kick, but the thing dodged and howled at them. It was a truly terrifying sound. Derpy shot up following Cloud Kicker. The first pegasus dived down and used her air brakes to rattle the thing and Derpy did the same right after her. The two dodged as sharp claws swiped right past them. They repeated the attack except this time the beast was ready. It swiped early and would have struck them if it wasn’t for Lyra’s shield.

The shield broke causing the two to tumble on the ground. Cloud Kicker’s tumble came to a stop, but Derpy lost control of her stumble and couldn’t recover. She rolled into Cloud Kicker and the two ponies kept rolling from the impact just as the beast lunged and crashed into the ground right where they would have been otherwise.

There was a whirling sound as Naruko shot a Rasengan attack right into the still recovering beast. She then threw up a shield behind it and trapped the beast where it was. This allowed her attack to grind through it, killing the thing. Naruko then set fire to the remains and waited for them to burn as Cloud Kicker hurled from all of the rolling and the carnage.

“Ugh… Boss… that was messy,” Lyra said seemingly swallowing vomit.

“Why are you burning the remains?” Cloud asked.

“I don’t want them to attract other beasts. Who knows what might wander this way because of the scent of a free meal.” she said solemnly as the fire burned. Derpy was kind enough to use a wind funnel sending the smell of the burning chunks into the sky away from them.

The patrol ponies were a bit on edge after this encounter, since it was the first time they actually saw something killed first hoof, except for Naruko. She had already killed these things earlier and before then she committed her first kill in Konoha. She was herself a bit on edge after the encounter but for different reasons.

{-} {-} {-}

As they made their way back, Naruko let out a chuckle. “For the first time, I think I am actually looking forward to a high society ball.”

“The Grand Galloping Gala?” Cloud Kicker asked. Naruko nodded. “I thought you hated such things.”

“I still do, but it will be a nice distraction,” Naruko said.

“I’m just glad we’re almost out of here,” Lyra said.

“Thank you all again. This was a big issue we had to deal with. That’s why I called you all in. Rumors of a new creature are something to be very concerned about especially when they come from a source that would actually have a better idea about such things,” Naruko said.

Just as they exited the forest a loud sound cracked from in the distance near where Cloudsdale was. The group of patrol members looked in the direction and their eyes widened. Bright colors were shooting from where the sound originated just barely above the ground. The colors were traveling fast towards them.

“She did it…” Naruko said in surprise just as a mighty wind shot past with the colors above sending animals of all kinds screaming as they ran to safety. The ponies more or less braced themselves as it passed over.

“Was that… a Sonic Rainboom?” Lyra asked in shock.

“Yes, it was. That was Rainbow Dash at the Best Young Flyer Competition,” Naruko explained with a sad smile. She wanted to go and cheer Rainbow on and watch with the others like planned, but this came up.

“I thought about entering too,” Derpy stated. The others looked to her, “What?” she asked.

“You’re that young and already a mother of two…” Cloud kicker said.

Derpy blushed a little as she smiled. “Well. Yeah, I mean I am at the cut off age… Amethyst is also barely a teenager even if she is still one…” she finished with a sigh.

Amethyst, her oldest was barely a teenager, but she was in many ways going full throttle into the whole teenage thing. Also given how young Derpy was, Amethyst loved to make things difficult when it came to talks of responsibility and such. Derpy tried to explain how things were different with her and her hubby given his whole time travel thing, but Amethyst still loved pointing it out. Derpy was older than her actual age even if not by much. She had in essence repeated a few years without aging an so despite being around a few years longer she was still the age she was.

“Still…” Derpy started as she changed the subject, “Rainbow did it again… She thought it was a once in a life time deal despite the boasting of her abilities.”

“When did she first do it?” Lyra asked.

Cloud Kicker answered this time. “When she got her cutie mark. She was racing a trio of idiots for Fluttershy’s honor and as she came into the end of the race… BOOM!!! Rainboom colors everywhere.”

Lyra smiled at the tale. “That sounds…” she giggled. “Rainbow Dash Awesome.” The others sighed but snickered. Lyra then gave a slight frown to Naruko. “You were supposed to go, right?” Naruko nodded with a sad smile. “Sorry to hear that, Boss. But we did good work today at least.”

Naruko smiled a little happier with those words, “Yes, we did. I’m pretty sure we’re done for the day. Once you three turn in your reports, you can have the rest of the day off.” After that Rainboom, most if not all of the animals in the forest would keep to themselves.

Cloud Kicker and Derpy high hoofed each other.

“What about Bon Bon?” Lyra asked.

“She’ll be free once we walk in the door,” Naruko said with a smile. Bon Bon stayed behind to look after HQ while the rest of them were out in case something happened. Bon Bon thought she was being punished, but Naruko cleared that up when she explained that she trusted her the most after Derpy to watch over the office. Bon Bon smiled to that. She didn’t feel snubbed Derpy was trusted more than her, the wall eyed pegasus was a damn good unofficial second in command.

“We can shower first, right?” Cloud asked.

Naruko gave her a raised eyebrow. “I said you are free whenever you turn in your report. What you do before then or not is up to you. The HQ is essentially a second home to all patrollers, but we have to keep things in tip top shape. I will admit I am looking forward to a shower before I dare tackle that paper work myself.” She gave a shudder for a second. The others ignored it. They were well aware of their captain’s dislike for paperwork. They couldn’t blame her having seen the stacks before in her office.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko really was feeling a little down after everyone else left after dropping off their reports. Trixie was actually out doing her own thing today and so Naruko sighed in her lonely office. “Maybe the Gala will be much better than we thought. Maybe I’ll actually meet some good stallions there and have a good time dancing,” she said to herself. She felt odd actually looking forward to the Gala and was trying to convince herself that was actually a good thing. “Maybe something will happen…” she started with a day dreamlike look in her eyes before blushing and feeling ashamed of herself. She should not be thinking about such things as clandestine encounters at and after the Gala. Celestia knows how bad it would be if such news got around that she really enjoyed the night with a stallion or mare after the ball.

She honestly couldn’t even believe she was thinking about such things, but she was. “Maybe I’m more stressed than I thought…” she said as she paused and her mind sent her a new round of visions. She was very much used to being a pony and even considered herself a pony more than a human by this point, but when it came to more sexual things… It got weird for her.

There was a deep chuckle in her mind. “Kyuubi?” she thought.

“Oh sorry. I just find it rather amusing is all. It seems your hormones are finally catching up to you,” his deep voiced thought to her.

Naruko blushed which Kyuubis sensed and caused him to laugh more. She had been thinking about such things a lot more lately. She chalked it up to stress or something because after her last training sessions with Trixie such thoughts left her alone… for the most part.

Regardless of what was or wasn’t happening to Naruko, she still was mad she didn’t get to go with the others. She sighed as she looked at her paperwork. She knew it was her duty and all, but she really wished the patrol was bigger and maybe she wouldn’t have to miss everything the others did.

Naruko stomped a hoof on the floor in irritation as she thought about such things. She really wished she was one of the elements instead of what she was. Sure, they had their own things they had to do, but part of their job was to be friends with each other and have fun to build more cohesion with the elements. The others got to take Twilight and go visit Cloudsdale because of the race and thanks to the cloud walking spell. She still was surprised the spell was an actual thing. Then on top of that they were all going to the Gala together, but Twilight wanted to spend the whole night with Celestia. Naruko didn’t even notice some tears of frustration on her cheeks. It wasn’t fair in her mind. She hadn’t been able to enjoy much free time lately. Let alone time with Twilight. She felt she was being left behind.

Naruko used her magic to slam shut her office door and spelled it closed. She wasn’t happy with how things were going at the moment when she didn’t try to just push those thoughts to the side. Twilight had a break in finding information about the temples and since Naruko had to work most of the time Twilight spent her break with the others.

The blonde unicorn liked the others and considered them friends, but right now it felt like they were taking Twilight away from her bit by bit while she had to fight and kill something that shouldn’t be around anymore after they defeated the Stone Guard. It made Naruko feel as if nothing was mattering as much as it should. She wondered if maybe she was going to end up losing her best friend ever who was also her first actual friend to her other friends. If… when… that happened, would they even care about her anymore? She wasn’t an element. She wasn't a part of their central group. They would probably still be nice and friendly to her like they were to most of the ponies in Ponyville, but that would be it.

Naruko sniffed as she felt her tears fall from her eyes. Why was she so scared of losing Twilight? She didn’t get it. Why was her mind also fixating more on lewd things as well lately? She supposed the deal with Twilight might have to do with a dream she had a little while ago.

---- Flashback start ----

In the dream she and Twilight were chatting in the library together comfortably snuggling together, before Pinkie Pie came along and dragged Twilight off to do something with the other elements. Twilight was torn in the dream, but she still followed Pinkie with little complaint.

The dream then shifted to a later date where the same scene happened again except this time it was a partially apologetic Rainbow who took Twilight. Twilight actually seemed a little more concerned this time with leaving Naruko, but still she went.

A few nights later in the dream the same scene played out again, but this time Naruko and Twilight weren’t as close together as they were before and Rarity took her away. The dream continued it’s awful routine over and over again each time with a one of the other elements taking Twilight away. And slowly with each time the distance between her and Twilight widened.

In the end of the dream, before Princess Luna intervened, Twilight happily and eagerly left with the others while she and Naruko were in the middle of something kind of important to Naruko. “Twilight…” dream Naruko said her voice thick with hurt. “Where are you going? Why are you leaving me now?” Dream Naruko’s voice grew smaller as she grew younger.

Twilight turned to her with an isn’t it obvious look and said, “You’re not an Element. Let alone a pony…”

It was at that moment it all turned white and a very concerned Princess Luna stepped into the dream and even gave the now crying dream Naruko/real Naruko a hug in comfort. “This is just a bad dream. This wouldn’t happen. You know Twilight wouldn’t do that,” Luna said to her.

Dream/real Naruko said, “it sure feels like it would happen…”

Princess Luna then woke Naruko up for the pony to find the Princess of the Night in her bedroom. “I am sorry for the intrusion, Naruko. But this seemed very serious…”

“It’s alright…” Naruko said though she was a little startled to see Princess Luna there in pony. She was still grateful for the princess’ presence and the calming effect Luna seemed to give her as they hugged again.

“Do you need a break from the Patrol?” she asked.

Naruko quickly shook her head. She didn’t want to do something like that and disappoint the princess, her boss. “I’ll be fine. Things have just been a little tough lately is all. I don’t get to see Twilight as much as I used to see her. Nothing more than that. I even consider the other elements friends and do sometimes visit with them.”

“If you are sure…” Princess Luna said. She mentally decided to keep a better eye on her Grand Captain. Even if they didn’t interact too much, she had easily come to see Naruko as her sister sees Twilight.

Naruko nodded in answer to Princess Luna. Though there was a part of her that knew she might have been lying just a little bit. “Well not really lying just down playing it is all…” Naruko thought to herself.

The two ponies held eye contact with each other for a moment. “I shall be off. However, I will not let you be bothered by anymore such dreams tonight,” she said as her horn glowed and Naruko felt a comforting warmth flow over her.

As Princess Luna left, she made a note to fast track authorizing the new advancement and ranking system in the patrol. It would allow each contingent to have up to two assistant commanders with the ranks of First Lieutenant (second in charge) and Second Lieutenant (Third in charge).

The Night Princess felt guilty having relied on Naruko heavily so far. Naruko was more than up for the task, but it was starting to be clearer that the duties were taking a toll on her. Due to Naruko’s level of maturity, it was hard to realize the Grand Captain was just sixteen years old. Sure, ponies her age were pretty much considered adults, but they were still so very young.

---- End of Flashback ----

Naruko had been more careful and more in control of her emotions since then, but she knew things were getting difficult for her. There was sometimes a voice inside, not belonging to Kyuubi, which would occasionally speak more of her emotions she was feeling despite what Naruko actually said to others. Naruko didn’t like it.

The voice sounded like her and would speak more truthfully of what she felt than she liked at times. Naruko had been very good at not letting things get to her since becoming a pony, but it seemed she needed to redouble her efforts on that front. At the moment, she really didn’t try as she let herself act a little on her frustration, but not in a manner such as setting the damnable paperwork on fire as satisfying as that would be.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko thought she had calmed down by the time she got home. She opened the door and wasn’t surprised to see a very excited Twilight there. “Hey! You’re finally back!” she said. Naruko gave a small smile as she nodded.

“The race was amazing! Rainbow ended up winning. Rarity! Rarity of all ponies decided to enter the competition because of the butterfly wings and completely forgot about the warnings I gave her over and over again about them. The wings ended up breaking and she fell,” Twilight couldn’t help but giggle a little here. It was scary at the time, but now that it was all over it was a little funny. “Rarity accidentally in her panic knocked out all three of the Wonderbolts who were there to watch as they tried to rescue her. Rainbow Dash saved them all and made a sonic Rainboom in the end! Fluttershy was actually the most excited when that happened despite claiming she couldn’t watch.”

Twilight then frowned a little. “I wish you could have seen it. I’m sorry you couldn’t. I probably should have stayed back as well…”

There was a dark part of Naruko that spoke in agreement to this, but Naruko ignored it. She instead smiled and said, “Well I did at least get to see Dash’s Rainboom as I left the Ever-Free Forest.”

Twilight gave a smile to that in relief. Naruko almost blushed as she looked at the smile. Her eyes darkened a little unnoticed as she wished she could have seen Twilight’s smile like that all day instead of just now. “I really wish I could get to see her like that at the Gala… I’m really not liking Celestia currently,” she thought with a frown.

“Is something wrong?” Twilight asked worriedly as she saw Naruko’s frown.

Naruko took in a breath and let it out. “I was just thinking about the Gala is all and I’m not exactly happy with Celestia at the moment,” she admitted without expanding on details. She let Twilight fill in her own details.

Twilight sighed. “Maybe it won’t be too bad for you. Maybe you’ll meet some nice ponies and will enjoy the dance,” she said even if her own feelings about Naruko meeting other ponies did get to her a little bit. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so set on being with Celestia the whole time. “But I haven’t seen her in so long…” she thought to herself in reply.

To cover up the silence, Twilight gave a little laugh. “I hope Rarity won’t be so disappointed with Ponce Blueblood that it ruins her night.”

Naruko gave a chuckle to that. “Well we tried to warn her, but she refused to listen. Maybe we should plan some kind of after party thing or something.”

Twilight perked up at that and smiled again. “I’ll ask my parents if we can crash at their place on Gala night and we can do whatever after the ball if we want and not have to worry about getting back here.”

“That would be nice. Hopefully your parents won’t mind,” Naruko said.

“Well they are both night ponies a lot of the time. I am asking well in advance so it shouldn’t be too bad,” she said.

Naruko hoped Twilight’s parents agreed with this plan. “That will show Celestia for trying to steal Twilight the whole night!” that dark voice whispered to her. Naruko could both understand and not understand this sentiment. Regardless of the extra voice Naruko was smiling again even if she was still a little upset she didn’t get to spend all day with everypony.

When the next day arrived, Naruko woke up again and had breakfast with Spike and Twilight. She was really feeling tired though. Her mind decided to give all kinds of dreams that led Naruko to believe maybe Kyuubi was indeed right in his recent bouts of teasing her.

Naruko gave a mighty yawn as she took another bite of her breakfast. “Did you not sleep well last night? You seem really tired,” Twilight said in concern as she leaned in closer to Naruko to get a better look at her. Naruko blushed since Twilight had obviously made appearances in the dreams.

The blonde unicorn gave a nervous laugh as she rubbed the back of her mane. “My dreams were a bit… Frantic… It isn’t anything to worry about. I’ll mostly be doing paperwork today… again,” Naruko said finishing with a long sigh.

Spike gave her a pat on the back and said, “Hang in there… I know you can do it.” Naruko smiled at the baby dragon.

“Spike’s right. You can do it, Naruko. But don’t over do it,” Twilight said with some worry.

“What are you doing today?” Naruko asked.

Twilight was in thought for moment. “I’m still on break from researching temples and artifacts, but I might do a little anyways. Though Rarity did say there was something she wanted to do today. So, I guess I will be doing that,” she replied.

Naruko gave a bit of a strained smile as she said, “Sounds like heaven compared to the mountain of Paperwork waiting for me. I’m so glad my office is at least comfy.” She mentally frowned at the jealousy that popped up that Rarity was getting to spend personal time with Twilight again today.

As she finally left the tree house library, Naruko actually bumped into Rarity on the way while in mid yawn. “Darling… are you okay?” Rarity asked.

“Just a little tired,” Naruko answered as she kept walking. Rarity actually chose to follow her for a bit. She was also looking over Naruko intently. If it had kept up for much longer the blonde unicorn might have blushed under the unicorn’s gaze.

“You look like you could use a break, Naruko. You really shouldn’t work in such a state. I can tell your tensed up and getting exhausted. Believe me. I know how bad it is to work in such a state,” Rarity said in concern.

“I’m fine… I’m just really not looking forward to the paperwork. I don’t have to actually do any patrolling today so don’t worry,” Naruko said with a frown. Everypony kept asking her if she was okay. She knew how okay she was or well not okay she was, but there wasn’t anything that could be done about it.

Rarity then stopped Naruko with a hoof and looked her in the eyes and smiled as she said, “You need a spa trip. In fact we could all use a spa trip with the Gala coming up soon. I’ll set one up for us all tomorrow. You better take the time off, Naruko. Those are Dr. Rarity’s orders!”

“You aren’t a doctor…” Naruko said lowly.

“I may not be a medical pony. But I am a doctor!” she said with a flourish of a hoof motion.

“What are you a doctor of?” Naruko asked. She knew Rarity was just lightening the mood but considering Naruko felt Rarity was stealing Twilight today she wasn’t just going to go along with it. Her exhaustion and current jealousy levels were proven by how she didn’t even take into account Twilight wouldn’t be spending time with her today regardless, since Naruko was on the way to HQ.

“Many would agree I am a doctor of fashion!” Rarity said with her Rarity flair. “I fix and cure fashion disasters!” she added with an overly dramatic hoof motion in the air.

Naruko couldn’t help but chuckle a little to that despite how that ignorable part of her didn’t like it. “I don’t know how much weight the word of a Doctor of Fashion would have regarding health, but I’ll go with it. I’ve never really been to a spa before.”

Rarity gave a giant gasp to that and stared Naruko right in the eyes. The mannerism seemed more fitting of Pinkie than Rarity, but perhaps the party pony was rubbing off on the others in a way. “Never been to a spa?” she asked with wide eyes. Naruko gulped and shook her head slowly. “I will make sure you get the full Rarity Package then!” she said with a fiery determination reminiscent to what it was like when Twilight thought the fashion pony was going to dye her coat a different color when they first met.

“Ummm… I don’t know about the whole sea weed wrap thing…” Naruko said.

Rarity frowned a little to that. “Fine then. I will ask them to exclude some of the Rarity Package. But you are still getting it all, Naruko Uzumaki! I will not let you get stressed to the point I was around the fashion show.”

“Okay. I won’t,” Naruko said.

“Like anyone could get that stressed… Drama Queen,” the other Naruko voice said.

“Be nice…” Naruko replied.

She then paused in her step out of shock and was thankful Rarity had already parted her company while carrying on about the spa trip. Naruko then shook her head. “Did I just reply to a voice in my head that wasn’t Kyuubi’s?” she asked out loud to no pony in particular.

“Yes, you did,” the other Naruko voice replied smugly.

Naruko was about to argue with it before shaking her head and letting out a whinny sigh as she said, “It seems Doctor Rarity is right… I really do need a break.”

{-} {-} {-}

The day at HQ for the Patrol Captain was just as uneventful as she said it would be. She did at least have a long lunch break with the rest of her patrollers. All of them decided to show up right around lunch as Trixie once again proved how “The Great and Culinary Expert Trixie cooks!” She was surprisingly very good at it and Naruko had no qualms in doing the girly/house wifey thing and asked for some of the recipes. Trixie was more than happy to share.

“We should totally ditch the others and run off with Twilight for a couple’s message session tomorrow. Think of the lovely possibilities. You know you want to see Twilight in that kind of a setting,” the other Naruko said.

Naruko just hummed to herself louder instead of replying. She didn’t need to scold this other voice and point out that she and Twilight weren’t a couple. “Besides… Twilight might prefer Stallions,” Naruko accidentally let slip during a break from her humming.

The other Naruko chuckled in reply. “Yah… No… You’ve noticed the signs surely. After all you are supposed to be the perceptive student. Twilight would totally blush at a level of Twilight Cute and happily trot alongside us. And if we wanted to go further… she would be more than willing and it would be worth it!” it replied.

“Why does this new voice have to be all pervy and lewd?!” Naruko thought with a pout.

“I’m more than just that. It would serve the others right to have Twilight taken back from them!” it said in a darker manner.

“I think I prefer you Pervy and lewd,” Naruko said with a mental glare. She knew that was a mistake when she sensed the other voice, whatever it was, smirk.

“We’re pretty hot for a pony. You can get that clandestine encounter with a stallion you were wanting yesterday at the Gala with ease. Heck you could even put that Rarity in her place and snag up Ponce Blueblood!” the voice said.

Naruko just mentally raised an eyebrow at it.

“Okay… Yeah… Let’s not do that…” it said with a shudder at the thought. “Bad idea”.

Naruko might have giggled to that reply if she wasn’t already having serious doubts about her stress levels and mental exhaustion as it was. Though she did feel a little warm and blush at the thought of such an encounter with a stallion other than the ponce. It was oddly intriguing.

Kyuubi then chuckled inside Naruko’s head. “You know it usually isn’t a good idea to think about such things while at the office, Naruko,” he said.

“Kyuubi! So good to hear you. Can you help me with this other voice in my head? I’m surprised you haven’t been hearing it as is,” Naruko said much more desperately than she wished.

“I’m the only other voice in here Naruko. There shouldn’t be any others…” Kyuubi said unsure.

For some reason, Naruko was visualizing a version of herself in her human form mimicking the fox as he said those words while also flaunting her body. Naruko blinked. “Really need that break…” she said.

She then realized something in Kyuubi’s reply. “Wait! You don’t sound absolutely positive about that,” she accused him.

“I might have a theory… I will look into it. I am still a part of you and so I can visit your mindscape. Speaking of which… You should try visiting it sometime as well. It will help with your mental discipline. You are much better about that now than you were in Konoha, but more will only help us in the end,” Kyuubi said.

“After you figure out whatever that voice is and do something about it. If I try that now, I’ll probably lose it and be surrounded by dancing Twilights or something,” Naruko said.

She then realized another mistake with that and heard the other voice giggle mischievously. Oddly enough Naruko found her own mischievous giggle kind of enchanting and made notes to use it a bit more often for Twilight. Naruko’s eyes then widened as her other self or voice or whatever it was gave her images of a particular nature.

“That’s just wrong… Kind of hot… Wrong! Wrong! Is it considered bestiality if I’m a human turned pony and I find ponies really attractive?” she mentally asked.

She earned a deep chuckle from Kyuubi in reply. “I wouldn’t consider it that, but then again I am the Almighty Nine Tailed Fox,” he said.

“Shush Kyuubi. I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to the other voice or me or mental hallucination,” Naruko replied in full sincerity.

“Yeah… Let me get on that,” Kyuubi said hiding his deep concern over this development as he prepared.

Naruko actually smiled as she felt vindicated when the other voice grew nervous at Kyuubi getting serious about things. She then made a couple of shadow clones and hummed happily as she went about the paperwork. Her clones were actually a little worried for their boss and creator. It couldn’t be good if Naruko was this happy while doing paperwork.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko let out a mighty groan as she placed her signature on the last of the paperwork. She just sat there a moment staring out of focus and feeling really drained. “Hey Captain!” Derpy said cheerfully.

“Derpy… I love you but I’m seriously hoping you don’t have more paperwork for me. If you do… so help me. I will scream,” Naruko said as she tiredly raised a slightly sore hoof in warning. She had to actually do hoof stamps for several documents today along with signatures.

Derpy blushed as she swooned a little and placed a hoof on her cheek. “Gosh Captain. I like you a lot and I’m flattered, but I’m already happily taken.”

Naruko still wasn’t used to this little quirk of Derpy’s but she didn’t really dislike it. She could definitely see why Doctor Hooves fell in love with the mare. There was just something about her that was too damn endearing. She shook her head. “I didn’t really mean it like that Derpy. I meant I love you as a really good friend,” she clarified.

Derpy playfully tapped a hoof to her head as she gave an “Eh Heh,” sound. She then smiled and said, “I wasn’t here to give any more paperwork. Don’t worry, Naruko. I was merely coming to say goodbye for the day and ask if you wanted me to make you something to eat before I left in case you had more work to do.”

Naruko hid a happy sniff. There was the motherly side Derpy. Naruko sat up and smiled. “No need to worry about that. I…” Naruko looked from side to side as she said, “I actually finished it for today.” She then closed her eyes hoping the evil paperwork demon of the multiverse didn’t decide to curse her with more.

Nothing happened. Naruko sighed in relief.

“Anyways,” she started. “Thank you for your work today, Derpy. I was also wondering if you could do me a huge favor…”

“Sure! I'll take over for tomorrow. You really need rest. What are you planning?” Derpy said before Naruko asked.

Naruko wanted to sniff in happiness again. There was the reliable and touching side of Derpy. The reason why Naruko decided to have her be the second in command of the Ponyville Contingent.

“Thanks…” Naruko said not at all hiding the deep relief she felt. She then perked up a bit and smiled. “I’m going to the spa tomorrow with Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Rarity insisted on getting me the best package they have.”

Derpy nodded to that. “You could use it. I’m honestly surprised a pony as young as you has made it this long with your position and not completely lost it,” she said with a smile.

Naruko gave a nervous laugh and was thankful no pony knew what was currently going on with her. “Pinkie’s been working at Sugarcube Corner for a really long time. I’m sure it’s normal.”

Derpy frowned in concern here. “Baking part time is one thing. Patrolling full time is another thing. Pinkie doesn’t have to train others. The only paperwork she does is taking orders, printing receipts and making supply lists. You do a lot more than that. Don’t sell yourself short, Captain.”

Naruko just gave a curt nod to that. “Well have yourself good evening, Derpy. Thanks again. I really hate doing this too you since you are already going to be taking over on the day of the Gala, at least Bon Bon will watch things the day after the Gala until I get back,” she said with a smile.

“You’re welcome, Naruko. Don’t worry about that. I chose to be full time because I wanted to help out more,” Derpy replied with a bright smile as she left.

Shortly after Derpy left, Naruko got up and went to check in with Trixie for a bit before she left. She felt too exhausted to go back all the way to the library just yet. Plus, Trixie almost always helped with her mood.

Kyuubi chose that moment to speak to her and actually make her mood even better. “I’ve momentarily helped with the other… you… She won’t actively bother you for a while yet, but the thoughts she voiced to you throughout the day will still be there. You will have to do something more about her eventually,” he explained.

“Great! Thanks, Kyuubi! I can deal with the thoughts alone… well mostly. I’m sure after I’ve relaxed tomorrow at the spa I will be in a much better state of mind,” Naruko mentally said.

Kyuubi gave a sigh. “I’ll miss the lewdness, but maybe that will still be prominent enough in your mind to provide me hours of entertainment,” he said with a chuckle.

Naruko gave him a frown. “Don’t you have some training to do?” she asked him. Kyuubi replied with just another chuckle.

{-} {-} {-}

“Ooooo… Mmmmm… Nnnn…” Naruko let out a long, not so quiet, moan of pleasure as Aloe gave her a message. The pink spa pony couldn’t help but smile at the reaction she was getting from Naruko. Rarity was in a sea weed wrap currently. Twilight, Pinkie, and Rainbow were relaxing. Applejack was soaking in one of the baths nearby and Fluttershy was getting her hooves treated. Lotus actually seemed to be having a little trouble with them while Fluttershy just gave a blush as she smiled sheepishly. Her hooves needed to be treated fairly often given how much time she spent with her animal friends and she didn’t really do anything on her own for them.

“I’m actually surprised Applejack isn’t the one giving them trouble with her hooves,” Rainbow said.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at her friend. “And what do ya’ll mean about that?” she asked.

“I don’t mean anything bad about it. It’s just you know. You work a lot at the farm using them,” Rainbow explained.

Applejack gave a grin as she said, “Well in that case. It ain’t really to surprising. Ah mean my hooves go through a lot of rough treatment out at tha farm. We Apples always hafta take care of our hooves regularly.”

Rainbow might have said something else but just then Naruko let out another very pleased moan as she sighed in contentment. Rainbow actually giggled along with Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy was still feeling embarrassed about her hooves. Twilight had… mixed feelings. Naruko let out another moan as she stretched outwards. Twilight had some very mixed and curious feelings as her mind wandered to places unknown to her.

“Darling… You have been putting yourself through too much stress it seems. Don’t get me wrong, Aloe and Lotus blossom are simply divine with their attention, but still. You sound like one stressed out mare relaxing for the first time in years, putting it mildly,” Rarity said not catching a snicker from Rainbow who had chose another manner of description.

Naruko gave a hum of agreement as her already very wide and pleased grin tried to grow wider. It wasn’t having much success given it was at the max level already. “Yep… I was really in a state…” Naruko started with her eyes closed as she again responded strongly to Aloe’s expert care. Naruko even gave a giggle not really paying too much attention to what her mouth was saying. “It was to the point I was having lewd and pervy thoughts almost constantly it seemed.” The other ponies paused and blinked a little as Rainbow burst out laughing at Naruko’s lack of filter on her mouth currently.

Twilight blushed strongly. It was almost as if she was caught red hoofed by Celestia in a very inappropriate manner. She remained quiet trying to shift these new levels of thoughts to the back of her mind.

The blonde unicorn gave a pleased sigh as she gave a cute pout that Twilight’s current mindset enjoyed far too much. She then said, “Kyuubi was finding it way too entertaining and he kept teasing me about my teenaged pony hormones finally catching up…”

Aloe paused and her mouth hung open in shock. She couldn’t help but ask, “How old are you, Miss Uzumaki?”

“Sixteen…” Naruko answered hoping that wouldn’t be an issue.

“Wow…” Aloe replied as she got back to work. She found it very surprising the Grand Captain of the Ever-Free Patrol was so young. There weren’t any doubts about Naruko’s abilities, but it was still surprising. A lot of ponies would still be in school of some kind at that age, but then again there were plenty of examples in this room alone of the exception. She also realized Naruko was more or less finished with her schooling having been taught by Princess Celestia along with Twilight. It was still impressive the kind of ponies who found their way to Ponyville recently.

“Sounds like things were pretty rough for you. Do you like it that way?” Rainbow said trying to hide her snickers as she waggled her eyebrows unseen by Naruko.

“I don’t mind it… Wait… You’re talking about something else aren’t you?” Naruko said with a frown.

Rainbow snickered a little. “No idea what you’re talking about,” she said not really hiding her snickers as well as she thought.

“Regardless of if I like it rough or not…” Naruko started as Rainbow let out another loud laugh as Fluttershy’s blush deepened, but not because of all the work needed on her hooves this time. Twilight’s eyes had an odd look to them that none of the others noticed.

“Naruko, dear… Too much information. You really needed to de-stress if you're talking like this,” Rarity said.

Twilight was half tempted to say, “Not enough information.” However, she didn’t because that would just be wrong to say and she wasn’t fully sure why she wanted to say it so bad or what information she was hoping to gather.

Naruko blushed and nodded. “I was very tempted to set fire to the mountains of paperwork a few times, but I always remembered that would only lead to more paperwork,” she said with a sigh. She then gasped and moaned again as Aloe seemed to find a particularly stubborn knot.

“You were right about this, Doctor Rarity,” Naruko said with a giggle.

Rarity lifted her nose in the air as she jokingly replied, “The Fashion Doctor is never wrong!” The two shared a laugh which the others joined in on.

“Yep I really needed this… Even training with the other patrol members wasn’t enough to get my mind off of things,” Naruko admitted. She was secretly glad she hadn’t accidentally spilled the beans by saying Trixie’s name.

“Oooo. What kind of Training did you do? Was it fun? Was it exciting?!” Pinkie asked. She had been quiet just listening to the others oddly enough. Rainbow was still kind of giggling like a school girl.

“Mostly physical with some magic. I love training. It feels good to work the body like that. Derpy does have a way of making it more exciting. She has accidents every now and then, but they are always for the best,” Naruko answered as she again moaned in delight.

Rainbow let out a large boisterous laugh to Naruko’s answer. “Oh my god… Seriously! So who is the master… I mean mistress? How well have you been trained by this point?”

“Okay! That wasn’t on me,” Naruko replied as she looked towards Rarity who seemed to have sensed this and nodded in agreement.

Naruko and the others, minus Rarity and Twilight, gave Dash disapproving glares. Rainbow Dash just laughed out loud again and even seemed to have tears in her eyes from laughing so much. She finally calmed down and said, “He he he… Sorry guys… I just find it too funny… I mean Naruko of all ponies…” The others just sighed except for Naruko who involuntarily let out another moan on a different level of pleasure this time. Due to the timing of the moan the others including Rarity sort of giggled as well, except for Twilight.

Twilight was sure her mind had way too much ammunition for dreams and such after this spa trip. Not that she really minded this as she seemed to be nibbling on her lower lip to keep from saying something she would regret. She just really hoped Rainbow’s laughs wouldn’t get involved and mess things up.

Twilight was surprised at these new feelings she was having about certain things. They were a little bit troublesome but she was managing. She just had to make sure she hid her face. She saw Naruko’s expressions while the pony responded to the message and they were too much for her to deal with in front of the others in a proper ladylike manner.

Lotus Blossom gave a sigh as she checked on Rarity who whispered something to her. The pony nodded and told Aloe who nodded and took over on Fluttershy’s hooves. “This way if you will, Miss Uzumaki,” Lotus said to the blonde unicorn.

Naruko slipped off of the bed she was getting her message from and was a bit wobbly as she followed. The sight caused Rainbow Dash to giggle again earning a glare from Rarity that somehow transcended the cucumbers and sea weed leaves which cover her eyes. Rainbow actually gulped and sat down like a chastised filly.

After a minute she actually sighed and said, “Well pervy jokes aside…”

“You were the only one making them,” Applejack replied.

“Still… I’m actually a little worried for Naruko. I think we all need to try and spend more time with her or something,” Rainbow said. The others nodded to this. “Right Twilight?” she asked the one pony who didn’t respond with the others.

Twilight actually blinked before replying, “What?! Oh yeah! Time more Naruko with… Yep… sounds gooood…” She noticed the others were giving her questioning looks.

She cleared her throat and spoke again. “Yes. I do think that is a good idea. It won’t be easy though. The patrol is still small and it keeps her busy, but we can do it if we try. Oh yeah… Speaking of spending time together and the Gala. I actually got my parents permission to let us spend the night there so we won’t have to worry about getting back to Ponyville the same night. Naruko and I were thinking it would be fun to spend time after the Gala with each other. It ends early enough that if we don’t try to travel back that night we can do a lot to have fun,” she said with a smile.

Fluttershy was actually the first one to reply. “Really?!” she asked in a very excited manner. Twilight nodded. “Oooo maybe we can go to that Ramen place together or maybe some of those dance clubs we went to last time with Vinyl,” she said smiling and forgetting that she was in the middle of getting her hooves taken care of. Aloe wasn’t in a rush to calm her back down and appreciated the small break.

“Wait a minute!” Rainbow said loudly. “You mean to tell me. You, Twilight and Naruko partied with Vinyl?! In Canterlot?!” Both Fluttershy and Twilight nodded. “That is so awesome!” she said happily. She then looked at them with narrowed eyes and asked, “Hey… How come I wasn’t invited?”

“Ummm… It was just after that thing I told you about that I did with Naruko and we invited Pinkie because we saw her on the way though she couldn't make it, but it was very much a spontaneous thing. Sooo that's way,” Fluttershy said quietly in an apologetic manner.

“Yeah… ummm… It just kind of happened. Besides the only reason we even made it back to Ponyville that same night is because I decided somehow to Teleport the three of us all the way from Canterlot. It was a rather sooty choice…” Twilight explained.

Fluttershy gave a laugh. “All aboard the Twilight Express! Don’t mind the bumpiness. It isn’t permanent. Choo Choo,” she finished by pretending to pull on a train conductor’s whistle.

Twilight blushed to this as they all laughed. She even joined them, “Well I had been drinking a bit like you both and we did just finish dancing in the fountain.” Now Fluttershy blushed as she remembered Celestia commenting on that to her and Naruko in private. They all laughed again in response.

“Man… It sounds like I really missed an awesome time,” Rainbow said disappointed.

“Which is why we will just have to make up for it after the GALA! I mean only Twilight, Naruko and Fluttershy got to enjoy that night anyways so a lot of us weren’t there. I missed going, but I knew we would get another chance. Thanks for coming up with this plan Twilight!” Pinkie said quickly with a bright smile. She was going to get to go to two really super awesome parties that night it sounded. The whole group was getting excited again for the Gala. They were sure it was going to be the best night ever.

{-} {-} {-}

As the spa trip came to an end, a very pleased and refreshed Naruko who seemed to be kind of gone stumbled her way back into the part of the spa where the others were.“ Hey… everypony… I really loooove spas… I don’t think I can fully walk back yet, though,” Naruko said with huge grin. She then made her way over to Twilight and leaned on her and asked, “Twilight… would you carry me back? Or at least help me?” She leaned in close feeling very good and rubbed her cheek on Twilight’s.

Twilight blushed but was more than happy to help her best friend ever. She also liked the smells coming from Naruko. It seemed the spa ponies gave her a perfume treatment and even used some scented oils in her mane. Twilight thought Naruko looked very stunning at the moment.

“Thanks again, Rarity…” Naruko said with a hum.

“What did you have the spa ponies do to her?” Fluttershy asked Rarity quietly in curiosity.

Rarity blushed a little at Naurko's pleased state. “I told them to give her a deeper message and a horn filing. That is all.” Fluttershy nodded. She guessed it was very intense.

“Hey, Twilight…” Naruko started.

“Y-y-yes?” Twilight replied Naruko was really close to her and the wonderfully scented perfumes were starting to get to Twilight. She was sure it would be even more ammunition for dreams. She would completely surrender to them when they happened she was sure.

“That was my first horn filing… It was amazing… I swear it felt so good it should be criminal,” Naruko said. She then asked, “Have you ever had a horn filing?”

Twilight thought for a moment and shook her head in reply. "Well then sometime the two of us will have to come back here together and both get one,” Naruko decided. Fluttershy and Rarity were spa buddies, so maybe she and Twilight could be as well for each other among other things.

“I-I-I’d like that,” Twilight replied with a broad smile.

Rarity was really pleased with herself. Her spa trip idea had been perfect for them all. She was very surprised by Naruko, but it was still a complete success. What made it even better was tomorrow night was the Gala. She just knew it would be a night to remember!

Author's Notes:

I may have gotten a little carried away here with some things, but I’m not sorry. It was fun to write and I found a lot of it funny as well. I am hoping Naruko’s nerves don’t seem too out of place. I have been sort of hinting at her slowly mounting stress levels from her job and everything else. I figured given how much she was starting to feel left out. The mission the patrol had to deal with at the start of the chapter along with the approaching Gala (which will be next chapter if you couldn’t guess), would all sort of lead to her reaching boiling point or at least one of them.

I was originally planning on including the Gala with this, but felt it would be too much. I know have a really super long chapters and Fimfiction does have a bookmarking system, but the Gala and this all didn't really fit in the same chapter to me.

The Best Night Ever?

Naruko woke up the Day of the Gala feeling more refreshed than ever before and she was even humming along with the birds and bees of the morning. Kyuubi was wondering if maybe the effects of recent events had been more permanent than they originally seemed. The truth was Naruko actually felt that excited.

She was still excited and happy as she went with Twilight to meet the others to get their manes done and makeup and such for the Gala. “I did it!” Twilight said as she used her magic to make a lovely carriage for them out of an apple. She didn’t worry about how they would get the carriage to Canterlot because Celestia sent her a note explaining it. When the others asked this Twilight just smiled and said, “Don’t worry about it.”

Pinkie was surprisingly calm that morning as they got ready. This meant she only vibrated in place while humming instead of bouncing all around. Spike knocked on the door, “Hey can I come in already?”

Applejack was about to let him in but Rarity stopped her and said, “We’re in here getting dressed!”

“Ummm… You know Spike is a baby dragon, right?” Naruko asked.

Rarity didn’t say anything.

“Yeah. And it ain’t like we usually go around naked anyways ya know,” Applejack said sarcastically.

Rarity sighed and said, “Very well…” as she magicked the door open. She then said to Spike. “I am sorry dear, but some of us have decency standards while others don’t,” she said looking to a confused Applejack in particular.

“Aww man! I can’t believe we get to go to Canterlot together. That’s our home town!” Spike said in excitement as he smiled to Twilight and Naruko. “This is going to be so awesome. We can all hangout together all night long and everything. I can’t wait to show you all around.”

“Sorry Spike, but I can’t really do that. I’ll be dancing the night away at the Gala. I’m actually a little excited about that despite my earlier reservations,” Naruko said from where she was getting her Mane touched up. She was still going to keep it loose flowing, but she also wanted to give it a little curl.

“Yeah and I plan on hanging out with the coolest ponies ever! The Wonderbolts!” Rainbow Dash said grinning wildly.

“You mean the same ponies you saved the lives of at the flying competition not too long ago?” Naruko asked.

“Yeah! Except that was just three of them. They’re all going to be at the Gala,” Rainbow answered not fully realizing what Naruko was actually pointing out with her question. Naruko didn't really want to say it for fear of getting in a debate, but she actually considered Rainbow Dash cooler than the Wonderbolts.

“Ohh…” Spike said sounding a little down.

“Don’t worry, Spike. We’ll all have plenty of time to hang out together I’m sure, even if it ends up being after the Gala,” Twilight said.

“Oh! I can’t take it anymore!” Pinkie said before she started to bounce all over the place. “We’re going to the Gran Galloping GALA!!!!! It’s going to be the best party ever! I mean I’m sure our party afterwards will be totally amazing as well, but this is the GALA!” Pinkie said as her excitement finally got to her.

Spike seemed a little happier now as he smiled and said, “Okay.”

“Good! It worked!” Naruko said as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her mane style was successful. She then hummed a little as she started to work on her makeup.

“You two aren’t going to try and convince me not to spend the Gala with Prince Blueblood anymore?” Rarity asked a little surprised as she but on her fake eyelashes. Naruko and Twilight had been trying that and she figured they would give it one last try right before the Gala.

“Nope. We tried to tell you, but you’ve been rather insistent in this decision. We do want all of you to have a great time tonight,” Twilight said as she watched Naruko. She just came to a startling realization. She had never really seen Naruko all prettied up and everything before. She was never one for these kinds of events. Naruko had actually been to a few of them before even if she didn’t enjoy them too much. Twilight was beginning to wish she had gone to such events before tonight with Naruko.

“My, everypony does look lovely today,” Rarity said with a smile as she looked over her friends again, even Applejack had cleaned up nicely.

“Yeah, Naruko you really look beautiful tonight,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Thanks, Twilight. You do too,” Naruko said with a matching smile.

Twilight then looked to her other friends and added, “You all do as well.”

“Haven’t you two like seen each other dressed up and all fancy before?” Rainbow asked.

“No, we haven’t. Twilight and I may have spent a lot of time together in the castle, but we did have our own rooms,” Naruko said.

“Yeah. Naruko and I only spent probably about 85-95% of our waking hours together while we were at the castle studying under Celestia,” Twilight said and realized just how much of a presence Naruko had in her life since she first came to Equestria. She was actually missing the days when it was just her and Naruko again. She loved her other friends, but they weren’t Naruko.

“And Twilight isn’t much for these kinds of things. I’d get ready in my own room and then head to the events usually eager to get them over with. Tonight, I feel will be different from those nights,” Naruko said as she couldn’t help but pose a little in the mirror and smile. The action did not escape Twilight’s notice and it caused her heart to flutter a little.

“You mean you never saw Naruko off?” Pinkie asked Twilight.

She didn’t mean anything by it, but her words actually got to Twilight a little as the pony shook her head. “Maybe I really should try and dance with Naruko tonight or something instead of just visiting Celestia,” she thought with a little shame. A part of her felt like she was casting Naruko to the side and if that happened too often it would be very bad.

“She never did. Though her brother did a few times and he was my chaperon on more than one occasion,” Naruko said with a fond giggle. Shining Armor saw Naruko as another one of his little sisters given how close she and Twilight were. He wasn’t as over protective with Naruko as he was with Twilight, but Naruko had a multi-tailed massive fire fox also protecting her whereas Twilight did not. He figured he could afford to let Naruko out of his sight a little bit every so often.

“You have an older brother?!” Rarity asked with shock. This was important information and she should have known it!

“Yeah. His name’s Shining Armor. He’s a high ranking Captain in the Royal Guard and well respected,” Twilight easily replied. She wondered if Naruko would be considered his equal in rank or higher now that she thought about it.

“Interesting…” Rarity said with a hum.

Twilight gave her a look as she said, “Don’t even think about it, Rarity. It wouldn’t work out.”

“What?” Rarity said trying to play innocent but she still had a slight hint of guilt. She wasn’t going to admit it, but she was really interested in a stallion with such a gallant name and one she could actually form a quick bond with since Twilight and Naruko were her friends. Though she was still more interested in Prince Blueblood even if it was out of stubbornness to admit that maybe she had started to take Naruko’s and Twilight’s warnings to heart.

“You know what I mean… Rarity,” Twilight said and almost seemed to be considering using a fire spell on Rarity.

“Twilight gets very protective of her Big Brother Best Friend Forever or BBBFF for short,” Naruko explained. “What she means is it wouldn’t work out Rarity, because he is already seeing a marefriend.”

“Yeah and while you may be a fashion pony and dignified, you can’t match up to my old foal sitter,” Twilight said calming down a little.

“Who was your Foal sitter?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Twilight smiled with pride. “The literal Princess of Love!” she said beaming.

“P-p-princess Cadance?” Rarity asked in shock.

“Yep! The one and only!” Twilight replied.

Rarity looked to Naruko for conformation. “I never met her personally, but it is true. Twilight didn’t need a Foal sitter by the time we first met.”

Princess Cadance was a known princess, but she wasn’t as well-known as Princess Celestia or Princess Luna now. Due to her circumstance, Cadance spent most of her time after her ascension learning about being a princess and mostly out of the public eye. She got to spend a lot of time Foal Sitting Twilight when she was younger and grew close to Shining Armor as a result. It was a bit of a happy shock when Twilight learned the two were dating.

{-} {-} {-}

“Are you sure about not needing help getting our carriage to the Gala? I can help you know,” Rarity said as they left ready for the ball apart from their dresses which were waiting in the magical carriage. No pony bothered to point this out to Rarity who claimed Spike couldn't come in earlier because they were 'getting dressed'.

Twilight and Naruko smiled as two Royal guard unicorns approached them. “Ladies, we are ready once you get inside your carriage.” Rarity was blown away by this and luckily Fluttershy caught her and kept her standing.

Twilight looked them over and smiled. “You two work under my brother!” she said. The unicorn guards smiled and nodded. “So hard to tell when you guards are all in uniform with the cosmetic enchantment active.”

“We actually volunteered when Princess Celestia mentioned this job. Your brother was very thorough in making sure we met the cut for this mission,” the grey unicorn guard said.

“Well, thank you two for bearing with Shining,” Twilight said with a giggle and a smile.

“Royal guards! This is totally awesome,” Rainbow said as she entered the carriage.

“I keep telling you all Naruko is a very important pony. Yet you all still don’t seem to fully grasp that,” Twilight said with a playful shake of her head.

“Yeah and being pony nobility and having a brother who’s Royal Guard Captain doesn’t at all make you important,” Naruko said a teasing smile as Twilight blushed.

Rarity made sure to act the way a proper upstanding unicorn should once she recovered and entered the carriage last. “Thank you, boys. We will be in your care,” she said just as the unicorns smiled and used their magic to close the doors.

Once they were inside the magically spacious carriage, the ponies quickly changed and Spike went up top. He wanted to ride in the front. He also wanted to avoid all of the girl talk.

“Hey Applejack,” Pinkie asked.

“Yeah?” the farm pony replied.

“Just a smidgeon curious, but if things don’t exactly go as well with the sells as you think. Will you and your family be alright? I mean I totally don’t see why no pony wouldn’t want any of the delicious treats you’re bringing, but just in case,” Pinkie asked.

Applejack gave a good-hearted laugh. “Ain’t nothing to worry about, Pinkie. Mah family and I made sure this here Gala would be nothing but pure profit for us. I know it seems like Ah run the farm and I do to an extent, but Ah mostly just take care of things around the place. Big Mac takes care of most of they business side of things with Granny Smith occasionally helping out with some ponies. The numbers’ part and all of that Big Mac does. He used his numbers' magic, as Ah used ta call it, and made sure we wouldn’t be hurting if nothing sold as unlikely as that is,” she answered.

“So, then you will all be totally fine?” Pinkie asked. She would help if they needed it, but she didn’t think Applejack would sell much given most, if not all parties had free food. It wasn’t up to Apple Family standard, but fancy ponies went to the Gala to party the night away not necessarily to eat food.

“Things will be a bit on the tight side, but Cider season ain’t too far away. However, we really could use that extra money. Things always need a fixing up at the farm. Just comes with the territory I’m afraid,” Applejack explained as the others nodded in understanding.

Spike was humming to himself thinking about all of the things he would do with everypony tonight. He was a little startled when he heard a voice speak from next to him. “Seems like you’re ready for the night,” Kyuubi said.

“Kyuman. I didn’t know you were coming. How are you?” Spike asked.

“Fine tonight. I pretty much can go wherever Naruko goes. One of the benefits of being her partner and familiar. I don’t really go everywhere she does though, because I am my own being,” Kyuubi explained.

“That sounds kind of cool. What are you planning to do tonight then?” Spike asked.

“I plan on mostly observing the night. I know it will be very entertaining,” he said with a chuckle.

“Why do you say that? I get the feeling you don’t mean just watching the ponies dance,” Spike asked as he looked to his fox friend.

“They’re all going to a high society prestigious event for different reasons,” he answered as if that answered the question.

“And?” Spike asked.

Kyuubi chuckled.“ Pinkie Pie. Is. Going. To this event. The Gala is a very ‘luxurious’ event for high society rather snobbish ponies. Pinkie Pie is going there with plans of Partying the night away.” Kyuubi couldn’t hide his laugh to that and even Spike got a chuckle. “Do you want to join me in observing the night’s events?” Kyuubi asked Spike.

“Nah. I’ll be busy hanging out with all of them. I’m sure,” Spike replied.

“Then why are you out here and not in there?” Kyuubi asked as they both heard a chorus of pony giggles.

“Girl talk…” Spike answered and Kyuubi nodded in understanding. He would have found it entertaining watching one pony in particular but even that could get boring after a while.

Twilight was honestly a bit distracted seeing the combination of Naruko in her dress and actually wearing make-up. Naruko noticed and smiled to her. Twilight looked over her friend and blushed as the blonde unicorn smiled. Twilight was almost on the verge of forgetting why she wanted to visit the Gala in the first place. She could just be with Naruko all night and she would be perfectly happy if not in heaven, but she remembered Naruko was going to be dancing the entire night more or less with several different ponies. Twilight found herself wishing she could replace all of them, even if she couldn’t really dance. She would figure it out if she was dancing with Naruko she was sure.

“Okay… I will definitely make sure I get to dance with Naruko at least twice tonight. I’ll just take a little break from Celestia’s company to do so. I’m sure she would be fine with that. She might even encourage it,” Twilight thought to herself.

“Hello… Equestria to Twilight… Are you there, Twilight?” Rainbow asked though given her giggling face she was perfectly happy with just teasing Twilight like this.

“Ohhh umm yeah I’m here… Did you say something?” Twilight asked while trying to give an innocent smile.

“Sure, you’re here. You weren’t at all spaced out or anything and staring at Naruko,” Rainbow teased. She then finished her teasing off by making kissy faces at her friend between giggles causing Twilight to blush even more.

While the others were busy with their own discussions, Naruko overheard the two and blushed a little herself. She didn’t dislike the idea of kissing Twilight and that kind of confused her a little bit. “Come on Rainbow,” she said. “Twilight’s probably just a little nervous since she’s never really been to something like this before and she’ll get to see Celestia in a social setting for once in a long time.”

Rainbow sighed, “Alright… I was just joking. And it was only because Twilight was spaced out.” She then turned to Twilight and grinned as she said, “No hard feelings?”

Twilight thought she caught a blush on Naruko’s cheeks for a second there. She then turned to Rainbow and smiled as she said, “No hard feelings.”

{-} {-} {-}

The ride to the Gala was really enjoyed by the ponies inside the carriage. Spike enjoyed it because Kyuubi kept him company up top in the front. Kyuubi also kept Spike from getting carried away and almost using the reigns that were there just for decoration. Kyuubi knew the guards would only put up with such a thing because Spike was a baby dragon and precious to their boss’ little sister. The last thing they wanted to do was upset Shining’s sister and then for Shining Armor to get wind of what happened, which they were sure he would somehow even if Twilight didn't say anything.

As the seven friends stepped out of their carriage, they were struck in awe at the sight of the castle in front of them. Naruko and Twilight weren’t strangers to the palace, but they had never seen it done up like this with lights and even fireworks. The group of friends went on about what they were excited for as they crossed the draw bridge and entered the castle.

Once they entered, despite Spike’s claims of wanting to hang out with them all, the ponies went their separate ways. Well two ponies went in the same direction. Naruko was going to say hello to Princess Celestia before she helped herself to a glass of juice punch and began ‘socializing’. Twilight was on her way to meet with Celestia and spend most of the night with her. She was actually going slower than she originally planned since she had Naruko as company. She originally planned on running straight there, but she liked her present company.

“Saying hello first?” she asked in an odd attempt to start a conversation. She felt a little nervous about it for some reason. Perhaps it was the way Naruko was holding herself or maybe it was all of the attention Naruko was drawing from the other ponies.

“Of course. What kind of student would I be if I didn’t say hello to Princess Celestia. Once I start socializing and dancing there won’t be much time for me to do so otherwise and she did say she wanted to see me all dressed up when she gave us the tickets,” Naruko explained with a smile. Naruko was also enjoying this time with Twilight because she was sure it would be all the two got alone tonight.

Twilight blushed a little as they kept going. Some ponies were looking at her as well, even if they focused more on Naruko. Naruko was even giving the occasional wave and greeting to ponies they passed. Twilight felt she was unworthy of standing next to Naruko in this place, but she still stood as tall as she could on principle. She was feeling a little jealous of Naruko’s good posture though and how at ease the pony seemed in such a setting. “Has she really been to that many of these kinds of events?” Twilight wondered.

“Are you alright, Twilight?” Naruko asked in concern.

Twilight blushed again. “Just a little nervous…” she replied.

“I’m sure Celestia will be more than overjoyed to see you again and spend the evening with you,” Naruko said in comfort.

Twilight just gave a nervous laugh. “Not why I’m nervous,” she thought to herself.

“I’m really thirsty, Twilight. Do you mind if we take a detour to the juice punch bowl?” Naruko asked blushing a little bit just enough to drive any pony wild in Twilight’s opinion. Twilight just nodded in reply. “Great!” Naruko said. She was thankful for a little longer time with Twilight tonight.

Naruko let out a breath once she had a glass of punch in her magic field. “Sorry about this, Twilight. I didn’t really have much before we came here tonight,” Naruko admitted.

Twilight took a sip of her juice. “Same here,” she replied simply. She was blushing a little and felt really awkward. It was similar to the way Shining Armor described how he felt on his first date. Twilight wondered if maybe her feelings were similar towards Naruko as Shining’s were to his marefriend. She shook her head. “No. That isn’t it. I just feel out of place here, especially next to Naruko,” she told herself.

Naruko was worried maybe Twilight was getting upset they were taking time to get to Celestia. Maybe she shouldn’t try for anymore detours, or she shouldn’t have assumed Twilight was walking with her earlier. She never saw Twilight this nervous before except for before a test or when she was carrying on about possibly getting a super-secret pop test from Princess Celestia. This side of Twilight was a lot rarer since they moved to Ponyville, which Naruko thought was a good thing.

“Sorry for being so greedy, Twilight. I should have just let you go straight to Princess Celestia. I know that’s why you came here in the first place.” Naruko might have said the last part with an unintentional hint of disappointment. Twilight noticed the tone difference and would have asked about it, but she was too nervous. She was looking around and scared she might do something embarrassing like spill her drink on her dress or somepony else’s outfit. Twilight also had to admit something about the way Naruko sipped her punch entranced her.

Drinks successfully consumed, the two made their way over to Princess Celestia. Naruko seemed to be moving a little faster now. Twilight would have asked her to slow down but moving in these heels at this speed took more of her concentration than she liked and she had to focus.

Soon Princess Celestia was in sight and Twilight moved a little faster as she smiled brightly. She pretty much dragged Naruko with her while the pony grinned apologetically to the ponies waiting in line to greet the Princess. They were more intrigued than upset at the scene.

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight said in greeting with a bright smile.

“Oh Twilight, my faithful student! I’m so glad to see you,” Princess Celestia greeted in return.

“I was pretty much waiting for this the whole time since you gave me the tickets. There is so much I want to tell you,” Twilight said less cheerfully than she thought she would be originally, but still happy none the less.

“It is also good to see you as well my perceptive student, Naruko,” Celestia greeted with her ever radiant smile. “You look exceptionally wonderful tonight.”

Naruko smiled in return and did blush a little. It was hard not to with Princess Celestia. “Well Rarity does make wonderful dresses. I actually found myself eager to wear it tonight. It is wonderful to see you again Princess Celestia. Is Princess Luna taking care of the Royal Duties tonight, or well she be making an appearance?” she asked.

“My dear sister is busy tonight. She won’t be joining us I’m afraid,” Princess Celestia replied. Though there was a part of her that wished she could trade places with her sister at the moment.

“Well running Equestria is never an easy task and sadly it won’t take a break for events such as this,” Naruko replied before bowing again. “If you will excuse me, Princess Celestia. I believe the main hall is calling my name,” Naruko gave a wonderful and elegant smile. She could play the part of a lovely court mare when she wanted. The gathered ponies waiting in line were impressed by her decorum.

“I’ve never really seen her acting this way,” Twilight whispered to Princess Celestia. “Is she alright?”

Princess Celestia kept from snickering as she greeting a small group of ponies. She then whispered back to Twilight, “Well, you’ve never really see her in court mode before. She has become a bit popular with the elites for more than just her title.”

Twilight found herself having to close her jaw in amazement at her friend. She felt sad she didn’t know as much about Naruko like she first thought. She resolved to correct this after tonight. Twilight was also surprised by how many ponies greeted the Princess and did the same with her in turn.

{-} {-} {-}

Once they all separated, Fluttershy went straight to the gardens open for the Gala guests. She was disappointed, but not surprised how few ponies actually made use of the gardens tonight. Not that it really mattered to her. She had a mission.

Her mission had gotten off to a rocky start. She ended up being a little too enthusiastic when she tried to greet the animals. She thought the meadowlark was talking to her and beckoning her to come over and say hi, but the bird soon flew off. She looked for more and ignored the pony she came across who was seemingly tending to the gardens raking up fallen leaves while whistling.

She eventually turned to the old pony and asked, “Excuse me. But did you see a meadowlark fly this way?”

“Nope can’t say I have. I don’t usually pay attention to the animals though. They keep to themselves,” he replied before whistling in a manner oddly reminiscent to the bird she was looking for at the moment. She then heard some other animals and decided to go and say hi to them instead.

She tried to be calmer and sweeter this time, but the animals still left her when they could. She didn’t get it. “What am I doing wrong?” she thought. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was starting to get a little nervous things weren’t going the way she wanted.

{-} {-} {-}

“Come an’ get yer Apple goods. Fair prices for quality treats,” Applejack said as a group of ponies passed by her. They looked to her before chuckling to themselves. Applejack was remembering why she didn’t usually like fancy ponies. She wasn’t deterred from her goal though. The night was just getting started.

A couple of mares came up to her smiling. “Well howdy, you two,” she greeted.

The mares smiled to her in return and one asked, “Where did you get that lovely dress?”

“My friend Rarity made it for me. She sure knows how to make dresses,” Applejack replied.

“She does,” the other mare said this time as she looked over Applejack’s dress.

“So what can I get you two?” she asked.

“Oh!” the two mares replied in surprise. It was almost as if they weren’t even paying attention to the cart.

“I’m sorry… We won’t be getting anything to eat. It was difficult enough fitting in to these dresses for tonight. I’m really sorry,” the first mare said.

“No problem… If ya’ll ever change yer mind or happen to be in Ponyville be sure to look up the Apple Family especially since Cider season is coming up here real quick. Have yourselves a wonderful night,” Applejack replied with a smile.

The two mares walked away without purchasing anything, but they were eagerly chatting about Cider season and one of them even said she knew Apple family Cider was the best. “We should get all of the girls together and go there this year,” the second mare said.

The next pony that made their way over to Applejack and her stand was one of the Wonderbolts. He was even wearing the flight suit and everything. “Well howdy there partner. Nice seeing a Wonderbolt tonight after all,” she greeted.

“I suppose so. I’m Soarin and I sure am hungry,” he said.

“Well I’m Applejack. How Hungry are ya?” she asked.

“As a horse!” he said with a chuckle. Applejack chuckled as well.

“What can I do ya for? Carmel Apple? Apple pie? Candied Apple? Apple fries? Apple Fritters? Or just a good old regular apple?” she asked motioning to her wares in turn.

“I’ll take that big Apple Pie!” Soarin said with hungry eyes.

“Sure thing,” Applejack said as he handed over the correct bits and she gave him his pie. “Things seem to be looking up after all,” she said once he left.

{-} {-} {-}

Soarin didn’t need to go far before joining back up with the other Wonderbolts. Spitfire, the leader, chuckled. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you managed to find a pie already,” she said.

“You know me. Got to eat after practice or a show,” Soarin said with a grin.

Fleetfoot gave a giggle as she said, “Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without some sort of food, Soarin.”

The male pegasus grinned as he said, “That’s because you keep refusing to take me up on that date offer.” Spitfire chuckled to this as the other two ponies did after Fleetfoot blushed a little bit.

While laughing, Soarin accidentally lost balance of his pie and gasped about to cry out as it fell to the floor. Just then a rainbow colored streak zipped right to them and saved the pie from certain doom. “You saved it! Thanks!” Soarin replied.

Rainbow gave a giggle as she said, “No problem.”

As Soarin walked off with Fleetfoot following him closely, Spitfire actually noticed Rainbow. “Hey! You’re the one who saved us and won the competition.”

“Hay yeah! Name’s Rainbow Dash,” she replied acting cool and succeeding in doing so.

“Want to hang out with us tonight? You saved us having to hear Soarin’s stomach growling all night,” Spitefire said with a laugh.

Rainbow laughed as well and said, “Sure I guess I can.” She again played the part of the cool pegasus she was. But as soon as Spitefire was out of earshot Rainbow spoke again, “I. Get. To. Hang out. With the Wonderbolts!” She then gave a very uncool and instead extremely cute squeal of excitement before she followed. This night was looking up for her indeed.

{-} {-} {-}

Pinkie gave a sigh as she sat at a table near one of the refreshment tables. She had been so excited when she entered the dance floor area and bounced around everywhere singing and dancing in the middle of the dance floor. She grabbed two ponies she didn’t even notice and sweated nervously when she realized all eyes of the ponies were looking at her in disappointment. She also noticed Octavia had a slightly annoyed look on her face. It at least wasn’t as bad as the rest of the band.

Pinkie actually felt a little down already. She didn’t even know how to dance to this kind of music. She kept to side and mostly out of sight as she watched Naruko, who came in after her entrance, dancing with different ponies on the dance floor. She actually found herself a little jealous of Naruko, because the blonde unicorn knew this kind of dancing and seemed to be a hit with the ponies.

Octavia looked a little sad when she saw Pinkie sitting in the corner. She didn’t hate the pony. She actually like her. All of Ponyville did, but tonight Octavia just wanted this gig finished with already. She was really excited for what she had planned for later that night after the Gala. “It’s going to be amazing,” she thought to herself and started to smile a little. Patrons loved seeing her smile. It was always described as elegant and mysterious. She also appreciated seeing Naruko dancing and just knew her dress was something Rarity created few ponies matched that level of quality.

Pinkie gave out a sigh as she watched all of the ponies dancing. She didn’t really get the appeal. It was kind of slow. You couldn’t really let loose to this kind of music. She still wished she could at least dance to it like they were, even if it was slow. That would be better than just watching.

{-} {-} {-}

Rarity had spent most of her time since arriving searching for destined stallion, Prince Blueblood. She made sure to keep proper posture and appearance. She didn’t go too fast nor did she go too slow. She went at the right pace for such an elegant pony as herself.

Sadly, that made her progress much slower that she wished. She managed to catch a glimpse of him earlier, but that was too long ago for her liking. She was tempted to up her pace. She then stopped dead in her tracks as she entered the ballroom area and quickly moved to the side as her jaw dropped open. There was her destined love and he was dancing with Naruko of all ponies.

Naruko was taking her first short break when she was approached by one of the last ponies she wanted to see tonight. She took in a deep breath and let it out. She then turned around and wore a pleasant smile as she said, “Prince Blueblood. It is a pleasure to see you here tonight.”

Prince Blueblood gave a laugh many mares would find debonair, but not Naruko, as he spoke. “You know me well enough, Naruko. You know I wouldn’t miss such a fantastic event as the Grand Galloping Gala. I must say I am surprised to see you here though. Pleasantly surprised. But surprised never the less.” He flashed one of his heart throbbing smiles to her and Naruko returned it politely. She had hoped he would stop smiling like that to her, but he found her not easily impressed manner all the more intriguing as he usually did.

“Well your dear aunt Princess Celestia thought it was time I start making more appearances at such events. I will admit it is more enjoyable than I thought it would be,” she said honestly.

Prince Blueblood gave his laugh once again. “I have been telling both you and Twilight such things for a good while yet. I must say you look rather lovely tonight, Miss Naruko.” He then gave another chuckle as he ‘charmingly’ joked, “Almost as lovely as me.” He then gave another laugh which Naruko obliged with her own giggle that was charming.

Prince Blueblood then gave a slight nod and asked, “Would you allow me to honor you with a dance?”

Naruko took his offered hoof and replied, “I appreciate such an honor, Prince Blueblood. Would you be so kind?”

The Ponce laughed again and smiled as he said, “I believe so.” She then joined him for three back to back dances which he wouldn’t allow her to cut short. Naruko did have to admit despite his many annoying faults, Prince Blueblood was probably one of the best dancers at the Gala and it wasn’t from lack of trying by the other guests.

He talked to her about many things all of which mostly revolved around him though he actually threw in some good humor as well. Naruko also had to admit he was at least being more tolerable than usual tonight.

“So how has the Patrol been treating you, Naruko?” he asked to her surprise. She figured he was only going to talk about himself.

Naruko gave soft sigh as she asked, “Do you want the truth or the nicer version of the truth?”

“The truth of course,” he replied with a laugh.

“I really enjoy the times I actually get to go on a patrol round. Most of the time I am stuck behind a desk with paperwork. Surprisingly I haven’t set it on fire yet,” she answered and he chuckled in response to her.

He then smirked as he leaned in closer and said to her conspiratorially, “I find it enjoyable to make magical copies of the stacks purely for setting fire to while experimenting with the colors.”

Naruko actually let out a genuine laugh and smile to that. “I must say you can be surprisingly more charming than others claim. I might have to just copy your idea.”

“We could compare notes,” he said again getting a genuine laugh and smile from her.

“Be careful, Prince Blueblood. We might actually have too much fun with this plan of yours,” she said with a mischievous smile causing him to laugh again.

By the time they were finished with their three back to back dances which actually had faster tempos by the end, Naruko found herself breathing just a little harder. Her cheeks were lightly flushed and her mane was a little bit damp in just the right way as her eyes fluttered a little. She couldn’t believe that he had gotten her heart to beat like this and the stance they were in was oddly restful and thrilling. She could tell he was supporting her with his weight and muscle. She also couldn’t help but look into his eyes because of the stance.

Prince Blueblood found Naruko rather ravishing in her current state. He blinked a little and smiled at the picture of her there in his hooves on the dance floor. He never said it to many, but he found Naruko one of the few mares that could keep up with him when dancing. She might at times be a little stiff, but he knew her ‘stiffness’ his aunt kept mentioning to her was just an excuse Celestia used to get Naruko out there more with the other Canterlot elite ponies. That way she would have even more practice and experience when she actually had to attend foreign events such as these for diplomatic reasons in the future due to her status.

He was sure Naruko knew this in the back of her mind somewhere, but she might not in reality. After all, while Naruko was the perceptive student, there really wasn’t much chance she stood against his aunt who had been around for thousands of years when she really tried. Kyuubi did help Naruko, but he too wasn’t as experienced in life as Aunt Celestia, even if he was much closer to her level.

Prince Blueblood gave Naruko a few seconds to catch her breath while he held her in their last stance of the dance. Once she had caught her breath, he gave her a proper deep bow. “It seems the honor of the dance was mine to have after all, Naruko. Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night.”

“I enjoyed our dances, Prince Blueblood. Thank you and enjoy your night,” she said in reply. He gave a small smile and a nod in reply. Naruko blushed a little despite herself as she made her way over to the refreshment table for a glass of punch. She felt confused by Princes Blueblood. He was actually much closer to what mares claimed he was like in their dreams tonight. He was still full of himself, but it seemed he could be almost likable when he wanted to be.

“Why does he have to be such a great dancer?” she asked herself. It would be easier to keep writing him off as Ponce Blueblood if he wasn’t. She still couldn’t believe he got her heart to actually flutter. She was sure a couple of days back at the palace around him would be enough for her to get over this at least.

Naruko felt a little uneasy as she noticed there were a lot of ponies looking at her more intently now. Several mares were looking at her with jealousy, but oddly there was one pair that really seemed to be staring daggers at her. She looked around but the dagger eyes were already gone.

After what amounted to a one song break, the gates were open again and the stallions rushed in to ask her for dances. Naruko took in a deep breath and got back to it with a pleasant smile. She hoped Prince Blueblood hadn’t charmed her on the dance floor too much so all of the other dances wouldn’t be enjoyable. She was also wondering if he did it on purpose to in essence leave his mark on her for the night or something.

{-} {-} {-}

Applejack gave a sigh. Her night hadn’t been working out like she planned it to work out. She had made a few sells, but most of the ponies who approached her weren’t hungry it seemed. Many asked her about her dress. Applejack made the best of a bad situation and happily told everypony who asked that it was her friend Rarity from Ponyville who made the dress. She hoped to at least have drummed up some future business for her friend if nothing else.

Some ponies had asked her about the Apple family farms and she happily told them all about her family. Applejack was hoping to have earned some future business for them all as well. So, the night wasn’t as successful as she wanted it to be, but it wasn’t a total loss. “Sure, am glad Big Mac set things up with his numbers’ magic. Otherwise this would have be a total disaster,” Applejack mused to herself.

{-} {-} {-}

Rainbow Dash sighed yet again. She had tried to impress the Wonderbolts throughout the night to get their attention, but it was to no avail. She had to admit hanging out with them in this setting wasn’t anywhere near as cool as she thought it would be. She found the refreshments weren’t too bad at least.

There was also the level of noise in this VIP area. All of the ponies were chattering away and trying to out do the others in an effort to be heard. There wasn’t even music playing in the background of the area.

Rainbow Dash stood up and decided to make her way out of the VIP section. She was tempted to tell Spitfire she was leaving for the dance room, but she realized her absence wouldn’t be noticed. “They probably wouldn’t even hear me anyways if I tried,” she thought as she left.

“Maybe Pinkie will have the dancefloor really kicking by now!” Rainbow thought with a little anticipation.

{-} {-} {-}

“Okay… We totally have to find out how Naruko does it sometime. She’s totally having a blast and not just pretending by this point. Then there was that whole thing with Prince Blueblood… I really hope Rarity didn’t happen to see that. It was intense! Who knew ballroom dancing could be so… hot! And fun!” Pinkie thought as she munched on a cupcake. It wasn’t as good as the ones she made, but it was better than nothing.

Her pony watching wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t a lot of fun either and she was both surprised and upset Naruko hadn’t even noticed she was in the same room. “Granted it is a big room and there are a lot of ponies and she is dancing a whole lot. Was that a mare she just danced with?” Pinkie wondered as she used her hooves as binoculars. “It was! Twilight is so going to hate that she missed this chance. I just know it!” Pinkie replied to herself.

Okay so pony watching was turning out to be more fun than she thought it was earlier. She still wished she could be partying it up here, but it seemed the ponies weren’t into that kind of thing. She was tempted to try and get them to all do the Pony Pokey, but she didn’t want to interrupt Naruko’s dancing marathon. She also had a feeling even the Pony Pokey wouldn’t work here with these ponies in this setting.

“Hey, Pinkie…” Rainbow said in surprise. “What are you doing over here?” she asked. She had found her pink pony friend right away since she kind of hovered into the area.

“Watching Naruko,” Pinkie replied casually.

“Naruko’s here?” Rainbow asked. “Maybe she’ll want to hang out with us as well and we can like get this party started or something.” She looked around for her blonde unicorn friend.

“If you think you can get her away from the sea of ponies eager to dance with her,” Pinkie said. “Oooo… I remember him from the fashion show.”

Rainbow wasn’t sure how it was Pinkie was able to make out any ponies from where they were sitting. She continued looking around for any other ponies she knew. It was half way through the second song when she saw someone. “What’s Twilight doing here?” she asked not expecting an answer. Twilight was paused in mid step with awe it seemed. “Where’s she… Oh…” Rainbow said as she finally found Naruko. She also couldn’t believe this ballroom dancing could be so awesome as she watched.

“I didn’t even know it could be that fast moving…” Pinkie admitted still looking through her invisible air binoculars.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight sighed again. She had been trying to get a word in with Celestia the whole time. She never got past one partially completed sentence. Princess Celestia was trying to hold the conversation as well, but her constant greetings and welcomes caused her to lose track of their conversation.

Twilight was even further surprised just how many ponies wanted to greet her and shook her hooves. It was really weird to be acknowledged this way. She liked it at first, but quickly grew tired of it. She was impressed Celestia was able to keep it up for so long. It was another bullet point for the “Princess Celestia is Amazing” list.

Regardless, of how impressed she was with Celestia the truth was she was growing both annoyed and bored of her original plan. “I told myself I should probably have planned to spend the night with Naruko instead,” she thought. She looked around carefully to see if she would really be missed. She came to the conclusion she wouldn’t be missed.

“Princess Celestia, I have… enjoyed our time together tonight, but I think I want to visit the ballroom,” Twilight said as she started to make her exit.

“If you wish Twilight,” Princess Celestia replied with a wink. Twilight smiled to that and shot off as fast as her heels would allow.

When she entered the Ballroom area, she was blow away by how the always “Too stiff” Naruko was dancing with Hoity Toity. They were seemingly gliding across the dancefloor. It wasn’t to the level things were at the swing club they visited with Vinyl that one time, but it was pretty close. Twilight saw how much Naruko was enjoying herself and she really wished she was the one dancing out there with Naruko instead. She couldn’t believe she was jealous of Hoity Toity.

{-} {-} {-}

It had been mostly non-stop dancing for Naruko after Blueblood left her. Sadly, like she feared, it seemed Blueblood had been too charming on the dance floor. Fortunately, it was still fun to dance at least, but no pony was matching up to him. Naruko was mentally cursing him for having been too good for the night.

She did get a kick out of dancing with a couple of mares who wanted to just for fun. The other ponies seemed to really enjoy it as well. Naruko supposed it made sense. The mares she danced with were beautiful so the stallions got to have a show of two pretty mares dancing with each other. Since they were both mares they really let loose a little as well.

She got to have another short break for another glass of punch. She was thankful for the refreshment. Dancing was surprisingly a bit sweaty even if she had managed not to sweat through her dress.

“Well… I must admit I am glad you convinced me to give your friend a second chance. That dress is simply amazing and the fabric choice perfect for all of the dancing you’ve been doing,” a welcomed voice said from behind her.

Naruko gave a giggle as she turned around and smiled. “It is good to see you, Hoity Toity. No surprise you look as fashionable as ever. I didn’t even know that about dress fabrics.”

“You aren’t a dress making pony so you don’t need to know that, but it does make difference,” Hoity said as he hinted to some of the other ponies in the area.

Naruko took notice some of them were worse for wear than she was, even if the ponies were being careful with their outfits. They weren’t looking like scraps of cloth or anything like that, but she could tell they wouldn’t stand up to all of the dancing she did.

“I’ll have to do something special for Rarity in thanks,” she said. “How have you been tonight?” she asked politely.

“Marvelous! I’ve always loved dances and events like this. Prince Blueblood is probably one of the few ponies who enjoys them more than me. Speaking of dances…” Hoity started. He then gave a deep bow with a flourish. “Would you do me the honor dancing with me?” he asked.

Naruko smiled as she said, “Who would I be to turn down such an offer, especially when you are seemingly in a most agreeable mood.”

Hoity chuckled. “I am afraid however I must request two dances.”

“Why is that?” Naruko asked curiously.

“One for the lovely dress you are wearing and one for the lovely mare in front of my eyes,” he said as he looked to her.

Naruko actually blushed a little bit. She never knew he could be so charming himself. “Like I said. Who would I be to turn down such an offer,” she replied as she took his offered hoof and he led the way to the dance floor. She preferred his company because it wouldn’t be as crazy distracting as Prince Blueblood was. She knew Hoity Toity when he was in his best and most polite form as well as when he was being snobby at times. He was also a great dancer.

The first dance was really nice and he held a pleasant conversation. Naruko enjoyed it and found herself actually enjoying the Gala overall. She hoped her friends were enjoying it as much, but at the moment the only thing she could think of was dancing and her dance partner.

When the second song started and she recognized the tune for the dance style it signified, she couldn’t help but give Hoity a playful smile. "My my, Hoity. I have to wonder if you set this up with the band on purpose. Everypony knows you are one of the best at the Quick Step.”

Hoity Toity gave an overly dramatic gasp at that. “Who’s to say I am not simply that well known for my quickstep that the band chose this song of their own accord when the saw who my lovely dance partner was. I am shocked. Shocked! I tell you. that you would think such a thing, Miss Uzumaki.” If his gasp hadn’t instantly transformed into a grin, Naruko might have thought she upset him. Since he was grinning, Naruko couldn’t help but giggle at his playing along with her.

“Well then… I think I am ready for the Hoity Quick Step test,” Naruko said with a mischievous grin.

Hoity matched her mischievous grin with his own mischievous grin. “I was hoping you would say that. Let’s show them how it’s done then, shall we?” He said as she giggled and they took off. Some of the gathered ponies watched in awe as Hoity and Naruko glided across the dance floor.

Hoity was good at the dance and adding in moves to it. Naruko was surprised how well she was able to keep up, but she loved it. The tune was well played for this and Naruko could have sworn Octavia winked at her as they glided past the band stage.

When the dance was over, Hoity held their last step giving Naruko a moment to catch her breath. Her heart was beating with joy and excitement. She felt light but in addition a little exhausted. There was also a certain sense of satisfaction she felt. It was odd. She had enjoyed plenty of dances, but nothing like some of the ones tonight at the Gala. Perhaps Celestia was in a way leveling her up or something.

Naruko didn’t think about that as she just enjoyed the rush of having completed a wonderful dance. Hoity Toity even finished them off was a twirl where they actually faced several gathered ponies who clapped and a couple even cheered. Naruko couldn’t help but give an enchanting laugh as she smiled brightly and looked to Hoity Toity before thanking him and the two going their separate ways.

Naruko’s heart was still beating fast and she felt very pleasantly warm as she shivered a little in ecstasy from the dance rush. She was pretty sure her mane was rather sweaty now and would need a touch up in the restroom, but she didn’t want to leave the dance room for some reason. She was also glad her makeup wasn’t runny or anything.

“Naruko…” she heard a voice softly speak to her.

Naruko turned around and smiled. “Twilight! What are you doing here? Did you decide to check on me? Taking a break from being with Celestia to say hi?” she asked.

Twilight sighed to that though Naruko was confused why. “Care for a bit of a rest?” Twilight asked.

Naruko nodded as she and Twilight went to get some refreshments and find a spot to sit down. The ponies decided Naruko deserved a break after her dance/performance with Hoity Toity. Naruko was pleased with this. She would have turned down any ponies who asked her for a dance at the moment to recover, but this way she didn’t have to use excuses.

“Did you see that?!” Naruko asked Twilight as they sat down.

“I did… I never knew you were that good. It looked like a lot of fun,” Twilight said a little wistfully.

“Oh, it was! Hoity Toity is one of the best dancers and Quick Step is his favorite,” Naruko explained as she seemed to gush.

“Sounds like you’ve been enjoying the dance so far,” Twilight said.

“I have. I’m sure everypony is enjoying the night. I don’t know where the others are though. The biggest surprise tonight for me so far was Prince Blueblood,” Naruko said enthusiastically.

“What?!” Twilight asked in shock. She was surprised her mood was already getting better just sitting with Naruko like this. “I totally should have wanted to spend my time with her instead. I’m making sure she dances with me at least once even if I’m not that great,” she added mentally as she listened.

“I know… I was surprised too. He was actually acting like Rarity dreamed he would. I wonder if she found him and if they are having a good time. I doubt he would just act that way towards me alone,” Naruko said.

“Who knows, but that is surprising he was actually being a Prince Charming tonight,” Twilight said with a giggle that Naruko matched.

“After we rest for a bit longer, do you want to dance a couple of times with me, Twi?” Naruko asked. She was very hopeful Twilight would agree.

The purple unicorn couldn’t help but give a broad grin. “I would like that. I’ll have to try not to get too carried away and ruin our dance,” she answered.

Naruko’s heart felt extra light to that. She was actually thinking about calling this the best night ever, but she didn’t yet. She instead hugged Twilight tightly and smiled. “Thanks! I was actually afraid you wouldn’t want to spend any more time with me at the Gala tonight.”

Twilight returned the hug and didn’t dare mention how sweaty Naruko was. She actually kind of liked this weird sweaty hug. Maybe it was because it felt like the purest Naruko hug she had received in a long time. Maybe the Gala was going to be a good memory after all. She fully realized her best part of the night was spent with Naruko already instead of Princess Celestia. It was something more to think on later.

As the two ponies held the hug, they were surprised when the doors to the ballroom burst open and they could hear shouting from a familiar voice. Instead of immediately panicking and reacting, both Twilight and Naruko gave frustrated sighs.

“Damn it… I love Rarity as a friend, but I swear she seems to have the best timing at ruining things for us lately…” Naruko said not realizing she did so out loud in her anger at being denied more precious Twilight time yet again.

“Yeah…” Twilight muttered in agreement. Just when she was about to think the night might be a good time Rarity had to happen. The two ponies then got up and went to see what was going on with Rarity. She was still their friend and they wanted to try and help her out if they could.

{-} {-} {-}

Rarity gave a disgusted look to the side after Ponce Blueblood insisted on using her cloak to cover a spill. She even had to use her own magic to place it now that the moment fully registered. Things had started out so well despite what happened between Naruko and Blueblood earlier.

---- Flashback starts ----

Rarity felt a little betrayed by Naruko with the way the pony was having such a wonderful time with Prince Blueblood. She also felt an immense level of jealousy from nowhere. It got so bad for her she had to leave the ballroom area, because she didn’t want to do something she would regret or ruin her friend's night.

She went to a balcony to get some fresh air. Once she calmed down, she was pleasantly surprised by his sudden appearance on the opposite side of the sizable balcony. She stood up taller and briefly touched up her mane with a quick spell. She made her way over to him with her most charming smile. “You are Prince Blueblood correct?” she asked in a friendly manner.

“Why yes, I am,” he replied as he looked her over. He had to admit she was a very beautiful mare, but he was wondering if she was one of those types. He would have to see as he spent some time with her. “Who are you? May I ask,” he said.

“I am Rarity… What a lovely rose,” she stated as he floated one up he just picked from the garden below.

“You mean this rose?” He asked with a smile. Rarity nodded and was thinking he was about to do something very romantic. Instead he continued speaking, “Thank you. It matches my eyes and will make the perfect accent,” he said as he tucked it in the upper pocket of his tux outfit.

Rarity groaned in disappointment. He was acting completely different from how he did with Naruko earlier. “Maybe he just needs time to warm up his charm again,” she tried to convince herself. She decided to make conversation as he motioned for her to accompany him. “So, what do you think of the Gala?” she asked.

“It is rather lovely I will admit, but I have been to better. How about yourself, Miss Rarity what do you think of it?” He asked. Rarity was about to say something, but he cut her off with a laugh which he thought sounded good-natured and wonderful. “Silly me. It is obvious you have never been to one before. Otherwise I would remember such a beauty as yourself,” he said and gave a really far too big smile.

Rarity wasn’t sure what to think. She felt insulted but also complimented. He said she was a memorable beauty, but the way he said it was obviously her first Gala made it seem like he thought her without much social class or something. It really got to her, but she was strong and determined to prove Prince Blueblood was every bit as charming as she dreamed he was. She did her best to continue conversing with him.

{-} {-} {-}

It was obvious now that Prince Blueblood was a talker to Rarity. She loved ponies who talked plenty, but the problem here is that he kept talking and talking and the subject was pretty much always himself. He didn’t even really give her much chance to answer the rare questions he asked her.

They eventually went back into the Ballroom and Rarity was thinking that maybe he was just more comfortable on the dance floor and his true and wonderful self would come out there. They shared one dance. He seemed… disappointed. Rarity didn’t get it, she was an alright dancer even if he was plenty better than her. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t have much time for practice and Ponyville didn’t exactly have dance schools or anything.

“I’m guessing you don’t have much experience in dancing,” he said.

“Well… No. I’m quick study, but I’m always busy,” she explained.

“Well then shall we go somewhere else then?” he asked before not even listening to her reply as he led the way off the dance floor.

Rarity was getting a little annoyed. She was going to talk about how she didn’t have much time because she was always working on dresses. She was even going to point out several of the dresses she saw ponies wearing that she had made. She didn’t like how he made it seem like she wasn’t allowed to say much because she wasn’t great at dancing or something.

“Give him time, Rarity… He is no doubt eager to change the setting so he can properly wow me,” she tried to convince herself.

They were again walking in the garden along a wonderful stone path way. “This is really beautiful,” Rarity commented.

Prince Blueblood chuckled. “Of course, it is. This is the palace after all. But I know the best spots here.” He continued leading and she eagerly followed.

Rarity again didn’t like his tone with her. He was treating her like some sort of country bumpkin mare it felt like. The two were under a tree on a small hill in a grove of trees. There were only a few other ponies here and it was a lovely spot. Rarity thought things were turning around again when he pulled out a lovely cushion and placed it on the ground. He managed to ruin that moment with ease by sitting down on it and taking up all of the space.

They hadn’t sat down long, or well he hadn’t sat down long, before he was up again and leading the way once more. Rarity gave a sigh. “It really seems Naruko and Twilight were right about him. But why was he so charming towards Naruko on the dance floor earlier?” she wondered.

“Miss Rarity! Stop!” he said suddenly stopping her in place. They had just entered the VIP section which was very noisy and there was a spilled drink in front of them.

“Oh my…” she said her eyes sparkling a little now. “How chivalrous, Prince Blueblood,” she said her voice taking on a dreamy quality again. He was finally redeeming himself after all.

“One would not want to slip on such a floor,” he said seemingly ignoring her words completely.

Rarity kept smiling as she said, “Obviously not.”

“One’s cloak should take care of the problem,” He said again seeming to have not even registered her words.

“Oh, of course it will,” Rarity replied a little confused. She knew his outfit didn’t have such an accessory.

She then noticed he was motioning to her cloak. Rarity looked around in awe of his audacity at such a thing. She was too blown away by his behavior she didn’t think to even mention they could just walk around the spilled drink. There was plenty of room in the area. Instead she just held her confused look as she floated her cloak on to the ground to cover the spill and watched as he walked across it while holding his head up high.

---- End of Flashback ----

Blueblood said something she wasn’t paying attention to as she looked to the side unimpressed and replied with a bored, “Hnnh.” She kept walking and rolled her eyes every so often uncaring if he noticed or not. He didn’t since he was in front and not even walking by her side. “Naruko and Twilight were completely right about him…” she thought. She then let out a sigh as her shoulders sagged a moment. “They’re never going to let me live this down... Are they?”

When she looked up again, she was immensely relieved they were walking the grounds and were close to Applejack’s stand. She smiled brightly and trotted up to the stand. Prince Blueblood was curious about this development and caught up. He tried not to let the hunger show in his eyes as he spotted the assortment of treats.

“Applejack! Sooo good to see you. How has your night been?” Rarity asked.

“Better…” Applejack replied lazily. “How has yours been?” she asked.

“Ha ha heh...” Rarity replied with a humorless chuckle.

Prince Blueblood was thinking that maybe he was wrong about this mare. He had tested her throughout the night and written her off as both easy on the eyes and an easy mare desperately wanting to get with a high society pony. She didn’t even call him out on using her cloak to step through a spilled drink when they could have easily walked around it. He came up with one last test as the two clearly friends talked a little to each other.

“So, are you two ponies hungry?” Applejack asked with a smile.

Rarity looked to Blueblood who once again had his nose in the air as he said, “I suppose so…”

Rarity smiled and ordered some food. She then expected him to pay. He in turn cleared his throat at her. She cleared her throat even louder back at him. Prince Blueblood was actually finding the exchange a lot of fun. He cleared his throat once more and looked pointedly at her.

This was actually rather enjoyable for him so far. He was beginning to think he was wrong about her and if she passed this test of his he would find a way to make it up to her. She then failed it by simply sighing and saying, “I’m going to have to pay. Aren’t I.” He gave a smug look as she got the food.

He was a little surprised when Applejack gave a friendly smile and said, “Don't worry about it, Rarity. This one’s on me.”

“Thank you, Applejack. At least somepony knows what common decency is and has proper manners,” she said not at all hiding her disdain at a certain prince standing next to her.

Prince Blueblood decided to give her one last chance. He took the food and ate it. Actually, enjoyed the taste because Apple family products were that good. He then pretended to vomit as he screeched, “Apple fritters! Apple pies! Candied Apples! My lips have been tainted by common folk fair food! I’m going to the buffet for some… hors d'oeuvres.” He added a grimace as if even such food was beneath him.

Rarity just gave an “Ugh…” before following him.

The prince’s smirk grew. He was thinking about using her for a quickie now. She clearly only cared about getting his attention. He had just insulted her friend’s food and the pony’s generosity of giving it to them free. It didn’t at all occur to him that in her mind Rarity was poking him with a pitchfork and turning him on a rotisserie over an open white-hot flame with a very evil grin. She was just that in control of her emotions and believed in standards enough not to act on her thoughts.

{-} {-} {-}

“Well Jee golly… Ah guess I should have expected a party like this to have free highfalutin fancy food,” she said. She then gave a sigh packed up her wagon really quick and decided to head inside and at least see the ballroom and hopefully some of the others for the rest of the Gala or maybe convince them to leave early if their nights weren’t much better.

When Applejack entered the ballroom, she was blown away by the dance Naruko and Hoity Toity did on the dancefloor and it seemed several others were as well. She then noticed Naruko and Twilight disappeared to somewhere to probably finally spend some time alone together.

“Hey, AJ!” she heard Rainbow Dash call and wave her over. It looked like Rainbow hadn’t been there long either and she was sitting with a clam but oddly contented Pinkie Pie at a table.

Applejack came over and gave a laugh. “Ah’m guessing ya’lls night went about as well as mine did if you’re both here.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes but smiled a little. Pinkie Pie seemed happier than she was a moment ago and nodded agreement. “Have you seen Rarity or Fluttershy?” Pinkie asked.

“Ah saw Rarity earlier it looked like her night was actually going worse. I don’t understand why she hasn’t ditched that no good prince fellow,” Applejack replied.

“Probably just to prove a point,” Rainbow said. “I guess no one’s seen Fluttershy then. It looks like Naruko who only planned on dancing the whole night actually enjoyed herself.”

“Yeah… Who would have thought going to a fancy ball to dance would actually be the best idea,” Pinkie said in a manner the other two weren’t sure if she was joking or actually seriously hadn't thought of that. It was at that moment they heard a door burst open and shouting. They got up to see what was going on now.

{-} {-} {-}

“I will not set his mane on fire… I will not set his mane on fire… So much mane product that it might explode and set the castle on fire. I don’t even use that much,” Rarity thought to herself as she followed Ponce Blueblood back to the ballroom. She was planning to ditch him there as she excused herself to the little fillies’ room to freshen up.

However, he stopped just in front of the doors and turned to face her. Rarity was confused about this and might have remained so if it wasn’t for his look. He was smirking at her in a way that it was almost a sneer.

“I hope you enjoyed the honor and privilege of being allowed to accompany me for so long. I was half tempted to take you to my bedchamber for some fun, but even I have enough standards not to do that to a mare, even if she is as easy as you are. It is obvious a mare such as yourself will never get to enjoy such an event again. So, enjoy the rest of your night elsewhere and out of my sight,” Prince Blueblood said in a manner he somehow thought was both condescending and polite. It was only something he would think possible. When he saw what looked like fire in Rarity’s eyes as she glared at him, he knew he messed up bad and went too far.

“A mare like me?!” she said her eye twitching. “A mare like me?! You are lucky I don’t throw you off that balcony! I may not be as powerful as my friends Naruko and Twilight, but it is obvious I am much more than you will ever be! You can’t even use your magic to hover a cloak or open doors!” She blasted him through the doors at that moment.

Prince Blueblood was more terrified in that moment than he could remember as he tried to scramble backwards and a way from Rarity. “Get back! Get back you… you… you crazy mare you!” he shouted drawing attention from all of the ponies in the ballroom. He was hoping they would help him, but it didn’t seem like they were brave enough.

“Crazy...?” Rarity said even angrier than she already was. “I’ll show you crazy!” She then used her horn’s magic to levitate several pies and desserts in the air and threw them at him. They were about to hit pans, plates, food and all when a familiar light blue shield popped up just in front of Prince Blueblood for everything to hit instead.

Rarity blinked and looked up to see a deeply concerned Naruko and very surprised Twilight along with the rest of her friends minus Fluttershy. She did wonder where Fluttershy was before she realized what she had just done and blushed. She was scared no pony would ever forget this scene and would actually think she was just some crazy mare.

“I did that to help Rarity and keep her from making a huge mistake… Yep… that was it. If she actually hurt the ponce with those plates Celestia and the royal guard would have to act. It was not for any other reason at all. For sure not because I for a bit there actually though the ponce was charming when he wanted to be and maybe half way decent…” Naruko told herself to explain why she protected Prince Blueblood instead of just stopping Rarity.

“She… She… She’s crazy…” Prince Blueblood said looking up to his savior with as much surprise and admiration as he could.

Naruko gave a frown as she said, “She might be… For putting up with you for as long as she did. Rarity doesn’t get angry easy and has remarkable patience. If you did something to get her this angry. It’s on you.” She then sighed, “And to think I was actually momentarily charmed by you earlier tonight.”

Rarity was once again thinking about self-imposed exile and much more. The ponies were just about to start whispering about her or maybe scowl at her, but just then everypony heard something that sounded like a stampede approaching from the gardens and paused in what they were doing.

{-} {-} {-}

“Tee heh…” a psycho looking beautiful pegasus giggled cutely. “Come out my little pretties… I won’t hurt you… I just want to say hello…” she then added not sounding so cute anymore.

Fluttershy’s right eye twitched as she looked around the garden clearing. The animals were being very difficult. For some reason, they were too scared to come out so she could hug and snuggle them.

The usually gentle pegasus took in a deep breath as she glared towards the trees and shouted, “COME OUT!!!!”

“I just want to pet you… and love you… Buck! I might even call you George!” Fluttershy said as she started to giggle like a mad pony.

The animals cried as they started to all run away and stampeded towards the Ballroom. Fluttershy growled as she took off after them. The fleeing animals panicked and ran even faster. The larger animals in the lead burst through the double doors with Fluttershy right behind them as she shouted, “You’re going to… LOVE ME!!!!”

At that point, Rarity no longer had to worry about her own social faux pas. The ballroom was already in pure chaos as ponies and animals ran everywhere. If a certain cello pony was still there, she might have been terrified as well, but she was already gone to her next gig after watching Naruko and Hoity Toity dance. Princess Celestia on the other hoof was there as she had just entered the room when Fluttershy burst in with the animals.

Fluttershy noticed the chaos she started and said in her usual manner, “Oh… Ummm… Sorry… I got carried away…” No one was listening though.

Celestia came over to a shocked Twilight and simply whispered, “Run.”

Twilight whistled to the others and they all joined her in running away from the Gala. The others didn’t need anymore convincing than that and were eager to get away fast. Rarity lost one of her slippers during the race from the dance. “Hey Rarity! Your shoe. Your Prince will be sure to find you now!” Pinkie said.

Rarity was about to turn around and crush it, but Naruko said, “Coming through!” as she picked it up in her magic.

Rarity took it from her friend's magic and smashed it against a wall quickly on the way out. “That felt oddly refreshing…” Rarity said with a smile as Naruko giggled and they all kept running.

Fluttershy and Rainbow were in the lead each with their own streak following them. “Woah! We did you get this fast Flutters?” she asked cheerfully.

“On that mission with Naruko and my trial I told you all about. It was as if I found my inner pegasus or will to fly at that moment,” She answered as they both slowed down so their friends could catch up. They didn’t know where to go.

Rainbow offered her a high hoof and Fluttershy met it with her own and a happy Fluttershy smile. “Alright!” Rainbow started. “That’s how you start. Can’t get to my level that easily though, but still better than many others would be.”

“I’ll keep training then. Maybe one day I can actually race you,” she said with a giggle as the others appeared in three balls of light. Applejack was on Naruko’s back with a cheering Pinkie on Twilight’s. Rarity was in her own teleport light. She could do short range teleports once or twice a day.

“Pony Joe’s everyone. We should meet up with Spike there. Kyuubi told Spike left early and just went to join him,” Naruko said.

“I know the way,” Twilight said as she motioned for Pinkie to get off her back.

“Aww…” Pinkie said in disappointment as she got off and smiled again.

“I could really use a donut right about now,” Naruko said.

Twilight giggled, “With the way you were dancing like that all night. I’m surprised you have enough energy to teleport yourself and a pony.”

“Well I always did have more energy than I knew what to do with when I was younger. So, I guess I still do have plenty now. And I always make sure to have plenty of stamina,” Naruko said with a matching giggle and a wink at Twilight who blushed a little.

{-} {-} {-}

“Hit me with another one, Pony Joe,” Spike said as he spilled some crumbs on to the countertop bar.

“Woah there, buddy… Haven’t you had enough? You’re hitting them pretty hard tonight,” Pony Joe said.

“Another donut… Extra sprinkles,” Spike said with all the aggression of a lazy tiger.

Pony Joe shook his head as he went for another donut just as the bell to the shop door jingled. There was a laugh from a familiar fox heard announcing the new customer. “Kyuman. Been a while there my friend,” Pony Joe greeted him.

Kyuubi nodded as he hoped up on a barstool next to Spike. “Iced Coffee with mocha,” he ordered as Pony Joe smiled and nodded. Kyuubi then turned to Spike and spoke. “Oho Boy… You should have stayed to watch with me tonight. It was even more entertaining than I thought it would be. Though admittedly it wasn’t because of Pinkie Pie.”

“Ice coffee with mocha. Donut with extra sprinkles,” Pony Joe said as he gave them their orders. “Sounds like it was quite the night at the Gala then huh?”

“What happened?” Spike asked. “Everypony’s okay, right?”

“I wouldn’t have found it entertaining if they weren’t. But yep it really was something tonight. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it soon enough. The others are on their way here,” Kyuubi said as he started his drink.

Pony Joe still found it amazing watching the fox drink like he did. Kyuubi was very much one of a kind and could be surprisingly cultured and elegant when he wanted to be. “Maybe one day I will get to go to Gala, though I will admit. It isn’t really a priority or my kind of scene,” Pony Joe said.

The bell on the door jingled again and this time there were seven voices talking to each other and giggling a little bit. “I still can’t believe Rarity almost socked it to Prince Blueblood,” Rainbow said with a grin as Rarity blushed.

“Well… Ponce Blueblood… did deserve it. I’m just glad Naruko kept me from causing an incident,” Rarity said. She then turned to Naruko with a serious face as she said, “I really mean it. Thank you, Naruko.”

Naruko smiled and said, “The fact you are finally calling the ponce a ponce is more than enough thanks for me.” She then giggled.

“Ohhh?” Twilight said with a mischievous grin that Naruko found Twilight cute, even if she worried what it would mean. “I’m pretty sure I heard somepony with an orange dress and blonde mane admit to being charmed by him earlier in the night.” Rainbow and Pinkie giggled to that.

Naruko blushed. “I-I-I was only saying that because I knew it would get to him. That’s all,” she said not fully meeting Twilight’s eyes. The purple pony didn’t push the topic though and just smiled at her blushing friend. She felt it was about time she got Naruko to Blush considering the pony had been getting her to do so since yesterday.

Pinkie was the next to speak. “I just wish I knew how to do that kind of dancing. I mean it was so cool watching you dance all night and especially with Hoity Toity there towards the end. You have to teach me!” she finished excitedly.

“I didn’t know you were watching, Pinkie. I would have said hi or something if I did. Where were you?” Naruko asked.

“I was off to the side sitting at a table pony watching. When my first attempts at livening up the party didn’t work, I took a break and then just settled for pony watching since I didn’t know how to do a super fancy pony type of party,” she said. “It was actually kind of fun in the end.”

“Wow… It sounds like I really did miss a lot,” Spike said as Twilight seemed to finally notice him and rushed over to give him a hug.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t try to spend time with you Spike. I was so caught up in my plans that I missed out on a lot of potential fun,” Twilight said. She then smiled a little and said, “You don’t even know half of it yet…” Fluttershy and Rarity were both blushing a little bit and looking away from the others as Rainbow and Pinkie giggled at them. The group then placed orders and sat down to talk before they started their real fun for the night. It was a good thing the Gala started in the evening instead of at night and they technically left early.

{-} {-} {-}

Princess Celestia wished she too could have run away like Twilight and her friends. Sadly, she was caught by the guests and had to help out with the animals. She was getting ready for a long night when suddenly she got a devious idea. She then smiled brightly as she spoke to the ponies around her. “I know it has been a rather exciting night. But calm down everypony. And speaking of night…” she gave a big yawn that may or may not have been faked. “I am afraid I must retire. It has been a long day and I need to be up early tomorrow morning.”

She started walking out as several ponies were shocked she was just leaving. She stopped at the door just before she closed it and said, “My dear sister Princess Luna, the Princess of the Night, is still holding Night Court sessions I believe.”

She then left and wondered how many ponies would dare approach her sister. She hoped it wasn’t all of them, but she hoped some did. She knew Luna would be happy to help. Celestia was also glad she didn’t have to put up with them anymore for the night. She did plan on one more stop before actually calling it a night though.

When she entered Pony Joe’s, she heard a round of laughter. She couldn’t help but smile as she came over and stood between Twilight and Naruko. She was a little surprised the ponies seemed the slightest bit upset with the position she chose, but they smiled and greeted her happily anyways.

“I am so sorry for all the trouble we caused you tonight, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. She then sighed and added, “After you went through all of that trouble to get everyone tickets.”

Princess Celestia laughed to that and smiled. “You needn’t worry about such things Twilight. All of you ponies have nothing to be sorry for. I got what I wanted out of tonight in the end anyways.”

“What did you want?” Naruko asked curiously.

Celestia grinned at her. “I got to see you all dressed up, thanks for that Rarity, and even in makeup. I also got to see you behave like a pony of your status should and noticed how much fun you had doing so,” she answered. She nuzzled Naruko as the blonde unicorn blushed.

She then did the same to Twilight and said, “I got to see you again even if it wasn’t the best of circumstances.”

She then looked to the others and noticed Kyuubi was giving her a knowing grin. She would have to speak to him about that later at some point. “As for the rest of you, you all did indeed liven up the Gala like I wished,” she said as the other ponies blinked in shock. “Though admittedly it wasn’t in the manner I had first thought,” she added.

“But tonight was just awful…” Rarity started.

“I’m sure you will all admit it at least ended fairly well, even if things didn’t work out like you planned,” she added as the ponies reluctantly nodded in thought. Fluttershy and Rarity not so much though, but it seemed they were feeling better now at least.

“As much fun as it all was, I am afraid I really must retire now like I told the nobles I did. It is getting late,” she said this time with a genuine tired yawn.

Naruko looked to her as she left and laughed. “For you it might be ending, but for us it is just beginning. It's about time we all head to the Stargazer Lounge,” she said as Twilight lit up realizing what was coming next. The others nodded happily as Celestia left and paid Pony Joe. The others were really excited now, even if they weren’t sure why the Stargazer was first.

“First though,” Rarity said getting their attention. “A change of attire!” With those words she smiled brightly as her horn glowed to life and her emergency wardrobe kit hidden somewhere away in her dress came out and she got to work. “Don’t anypony move,” she ordered as the all stood up for her. It was just a few minutes later and the amazingly gorgeous gala dresses were now beautiful cocktail dresses.

“Wow! This is neat!” Pinkie said.

“Ah sure can move around better in this here dress and it is the same one,” Applejack replied a little more mystified than she wanted to sound.

“It isn’t my best work, but it will have to do. Fashion Doctor Rarity is always prepared!” Rarity said with a flourish as the others giggled.

“Can I come too?” Spike asked.

“Yes, you can,” Twilight said with a knowing smile.

“Alright. Let’s go girls!” Rarity said with renewed confidence as she led the charge back into the night to continue their adventure.

Author's Notes:

Yeah, I know… long chapter. I spent a lot more of my free time on this chapter, but you know how it is. Sometimes when inspiration strikes you just have to go along with it and hopefully there aren't too many mistakes. I will show the rest of their night, but I figured it should be a separate chapter and I don't think it will be as long as this one was. Good thing fimfiction has a bookmark function.

Also in case people are wondering, since I mentioned it briefly, Naruko's ranking compared to Shining's would depend on the situation, but they would usually be considered Equal in rank. The Ever-Free Patrol and the Royal Guard are for the most part considered separate entities. However and I think I've mentioned this before, when it comes to the Patrol (especially once it expands) only Princess Luna out ranks Naruko and more often that is also the case with Luna's Night Guard.

Yeah, The Best Night Ever!

“So why exactly are we all going to the Stargazer Lounge first?” Rainbow asked as she came up to trot next to Naruko for a moment. She wanted to go at the pace her friends were and so she wasn't hovering above the ground. It also felt good to run sometimes anyways.

Naruko smiled as she said, “Vinyl and Octavia are performing there together tonight. Octavia was just with the first band at the Gala and they were finished shortly before all of that happened. Given the time we spent at Pony Joe’s it is just about the right time to get there and still have some time to spare.”

“It is going to be awesome,” Twilight said as she seemed to almost pull a Pinkie with her excitement levels on the other side of Naruko. Spike was having a little trouble keeping on her back.

“Ummm… Twilight. I know you're excited, but could you take it easy?” he asked.

“Oh sorry, Spike. I didn’t mean to bother you,” she said with a bashful smile. She still seemed like she wanted to bounce though.

“Hey Kyuubi, do you think you could take care of Spike so Twilight doesn’t have to worry?” Naruko asked.

Kyuubi nodded and in a burst of magical fire he was in his two-tailed form which was just the right size to keep up with the others easily and give Spike a lift. There was a purple glow as Spike was placed on Kyuubi’s back. “Don’t get to comfortable back there, Spike,” he said with a grin as the baby dragon seemed to almost try and snuggle into his deep red fur.

Spike gave an uneasy laugh. “Sorry. It’s just this is the first time is all. You are really nice and warm.”

“I am essentially made of flame and energy,” Kyuubi explained.

“I kind of forgot about this, Naruko. Glad you remembered. And to think I was so concerned with the Gala tonight,” Twilight said as she affectionately bumped into Naruko’s side lightly. She wasn’t caring about containing herself now.

“Ah can’t get over the fact it seems we are missing something,” Applejack said quietly to Rarity. “Ah mean. Don’t get me wrong I do like their music even if it isn’t my favorite choice, but Twilight seems exceptionally excited about this.”

“I know what you mean, Applejack. I really am wondering about this myself. I guess we will just have to wait and see,” Rarity said.

“Why are you not bouncing everywhere, Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked.

“We’re going to the Stargazer! I can totally party it up there! I’m saving it up to more than make up for my lack of partying at the Gala. Besides, it’s Twilight’s turn with the excited energy force,” she explained.

Naruko was pleasantly surprised how “Clingy?” Twilight was being at the moment. Twilight also seemed to be smiling brightly as well. “You really do seem excited, Twi. Something in particular on your mind?” Naruko asked.

“Of course! I can actually get the dances you promised now,” Twilight said with a beautiful smile that caused Naruko to blush.

Naruko recovered and then smiled. “You’re right. I’m rejuvenated now as well.” Now it was Naruko’s turn to smile brightly and Twilight’s turn to blush at the smile.

Rainbow playfully rolled her eyes as she said, “Would you two just get a room already?” When they both turned red and didn’t answer Rainbow giggled in triumph. She then asked, “So who’s opening for who tonight then?”

Naruko and Twilight looked to each other and gave mischievous grins to one another. Naruko then giggled and said, “You didn’t hear me right, Rainbow.”

“Maybe she needs to get her ears checked. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a little bit of cloud stuck in them,” Twilight said as Rainbow frowned which caused Twilight to giggle.

Naruko then looked Rainbow right in the eyes and smirked a little. “I said Vinyl and Octavia were performing together. Neither is opening for the other,” she said and smiled as all of their friends paused in shock. The idea had never crossed their minds that it would be possible for them to play music together live.

“Woah! Woah! Woah! You mean to tell me they are performing together. As in together together?!” Rainbow asked with her mouth open.

“Yep!” Twilight replied. “Naruko was there when they first decided to try this. She told me about it later.”

Naruko smiled as she then lit up her horn and eight tickets floated up in the air. “They even got us VIP section tickets. Kyuubi didn’t need one because he is my partner,” she said before then putting the tickets back into the safety of her pocket space. Twilight taught her about it, but Naruko didn’t use the ability as much as her friend, since she had storage scrolls still.

“That sounds totally radically awesome! I mean really super amazing awesome! What’s it like them playing together? Do you have any ideas?” she asked her eyes filled with stars as her imagination tried to come up with something.

Naruko hummed in thought on how to describe it without giving anything away. She then gave a nod. “Awesome enough to impress an ancient music god,” she said causing Twilight to burst out laughing.

“Really? You’re going with that?” she asked still staying as close to Naruko as she could while they continued.

Naruko nodded and simply said, “Yep.”

“I don’t really get it but it sounds like this will be something to never forget,” Rainbow said with a smile.

Pinkie was now bouncing with every step besides Fluttershy. “I thought you said you were saving your party energy, Pinkie,” she said to her friend.

“After hearing that! There is no way I can. I will just pull more energy from the Party Force if I need it! This will be so cool! Oooo… I really hope Octi plays her violin,” Pinkie said as she bounced.

“Considering a discussion about her wanting to play the violin for ponies was what started the whole thing. I’m betting she will on some songs if not all of them,” Naruko said.

“How long have you exactly known about this Naruko?” Rarity asked. She was impressed such a secret was kept under wraps this long.

Naruko blushed a little bit. “First of all, I kept it secret because they wanted me to. Second of all you do realize with my position secrets are a thing for me, right? To answer your question… When you were all chasing Twilight around asking for the extra Gala ticket. It wasn’t finalized at the time, but I met with them that afternoon to visit when they made the decision.”

“Wow!” the others more or less said.

“That right there seems like some kinda gadanged Prophecy stuff or something considering we just finished the Gala and seem more excited for this,” Applejack said. She couldn’t really find the words to describe how curious and eager she was now.

{-} {-} {-}

The group of friends were even more excited as they waited in line. They weren’t talking too much about the music because they didn’t want other ponies to be spoiled at what awaited them inside. However, it was obvious the group of mares were there for a great time that night.

Several ponies waiting in line were looking over them as they bypassed the line and went to the door. “Names?” the door guard asked.

“Ummm… We have VIP tickets for the show tonight,” Naruko said brandishing the tickets.

The bouncer blinked and cleared his throat, “Sorry old habit. This is really a first here. I mean we got the capacity and all just never really done something like this before,” He then looked at the tickets and his eyes widened. “Wait you are all also on the list… Well not Spike. Is Spike the dragon?” he asked.

“Yeah!” Spike said sticking out his hand to get the stamp Twilight told him about as he got on to her back again instead of Kyuubi’s.

“This is also new… pardon me,” the door guard pony used the stamp on Spike’s hand. He then looked to the fox thing. “Who is he?”

Kyuubi chuckled deeply as he said, “I’m Kyuubi. Naruko’s Guardian partner and familiar.” The door guard’s mouth hung open in shock. It was a freaking talking massive fox with two tails. He seriously though Vinyl was pulling the staff’s legs when she talked about the fox. Kyuubi grinned as he said, “Perhaps you need to see me better?”

Kyuubi was wreathed in fire as he turned into his three-tailed form and grinned wider. His three-tailed form was actually bigger than it used to be due to the strength he and Naruko had gained. “I can go all the way up to nine now if you want me too,” he said in a deep rumbling voice.

“Kyuubi… If you did that you would level a large part of the city if not all of it and then we’d miss the show,” Naruko said calmly.

Kyuubi chuckled again, “I suppose you are right and I really want to see it tonight,” he said in his deep voice before shrinking back down to his one tailed form and hoping on Naruko’s back.

“G-g-g-g-go ahead…” The bouncer said in a tiny voice as the group entered.

“You really are one for the dramatics at times,” Naruko said.

Kyuubi laughed and said, “Just letting the other ponies know you are all under my protection. Not that you need it, but a couple of those ponies were a little too interested with their looks for my liking. That way you can all enjoy the night instead of having to worry about ponies bothering you the whole time.”

The others didn’t say anything as they were looking around the club/music venue. “Now this place looks like fun!” Pinkie said with a cheerful smile. “Proper dancefloor, fun lights, bars, chairs and a huge stage! This is how it should have been from the start!” She then started bouncing around the area and the ponies here may have been shocked at times, but they were also more agreeable to her company. Some of them knew her from Ponyville and smiled in greeting. “Greatest place ever! Love the night theme,” she said as she popped back to the others.

“Well the club is called the Stargazer,” Twilight said. “I’ve read the roof here is really special too. It has a moon viewing ceiling that they sometimes open up. Ohh! I hope they do tonight!” she said as she excitedly clapped her hooves together.

Shortly after they entered the VIP section their tickets and names were taken and they were giving VIP lanyards which were magicked on to them with an enchantment until they left the club for the night. “I’ve never been into a VIP section before,” Spike said with awe as he looked around.

“I have and this one is way better!” Rainbow said. There was actually room here and while ponies were talking and such it still wasn’t too bad compared to the Gala and she could tell it wouldn’t get too much worse even when more ponies entered.

“Girls! Drink up!” Rarity said as she used her magic to place a tray of drinks on a large table. “This is for you, Spike,” she said with a smile that easily melted Spike’s baby dragon heart as a glass of his favorite juice was given to him.

“Sooo we aren’t going to just keep to this kid stuff, are we?” Rainbow asked. “I mean it is good, but still. We’re all here to party and enjoy great music.”

“We are at a bar and music venue place for a concert with a huge dancefloor.What do you honestly think?” Rarity asked with an elegant raised eyebrow.

“Uhhh we’re not?” Rainbow asked unsure.

“Of course not. But hydrate first. We also don’t want to go too fast because we are here with...” she looked to the baby dragon as he happily sipped on his drink. “Spike…” she said quietly. “We should be somewhat responsible at least,” she finished.

“Alright. I really want to make this a night to remember in every way. That’s why I was worried we’d just be having regular juice the whole night,” Rainbow said. She then noticed Pinkie bouncing in place with excitement. “Maybe… We shouldn’t let Pinkie drink too much. Celestia knows what a tipsy Pinkie would unleash on Equestria,” Rainbow said with a giggle that was a bit nervous sounding.

{-} {-} {-}

The lights dimmed and the ponies hushed a little as the music started out low. It was very much Vinyl Scratch who's music started. Ponies were getting excited, but many were a little disappointed it wasn’t Octavia. Then the gathered ponies they heard the loveliest of violin music playing along with Vinyl’s music.

The audience was stunned. This was already something they had never heard before and they were eager to hear more.

Naruko and Twilight were grinning in excitement as Twilight held in a squeal and clasped Naruko’s forehooves. Naruko gave an inaudible chuckle. It was amazing how cute Twilight could be.

As the music tempo picked up, the lights for the stage turned on and showed Vinyl with her equipment while Octavia was playing away on the violin. The ponies watching were impressed by this and gasped in awe. They knew Octavia was good at cello, but they didn’t know she was this good at the violin.

The song ended and the two mares looked up. The stunned silence was still there. They didn’t show it, but they were a little nervous. “Yeah! That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash shouted as several ponies started cheering and hoof stomping. Rainbow and the others cheered the loudest.

“Thanks,” Vinyl said as the audience quieted down. “Before we really get into it we wanted to say a few words. First off, all… Welcome to a new sound of music everypony!” she shouted as the audience got hyped up and cheered again.

“Some would say the Grand Galloping Gala is the best event tonight! I don’t think so,” Vinyl said.

Octavia gave a smile and said, “Yeah… I was there. I was eager to come here instead and left as soon as I could.” Several ponies laughed to that including Twilight and the others.

“I mean the refreshments were alright… I guess. But here we have actual bars!” she said. She then looked to Vinyl and teasingly said, “Better yet… Vinyl hasn’t been allowed to raid them yet.” More ponies laughed loudly that time.

Vinyl playfully stuck her tongue out and then said in her mic jokingly, “Better get your drinks while you still can everypony…” everypony was laughing at that joke including both performing mares.

“But there is one thing The Stargazer has that no other place does,” Octavia said.

“You mean us introducing completely brand-new music?” Vinyl teased.

“Okay two things…” Octavia said. Vinyl was about to say something, but Octavia jokingly cut her off. “How about at least two things?” Vinyl nodded to that as the ponies laughed. “The first thing I was talking about is of course the famous Moon viewing ceiling. I heard Princess Luna made sure the night sky would be extra lovely for this event tonight,” Octavia said with certainty.

“And that other small gala event was just lucky to take place on the same night?” Vinyl asked as all of the ponies laughed again.

Octavia was in a moment of mock thought before nodding and saying, “Yep. Remember I was there and ended up coming here instead.”

“Pretty sure it doesn’t count when you’re actually performing here,” Vinyl teased to more laughs.

“Anyways… Can we get that moon door open?” Octavia pretended to be asking the staff on a whim. The middle of the ceiling glowed with magic as large shutters were magicked away to the sides. The ponies cheered loudly as Moon and Star light poured into the building.

“I love how they canter to our whims. We most definitely did not have that planned in advance,” Octavia said to another round of laughs.

“Let’s get back to the music now. What do you say Equestria?!” Vinyl shouted as all of the ponies cheered and a new song was started by Octavia this time.

{-} {-} {-}

The music Octavia and Vinyl played together was blowing away all of the ponies and now a lot of them were dancing and enjoying drinks and the music. “Naruko this is totally the greatest concert I’ve ever been too! Yeah! I don’t care about that nasty and upsetting Gala now. This is for sure the best night ever! Thank you two so much for planning this for after the Gala tonight,” Fluttershy said much more excited than she usually was. Twilight thought it was similar to how excited she got at the end of Best Young Flyers Competition once Dash did her Rainboom.

Their group had danced some to the music but mostly wanted to listen to it at this event. Even Pinkie was completely happy and fulfilled just mostly listening to the music. It was that incredible to her. She did dance in place some like the others. Spike even got a couple dances in with Rarity as well, even if they were really very awkward.

Vinyl and Octavia were doing their best for the audience and they were enjoying it to the max. Every song they did was met with loud applause when it ended and some of them were even before they started. The concert was a smashing success and there were numerous music journalist ponies enjoying themselves also eager to cover this show in the next issue of their magazines, papers, or other forms of periodicals.

When another song came to an end, Octavia and Vinyl, along with everypony else, heard Pinkie shout out loud, “Naruko you were completely right! This music is Awesome enough to impress an ancient music god!” And just like that the journalists all had their main quote.

Vinyl and Octavia chuckled a little together. Octavia came over to Vinyl and said quietly, “I guess we have no choice but to go with that song now. Do we?”

Vinyl laughed in agreement and nodded. “It is about time to wrap the show up anyways,” she said quietly as she motioned to her watch.

“Well everypony…,” Octavia started and there was a chorus of awwws having a feeling they knew what was coming. “I haven’t even said anything yet. But you are right it is time for us to call it a night here.” The ponies awed louder. “I know, but I did also have to preform at the Gala as well.” The ponies in the crowd murmured in agreement to that. The show had been a really good length anyways.

“Besides she’s sad too, everypony,” Vinyl said as some ponies chuckled a little.

“However! We have one last song to preform tonight for you all in our debut!” Octavia said with her elegant and mysterious smile in place.

“It’s a pretty good one if I do say so myself,” Vinyl added earning more chuckles from the audience.

Vinyl started up again and this time it was Naruko whose eyes grew wide with excitement. She grinned massively and quickly grabbed Twilight and said, “This is the song! This is the song they played for it!”

“Really?” Twilight asked as she listened. Naruko nodded as she held tightly on to one of Twilight’s hooves and listened to the music intently. The two of them even managed to dance a little to the song as it played.

The ponies were all enthralled by the new song. They were amazed and the Stargazer Lounge was quiet except for the music playing and even the moonlight and starlight coming in from the window above seemed to brighten as they played the song.

As the music started to quiet down, the ponies were again speechless because of how touched and amazed they were. Some ponies were even sniffing back tears because of how beautiful and touching the song was. Octavia and Vinyl each smiled at the audience’s stunned silence. This time they weren’t nervous about it.

One pony started clapping as several other ponies did as well. Soon the entire place was echoing with cheers and applause and shouts of joy and thanks and even confessions of love which usually earned chuckles from nearby ponies. Naruko and Twilight were both sniffing back tears of joy at the song as they held each other in support.

As the ponies continued to cheer and shout their praise Octavia and Vinyl finally got up and took their bows. Rainbow was whistling loudly. Applejack let out a whoop and a holler as she stomped her hooves in praise. Rarity wiped tears from her eyes as she clapped loudly and blew her nose with a hoofkerchief using her magic. Fluttershy was doing literal flips in the air as she cheered. Kyuubi and Spike were shouting as well.

Pinkie Pie was completely still with an oddly contemplative look in her eyes. It seemed really odd for her to be in such a mood and no pony noticed, but she wasn’t disappointed or anything. She was actually that deeply touched by the music. She felt as if she was beginning to understand something. Something important. Something about balance.

She had always thought loud and exciting was the best and nothing could top it. Some ponies didn’t like that but that was just because they couldn’t fully appreciate it. She had been sure of this especially when it came to music as well. But the song Octavia and Vinyl just played, it was different. It wasn’t super energetic it also wasn’t super boring. It had slower parts and it had faster parts. It had quieter parts and louder parts that weren’t too loud. To Pinkie Pie, it shouldn’t be possible to have such a piece of music, let alone for it to be so beautiful.

However, she couldn’t deny the outcome of the song. “Beautiful…” she said so quietly her words were lost to the other ponies cheering. The song had highs and lows and together they made something so beautiful and touching. It had… balance. At that moment, though it was seemingly faint, something changed inside Pinkie. Something that would dictate her future though she didn’t know it yet. She had come to some realization, but she couldn’t grasp it yet. She wasn’t yet ready for it.

This piece of knowledge she had unknowingly gained was laying in wait. It was as if it knew the time would come for Pinkie to understand and her trial, though still a ways away, was coming. When it finally was time, her knowledge would lead more than one pony to an impressive realization with astounding revelations.

{-} {-} {-}

After the show, everypony was still reflecting on it. The usually loud bar was more quiet and contemplative while still having a friendly atmosphere. It seemed more like some after work comfy bar than a night club bar. Ponies left in groups after a few more drinks.

Things were starting to pick back up once the bar resumed regular business and new crowds came in to replace the old ones, even if they were miffed as to what was up. Some even talked to ponies they knew who frequented the place. The story of the performance was seemingly unbelievable to them.

Twilight and the others all left as things started to pick back up. They each still needed sometime and a change of venue to get back into a more party kind of mood. They didn’t want to do so in the Stargazer tonight thinking it would ruin their recent experience. They also had a sleeping baby dragon to worry about with them.

“I’ll take Spike to your family’s house Twilight. I still remember the way. You girls can get back to your plans,” Kyuubi said. He then gave a grin as he added, “Just realize you don’t have a dashing and strong fox to look after you now.”

Naruko chuckled and gave him a goodbye hug as he went off with the sleeping baby dragon. Spike had at least stayed up long enough to fully enjoy the music show and be able to remember it. Twilight was relieved Spike was in Kyuubi’s care and soon would be in her parents’ as well.

“That was…” Rainbow said lost for words.

“Yep…” Applejack replied just as verbose as Rainbow.

“I think we witnessed something that will really change music and so much more tonight,” Fluttershy said with a smile.

Rarity gave another sniff as she blew her nose one last time. “Such beautiful music. I wish I could have gotten inspiration from it, but it was simply too fantastic this first time for such things I’m afraid,” she said with her Rarity flair.

“I really super glad we saw it,” Pinkie said with a smile.

“I am too…” Twilight started. “But. Naruko still owes me some proper dances! So, let’s get going girls.” Her words got both a laugh and a head shake from Naruko. The others seemed to perk up as well and were once again ready to go out to party the night away. They just had to pick their first stop.

{-} {-} {-}

The group went to several bars that night and had a decent amount of drinks as well. When they went to the swing club, Fluttershy again proved to be a natural and Pinkie really got into it as well. This was her kind of dancing. Naruko was still good for a beginner, but better than last time the regulars told her.

It wasn’t until a couple of bars later that Twilight finally decided to more or less claim Naruko for the night. She rarely left Naruko’s side and didn’t let anypony else except their friends dance with her. Naruko actually felt really happy about this. The ridiculous fears she had that Twilight would ever dare leave her were pretty much gone now, or at least she hoped they were. She’d really have to do something about that issue like Kyuubi said.

“I’m kind of surprised you can do more than just the Twilight dance,” Naruko said earning a giggle from Twilight. They were taking a rest and sipping a couple of drinks in what the group decided was the last stop for the night before Twilight’s family house.

“Well. I wanted to really dance with you and figured the Twilight wasn’t good enough for the whole time. I am talking to a ballroom dance expert,” she said with a grin.

“I’m no expert. My moves still get stiff at times,” she said with an easy smile.

“Ha! Tell that to Hoity Toity and…” Twilight looked over her shoulders. “And Prince Blueblood from what I’ve heard from Pinkie,” she said quietly.

Rarity was chatting up a few stallions so she didn't hear them. She had danced with them a few times, and they hadn’t been disappointed, unlike a certain ponce who shall remain unnamed. She might have been tempted to go even further with them, but she was out with her friends. The stallions didn’t complain because they had her company and she didn’t even expect them to pay for her drinks. They did for one or two, but she also bought them a round or two in thanks. No pony would accuse her of not being generous. She was the damn Element of Generosity!

“Hey Fluttershy!” Rainbow shouted as she made her way over to her friend.

“Ummm… yes?” she asked in her lovely but soft voice.

“We should totally show these ponies the the the… what were we calling it again?” Rainbow asked as she swayed a little bit.

“Ariel Dance of Combined Awesomeness, you named it,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah! Yeah! That one! We totally should do it,” Rainbow said with a smile.

“I’m not so sure…” Fluttershy started.

“Why not?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m not up for it,” Fluttershy replied. She left out the part that Rainbow Dash was more Rainbow Smashed at the moment.

“Awww… Come on! We can do it! I can do it!” Rainbow said about to takeoff.

“NO! DON’T!” Fluttershy said as her friend looked to her. “The… ummm ceiling… isn’t high enough.”

Rainbow swayed a little as she tried to figure out if that was true or not. “Okay… I see what you mean. It needs to be at least 26.7893% higher.”

“What?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well. Duh look! See it needs to be at least 26.7893% higher for everypony to get the perfect view,” Rainbow explained as if this was common knowledge.

Fluttershy looked up and blinked a little before saying, “Like I said. Not high enough.” She was deeply relieved her excuse worked.

“Ah don’t mind this here type of dancing for this kinda music, but it ain’t my kind. I’m 100% pure country mare and proud of it!” Applejack said to a rather large group of ponies listening to her. The accent she refused to claim she had drew a decent number of ponies.

“Ummm… I don’t know about that,” Pinkie started.

“Say what now?” Applejack asked.

She then whispered and pointed a hoof and said, “Cutie Mark.”

Applejack blushed a little and cleared her throat. “Alright, so Ah’m more like 96% percent Country Mare and proud of it! Still this here music aint’ too bad. But Ah need some good old country to really Hee-Haw it down.”

Just then a country song started playing that she recognized. “Hee Haw! Now this is a song for dancing!” She then grabbed a random and pleasantly surprised stallion from the gathered ponies and danced with him for a couple of songs.

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle as she and Naruko looked at all of their friends. “This is really nice. I’m glad you came up with this idea, Naruko.”

“I just threw it out there. You were the one who made it happen. I mean we would have gone to the concert regardless, but that would have been it,” she said. They would have taken the late train back to Ponyville, since their carriage transformed back into an apple, but still would have made it pack for everypony to get home and go straight to bed. They would have still been up for mostly the same about of time, but this option was much more fun.

{-} {-} {-}

“Aww yeah! That was fun,” Rainbow said. She was again about to shoot off straight into the sky but decided not to do that. She noticed all of her friends including Fluttershy were walking. It was easier to just walk while being a little tipsy Rainbow decided. Fluttershy was relieved again, because she knew if Rainbow took off she would have flown straight into the ground most likely. Flying while drunk was not a good idea.

Rarity gave bit a sigh before smiling. “It really was,” she said. Truth be told because of her mood after that dreadful Gala, if she was alone she probably would have accompanied one of those stallions for the rest of the night and into the morning. It would have helped her not feel completely fed up with stallions after Ponce Blueblood tonight.

“Well it isn’t too far to get to my parents’ house now,” Twilight said as she led the way.

When the approached the door, Twilight knocked lightly first. There wasn’t an answer. She opened the door for everypony and the house was dark. She turned on a light and said, “Alright everypony try to keep it quiet my parents are probably asleep. It is la-”

“No, they’re not,” Pinkie answered easily.

“Excuse me?” Twilight asked.

“There’s a note for you to read,” Pinkie said handing the note over.

“Dear Twilight and Friends. We hope you had a wonderful time at the Gala-” Twiligth started reading.

“Ha! Yeah right… No pony did,” Rainbow said.

“It wasn’t that bad…” Naruko said.

“Says the only one of us who actually enjoyed it,” Rainbow replied.

Twilight took in a deep breath. “Dear Twilight and friends. We hope you had a-”

“Seriously? You're going to start reading it again from the start?” Rainbow asked.

“Dear Twilight and friends. We hope yo-”

“Wow… she really is..” Rainbow said.

“Rainbow…” Applejack said with a frown.

“Fine…” she said in reply.

“Dear Twilight and friends. We hope you had a wonderful time at the Gala tonight. We’re happy you decided to be responsible and not take the night train back to Ponyville tonight-.”

“I’m not sure how responsible Rarity was planning on being tonight. If it was up to her she probably would have kept that prince fellow company until after the weekend,” Pinkie said with a giggle. Rarity just gave a crimson blush that really stood out given her coat’s color. Rainbow giggled at that.

“Dear Twilight and friends.-”

“Oh come on…” Rainbow grumbled. Pinkie’s eyes then lit up and she gave a big grin. Rainbow quickly covered the pony’s mouth knowing Pinkie had decided it would be a fun game to see how long until Twilight gave up on reading the note properly.

“Dear Twilight and friends. We hope you had a wonderful time at the Gala tonight. We’re happy you decided to be responsible and not take the night train back to Ponyville tonight. We would have loved to meet you all, but sadly we can’t. Unfortunately, we had to go on a last minute vaca- trip to the Hay and Oates Beach resort. Feel-”

“Oooo! That place is really cool! I heard Lyra and Bon Bon talking about it a while ago. It has wonderful beach parties every night I so wan-” Pinkie was cut off by a light blue magic field from Naruko as Rainbow tried to figure out how Pinkie escaped her grasp.

“Dear Twilight and friends. We hope you had a wonderful time at the Gala tonight. We’re happy you decided to be responsible and not take the night train back to Ponyville-”

“Ugh…” Applejack sighed as she sat down to listen to the note. The other ponies glared at her and she blushed. “Ummm sorry about that… AH just couldn’t help it,” she apologized.

“Anypony else need to sigh or say something?” Naruko asked. “Except you Pinkie.” The pony frowned in her silence bubble and brought her hoof back down. “Continue please,” Naruko then said to Twilight.

“Feel free to make yourselves at home. We changed to sheets on all of the beds and there is plenty of food and drink. Have fun and a good night’s sleep,” Twilight finished barely hiding her snicker from Naruko.

“Now she just continues from where she left off,” Rainbow said as she looked for the drinks.

“Alcohol’s in those cabinets. Juice is in the fridge,” Twilight said as she pointed.

“Great! Good night’s sleep my flank… It isn’t even sunrise yet. Now that would be late,” Rainbow said.

“As for sleeping arrangements, there’s my parents’ room, my brother’s room and the guest bedroom we can figure it out,” Twilight said.

“Sweet. That couch over there looks nice and comfy. Plus, its calling my name. Its saying, ‘Rainbow… Rainbow… Sleep here tonight. After you’ve had a couple more drinks!' And Pinkie is always saying you have to listen to furniture when it talks to you. Right, Pinkie?” she said.

“Yep!” Pinkie replied now that she was out of the silence spell.

“AH’ll be taking that other one right there and all,” Applejack said. “I’ve spent plenty o’ time laying in hay so it should be comfortable enough.”

Rainbow giggled. “Really? Plenty of time in the hay?”

“That’s what Ah said,” AJ replied.

“How many or those times were with stallions?” Rainbow asked giggling again.

Applejack blushed, “Ah ain’t said no nothing about doing so with stallions.”

“So, you're into mares too?” Rainbow asked with snicker.

Applejack blushed even more to those words. “Ah ain’t said no thing about being in tha hay with no ponies. Stallions or otherwise. And if Ah have it ain’t none of ya’lls concern.”

“She totally has and that’s why she blushing! Not that it matters, but still,” Pinkie teased getting giggles from Rainbow and even Fluttershy.

Applejack just shook her head while blushing before grinning and saying to Rainbow, “And what all didja mean by ‘into mares too’? There something you want ta say to us, Rainbow?”

Rainbow’s mouth was open and she was blushing a storm. Applejack gave a chuckle as Pinkie high hoofed her for the comeback. The others who were listening to the exchange giggled as well as Rarity used her magic to serve each of them a drink.

The ponies talked a good bit into the night while sharing drinks. They were mostly making fun of the Gala and talking about how great the rest of the night was.

“Alright, Pinkie can have the guest bedroom. Rarity and Fluttershy can decide who has my brother’s room and who gets my parents’ room. My brother actually has the comfiest bed,” Twilight said.

“Then Fluttershy gets that one,” Rarity said.

“No, I insist you get it,” Fluttershy countered.

“You were the most stressed from the Gala. You get it,” Rarity shot back.

“You had the most disappointing Gala night… You deserve it,” Fluttershy said in return with a determined look in her eyes. Rarity actually looked away and blushed as she nodded. Fluttershy looked really pleased with herself for having not taken the comfiest bed.

Applejack then gave a mighty yawn as she said, “Well now that we got that settled. Ah think Rainbow has the right idea.” She pointed to the softly breathing Rainbow Dash who was already asleep on her couch.

“Sounds good,” Pinkie said in a normal volume voice which showed how tired she was. She then headed to the guest bedroom.

Naruko and Twilight stayed up a little later sharing another drink as they talked quietly to each other once they were sure Applejack was also asleep.

“I think this was the Best Night Ever after all,” Twilight said with a smile.

“I agree with you there. Though it still surprises me I seem to have had the best Gala experience despite how against it I was at first,” Naruko said.

“Well you were actually going to a dance to dance instead of anything else,” Twilight said with smile.

“Was your time with Celestia really that bad? You seemed very disappointed when I asked you earlier,” Naruko asked.

“Ugh… yes it was. I’m honestly surprised my right forehoof isn’t sprained from all of the hoof shaking I had to do. For some reason, almost everypony wanted to shake my hoof as well just because I was standing next to Celestia,” she complained as Naruko giggled.

“I did at least get to have the most riveting conversation with Celestia ever,” she said with a teasing smile.

“Oh really? How so?” Naruko asked feigning curiosity.

“Oh yes it was! It included such gems as 'I also have so much to talk to you about Twil- oh hello random self-important pony how are you today? I'm so happy to finally speak to you again Twilight we have all nigh- Ladies! So wonderful to see you again. It has been too long. You were saying Twilight? I’m sorry I mis- Lord and Lady Hoofmane it is simply too wonderful to see you again…” Twilight said as Naruko did her best not to giggle too loudly. “You know that kind of riveting. I seriously didn’t even get to complete a sentence with her.”

Twilight looked to Naruko and smiled brighter as she said, “I did at least get some time with you. I just wish it had been the whole night instead. The little bit we had at the Gala was miles better than rest of it. I really like how beautiful you looked in the dress and with makeup. I wouldn’t mind if you wore it more often even if it was just a little bit. I was jealous of those lousy nobles who got to spend time with my Naruko looking her best…” Twilight said with a frown, the alcohol turning off her filter.

Naruko blushed to that. Looked to Twilight and blushed again. Twilight hid a squeal at how cute she thought that was. “Wait! Did I really just say that out loud?” she thought. She then gave herself a mental shrug. “It is the truth,” she replied to herself.

“Well… ummm… You are really beautiful tonight as well, Twilight. I was actually angry with Celestia getting to hog you the whole night and making you want to be with her the whole time,” Naruko said. Her filter was also off and it felt right to say that.

Twilight blushed to that. “I’ve never felt that wanted before… I’m so sorry I was a greedy pony like that. I kept telling myself throughout the night it was a mistake, but I still kept going that way because I couldn’t bare watching how everypony was going to get to dance with you. Then I saw how well you dance and I felt like you actually belonged there and were a natural and it only made sense they all wanted to dance with you and…”

“I was only able to seem that way because I’ve had classes on such things as well while we were back in Canterlot. It was part of my training along with the dance lessons. I’m actually always trying my best not to blow things like that. Though I will admit it came a lot easier to me tonight than it usually does,” Naruko said.

Twilight then giggled a little. “So, both of us were jealous of the other’s situation and jealous of other ponies stealing the other from us.”

Naruko giggled as well. “That sounds about right.” Naruko also made a note of trying makeup on more often in a causal manner if Twilight liked it so much. She only hoped she would remember that mental note in the morning. “Or well later today…” Naruko thought as she looked at the clock on kitchen wall.

“Shall we go to bed?” Twilight asked also looking at the clock.

“Yep. Where am I sleeping though?” Naruko asked.

“With me of course. My bed is big enough,” Twilight said as the two got up stretched and took on their new challenge. The stairs. They didn’t really seem to want to stay still and in one place.

The two ponies made their way up the stairs using each other and the wall as support. They giggled a few times as they almost had spills. When they got to Twilight’s room, Twilight shut the door and Naruko without thinking in mid yawn cast a silencing spell on it. She then tossed off her dress to the side causing Twilight to blush. They were ponies and usually naked, but something about having worn clothes the whole night and then Naruko suddenly undressing did things to her.

Twilight was a little timid as she undressed for the night and she was thinking maybe it was a bad idea to share the bed with Naruko. It was stupid because the two of them had slept over in the other’s room many times before when they were studying under Celestia. “Maybe its because of the whole massage and different feelings deal,” Twilight thought to herself.

“You alright, Twilight?” Naruko asked in concern on her half of the bed. Twilight was just standing there.

“Ummm yeah. It was nothing,” she replied. She then took in a deep breath as she let her dress fall to the floor. Naruko watched and surprisingly blushed though Twilight didn’t see it. Twilight then got on the bed as well. She found it amazing being so close to Naruko for some reason.

The two ponies were there looking into the others eyes. It was then Naruko who first moved in a little closer. Twilight blushed closed her eyes for a second and suddenly her brain decided to remind of all of those ponies trying to take Naruko away from her tonight at the Gala. Twilight then opened her eyes. Her purple eyes had a bit of a different light to them that Naruko found extra intriguing and curious. She was still surprised when Twilight decided to snuggle in with her really close.

Naruko for some reason felt different this time as Twilight was holding her. The other pony smiled as she moved her head closer. Twilight then took in a deep inhale, which probably wasn’t the best idea considering everywhere they had gone that night. Still even with the scents of bars, alcohol, and dried sweat, there was something in there that made the scent rather intoxicating in a way to her. There was something very Naruko still coming through everything and Twilight felt comforted by it.

It was Twilight’s turn to be surprised as Naruko shifted them both around a little and managed to snuggle in closer as well. “Twilight…” Naruko said.

Purple eyes looked up to meet blue. Twilight gasped a little at Naruko’s eyes there was something different about them. It was something that she really liked but couldn’t understand. “Y-y-yes?” she asked.

“You really are beautiful,” Naruko said with a smile.

“You’re always beautiful,” Twilight replied back.

She was then surprised when Naruko brought a forehoof up and touched her lightly on the nose and whispered, “Boop…”

Twilight blushed to that not sure what it was. Naruko then blushed and quickly hid her hoof. “Sorry… I… sorry…”

“It’s alright. I don’t mind if you do that. I just thought it was rather sudden,” Twilight said. She then smiled as she returned the favor with Naruko’s nose. The other pony blushed furiously to that and Twilight couldn’t help but giggle. “There we’re even,” she said.

The two ponies then shared a giggle before just looking the other in the eye for a moment. Naruko then accidentally voiced a tired thought. “So beautiful and cute. I could just kiss you,” Naruko blushed. She couldn’t believe she just said that out loud. She was sure Twilight would get upset or laugh it off like it was a joke. She was still desperately waiting Twilight’s reaction.

Twilight shifted a little as she blushed. She looked to her friend and took in another deep breath and inhaled that odd intoxicating mix of scents. She felt herself smile and relax as she said, “If it’s you…” She then actually puckered up a little.

Naruko’s eyes widened for a moment in surprise. She should end it here or something, but then there was that part of her that wanted Twilight. That part of her which was driving her crazy. “It really is like Kyuubi said, those thoughts and desires are still there,” she thought to herself quickly.

Naruko then blushed again as she leaned in closer and both ponies closed their eyes as their lips met. They started working each other’s lips and even caressed the other lightly with a hoof. They broke apart as they tried to catch their breath before kissing again. They interlocked their lips a little longer this time and continued to caress the other.

The two ponies continued this for a little longer and once again broke off the kiss. They were both a little out of breath and looking over the other mare closely. Purple eyes stared in the blue eyes. They kissed again and then broke off once more.

The two smiled to each other and touched their horns together in some way that felt instinctual. It was intense when their horns met. Both ponies gasped. They had no idea what would happen they each just thought it would be nice and an intimate gesture but harmless. Instead it was something different.

They felt as if they were intertwined with each other at the moment. It was as if Twilight’s essence was caressing Naruko’s essence. The ponies’ mouth hung open as they each panted a little and moaned. Magical pleasure seemed to wash over them.

Then the moment was over and while the two were breathing hard it seemed like all they experienced was in their minds or something. It was still an amazing feeling though and each really loved it. They smiled lovingly at each other and kissed once more.

“That’s a way to say goodnight,” Twilight said.

Naruko managed to find some way to snuggle even closer to Twilight as she simply hummed out an answer. She smiled and said tiredly, “I’m not fully sure what we just did, but I wouldn’t have wanted that with any other pony.”

Twilight gave a yawn and said, “Same here.” The two then drifted off to sleep in each other’s hooves.

{-} {-} {-}

The next morning, despite being the last to bed, Naruko and Twilight were the first to wake up. After they each yawned and greeted each other good morning despite it being closer to noon, they heading down to the kitchen area. Twilight blushed every now and then as she looked at Naruko as she remembered last night again. Naruko kind of did the same as well.

Eventually, Naruko spoke. “Twilight… About last night…”

Twilight didn’t let her finish as she said, “I kind of want us to take things slower…” She was blushing a little as she said this.

“Ohhh…” Naruko said as she looked down a little sad. She really hoped maybe they did have something they could start after that. She didn’t care about Twilight being female or a pony. She had been worried about that but found herself quickly getting over all of that. She was however scared maybe Twilight regretted last night.

“I’m sor-” she started as a purple hoof interrupted her and lifted her chin up to look Twilight in the eyes.

Twilight was smiling as she said, “I’m not saying no. I really enjoyed last night. I’m not even sure what it was we did, but it felt good and right. But I want to do things properly since it’s with you. I kind of feel like we skipped ahead a few steps if you know what I mean.” Her smile was beautiful and genuine and Naruko felt happy seeing it.

Naruko gave her a hug and happily said, “I can see that. I’m glad you don’t regret it though.”

“I don’t but we haven’t even been on a proper date or anything like that yet. I don’t really count our last trip to Canterlot together because we were doing so as friends. I don’t know where this will lead, but I do want to find out more than anything,” Twilight said.

Naruko continued to smile warmly as she said, “I feel the same way.” She then gave an enchanting giggle as she asked, “Should we schedule a date and get in contact with Rarity on the details?”

“Why would we do that?” Twilight asked.

“You know. To give her a time frame to briefly avoid all drama so we won’t be interrupted,” Naruko said with a laugh as Twilight joined her.

“We can try, but I think Rarity is sadly one of those ponies who drama loves to follow around,” Twilight said as she giggled.

“You can say that again,” Pinkie Pie said as she came down the stairs with a yawn.

Naruko and Twilight blushed wondering if Pinkie heard a lot more than that. “How long have you been up?” Naruko asked.

“I just got here at the time Twilight said drama follows Rarity around. I honestly wish for her own sake she would avoid it,” Pinkie said as she looked for a glass of juice in the fridge. “Breakfast?” she asked.

“I was about to start it. I figured Pancakes and waffles with scrambled eggs would good for everypony,” Twilight said.

“On it,” Pinkie said in a sing song voice as she started fishing out ingredients. Twilight left it to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was very good at baking and cooking in general.

Just then a pink and yellow streak zoomed down the stairs. “Oh Twilight! You didn’t tell me Spike and Kyuubi slept in your parents’ room too. Spike was too cute tucked away in his little basket and Kyuubi was all curled up on a large cushion. Oh, Rarity’s also up as well now. She’s taking a shower.”

“Woo wee… That was a hay of a night last night. Mah head is telling me all about it…” Applejack said as a purple magic field delivered her a cup of juice which Applejack graciously took and sipped with a refreshing “Ahhh…” at the end.

“You know I’m surprised you weren’t up first Applejack. You are a farm pony after all,” Pinkie said as she started to hum while fixing breakfast.

“What does that hafta do with anything? Besides, Rainbow woke me up a few times after I fell asleep. Next time we all sleep over can one of Ya’ll cast that silencing spell on her? Ah swear that girl’s snores could scare even a manticore if heard in the distance,” Applejack said as the other giggled.

“Yeah yeah… Whatever…” Rainbow said with a mighty yawn. She then looked to Naruko and Twilight with a far to wide grin. “So, did you two like do it last night?” She giggled as the others rolled their eyes, though she noticed Naruko and Twilight were blushing furiously. She couldn’t help teasing. It was fun seeing them blush like that.

“Rainbow… Really?” Applejack said.

“Hey they’re the ones being all silent,” Rainbow said.

Naruko then cleared her throat and asked, “What makes you even think that?” she was still blushing a little despite seeming calm.

“I really wish I could have spent the whole night with you, Naruko. You were so beautiful…” Rainbow said in a lovey dovey voice causing Twilight’s jaw to open.

“You were also really beautiful, Twilight…” Rainbow said in the same voice but a little deeper. She then said, “I didn’t really hear much else than that. I randomly woke up for just a couple of seconds. Hee hee…” she said.

“Rainbow… Why did ya’ll have ta go and say that? Your gosh darned pervy mind just says too much and twists everything. We all know they’ve been trying to spend more time together lately when they could,” Applejack said.

“What?!” Naruko and Twilight said together.

“Okay… I know. I know. Still did you two?” She asked teasing.

Naruko gave her a glare that caused her to swallow nervously as the blonde unicorn said, “We were just complimenting each other and we slept after talking a little more last night. S-s-sex had nothing to with anything.” She wanted to keep things private at the moment and could tell Twilight did as well.

Twilight shook her head. “Really Rainbow there is teasing and then there is going too far. I was just talking about how I was disappointed in not spending more time having fun last night instead being with Celestia the whole time shaking hooves with ponies I don’t even know.”

Rainbow threw her forehooves in surrender, “I get it… I get it… I’m sorry.” She did actually look sorry too.

Twilight and Naruko both thought a crisis was averted. They hadn’t even gone on a date yet and just decided to see how things go. It was too early to talk about such things with the others.

There was then a knock on the front door. Pinkie smiled and said, “I knew there was a good reason to cook lots of extra, though you might need to buy groceries to restock before we head back to Ponyville, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded and wondered who it would be at this time. She doubted it was her parents. They wouldn’t be back this soon after an ‘emergency vacation’. She was surprised when she opened the door and shouted, “Shining!” She then gave him a big hug.

Naruko jokingly said, “Quick… Make sure Rarity doesn’t come down the stairs. She might just try to take on the Goddess of Love for Shining Armor after seeing him.”

“What was that?” she heard Rarity’s elegant voice ask.

“Hey everyone! My brother’s here!” Twilight said happily.

“Hello. I’m Shining Armor. I was just coming by to check on you all since mom and dad are out of town,” he said in greeting as he walked into the kitchen area.

“Oh! We’ve heard so very much about you, Shining Armor,” Rarity said as she flipped her still slightly damp mane back and smiled at him while her eyes fluttered as she slowly and elegantly walked down the stairs.

Shining walked over to Naruko gave her a hug and whispered, “Is she trying to flirt with me or something? Cadence wouldn’t like that…”

“It’s hard to say actually. She could be, or she could not be. She’s Rarity and she’s always kind of like that,” Naruko explained.

“You’re staying for breakfast, right?” Twilight asked. “Pinkie just said she made extra.”

“I guess I could… I haven’t really eaten yet. We were up late last night after the Gala,” Shining said. “I did want to meet your friends anyways.”

“Ohh… Of course…” Twilight said and then cleared her throat and smiled. “Everypony. This is Shining Armor. He’s my Big Brother Best Friend Forever.” The ponies waved and smiled except Pinkie who just smiled as she continued cooking. “These are my friends. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, be careful she seems to be extra pervy today…”

“Hey!” Rainbow said as Twilight giggled.

“This is Rarity and the one with hat is Applejack,” Twilight finished as she pointed to each pony in turn.

“Well howdy Shining Armor like Rarity said we’ve just recently heard about ya from Twilight and Naruko,” AJ said.

“Ummm… hi…” Fluttershy said. She really hoped her antics last night didn’t cause him and the other guards the extra trouble he was talking about.

“I’m… Rarity. It is good to meet you,” she said her voice with her usual lilt.

“Oh I got it. I thought I heard your name recently. You’re the one Ponce Blueblood claimed attacked him last night,” Shining said. Rarity blushed and looked away. “He was trying to get us to come after you. But I just smiled and happily told him since there wasn’t any actual injury we can’t actually go after you. Good job on scaring him but not hurting him. The Ponce always needs somepony keeping him in check at times.”

Rarity gave a nervous but still elegant laugh as she said, “Yes of course…” She again decided she really needed to do something special for Naruko as thanks for saving her from trouble.

“Breakfast’s ready!” Pinkie cheered loudly as Twilight and Naruko quickly used their magic to set the table. “Pancakes, Waffles and scrambled eggs. Just like Twilight ordered for us all,” Pinkie said as she brought the bowls and plates of food over to the table. Shining quickly gave out glasses of juice to everypony as they sat down for a great meal with Spike and Kyuubi joining them as soon as the table was set.

{-} {-} {-}

Despite all of them sleeping in, the group of friends were yawning and napping on the train back to Ponyville. They were all saddened to leave Canterlot after they helped clean up the house and got groceries to replace what they used. They were also happy to be returning home after the long but fortunately fun filled night.

“Welcome back, Captain!” Derpy said with a salute as Naruko swung by the office to check up on them after returning in the late afternoon.

“Hello, Derpy.” Naruko greeted as she smiled. “Did everything go alright while I was gone?”

Derpy laughed. “You weren’t gone for long you know. But yes, everything is good. How was Gala night?”

Naruko smiled fondly as she said, “I actually really enjoyed it. More than the others even.” She decided to leave out that they had a terrible experience for the most part except her.

“Good to hear…” Derpy said as she looked to the side. “Ummm… There is some paperwork for you to look over… I tried to narrow it down as much as I could, but you know how it is… Bye!” she said and quickly left HQ.

Naruko sighed. “Of course, it's still here…” she said as she went to her office to see how bad it was. When she opened the door, she gaped at the sight. She was surprised she wasn’t greeted by an avalanche of paperwork.

“How…” she asked in a small whining voice.

“Even rabbits don’t reproduce this quickly…” she then sighed and decided to use five shadow clones and just hope they wouldn’t all trip over each other. It seemed like she would have to spend a little time here after all tonight.

“Maybe this is why I was allowed to have such an enjoyable Gala night. The world for once felt sympathy towards me and knew what was waiting my return,” she thought to herself as she got to work.

Author's Notes:

Another long chapter… I thought about pushing the morning after part until the next chapter, but decided I wanted the Gala night saga over and done with. I hope the part with Naruko and Twilight wasn’t too much. I wanted them to have an encounter with each other that was part cute and part them going further without it actually being that kind of a scene. I still feel it meets the teen rating.

I also decided to have them admit their feelings for each other and not drag it out too much further. It was kind of obvious from Twilight’s perspective earlier on in the story I thought. I hope it won’t have been too early, but it kind of felt time to me after their night. Their romance will be a part of the story, but it won’t be the focus of it. I’m sure some people will be happy about that and others a little disappointed.

Royal Visits

Naruko gave a stretch and a yawn as she stood up from behind her desk. It wasn’t long until she got used to paperwork again and was already missing the Gala Night. She was at least finding time to actually de-stress and paid the spa a few visits, usually with Twilight happily joining her. She was kind of happy they weren’t as intense as that first one was, but that was probably because she wasn’t letting her stress levels build up so much after what happened last time.

She had a feeling that was a huge part of why that other voice started popping up inside. There hadn’t been any problems from it since then and she was happy about this. She and Twilight also found more excuses to spend time with each other, even if short, since they were kind of dating now. Though their dates still felt like friends just going out together only with a bit more of an intimate atmosphere.

They still hadn’t found out what they did with their horns that night. Naruko’s dreams loved coming up with plenty of theories which usually left her in a bit of pleasantly frustrated state in the mornings at times. She wished she had someone to talk to about this stuff, but she couldn’t really think of anyone to ask. She knew plenty of unicorns but this didn’t feel like a “Hey, Lyra! So, Twilight and I touched horns together and it was really amazing. What is that?” kind of deal. Much less asking any of the others she knew. Twilight had admitted she was too embarrassed talking to her parents about it and research hadn’t really led her to any answers.

One thing Naruko really had enjoyed was going to the spa for a horn filing with Twilight. It felt really good and the intensity Twilight experienced was intriguing in a way. The spa ponies were just professional about it like always. Naruko imagined you witnessed and experienced a lot in such a job. She wondered if they ever had problems looking at some ponies afterwards or anything like that.

There was a knock on her office door which broke her from her musings and she answered, “Come in. Door’s open.” She hadn’t expected her eyes to widen and her body salute when it was in fact Princess Luna who entered the office with a smile. “P-p-princess Luna?! What are you doing here? It is great to see you, I mean,” Naruko said stammering a little while trying to look professional.

Luna gave a pleasant laugh and smiled. “There is no need to greet us in such formality, friend Naruko!” she smiled. “I have come to visit the HQ again. And to personally tell you that the motion to allow for up to two other officers in each contingent has been finalized and accepted.”

“Really?!” Naruko asked far too happy for such a statement, or at least that is what ponies would think if they didn’t know the true unending horror that was paperwork. She was relieved she would be able to finally get some help with it.

“Yes, indeed. I have even bought the two medals that will mark their office, even if they are not needed. Are you still convinced to just have one more at this time?” Luna asked.

“Yep. We’re still small so that will be enough,” Naruko said with a smile. She then sighed as she said, “I suppose we'll always be this small, but we’ll get it to work somehow.”

“I would not count on that, Naruko. The staying small part, that is. Mine sister sometimes has prophetic dreams, though she relies on them too much at times, and while they are vague on the details the jest of them is that there will be an exceptional growth to the patrol including your contingent in the future. When that will happen is where it gets vague,” the night princess said.

Naruko couldn’t help but smile to that. Then her eyes widened again and she blinked a few times. “Should I?” she thought in question. She decided she should. Princess Luna was to her at times what Princess Celestia was to Twilight. Perhaps growing up an orphan is what caused it, but she always felt a strong attachment to Princess Luna. She also felt like she didn’t really have any other options.

“Ummm…” Naruko asked nervously as she blushed and moved a little uncomfortably. Princess Luna kept her expression pleasant, but had to admit she thought it cute her Grand Captain was acting this way and there was even a part of her that wanted to be unprincesslike and squeal. “Can I ummm… ask you a non-work related question? It is a little personal and has been really getting to me lately,” Naruko said as she continued to blush and look away from the Princess of the Night.

Princess Luna did her best to hide her excitement at such a request. She gave a nod as she smiled and said, “Of course! You may ask me anything you want.” She really liked the idea of getting to help out one of her little ponies personally.

Naruko still felt a little embarrassed as she motioned for Princess Luna to get comfortable and then closed the door behind the princess as she used magic to secure it. “Well ummm… After the Gala the others and I sort of continued our night to have more fun, which was needed considering the disaster the Gala was.”

“I know this. My sister pawned off her duties regarding the clean up to me… I didn’t mind too much. I just wish she would have told me first,” Princess Luna said.

“Really?” Naruko asked. Luna nodded. “That really sucks…” she replied. Luna shrugged her shoulders in response. She had gotten used to that expression.

“I am sorry for the interruption. Will you please continue? I am still getting used to this conversing thing with ponies not in an official capacity,” Princess Luna apologized.

Naruko smiled warmly. “I don’t mind it. I like talking to you.” Luna gave her a happy smile as Naruko continued. “Well afterwards we stayed at Twilight’s house in Canterlot. I ended up sharing Twilight’s bed with her which isn’t all that unusual, but we did something. We don’t really know what it was but we both really liked how it made us feel and it was amazing! We sort of… touched… our horns… together.” Naruko was surprised how much she was blushing and how warm her cheeks felt from said blush.

Princess Luna was a little shocked to hear that. “Were the two of you channeling magic at the time?” she asked.

“I don’t really recall that… But when we did… It ummm… felt like our essences were mixing together or something. We both really liked it. There was this magical pleasure coursing through us. It was really kind of intense and felt really good. It even physically affected us in certain ways." Naruko then blushed and tried to use her hooves to hide her face.

When she peeked, Naruko was surprised Princess Luna seemed excited. “Tis a joyous occasion! To think one would experience that so young! It takes a lot of love and trust for unicorns to do such a thing and you did so without too much thought.”

“Is that… a good thing?” Naruko asked a little confused.

“It can be. For you two to have experienced that, it shows you are both very accustomed to each other’s presence and trust each other on a deeper level! Unless things have changed that much, which I doubt from what I have gathered, it is a good sign. It shows you two doth love each other! The intensity you described shows it is not just as mere friends or even that of sisters,” Princess Luna said while smiling brightly.

“Is is is… it like… ummmm… s-s-sex?” Naruko asked.

Princess Luna blushed at the word a little. She cleared her throat. “Some would say it was, but it is also something much deeper and purer than that, even if you were both addled by alcohol a little at the moment.”

Princess Luna then blushed again as she came to realize something about her Grand Captain. She asked to clarify it. “Did my sister ever teach you anything regarding certain explicit activities as a pony? Or did she just assume you had enough of an idea from when you were a human to figure out the basics?”

Naruko shook her head. “We never covered that kind of stuff really… Twilight didn’t really know more than me either.”

Princess Luna sighed and blushed. “I guess it is mine duty then… Though things have probably progressed while I was in exile… I had wanted this to be just a social visit, but it seems it must be much more.”

Naruko’s face was beat red, but she was ready to listen and learn. She was eager to learn, especially if it would help things out between her and Twilight. She just knew this would be a very awkward day and she was sure her dreams that night were going to be truly wild as a result.

“There are many things unicorns can do when it comes to intimate relations. Especially with other unicorns… or… ummm… in the rare case an Alicorn… Don’t give us that look! We are the Princess of the Night and Dreams! We hath lived a long time… You have to find some way to keep things interesting,” Princess Luna said blushing when Naruko looked to her in shock.

“Anyways…” she said before getting back to the point at hoof. Luna also magicked in some tea for them to sip on while they talked. There was a part of her that was excited to get to be the one to have such a conversation with Naruko and to teach her. She also knew it would be awkward and hoped there wouldn’t be any distancing from one another as a result.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight was humming to herself as she relaxed a little. She had just finished up a few assignments for Princess Celestia including a friendship report on when to keep secrets and when to share them with your friends. Pinkie had a good point, but she accidentally muddled the issue in this case. Fortunately, Twilight chose to confide in Naruko and Naruko talked to her about how secrets can sometimes be very harmful if they aren’t revealed or not revealed in a proper way.

Twilight loved Pinkie as a friend and understood where she was coming from, but Naruko knew first-hand how secrets being kept from someone, even if for their ‘safety’, could literally destroy a person/pony. Twilight wisely chose to take Naruko’s advice over Pinkie’s here. Pinkie confronted Naruko about this later, but when she left after talking to Naruko the pink pony actually apologized in tears to Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight when it came to her advice about secrets on this matter. She claimed she didn’t fully understand what was really at stake and vowed to do better.

What happened was after the Gala Hoity Toity brought a pony called Photo Finish to help get Rarity’s name out there even more. He was impressed with how she was able to make Naruko’s dress handle the stresses on fabric from dancing the night away while still being a top-notch dress that was easily one of the best at the Gala. He had meant to do this sooner, but Photo Finish was a very busy and popular photography pony.

Rarity thought it would be her big chance in the fashion world, but it was Fluttershy’s career as a model that took off seemingly instead. Rarity also thought Fluttershy enjoyed the attention she was getting and didn’t want to ruin things for Fluttershy. Fluttershy on the other hoof thought Rarity really wanted her to model given how the fashion unicorn was behaving. She didn’t want to upset Rarity by admitting she didn’t really like modelling and was only doing so for her sake. Both ponies further complicated things by making Twilight promise not to tell the other what they were thinking. Pinkie Pie didn’t help either with her insistence of not sharing secrets ever no matter what.

Thanks to taking Naruko’s advice, Twilight was able to nip this problem in the bud and it worked out for the best for all of the ponies involved. Naruko even modeled a little with Fluttershy some while wearing more of Rarity’s fashions. Photo Finish didn’t dare get on Naruko’s bad side considering Hoity’s warnings about what road that would lead you down.

In the end, Fluttershy got to model a little in a way she was much more comfortable and happy about. Naruko enjoyed the break from paperwork, as always. Rarity’s brand name was able to reach more ponies. Lastly but not least, Photo Finish made a breakthrough in photography and modeling that really caused her passion for the field to reignite and burn even brighter. She was extremely gratefully to them all because of this.

The purple unicorn had expected a rather relaxing rest of the day after everything and a wonderful dinner with her favorite pony, Naruko. Twilight was glad she was able to find a bit of a balance between her friends and her “marefriend!” Twilight squealed before giggling in joy. She was also really happy Naruko was finding ways to avoid getting so stressed with everything going on now.

What Twilight hadn’t expected was for Spike to speak to her suddenly. “Ummm… Twilight…” the baby dragon started.

“Yeah? What is it, Spike?” she asked.

“You… have a visitor,” he finished lamely. Twilight raised an eyebrow at him in question.

“What I think Spike means... Is I have come to visit you specifically, Twilight,” An elegant and royal voice spoke causing Twilight’s eyes to widen in surprise.

“P-p-princess Celestia?!” she asked unable to hide her shock.

The beautiful and regal alicorn princess of the daytime stepped forward with a bright smile. “Yes. It is I,” she replied.

“What are you doing here?!” Twilight almost shouted.

“I figured given my sister is visiting Naruko I would do the same for you. I may have also wanted to sneak out of the palace for a bit. I am really happy to see you. I feel I owe this to you after the Gala. We didn’t really get to talk much with each other,” Princess Celestia said with a radiant smile.

“I need to tell the town! I need to organize a proper reception! Pinkie should plan a party!” Twilight started muttering things she should do for the princess’ arrival. An elegant gold shoed hoof stopped her ramblings.

“I came here for you. And you alone, Twilight. You had to share your time with me at the Gala with so many other ponies. I don’t want that happening again here,” Princess Celestia said.

Twilight grinned brightly and squeaked in happiness as she hugged Celestia tightly. “I am so happy to hear that, Princess Celestia! I really didn’t like the Gala all that much. I couldn’t do much with you and I felt I wasted all the chances I could have had to enjoy Naruko’s company there even if we did talk a little before Rarity and Fluttershy interrupted…” Twilight then looked down as she smiled, even if it shrunk a little.

“Is something the matter, my little pony?” Celestia asked.

“It’s just there is so much I want to tell you, but I can’t even think where to start,” Twilight admitted.

Princess Celestia chuckled in a love filled divine manner to those words. “Then how about you tell me what happened that night after the Gala? You lot had some big plans. Surely there is something you feel you can share.”

Twilight blushed and shifted a little as she smiled but remained silent. “Now that kind of expression tells me there is much for you to say,” Princess Celestia said with giggle.

“Well I mean… I guess… Something really amazing did happen between me and Naruko. We all spent the night at my parents’ house in Canterlot after we visited a few places. Naruko and I shared my bed like we used to do a lot back at the castle, but it was different this time. We ummm… well we kind of did something amazing,” Twilight paused as she placed her forehooves on her red burning cheeks.

Princess Celestia chuckled again. She found this interesting. “What happened?I can tell it was something good. What happened?” she said in a sing song voice. She just loved her cute little students. She was betting it was something super sweet and innocent that Twilight overthought on like maybe a peck on the cheek or at most an actual quick kiss.

“Well… I guess I can tell you. We were wondering what it was anyways..." Twilight seemed so happy as she shifted back and forth still holding her cheeks.

That admittance actually intrigued Princess Celestia a little. She didn't think there would be much Naruko wondered about as well. Perhaps Naruko was more innocent than she originally thought.

"Naruko and I touched our horns together! There was so much magic in it and it felt so good. I felt as if we had achieved a different plane of existence almost. I could feel our essences mixing together. It was amazing! We were both breathless afterwards and felt warm all over and so much pleasure. That was even after we did all of that kissing before and caressing each other!” The purple unicorn said. She couldn't believe she admitted that but it felt kind of good to do so really. There was a part of her that felt vindicated from all of those times others teased her for not having experienced much.

Twilight blushed as she looked to the table. It was still a little embarrassing despite such feelings. “Sorry. I got a little carried away there. We were both wondering what it was that happened when he touched our horns together and all of that. We couldn’t figure it out…Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked as she noticed the princess was being very quiet.

Princess Celestia was frozen in place wide eyed with her tea cup half way to her lips. She had not expected that kind of an answer at all. She turned to the side and noticed Twilight looked to her worriedly. Celestia regained her composure. She could tell any longer and Twilight’s worry would become guilt. “Sorry. I was just surprised to hear that is all. Worry not, Twilight. What you two did wasn’t anything wrong,” she said was a motherly smile.

Twilight seemed to let out a shaky breath in relief. “You really had me worried there. I thought we had done something like s-s-sex….” She blushed furiously to the word.

“Oh Twilight…” Princess Celestia thought before she started to answer. “In a way it is something like it but much deeper and as many would say, purer.”Twilight eeped and tried to hide her face to those words. Her most faithful student was such a cutie at times.

“It seems there is much a need to tell you about ponies and getting intimate with each other. Unless you would rather have the discussion with your Mom or Princess Cadance,” she said calmly hoping Twilight would freak out a little less hearing these words.

“My mom?!” Twilight looked wide eyed and shook her head quickly. “Oh… No no no no nooo. We go out of our way to avoid such discussions. I love her. It is just really weird. Like really weird… And Cadance…” Twilight gave a nervous laugh. “You know how she is. She’s the princess of love but she gets wayyyyy too gushy about such things and wayyyy over romanticizes them.”

Twilight then blinked. “Wow… It is literally less embarrassing to talk about these things with the ruler of all Equestria who raises and lowers the sun than the older ponies I’m surrounded by… That really says something,” She couldn’t help but say out loud.

Princess Celestia gave a wonderful laugh to that as she used her magic to make sure they wouldn’t be disturbed by curious baby dragons. “I honestly never thought I would be giving one of my students these lessons… You might want to get comfortable and have some tea. It is going to be a long discussion, Twilight,” she said.

Twilight again blushed as she nodded and did as instructed. Princess Celestia couldn’t help but snicker a little bit. “At least I’ll get to see plenty of Twilight blushes during this lesson,” she thought with some amusement.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko was in a daze as she walked back to the library slowly. Her cheeks also seemed to have a permanent pink dusting on them. It wasn’t that she was unfamiliar with the whole birds and bees’ thing. Nope, she wasn’t unfamiliar with them at all. The ninja academy took care of that, even if it was a bit of an optional class.

However, it seemed the Princess of the Night was also the Princess of Nocturnal Encounters of the sexual kind as well. Princess Luna set her straight on everything… and she meant everything regarding pony carnal and magical pleasures. Naruko was pretty sure she would be one of the best ponies in that category now, if she could even look Twilight in the eyes without going off into the deep end of the pervy pond.

“Hello…” she said distractedly as she entered her home. She didn’t even register Spike’s welcome as she automatically grabbed a glass of
Cranberry juice in her magic and then mixed it with vodka. “Better make it two…” she said to herself still distractedly as she prepared a second one and plopped down in the living room area and sighed with a slightly dazed smile on her face as her cheeks blushed again.

She took a sip and proceeded to down her drink. She went for the second one only to see it picked up in a magenta magic field. Naruko looked and saw Twilight and blushed. Twilight did the same. “Ummm… yeah… hi…” she said.

Naruko blinked and then sighed. “Did Princess Celestia visit you?” she asked as she made sure to look away and used her magic to make them both a second drink.

“Yep…” Twilight replied as she blushed and stole a glance at Naruko. Impure desires, no matter how normal they were according to Princess Celestia, flashed in her eyes before she shook them out and took a sip of the second drink which Naruko poured into a much large cup than the first one.

“Yeah… Princess Luna talked to me… And then described to me what I am sure is the pony version of the Kamasutra,” Naruko said sipping her drink and looking away. There was no way she could keep certain feelings and wants at bay for the moment. She closed her eyes as she accidentally saw Twilight’s reflection. Since when did they have so many reflective surfaces in their home?!

“Kamasutra?” Twilight couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“It’s pretty much seen as a guide to sex, love, sex and more sex and so on in the world where I came from,” Naruko briefly explained.

“R-r-really?” Twilight asked shifting a little as she blushed.

“Yeah… Here we have Princess Luna… Princess Cadance may be the Princess of Love, but obviously Luna is Princess of Love Making… or something…” Naruko said.

“We aren’t naughty ponies are we?” Twilight asked. “I mean I ummm really liked it… and ummm wanted to you know again in the future if you wanted possibly… I’m worse than Rainbow Dash, aren’t I now?”

Naruko actually looked to Twilight and while she was blushing she said, “We aren’t… I don’t think so at least. I mean if you are then I am with you… I felt the same way and wanted that as well… I don’t think we’re as vulgar as Rainbow Dash at least. I haven’t really asked her how much she thinks about sex and I don’t plan on it.”

Twilight looked up and blushed as well as she smiled. “I don’t mind being forever condemned as a n-n-naughty pony with you. If we are now.” She then had to look away as she could have sworn steam was pouring from her ears.

“Same here…” Naruko said as she sipped more of her drink. “Want to go and get some fresh air with me? We still have our dinner plans… Unless you want to cancel them.” She frowned at that idea even if she understood why that could be the case.

“No!” Twilight answered immediately with a look a panic in her eyes. “Sorry… No, I don’t want to cancel them with you,” she said as Naruko seemed to relax. “Sure, it was awkward and everything and even this is a bit as well, but I don’t want to lose out on my precious Naruko time no matter what,” she said with a smile as she still blushed.

“Good. Because I’m pretty sure Rarity won’t available for a two-hour drama free time slot until early next month,” Naruko said with a giggle as she too was still blushing.

Twilight giggled as well. “Let’s get going then. Rarity can only avoid the drama train for so long before it hunts her down,” she added earning a giggle from Naruko.

The two then finished their drinks and gave each other a hug as thoughts went through their minds and left together. Spike was glad when they both left. They were acting a little funny and he feared they would cancel their plans for the night. He really didn’t want them to do that. He made some serious comic book reading plans for the night that involved cookies and milk.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko and Twilight had been mostly quiet on their date so far. It was more embarrassing than they thought it would be after the earlier discussions the princesses had with them. “So... What did you and Princess Luna talk about apart from that?” Twilight asked hoping to break up the atmosphere.

“Not too much. I mean I didn’t think asking that question would lead to such a long discussion. She did however, tell me I would finally be allowed to appoint up to two more officers in the Patrol. That way I won’t have to do all of the paperwork myself. I’m just going to go with one for now, since we’re still small,” Naruko answered.

She then hummed in thought and cast a quick privacy spell that wasn’t a bubble, but would keep others from listening in. “One thing she did mention is apparently Princess Celestia often has vague but prophetic dreams. I didn’t know about that,” she started.

“She does?! That’s news to me,” Twilight said.

“Yes, she does. It seems the patrol is supposed to get a sizable growth soon, but I don’t know why or how. It was something to hear though. So, what else did you and Princess Celestia talk about?” Naruko said as she cancelled the spell so it would be less likely to be noticed just as their waiter returned with drink refills.

“Part of the reason we got into that discussion is because I didn’t know where to start when talking to her. She said she wanted to visit me since we didn’t have time at the Gala and Princess Luna was visiting you,” Twilight said before adopting a thoughtful look. “Do you think they planned this? Do you think maybe the found out what we did through our dreams or something?” she asked.

Naruko hummed in thought. “Maybe they planned their visits to coincide with each other, but I don’t think they planned for that discussion. Princess Luna seemed to excited to help me with it for something planned in advance.”

“I was just thinking because it seemed too convenient is all. You’re probably right about them planning their trips. It still almost gave me a heart attack when she just came over like that. I was just more or less lounging around the library and not exactly in a very lady like position if you know what I mean,” Twilight said as she blushed.

Naruko blushed and smiled. She then cleared her throat and said, “It was the same here. I thought it was Trixie coming by or somepony else. I did not expect the Princess of the Night. I was so flustered my eyes widened and I scrambled to salute.” Twilight gave a giggle at that. The two then found it easier to talk about other things as they waited for their desserts.

When they had their desserts finished, the two stayed a little longer enjoying their drinks. They were reasonably undisturbed here. There were only other couples in the place so they had no worries about nosy friends or pervy friends. Twilight smiled at Naruko and leaned across the table. Naruko leaned a little bit as well and the two kissed each other before smiling and giggling some. They each kissed each other one more time before they paid and left to go home for the night.

{-} {-} {-}

The next day there was a knock on Naruko’s office door. “Who is it?” she asked not showing her concern. She really didn’t think she could face Princess Luna again already.

“Trixie!” came the reply.

Naruko sighed in relief as she smiled and opened the door for her friend. “How are you doing?”

“Trixie is fine. Though I have a request. I want to apologize to Rarity, but I don’t really want to do it alone… I also don’t really know where to find her,” Trixie said. She omitted the fact she didn’t really ask around too much about where to find Rarity in the first place.

Naruko looked to her stack of paperwork in thought and nodded. “Okay. I’ll go with you. I could use the break anyways,” she said with a nod.

Trixie gave a laugh and smiled as she said, “Trixie had a feeling you would say that. After all Trixie’s company is much more desirable than that of paperwork.” The two chuckled as they left.

“Rarity can usually be found at the Carousel Boutique. She works there and lives there,” Naruko explained as they approached the building. Trixie had to admit she liked how it looked.

When they got to the door about to enter Naruko was a little surprised when Trixie made a point of hiding behind her. “I guess even Trixie gets nervous,” she thought as she opened the door.

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique! Where everything is Chic, Unique, and Magnifique! Oh, hello Naruko!” Rarity said with a bright and warm smile. “What brings you here today? Oooo do you want a new dress?!” she asked as her eyes seemed to blaze to life with inspiration. She would never pass up an opportunity to use Naruko as a model for a new dress.

“No. Something different this time. I’m just here by request,” Naruko said as Trixie peeked around her and tried to give an innocent smile.

“Oh… you…” Rarity said with more than a little disappointment. “What is it you want?” she asked.

“Trixie is… I am here to apologize… for last time. It wasn’t a permanent spell or anything, but it wasn't nice either. I also apologize for forcing your hoof when you were just trying to get everypony to quiet down,” she said her voice full of sorrow.

Rarity looked her over. “I suppose I can forgive you, since you did come here to apologize. I do have to wonder why you are here with Naruko of all ponies though,” Rarity looked to Naruko with a pointed stare. Naruko was trying to figure out how best to answer that. Trixie was about to get in front and demand that Rarity not get upset with her friend and savior, Naruko.

“Rarity? Who is it?” a small voice asked.

“Nothing to worry about, Sweetie. You can go back to your nap,” Rarity said.

Sweetie Belle still was curious and came around the corner and into the storefront area. “Oh hey! It’s you!” She then ran over and hugged Trixie's front leg as she smiled. “That show of yours was great, Trixie!” she said.

“What are you talking about Sweetie?” Rarity asked. She didn’t remember Sweetie being there at the show.

“Remember when everypony went to Ever-Free HQ while you and the others dealt with the parasprites?” Sweetie asked. Rarity nodded now very interested. “Well Trixie here gave everypony a great Pony puppet show! She also helped us all get our beds situated.”

“Did she now?” Rarity asked looking curiously to Trixie.

“Yep she did!” Sweetie said with a bright smile. “Can I go and see Apple Bloom and Scootaloo now?” she asked.

Rarity gave her cute little sister a fond smile. “Yes you may. Try not to get into too much trouble,” she added warily.

“We never do!” Sweetie said as she shot out the door causing Rarity to sigh and shake her head.

Rarity then looked to Trixie and smiled this time. “I was going to forgive you since you came and apologized. But now I will also forget that ever happened, since you helped Sweetie Belle and everypony. My name is Rarity. It is nice to meet you,” she said giving a smile.

Trixie couldn’t believe she was getting lucky here. She smiled and said, “My name is Trixie Lulamoon. I’ve heard good things about you, Rarity. It is nice to meet you.”

Rarity then gave her a very slight but welcoming hug before her eyes then turned to fire with inspiration once again. “You must let me make you a new cape! I’ve never made something for a showmare before! Ideaaaaa!” she said excitedly.

“Trixie insist on paying you!” Trixie said.

“Nonsense! Not this time! I will make you a new and wonderful cape and you will take it free!” she argued.

“But Trixie wants special modifications to her cape. She insists on paying you!” Trixie said.

“Modifications…” Rarity said a little warily.

“I simply wish for you to make it so I can enchant it!” Trixie said.

“Oh! I can do that. That’s easy for Rarity! No worries,” she said.

“It is very important,” Trixie said.

“Do you apply them on the underside?” Rarity asked and Trixie nodded. “Good. That makes it easier.” And just like that Trixie was wrapped up in Rarity’s pace even if she didn't want to admit it. Naruko gave them a smile and left knowing they were already off to a great start and she knew it would work out this time. She also didn’t want to hang around for Rarity to remember she was there by Trixie’s request. Naruko was pretty sure Rarity had something in mind for her after hearing that.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko was now back at HQ and decided it was time to speak with Derpy. She knocked on the door to the room were Derpy was filling out her patrol report for the day. “Come in!” she said.

“Hello Derpy,” Naruko said.

Derpy smiled brightly and gave her a hello hug. “Good to see you, Captain! I was a bit concerned after you spent most of yesterday talking with Princess Luna,” Derpy said as she returned to the desk and missed the deep blush on Naruko’s cheeks.

“Well… I am actually here to talk to you about one thing we mentioned. The rest of her visit was a personal one,” Naruko said.

“So, what is it?” Derpy asked.

“Derpy. You have been the unofficial second in command here for a while now and I really appreciate all you have done for me. I was wondering if you wanted to make it official. Princess Luna told me yesterday the Royal Cabinet officially made it possible for all Contingents to have up to two extra officers. There will be a pay raise naturally and you will have more responsibilities including, but not limited to paperwork…” Naruko said trying to keep the hope out of her voice. Derpy had every right and reason to turn down the proposition. She knew how bad the paperwork got.

Derpy smiled and asked, “What rank would I be?!”

Naruko thought this promising. “First Lieutenant,” she answered with ease.

“What all does it mean?” she asked.

“Does this mean you are considering the position?” Naruko asked.

“Yes. I want the details first though,” Derpy replied.

Naruko made a shadow clone. “Would you like to have this discussion here or in my office?”

Derpy gave a blush as she swayed a little bit. “Ohh Captain… Such an invitation… What would my hubby think?”

Naruko sighed as Derpy giggled and came around the desk showing she wanted to discuss this in Naruko’s office. Naruko ordered her shadow clone to bring them some tea and snacks. There were a lot of details to discuss.

{-} {-} {-}

Rarity was at her sewing machine as Trixie relaxed on the dress stage. “I still don’t get why you have been here in Ponyville for so long or well close enough to it. It is impressive I haven’t bumped into you around town,” Rarity said as she made sure to get the stitching perfect.

“Trixie lost her trailer that night. I’ve been working on it since then. It takes a lot of work and care to make it properly enchantable. Naruko and the others offered to let me stay at the HQ so long as I helped out a little bit and that way I wouldn’t have to continue camping in the forest,” she said. She didn’t feel like explaining how Naruko and Derpy pretty much saved her. She liked Rarity well enough now, but she wasn’t about to discuss such things with her.

“That must be hard… Staying in the Patrol HQ,” Rarity said.

“Not really. The place is very nice and meant to serve as a shelter and place for patrol members to stay the night if they wish. It’s come in handy after a few of our… I mean their parties. And I have no problems with helping them out. That night caused Trixie to rethink many things,” she said.

“Well that is good. I am sorry to hear about you losing your trailer. How is the new one coming along?” Rarity asked.

Trixie smiled to that in pride. “Better than ever! It will be much more impressive than old one was!”

“That is good. I’m still really excited a Traveling Showmare will be wearing something I made. Despite how things played out, I’ve always liked Show ponies. I still can’t believe how uncouth Applejack and Rainbow were that time. So what places do you plan on visiting after this?” she asked.

“I am not sure yet. I plan on spending more time in Hooffington after this. I am not sure for how long though. My father always told me when I was younger, ‘A show pony must always have a home stage.’ I took his words rather literally when I first started and treated my trailer as a home. I have since then decided he meant something different,” Trixie explained.

Rarity nodded in thought to that. “My parents say something similar. Neither of them are anything quite so glamorous as a show pony, but they are always telling me never to forget my roots…. No matter how much I wish I could,” she said and muttered the last part.

She then used her magic and brought the cape over to Trixie for another quick fitting. “How does it feel?”

Trixie inspected it and smiled as she said, “Magical.”

{-} {-} {-}

“Wow… That actually is pretty good. I will become First Lieutenant Hooves! It will be nice to help you out so you won’t get as badly stressed as you were before the Gala,” Derpy said as Naruko blushed. “It is good to see you are managing your stress now though.”

“I had to learn my lesson the hard way, but I did learn it well. Plus, massages are so very wonderful,” she said with a pleased expression on her face. She then spoke again, “Now then. It is getting late, but I have to ask if you want a ceremony or anything?I mean you are the first officer apart from me in the patrol and you have very well earned your position.”

Derpy smiled. “I would just like another party is all. Can I leave you the date for it? I really want it to be a party I can bring my hubby to and need to set up things with my daughters to stay at home that night.” This was something special and she wanted to make sure it was celebrated properly.

“Of course. Do you want us to get Pinkie involved in planning?” Naruko asked.

Derpy actually shook her head. “I really like Pinkie Pie, but this is a Patrol deal! Not a Ponyville deal and sometimes… well… ummm…” Derpy looked away a little worried about saying anything.

“What is it?” Naruko asked.

“Please don’t tell her I said this… Please don’t. I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings,” Derpy said with a worried frown.

“I won’t tell her why beyond it being a Patrol issue. And that's only if I end up having to say something,” Naruko reassured her.

“Good… But well Pinkie’s parties are fun, but they are also kind of childish… If you know what I mean,” Derpy said.

Naruko was in thought for a moment. She could kind of see what Derpy was saying. Pinkie’s idea of a mature pony party was the same thing as her usual family friendly parties except she would actually intentionally spike the punch bowl. “I can see what you mean. We’ll work together and decide who to invite. I’m sure there are other ponies who would be happy to hear the pony who helped with evacuations and more was promoted.”

Derpy gave her a hug and smiled happily again. “Thanks, Captain! I need to go now though. I pretty much finished my report earlier luckily.” Derpy then decided to tease Naruko again as she said, “If I stay too much longer and my hubby hears I was held up in the Captain’s office he might start wondering.” Naruko sighed before joining Derpy in a laugh.

{-} {-} {-}

Once Derpy left, Naruko finished up what she needed for today in her office. She was getting ready to leave when there was a knock on her door and Trixie walked inside smiling. “What do you think of Trixie’s new cape?!” she asked.

It was very similar to the old one, but the colors were brighter and the design a bit better. The stars also seemed to sparkle a little in the light. “It looks really great Trixie,” Naruko said.

“I know! Rarity really is a Dress Wonder Maker! I can do even more enchanting with this cape than I thought. I have so many ideas,” Trixie said with her eyes lit in excitement. She then gave Naruko a serious expression as she said, “I really want to thank you for helping me out again. I wish I had friends like you before I got out of hoof.” Trixie then came over and surprised Naruko with a heart felt hug which Naruko returned.

After they broke off the hug, Trixie said, “Now Trixie is off to start her cape plans! Goodnight, Captain Uzumaki!” She then in show pony fashion threw down a small smoke bomb and left through the hallway causing Naruko to chuckle at the pony’s excitement as she vanished the smoke. Naruko then closed up for the night and made her way home.

She entered the library and gave a mighty stretch. She got herself a glass of juice and settled down in the living room after quickly making some food. She floated a book over to read as she drank her juice and ate her small meal.

At a fortunately boring part of the book, a purple hoof suddenly obscured her vision a little. “Guess who? Three guesses and the first two don’t count,” a familiar voice giggled.

Naruko smirked as she said, “Let’s see. Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle. And my last guess is Fluttershy with a purple socked hoof.”

“Humph… Don’t get smart with me, Naruko,” Twilight said as she removed her hoof and cutely stuck out her tongue. The two giggled and Twilight snuggled in with Naruko while placing a hoof around her. “How was your day, Naruko?” she asked.

“Pretty good. Derpy accepted the position of First Lieutenant. I managed to finish enough of my paperwork. And Trixie apologized to Rarity. The two seemed to have really hit it off,” Naruko explained. She then smiled to Twilight and asked, “How was yours?”

Twilight chuckled to that. “Much easier than yesterday. I did a good bit of research into pony legends again. There apparently was an ancient Earth Pony City called Ponlantis. Yes, the Ponlantis from all of the stories and movies. It seems it really existed. Some think there might be sea ponies living there even now. I don’t know about that, but it was really impressive. There is a lot more to Earth ponies than just their amazing abilities of growing plants and food in even the toughest places along with their strength and stamina.”

“Really?” Naruko asked her eyes shining with interest.

“Yep. They used to be runestone masters in the past. If what I learned is to be believed. They were capable of bringing the Earth to life in a much different sense. Perhaps Earth ponies have been partially responsible for all of these stone guards you’ve met in your temple adventures. I will have to look more into this later. I requested some more books from Princess Celestia,” Twilight explained.

Naruko gave Twilight a nuzzle and kissed her. “That’s my Twilight for you. Finding out such incredible things have truth to them.”

Twilight blushed. “I also just brought back Spike from visiting the CMC again. He seems to really be enjoying their friendship lately. He was a little bummed he wasn’t attending pony school though. He really wanted to go on their upcoming field trip to the castle. I had to try and not snicker as I asked him. ‘Ummm… You do know you lived in Canterlot Palace, right?’ He said that wasn’t the same and he wanted to give them the full tour,” they chuckled at this. “I had to remind him on field trips you have to stay with the teacher and follow them the whole time and not doing so can have very bad consequences. He’s now decided he will just have to get them to go on a trip with him sometime in the future and maybe even show them your office there.”

Naruko laughed to that. “I haven’t even seen my office there yet. I haven’t had a reason to visit it. I have decided I will use rune seals to make a teleport arrival point there though. You know whenever I first visit it. I will also make two others linked to it. I was thinking my bedroom and my Office at HQ.”

“Sooo, exciting!!!! Why don’t we get started right now! I can help!” Twilight said really excitedly.

“Sorry. I need to make the first one at my Canterlot office. It will have to take in the actual magic base flows of the destination or it might be iffy instead of exact like it needs to be,” Naruko said.

Twilight raised an eyebrow in question before running her marefriend’s words through her head. “Ohh. You said rune seals. Sorry I got excited there. But why not just use a regular rune matrix?” she asked.

Rune seals were pretty much something Naruko made up herself. The practice combined runes and what she knew of sealing from her ninja heritage. They were really impressive and not something any other pony could even begin to understand. Twilight herself had little knowledge about them apart from principles. She would have to first learn the alphabet from Naruko's old planet. There was much you could do with just regular runes, but it seemed Naruko had different plans.

“I want it to be keyed so it won’t work unless I activate it,” Naruko said seriously. She then gave a mischievous smile that got Twilight’s heart beating faster as she hitched her breath. “Besides… I wouldn’t want a certain pony entering my room just so she could use the teleport as a quick way to The Royal Library,” she ended in a sing song voice as Twilight blushed.

Twilight then decided to tease back. “Hey… I would have made it more than worth your while for allowing to do such things with very pleasant wake up calls…” she said while giving Naruko her version of sexy bedroom eyes. Others might think she was trying to hard, but to Naruko they were quite the sight to be hold even as the pony giggled and blushed a little. Twilight couldn’t believe how bold that statement was.

“Okay… that is very… enticing… But I’ve already made my decision, Twi. Besides…” Naruko said and countered with her own ‘bedroom’ eyes. They really were super effective with Twilight. “Once I’ve made the rune seals… We can have midnight excursions to the library and even get a little naughty with each other there.”

Twilight’s mouth was a gape as dreams she had experienced recently came back to her. She then gave a mighty shiver and moan. Her body was feeling very warm suddenly. She blushed and tried to hide her face behind her hooves.

Naruko blushed at just how much of a reaction that got from Twilight. She then did her best to regain her composure as she said, “Since it seems Spike is in bed for the night… It is late… w-w-why don’t we ummm… try some of those lessons we recently got from the princesses and compare notes.” Naruko couldn’t believe she was saying this, but she really really wanted it so tonight would properly end off such a great day.

Twilight took in a deep breath and nodded enthusiastically as her lavender cheeks turned a beautiful pink. Naruko blushed as well and led the way quickly to her bedroom. Twilight quickly used a silencing spell on the door just to be extra careful as she eagerly couldn’t wait for what was to come.

{-} {-} {-}

Spike gave a mighty yawn. He had been sipping on some juice as he thought on many things in his mind. He left Twilight and Naruko to do their whole, as Kyuubi called it, female bonding in peace. “Well goodnight you two!” he said mid yawn. He then blinked his dragon eyes in confusion as he looked around. “Geez… If they were really that tired they should have just said something earlier so I could wish them a goodnight’s sleep,” he said to himself with a shrug before heading to bed himself.

Chaos Awakens!

Cheerliee sighed as she brought all of the class back to Ponyville from their trip to Canterlot. The trio of Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, who called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders, once again got in to trouble. She really hoped they didn’t cause any real problems. It was odd, but she could have sworn she saw Discord’s statue cracking. She had never seen that before when she visited the Royal Garden. It gave her a bit of an ominous feeling.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko gave a yawn as she walked by Princess Luna’s side. Princess Luna chuckled, “Tired, are we?”

Naruko nodded. “I don’t see how you can do it. I think I might actually prefer paperwork to long drawn out meetings… And that terrifies me,” Naruko said as the Night Princess gave a laugh.

“We shall say it is eons of practice, but even I do get bored of them as well. It was at least a very important meeting. I swear it feels like half of the meetings I have been to over the eons were planning for the other half of the meetings. This one was at least on how to approach expanding the patrol finally,” Princess Luna said with a smile.

“It will mean more paperwork for me, but I’m happy about this change. I think I already have a few ponies in mind for some of the other contingents. I’m not entirely sure, but Trixie has been spending lots of time figuring out how we work and she’s been wishing to meet with me to tell me something lately, even after I helped her apologize to Rarity. She’s even asked about the expansion phase,” Naruko said with a smile.

Princess Luna gave a chuckle. “No doubt she will make for an interesting patrol member. Maybe even Captain for Hooffington if she does want to be a member and you are willing to train her even more.”

Naruko smiled as she teasingly asked, “Is that an order from my Princess and Boss?”

“We prefer to think of it as a Royal Request,” Luna said acting extra regal. She held her royal pose for a moment before then giggling and saying, “But yes, it is more or less an order. If she wants to volunteer like you believe and passes your tests, I want you training her so she will be able to lead Hooffington since they are a top priority. I shall look more into Bon Bon’s friend who tried to recruit her for S.M.I.L.E. and set up a way for them to meet and Bon Bon can propose she try for the Ever-Free. We will have to take a more active approach to recruiting at least at first.”

“Sounds good. Bon Bon really wants her friend away from S.M.I.L.E. believing she will be happier in the Ever-Free Patrol,” Naruko said.

“Shall we have some royal tea before you depart?” Princess Luna asked.

Sadly, before Naruko could answer they heard a shout from the stained-glass window room. “Discord!” Princess Celestia shouted.

“Come,” Princess Luna ordered as she sped off towards her sister. If that name was mentioned, it was something truly important. Naruko followed with haste.

{-} {-} {-}

Princess Celestia was seething. Discord took the elements and she had to send Twilight and the others off to find them. She had no idea why he would put them in the maze like Twilight said, but he was Discord. He seldom did things that made any real sense.

“Sister!” Luna shouted as she burst into the hall.

“Ohh… Luna… he’s back… I couldn’t do anything to help Twilight and the others. He hid the elements somewhere,” Princess Celestia admitted sadly.

“Where are they?” Naruko asked in a determined voice.

“In the Royal Maze. Twilight said he hid the elements there according to his riddle,” Celestia said.

“Why would he do that?” Naruko asked.

“Discord isn’t known for logic and making sense exactly,” Princess Luna said.

Naruko nodded. “I’ll go see if I can help them,” she said before teleporting out of the castle to the maze.

{-} {-} {-}

Discord gave a chuckle as he watched the ponies wander the maze. He wasn’t sure why it was Twilight thought the elements were there, but who was he to ruin their fun. His eyes actually flinched as he felt a power of some kind headed his way. It was rather large and there was another part of it as well off somewhere separate that seemed to be even larger possibly. “Interesting…” he thought as his unexpected guest arrived.

He looked over his shoulder to see a unicorn mare with her mane styled in two large side tails looking angry. “That’s a scary face,” he admitted even if he sounded like he was teasing. It actually did unsettle him a bit. It wasn’t a face a pony usually wore even when angry. “Though…” he said as he faced her properly. “I’m afraid you’re too late to join your friends in their little game and I simply can’t end it until it is over.”

“What did you do to them?” Naruko asked staring at him. Reading him or at least trying to do so. She had a hard time getting over how strange he looked. She had never really seen a creature that was truly a mishmash of parts like Discord.

“All I did was add a little extra challenge. They’re the ones who wanted to get to the middle of the maze. And you are? After all, I Discord, need no introduction,” he said with a smirk.

“Naruko…” she replied.

He pretended to cheer while wearing an excited school girl outfit as he said, “I’ve heard so much about you!” He then brought out a pen and paper. “Can I have your autograph?!”

In answer, Naruko charged at him. Discord dodged as she disappeared. He then was barely able to block a solid buck to his head with his eagle claw. He then backed out of range of a magic beam attack. “Not one for chatter I see?” he said boxing the air.

Naruko levitated a rock she sent his way fast. He turned it into sand and barely dodged a forehoof punch enhanced by magic. This pony actually knew how to fight. He didn’t even think such ponies existed anymore. He was actually getting to be a fan of her in his own way.

Discord attacked with a tail whip, but Naruko managed to move just out of the way and forced him to teleport away in defense. She was good and had good skills. Had he not teleported she would have landed a hit on him. He then heard a whirling sound above her horn. His eyes actually widened in surprise. She was containing a lot of highly compressed energy in that and the force of the rotation was not something he wanted to experience. He disappeared to get further away again.

“I’m sure I’m safe, there is no wa-” he had to break off his thoughts as Naruko managed to disappear and reappear near his head again… He was only able to dodge due to his serpentine dragon body. He was shocked when he heard the impact and saw a spiral mark on the surface of the giant rock right behind him. Then it exploded outwards on the back side. He’d never seen a move like that before.

“You’re not an Element… But there is something about you. Something dangerous that could be both distracting and entertaining,” Discord said with a small smile.

“I think. You deserve something special…” he said as he grinned at her. Naruko felt uneasy. She couldn’t help her friends in the maze and it annoyed her. It also felt as if Discord was actually taking her a little more seriously than he did at the start.

“It seems you really care for your ‘friends’,” he said before a light bulb appeared above his head. “That gives me an idea. It’s been a while since I used that spell… Well actually its been a while since I did anything. Being turned to stone is really a total bummer, dude… I’m also a bit stiff I’m afraid.” He snapped his lion’s paw and Naruko’s world faded out.

“That spell’s a real doozy. I wonder what will happen to her… Oh well! It isn’t like it will actually affect me or anything,” he said with a chuckle. There was a smaller version of himself shaking his head and figuring this would ultimately end up being a big mistake. Discord didn’t listen to that side of him though, it ran on horrible things like logic and brains.

The spell he used on her was actually an old favorite of his. He called it the Dream Reality. It took into account the pony’s past experiences, memories, desires, emotions and drive into account. It then sprinkled in a little of the victim’s fears as well, which made for a very convincing dream reality. It would keep the victim locked away and helpless until they either died, or he simply got bored of it and turned it off. The spell formed a small weak link between him and the victim so he could peek in whenever he was curious.

It really was the perfect spell for any species born on the planet. He made a habit of using it on troublesome opponents. The only problem with this plan of his, though he didn’t know it at the time, was that Naruko wasn’t born on the same planet. The small spike in energy he felt once he cast the spell on her also changed the effects, even though he didn’t know it.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko’s world reappeared and she blinked her eyes wondering what she was just dreaming about while she rested under a tree next to Twilight. Twilight looked even more lovely under the sun like this. She smiled brightly to Naruko as their friends laughed and giggled in the distance. Naruko felt a little wrong like she shouldn't really be here, but she also felt warm, and loved in this place. It was really odd, but she focused on the warmth and love she felt.

She then blushed as Twilight stood up. “Want to join them?” she asked.

“Nah. I’m good here…” Naruko said with an easy smile.

“I’m getting us a couple of drinks then. I think I know the real reason you want to stay down there,” Twilight giggled and as she left she swished her tail just a little bit to side as she looked back and winked at Naruko. Naruko took in a breath and let out a soft moan of comfort as it got slightly darker again.

{-} {-} {-}

Fluttershy hated this maze. She hated being away from her friends. She also felt a little scared as she walked forward, but she continued regardless. Her friends were counting on her. Something up ahead caught her eye. She saw what looked like butterflies, “Wait! Come back here!” she said as she chased them.

Butterflies were not only her favorite critter, but they would also be really useful here in this maze. She may not be able to fly but they could. She was planning on talking to them and getting their help with tracking down her friends.

“Left behind again, Fluttershy?” the butterflies said to her.

She found it odd but interesting they were actually talking to her like this. Maybe they were a rare breed kept around the castle. “We’re just working separately right now. I’m sure they will do all they can to find me.”

“So sad being so weak and helpless. Always having to rely on others,” the group said to her.

“I do still have a long way to go in my training, so I am kind of weak and helpless at the moment,” she said softly with a small smile.

Discord had to keep focused because this pony’s smile even got to him. “Surely… It bothers you. Especially always having to face that truth everyday…”

“Not really. My friends still care for me and help me when they can. And facing my flaws is key for me to find my balance,” she replied with a smile.

“For crying out loud! You are far to kind, my dear! It is time to be cruel,” he said as he reached out to touch her with a claw and force the change on her.

Fluttershy actually dodged his attempt and summoned her spear. It was a bit harder to use in this circumstance. She had to hold it in her teeth instead of her hooves while she flew or hovered.

“This is also new…” Discord said as he dodged a rather clumsy swipe of one of the spear’s bladed ends. Fortunately, it seemed Fluttershy wasn’t as used to fighting as Naruko was. He still had to dodge several attacks despite this, so he wouldn't get hit.

Fluttershy even threw it up in the air as she grabbed it and tried her best to balance on her hind legs as she jabbed at him a few times with it. Discord hadn’t expected this at all. “Where did you get that?” he asked.

“You may have hidden the elements, but my connection is still there to Kindness,” Fluttershy answered as she threw the spear at him while it spun through the air.

“Since when did the Element of Kindness have a weapon?!” he asked as he teleported out of the thing’s path as it sprung back to Fluttershy and she caught it in her mouth. She was actually surprised by this as well, but she went with it. Perhaps her training had been paying off a little bit. Who knew Angle Bunny knew the finer points of magical spear combat. She did first have to get over how cute she found him with his stick he used for demonstrations.

Discord dodged another attack from her and managed to finally get his claw on her forehead. Fluttershy’s eyes swirled and she felt very dizzy for a moment and swayed before she collapsed on her behind. “Well the color’s not exactly to my liking…” he said looking her over. She still more or less looked the same color wise.

“Color matching advice from you?! Have you seen yourself in a mirror? You don’t know the first thing about good color choice,” Fluttershy said with a scoff.

“But the attitude is right on point,” he said as he disappeared with a grin.

“Come back here! I’ll give you a point! From my spear!” she called to him.

The bushes behind Fluttershy fell down and Twilight was there. She smiled and said, “Fluttershy! So good to see you.”

Fluttershy was actually a little disappointed. She was supposed to be asleep until her goody two hooves side finally got smart and sought to become whole. She gave a snort as she said, “Can’t say the same for you. Luna! I miss my wings… Walking’s going to be such a pain.”

Twilight was a little worried at how Fluttershy seemed to be acting, but she supposed the stress really was high. “Let’s go and find the others. Then we can get the elements and beat Discord,” she said.

“Ugh… Wish you could just magic them to us,” Fluttershy said as she rolled her eyes. She then blushed a little bit and said in an unapologetic sounding voice, “Sorry…”

“It’s okay…” Twilight said with a sniff. “I really hope what Naruko and I did wasn’t undone by that horn removal thing…” she said not really meaning to be heard.

Fluttershy snorted. “You mean you and Naruko actually did something other than just read books in that library?”

“It was after the Gala, but yes we do actually do things other than just read books. Naruko’s not really a book kind of mare. She’ll read, but it isn’t something she loves anywhere near as much as me,” Twilight said wishing her marefriend could be there to help them out.

“Wait! Does that mean you and Naruko are actually like, together?” Fluttershy said with a stunned voice that wasn’t really cheerful at the revelation.

Twilight blushed. “Oh ummm… Yeah… We are. We planned on waiting to tell every-”

“Damn…” Fluttershy interrupted Twilight.

“What?! Is something wrong with that?” Twilight asked.

“Oh no… Nothing is wrong… It just means Naruko’s off the market,” she said a little grumpy.

“Wait?! You had feelings for her?! Since when? You never said anything about it?” Twilight said.

“Helllooo… I’m me… too shy for her own good Fluttershy. Aren’t you my friend? Shouldn’t you have figured out I’m not exactly the most forthcoming pony? It was kind of back during the whole temple in the forest thing. We had a moment. I wanted it to go on further, but when I asked her if she really didn’t remember much from her past. She kind of shot me down and told me to sleep. I’m pretty sure she was deflecting since she didn’t outright say no,” she said.

Twilight paused in her step. “Are you okay, Fluttershy? You’re really acting different. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but I am a little concerned.”

“Oh yes totally fine… What can I say? Losing your wings kind of changes a girl. The only things you need to worry about are stopping Discord and keeping your marefriend interested in you. Not like she has a lack of options,” she said adding enough extra sway to show how sexy she was while walking in front of Twilight.

“Who’s deflecting now…” Twilight muttered knowing Fluttershy didn’t really answer her question. She then steamed a little as she noticed Fluttershy’s sway and the pony’s smirk seemingly aimed at her. Fluttershy was totally being mean and playing off on her insecurities.

{-} {-} {-}

Derpy didn’t know what happened, but she knew what the captain’s orders would be. She quickly organized the others to bring all the ponies they could to HQ. It was surprising how well that worked, even if it wasn't well enough. There was one thing that was on her mind while doing a second evacuation. “Be safe, Naruko…” she thought as some more ponies headed into the so far unaffected HQ. Perhaps Discord didn't care about it. Perhaps they were too close to the Ever Free Forest and even his magic couldn't do much to the area.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko blinked as she took in her surroundings. Things seemed normal to her and she wasn’t sure what had just happened. “Was it a dream?” she wondered. Naruko felt really happy at the moment. She was with Twilight after a Rarity makeover that didn’t get out of hoof and the other elements, her best friends were hanging out with them as well.

“Hey silly!” Pinkie said with a smile. “It’s about time you woke up! We’re about to play pin the tail on the pony. Winner gets best selection of the pies. I made sure to give them all extra care just for this game.”

Naruko smiled brightly. “I have the best girlfriend in the universe and the best friends in the universe. This is amazing! Sadly, I will defeat you all,” she said with a smirk and a giggle her friends matched as Twilight blushed at the high praise Naruko gave her.

As they played their games, Naruko noticed what looked like a glitch in the universe. Her friends’ smiles distorted for a moment. She also saw dark eyes with red pupils flash in front of her. The eyes looked disappointed for some reason.

“What was that?” Naruko asked no pony in particular.

“Huh? What did you see?” Twilight asked as Rainbow made a pervy joke that caused AJ to blush and the others to snicker a little bit.

“I thought I saw something… It was dark… Kind of scary the way it just appeared,” Naruko admitted.

“Was it that voice again? You do realize I am your marefriend right? I’m not leaving you anywhere, so there is no reason to listen to it anymore. I’m also more than willing to enjoy… certain things… just not in front of the others. Let’s enjoy the pony games Pinkie has in store for us. Then I’ll get your mind off of that voice in private,” Twilight said with a big grin.

Naruko blushed as Twilight bumped her flank with Naruko’s. Twilight gave a giggle.

Things seemed to glitch again and she heard a voice say to her, “That would be nice. If Twilight was actually like that currently!”

Naruko blinked and shook her head for a moment before smiling at the others and joining them in their fun. She was taking Twilight’s offer for sure, later. For now, she really wanted the tastiest of Pinkie’s pies she brought.

{-} {-} {-}

Applejack was foolishly following a massive number of rolling apples. She couldn’t help it despite knowing better. They just took too much of her attention and there was something drawing her to follow. “What the?!” she said as some strange apple creatures seemed to appear before her. “What in the hay is going on here?”

“We’re the keepers of the grove of truth! Ask us a question past, present, or future and we will answer it truthfully,” the things said in turn as they encircled her.

“But be warned. For the truth is not always pleasant,” they said.

“Okay then… What to ask…,” Applejack hummed in thought. “I don’t really trust nothing in this here maze and especially that Discord Fella…” She then thought of a question. She knew she would be wasting it more or less, but it would be interesting to hear the answer.

“Where is Naruko originally from?” she asked with a bit of a smirk. She didn’t know the answer, but she had a feeling something was up here and she usually trusted her instincts.

“The answer is not very pleasant… Are you sure?” the things asked.

“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise,” she stated.

Discord actually gulped. That wasn’t something he could just throw out there. He had to think quickly. These ponies were giving him more of a workout than he thought, even if it was still entertaining. “Wouldn’t you know already? Seems like a waste of a question. You are her friend are you not?”

“Ah think. Truth ain’t what yer peddling. Ah think all ya’ll are doing is lying,” she said as she got in one of the thing’s faces.

Discord thought about shouting touché but instead he smirked. Applejack fell for his trap in a way at least. “Well sometimes. A lie is easier to swallow than the truth,” the thing said as it reached out and touched her head and the spell took effect on her. It was much more satisfactory with how Applejack’s color changed than with Fluttershy. Discord wondered what happened there with the yellow pony as he laughed and planned his next visit.

“Applejack! Good to see you again. Is everything okay here? I thought I heard voices,” Twilight asked.

“Too easy… Fluttershy, leave the little pony alone…” Fluttershy mumbled just loud enough for Twilight to hear her and give her a look.

“Like I was saying, Applejack,” she said again.

“Yep…” Applejack said her face looking weird as if she seemed to be swallowing the lie she just said. “Nothing wrong here. Ah weren’t saying nothing to no pony what so ever. In fact, I weren’t talking at all.” Applejack’s face looked strange again as she walked back into the maze.

Fluttershy rolled her eyes. “Really?” she said flatly.

“Why did she… lie?” Twilight asked in wonder. Applejack was a terrible liar and so she never really did. There was also the fact she was the element of Honesty. First Fluttershy was acting strange then Applejack was. Twilight was worried all of the others would be as well.

{-} {-} {-}

Pinkie heard a lot of laughter and watched as several colorful balloons were coming her way. She started laughing as well. “I’ve never seen laughing Balloons before!” she said with a smile. She wasn’t watching her step and ended up tripping and smacking her head into the ground. “Oww…” she cried a little.

The laughter around her increased in volume and amount. “H-h-hey… That’s not right,” she said.

“What’s wrong, Pinkie? You’re the one going on about how laughing is always the best answer,” one of the balloons said.

“This is different… They’re laughing at me… that isn’t right,” she said.

“It’s not different. Your friends laugh at you all the time,” the balloon said.

“No… They laugh with me. With me… They laugh with me,” she said as her lower lip quivered.

The laughing continued. “Stop that!” she yelled.

“Don’t be silly, Pinkie… They’re always laughing at you,” The balloon said as it popped in front of her. The others soon followed suit.

“I’m not happy at all. Laughter doesn’t make anypony happy!” Pinkie said as she glared at her reflection in a nearby puddle. “Is this the opposite? Is this what I needed for that supposed balance?” she asked it.

Pinkie shuddered and changed back a bit. “No. This isn’t what you need for your balance,” she seemed to say to herself in a voice that sounded like Pinkie but was actually serious. Pinkie then heard laughter in the distance and growled as her moment of clarity vanished.

“What was with her,” Discord wondered. He had also heard that word again. “Balance…” he said it as he drifted over to the next pony. He was getting a little tired of this game. He figured he would take care of Rarity and then use Rainbow Dash as an excuse to end the game in his favor. It shouldn’t be too hard.

{-} {-} {-}

The whole group of the elements were finally gathered apart from Rainbow, even if the results weren’t really what Twilight wanted. She was walking with Fluttershy, who while odd and a bit annoying, seemed very keen on keeping her company for some reason. It was really weird.

It was like Fluttershy suddenly forgot how to be a friend or had never really done so before, but that made no sense. She was also mostly unintentionally mean at times and sometimes gave a seemingly halfhearted apology. It made no sense because Fluttershy was actually great at making friends or at least not mean to others.

She was also with Applejack the world’s most unconvincing liar. “Ah told ya’ll my 36 times squared Grand pappy Apple Juice was the one to defeat this Discord Fella last time,” AJ said.

“Then how do you explain the window we saw in the Royal Chamber,” Fluttershy asked finding some amusement in AJ’s tall tales. If things were different, Twilight might join in on the fun as well. It was kind of entertaining hearing Applejack's excuses and stories change.

“Ah ain’t seen no window no how. But if ya were wondering why Celestia and Luna get the credit. It’s cause my 37 times squared Grand Pappi Pink Lady… he was a might bit confused about his stallion hood when he was born... He didn’t want none of that there fortune and fame business,” AJ explained.

Fluttershy smirked and said, “Sounds like he was confused about what generation he was and his name as well, AJ.”

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle a little at that along with Fluttershy. “That was pretty good,” she said.

“Stop laughing at me! Go and har har at somepony else,” Pinkie said with a growl.

Fluttershy rolled her eyes and said, “Just as soon as you stop claiming we’re laughing at all.”

“Ah know what I told yall and I said his name was Sweet Apple Bottom Potter. He liked the ring of the four names and got it legally changed at one point on a dare,” AJ said.

“Would you all be quiet!” Rarity shouted as she grunted from carrying a giant rock that was apparently the hunkiest piece of crystal clear diamond in all of existence. They just didn't have the perceptive eyes she did. “I can’t hear what he is saying to me,” she explained.

“Rocks don’t talk!” Fluttershy said fed up with this rock business. Why did she have to be the only sane pony? Well Twilight counted as well she guessed, but Twilight was focused on their mission.

Twilight couldn’t believe all of this. She was just glad they were almost to the center by now. Then suddenly the maze disappeared. “Okay who did that?” she asked.

Fluttershy shrugged her shoulders as she got closer to Twilight for comfort.

Pinkie was mumbling about the ground laughing at her now.

Applejack was carrying on about how “Uncle Apple Creek talks to rocks all the time. They are very sofistimacated. From what he told us.”

Rarity was giving bedroom eyes and posing seductively for the rock as known as Tom.

“So very sorry! That was me. The game's over now. Somepony broke the rules,” Discord said with a mocking sorrowful voice. “I must say I am disappointed in you little ponies.”

“What?! How?! None of us broke the rules,” Twilight said.

“Great… Rainbow did,” Fluttershy said as she pointed a hoof in the sky as Rainbow shouted something about flying as fast as she can and raced off in a random direction.

“So… When are you going to use the elements?” Discord asked with a knowing grin.

“We would! But you removed the maze before we could even get to center where you hid them!” Twilight shouted in frustration.

“Oh?” Discord then started to chuckle while Pinkie ranted and raved for him to stop laughing. “You really thought the elements were here?” he asked while smirking.

“That’s what you said in your dumb riddle…” Twilight said with a frown. She suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore.

“I never said no such thing,” he started.

“Yep, he sure did say they were here specifically. Ah recall it perfectly,” AJ said.

Discord suddenly had a paw around Twilight as he said, “I told you they were where you began. I thought that was obvious.”

“Ah was telling them that tha whole time,” AJ falsely claimed.

“Elements of Harmony in a maze? Who would do that? I mean if they were made of chocolate rainbow clouds... Then maybe I would consider it while I snacked on them. Chocolate rainbow clouds are the best,” he said with a dreamy look on his face.

“I hate chocolate! And laughing!!” Pinkie shouted.

“Your loss. But really you lose. Enjoy your time in the new ear kiddos! It’s going to outlast you all and be here for a long time yet,” he said as he snapped his tail and disappeared with a chuckle.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko looked around and found herself in Konoha again. “Wait? Again? I never left! I got that scroll and captured Mizuki and the old man made me a ninja as thanks! This must be some strong Genjutsu to get me all mixed up like this,” she thought to herself.

Naruko did the dispel hand sign and everything went back to the way it was. She may be a literal dumbass in Genjutsu, but she could pretty much dispel any and every Genjutsu. One of the benefits of her massive amounts of chakra thanks to Kyuubi. She grinned as she looked at her opponent. He was a strong ninja that made a point of dissing her, every chance he got. He had already subdued her teammates Sakura, who was also her best friend now, and Sasuke who was annoying, but still her reliable teammate.

“Oho? you broke free?” the strange looking masked man said with a wicked grin. “I suppose it’s your Uzumaki blood. Your people were always super annoying. It doesn’t matter. I’ll deal with you myself!” the masked man said with an evil grin.

“No, you won’t! Konoha is my home! Sakura and Sasuke are my precious people despite our fights! Our bonds are super strong. You better believe it!” she said as she faced him seriously.

“Amusing! Show me how ‘strong’ your bonds are,” he said with a smirk.

Naruko moved faster than he expected and there was a whirling sound as she threw her newest jutsu at him from point blank.

“Noo!” he cried as he was being disintegrated. “How?!” he asked as it not only destroyed him at a cellular level, but also burned him.

“You under estimated me,” Naruko said coolly to him as her teammates were saved and thanked her.

“What are friends for?” she asked with a big grin. “We never leave each other behind!” she beamed to them. They smiled back and all three went to eat ramen at Ichiraku’s!

{-} {-} {-}

“Necklace! Necklace! Necklace! Necklace times two! Big Crown thingy! Come on everypony let’s go! That means you too, New Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said as she dragged the others outside after finding the necklaces in her library.

It was even more obvious where they were once she thought on the riddle a little more. She actually wondered if a dragon could use one the elements. If they could, then Spike might actually be a better choice than Miss Fly away with my wings because I can’t dare to actually walk like a normal pony for more than just a few minutes! In other words, Ex-Rainbow Dash.

She was actually fed up with the lot of them at the moment. Naruko was still MIA as well. She just wanted this over and done with. Then her ‘friends’ could just go and chew on their tails for all she cared.

“Ouch! Hey!!!” Spike said as he tripped on Fluttershy’s tail and faceplanted into the ground.

“Maybe you should watch where you’re going, New Rainbow. Or you could have just flown like old Rainbow would. Ohh... that’s right you don’t have your dragon wings yet,” Fluttershy scoffed as she looked away and her eyes watered a little bit. It really hurt getting your tail stepped on like that, especially when you didn’t expect it. She wasn’t going to look weak in front of the others like Weakshy would.

Twilight looked around once they were outside and did a quick role call. “Let’s see the Grump!” She pointed to Pinkie. “The liar.” Applejack tried to whistle innocently. “Crueltyshy.”

“Hey! I’ve put up with more than my fair share of you all! I’m not cruel!” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah, well you keep threatening to steal marefriends from your friends,” Twilight said with a pointed look.

“I was joking and it was just the once… I was trying to actually help you out! Naruko could have any pony she wants and you know it! Even a mare like you has to keep her constantly interested in some way,” she said with steam in her nostrils.

“Wait… Twilight and Naruko?” Pinkie asked in what seemed like a moment of clarity. She even seemed to almost turn pink again instead of gray while smiling. Almost...

“I didn’t hear ya’ll say nothing,” AJ lied again and again earned eye rolls from the others. Her obvious lies were getting old and not as humorous now. Why did Discord think they would believe AJ’s lies? She was so bad at them!

Twilight sighed. “Yes Pinkie… We are… We were keeping it secret, but some pony had to go and spill the beans at an inconvenient time!” she glared at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy frowned and sniffed as she looked away. “Sorry… You started the argument,” she said in a more traditional Fluttershy voice. Twilight almost felt sorry for getting on Fluttershy’s case now, but that was just almost. She was too angry at the moment to think about such things. She was a pony's hair away from fighting all of them.

She took in a breath and sighed. It calmed her down a little but no where near enough. “So, is Rarity still dry humping the rock?” Twilight asked with a frustrated sigh as she realized who was missing.

“Nope! Ah swear to ya’ll she ain’t doing no such thing to the rock. And that there is the gosh darned truth,” Applejack said.

“Yeah yeah… sure…” Twilight said with a roll of her eyes. “Rarity, I swear to Celestia you better not stain the floor in there with the way your drooling over that rock.”

“Humph! How dare you insult Tom by calling him a rock! He is far too handsome and ravishing and hunky to be called a rock. And he’s all MINE! MINE!!! HA HA HA!” Rarity shouted from inside.

“I think I preferred it when she was wet for the Ponce…” Twilight said dryly

Fluttershy giggled as she said, “Good one, Twi.” Twilight ignored her and Fluttershy sniffed again. She was really trying here you know. Friendship was other Fluttershy’s supposed expertise not her’s. She never knew it would be this difficult. She begrudgingly had a new respect for her other self.

“Everypony stop laughing at me!” Pinkie shouted at Fluttershy.

“Ha ha-ha ha Ha! That was me laughing at you because you’re crazier than usual and not Twilight’s joke,” Fluttershy said.

“Well Ah sure say I’ve been laughing the whole time yall hear?” AJ said.

Fluttershy face hoofed and sighed. “No one believes you, Applejack…”

“All these ponies just don’t know how to appreciate my Apple brand of brutal honesty. That’s all it is,” AJ said.

“Watch out, Everypony! Here comes Tom! Careful he’s wet on one side. Rarity was licking him, or I hope that’s all she was doing,” Twilight grumbled as she launched the rock outside. Twilight had no time for putting a filter on her mouth or being polite. Plus, the way Rarity was carrying on with the rock was really that disturbing and intimate.

There was a loud laugh that echoed outside the library. “You ponies really are far too entertaining. I haven’t had this much fun in eons…Being stone is rather dull,” Discord said as he appeared in front of them.

“What do we have here?” he said placing his lion’s paw on his chin as he looked them over.

“Girls! Let’s do that thing with the magic and everything! There he is!” Twilight called as they… sort of lined up.

“Where’s the blue one? Rainbow Dash?” he asked.

Twilight huffed, “She was fired! And replaced by Rainbow Dash 2.0: Purple Edition.” She pointed to a nervous Spike who waved at Discord. “Prepare to be friend magicked back into the stone age!” Twilight said.

Fluttershy snickered again at the terrible joke and Pinkie glared at her. Fluttershy stuck her tongue out at Pinkie in reply.

“This is too good! Go ahead… Hit me with your best shot! Friend magic me hard!” he said as he chuckled and painted a target on his chest.

Twilight then decided to call out their attack for some reason. “Elements' Attack go!!!” They were all surrounded in a mighty white aura and for a split-second Discord wondered if maybe they really were going to pull it off. Then the magic beam shot at him! Very… very... slowly and it was already heading towards the ground. To it’s credit, the hole in the ground it left did look a little deep.

He laughed again. “Really? That is all?” he asked.

Twilight was shocked as she looked forward. “What happened…” she wondered aloud. “Is it because of them?” she asked louder than she meant to ask.

“Don’t blame me for your failure! After everything I did to try and help!” Fluttershy said looking angry before disappearing.

“That wasn’t…” Twilight said and she actually could have sworn she saw tears in Fluttershy’s eyes as she shot off fast. She really did feel a little bad this time.

“Well I blame you all! You keep laughing at me for no reason! All because I’m Pinkie Pie the pony clown!” she then gave a huff and left after throwing her element on the ground, which Rarity immediately claimed as her own.

“Tom’s better anyways. I’ve kept him waiting too long… You know how stallions get,” Rarity said as she blushed and quickly disappeared with the rock.

“AH was always telling ya’ll rocks were stallions. Yep that was all me,” AJ said before leaving.

Twilight sighed. Her friends were gone. Naruko was no where to be found. “This day sucks…” she said as she let her tears fall to the ground. It was supposed to be a nice fun day at the start but it became this. She had even made plans with Naruko for tonight to celebrate the start of the expansion phase of the Ever-Free Patrol.

{-} {-} {-}

This time Naruko was really confused. Twilight was sitting next to her. Looking concerned at her for some reason. “Are you o-o-oklay?” she asked sounding strange.

Naruko blinked as she noticed frustrated black eyes with red pupils and a face growling for a split second. “I think so… Where are the others?” she asked.

“Does it re-re-really matter?” Twilight asked.

Naruko looked to her confused. “Did Twilight just… glitch?” she wondered. Despite this, she took in a deep breath and her nose was assaulted with Twilight’s scent. “Wonderful…” she mused with a far too wide grin for her strange situation.

“Gah! What the…” a voice said from somewhere inside Naruko.

Naruko ignored the… whatever it was. She had Twilight right here next to her. That was all that mattered in her mind. “We’re finally alone…” Naruko said as she smiled dreamily and caressed Twilight with a hoof and her marefriend responded wonderfully to the contact.

Twilight next to her smiled. Her smile felt a bit off, but Naruko ignored it because the smile was still beautiful to her. “Y-y-yes we are…” Twilight said as she blushed cutely. “I umm… I-I-I’ve been waiting for a moment like this, Naruko. I’ve honestly felt our friends were more distraction than anything lately. I’m not a b-b-bad pony, am I?” she asked.

The blonde unicorn saw what looked like another… something… and ignored it. “No. No, you’re not, Twi… I may be a bit biased, but it is true,” she said as she looked at Twilight and leaned in for a kiss though it felt a little odd. Something really seemed off about her marefriend as the pony kissed her back. It was like Twilight was merely pretending or not fully there or something. She wasn’t sure what to make of it. She guessed it was nerves about the direction they were going.

Twilight looked to Naruko with her bedroom eyes. “Since nopony is around… How about we have a little extra fun…” Twilight shifted her body into a rather lewd pose for Naruko. “I’ve been wanting this since we had our night at the Gala. Forget all that about doing things the proper way. Let’s get straight to the good stuff!”

Naruko was mesmerized as her mouth hung open and she stared with lust, which caused Twilight to smirk at her while blushing.

“Come on!!! This clearly isn’t really Twilight! She wouldn’t be this way! Not out in the open. Am I really that horny and stupid?!” a dark voice said again. “I will admit it is a very enticing offer, but my Twilight would never act this way,” it said.

Naruko shook her head and blinked. Everything seemed to be fuzzy and was flickering again. Sounds also sounded deeply distorted. “What that hell is going on here?!” Naruko shouted as Twilight seemed to be stuck in that provocative pose. The beautiful purple unicorn’s face even briefly distorted.

“About fucking time!” the dark voice said. “Kyuubi was right to unleash me, even if momentarily. I’m disgusted we’re still this weak! If only we listened to the Bunnicans more carefully, we would be a force never before seen that could defeat everything that opposed us! We could make the way for Twilight and the others! She’d really love us then and give us that sweet sweet pony behind,” the dark voice said with a pervy grin as it even salivated a little.

Naruko ignored it as she looked in front of her. The lovely sun was gone. There was a black hole that seemed to be consuming everything. Even Discord with all his might couldn’t hold it back any more. Naruko watched with horrified sapphire blue eyes as everything was consumed around her. She felt darkness surround her. It was similar to how she at times felt in Konoha, but also much worse.

{-} {-} {-}

“Ugh… What was that?” Discord asked after he finished watching Twilight’s friends leave her as she cried. He wasn’t interested in that anymore, even though he wanted to gloat to her. He felt darkness… terrifying darkness unlike anything he had felt before and it had his attention now. He couldn’t help but shudder. His chaos magic didn’t even seem to stand a chance against this all-consuming darkness he felt. It made no sense and he felt as if he was living a future memory or something.

“What the hell…?” he cursed. He couldn’t even find a joke in response to it despite his powers. He didn’t even know what was doing this to him. “It can’t be… Is it? Is it, her?” he asked aloud.

The spell he cast on her earlier formed a weak connection, but it was just so he could watch and change things a little if he wanted. It had never actually affected him before now. He wondered just what it was he accidentally unlocked in her when he used that spell to cause all of this.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko felt herself paralyzed in her dream. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew it was bad. She saw strange visions of what seemed to be an alternate life. She was fighting extremely powerful ninja side by side with the others from Konoha. It was really odd seeing herself as a human ninja again. She didn’t even know how accurate the image was.

She watched as her pony self and ninja self seemed to blend together and even spoke as one with different voices. She saw friends of her old life with friends of her current life. Everything was seemingly spliced together in some horrific display of Naruko’s life.

She saw a happy girl that looked like an older Sakura smiling brightly as if she was greeting her oldest and best friend. The image flickered between this and a different picture of a sorrowful Sakura smiling wanly at Naruko, before spiting up blood and dying as she said the words, “You were the only one who could save us… We don’t deserve that for what… we… did to you. I’m sorry. I wish I could go back…” The life then left the dying Sakura’s eyes.

Naruko felt tears fall from her eyes as she watched the last picture slowly turn to static and replay. Unable to move she saw more pictures of distorted versions of her friends, including Twilight and even Shikamaru in Konoha. Naruko gasped as something new and horrific happened to the purple pony. “What the hell is going on!” she cried. She did not want to see Twilight in such a state nor did she want to see any others either.

Naruko’s dark self was even crying as the distorted images flashed before her eyes. “Enough!!!!” she shouted. She then yelled in rage as she expended all of her energy she felt she could. She may be at odds with her more naive self, but the last thing either of them wanted was something like this. She didn’t care what Discord’s powers were. She’d get past them and make him pay for this.

With her dark self’s yell, everything seemed to turn bright white. Naruko looked and watched as two beings seemed to try and form before her eyes. “Don’t give in!” they said in an echoing voice. “You’re stronger than this! We believe in you!” they said.

Naruko then shouted in anger as everything seemed to momentarily phase into a correct existence.

{-} {-} {-}

Discord was actually wide eyed as something happened to him. He didn’t know what it was, but it was something that really got to him despite being a God of chaos. “What… What… did I get myself into this time?” he asked.

This wasn’t at all like when he messed with the Princess sisters back in the day. He swallowed and actually felt… depressed in a way he never felt before. He could have sworn he heard a distorted happy tune playing in the air around him. It was sickening to him, and not because he hated things like friendship and all that rot.

“This. This is something… Something terribly disgusting,” he said as he inhaled vomit that randomly appeared before him.

He hated his chaos magic at times. He wasn’t allowed to throw up in his disgust. Instead, he had to inhale and swallow it. He didn’t even know what it was that happened. He didn’t even try to watch the so-called Elements of Harmony and their antics now. He literally felt sick and there wasn’t anything he could do about it apart from wonder what he did to get this result.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko took in a steeling breath. She knew what she had to do here. She needed to get out of here. She looked to her side as her dark self reluctantly appeared. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“Look. I don’t care how much you hate me or how much I hate you, but we have much more important matters to attend to. You love Twilight more than anything. I love Twilight more than anything. She needs our help more than ever now. I won’t let us fail her. Just as I know you won’t let us fail her either,” the dark voice said. Naruko nodded in agreement.

“You know. This whole thing could have been avoided if you actually listened to the Bunnicans and Kyuubi. We’d be a force that even Discord would tremble before if that was the case. But no… You had to be all self-righteous and everything,” it complained.

Naruko frowned to it.

The dark specter sighed. “Regardless of such things, we need each other so we can help and save Twilight.”

Naruko nodded. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help her.”

Dark Naruko smiled to that. “If only we had that drive earlier,” she said with a sigh. “It matters not. This is what we do…”

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko walked down what would have been a dark hallway, if it wasn’t for the horrific displays of distorted images and sounds around her. Many of them caused her to pause in step. She hated this. Whatever it was Discord did to her, she needed to stop it before it messed up her mind even more.

“And to think I was happily going along with this thing moments ago. I saw the hints and noticed things were off, but I happily went along with them,” she said with a sigh as she looked away from another horrific image of Distorted Twilight.

Her dark self appeared next to her. “Yeah. We all know you’re an idiot. But that isn’t on you fully, despite what I said in my anger earlier. This spell he used on us is supposed to be like that. We need to get out of here though, and get back to our real Twilight,” it said to her.

Naruko looked her dark self over curiously. She wasn’t sure what to think about it. Her dark self was oddly in a human form and not a pony form. Despite everything Naruko was curiously checking herself out.

Dark Naruko was actually a decent height for a sixteen, almost seventeen, year old girl. She wore her blonde hair in the twin tails and she had a lovely peach tan. The other girl's blue eyes were odd though. They were black with red pupils, but even then they were still very attractive in an odd way. Her dark side looked to her and raised an eyebrow. Naruko blushed at being caught peeking.

Dark Naruko smirked and gave a giggle, “I told you I was sexier than you. You may be cuter, but my body’s rocking it.” She then gave a sexy pose as she chuckled.

Naruko shook her head and sped up. “Hey! Wait up!” Dark Naruko said as she caught up. They had to do this together after all, or at least that is what they thought. Either way they were pretty sure it would only help if they worked together on this.

It took some time, but they reached the spell's anchor. Naruko’s eyes were pinpricks as she looked around the area quickly and nervously. The images towards the end were even worse. The corrupted spell was desperately trying to steer them away from here.

The mixed themes of the images in the end were as severely mood whiplashing as possible. Even Dark Naruko just wanted to finish this quickly and hope the damage wasn’t too bad. The last thing they wanted was to be in an intimate situation with Twilight when suddenly they got a flash of a distorted Twilight picture.

“There’s no way we can forgive… There’s no way we can forgive him,” Dark Naruko muttered a little.

“I think it is obvious this wasn’t his plan at all,” Naruko said. Dark Naruko looked at her with anger. “But you’re right. There is no way we can forgive him.” This seemed to calm the dark version of her.

It wasn’t long until they looked at the runework of the spell and the anchor point in the otherwise empty room. Such a spell required more than just a flash of magic, it actually deeply affected the mind on a long-term basis and didn’t need magic to sustain it. If the spell wasn’t corrupted like it was, Naruko might actually be in awe of it and want to study it some.

There was something curious though. It seemed like it had a passive link back to the caster, Discord in this case. It was a needless and mostly useless modification judging from the runework. If he wanted to be able to access the magic he could, but there wasn’t anything he could do apart from watch. Naruko shuddered. Staying here seemed even less appealing than it did earlier. She did not want to be getting very intimate with dream Twilight knowing Discord could perv on them if he wanted.

“But why would he risk such a modification…” Naruko thought out loud.

Dark Naruko came over and asked, “What’s going on?”

“The way this is set up means if someone discovered it they could turn it against him. They’d be able to channel emotions or images to him without his knowledge. It could even be the corruption is affecting him as well in some manner as we speak,” Naruko said in explanation.

“If it has. I hope it brought him pain or did something bad to him. He’d deserve it all,” she said growling at it. “Too bad we shouldn’t waste time trying to do something like that. And I sadly suspect we are of the very few who could do such a thing in the first place,” Dark Naruko said sighing in disappointment. It was like she wanted serious revenge against him. It reminded Naruko of the stuck up Uchiha.

“Damn it… Why do I have to be thinking about that place at all!” she thought as she stomped a hoof on the ground in anger and frustration. She was now angry at Discord for making her re-live old emotions and feelings from her time in Konoha. She wasn’t ever going back there and probably couldn’t, even if she wanted to for some dumb reason.

“We’ll probably never truly put Konoha to rest,” Dark Naruko said with a sorrowful frown. Naruko looked to her and blinked in question. Dark Naruko rolled her eyes. “Hello… I’m you. Remember? We’re also actually in your mind, so your inner dialogues aren’t so inner now.”

“Ohhh,” Naruko said blushing. She hadn’t thought of that herself. She just wanted to see Twilight again… The real Twilight.

“We will see her. I mean you will but I will also in a way… It’s actually kind of weird…” Dark Naruko said.

“So, any ideas on how to adjust the runes so we can make sure this spell ends and it doesn’t cause our mind to explode?” Naruko asked choosing to not think about Dark Naruko seeing everything she does.

Dark Naruko was in thought. “I really wish we could find a way for it to implode before disappearing and to take away all of that creepy strange stuff…”

“That’s too much wishful thinking. We’ll have the devil’s luck if when I’m out of here, I’m not seeing these distortions in real time,” Naruko scoffed. She was supposed to be the naive one after all and even she didn’t get her hopes up that high.

“That’s kind of dark…” Dark Naruko said with a frown.

“Yeah. Which means you should at least be thinking that, if not worse,” Naruko said grumpily. She sighed after a minute, “Sorry. I really need to get out of here…”

{-} {-} {-}

They finally found a way to change the rune work of the spell in a manner it would disappear and not destroy Naruko’s mind. It was a two-pony job and required them to make the changes at the same time and speed while mirroring the other. Luckily for them they were pretty much two versions of the same pony. Naruko couldn’t really properly access her magic/chakra to make clones in here, so this was a really lucky break. If they didn’t do things this way, it would become unstable and the effects would not be pretty. Even if Naruko found a certain vindication in forcing reality to merge with this one thus subjecting even Discord to what he had done to her.

Dark Naruko was actually scared of the strange light in Naruko’s blue eyes and the pony’s thinking that wasn't too terrible of an outcome, even if not ideal. Like Naruko said earlier, she’s supposed to be the dark one not the real Naruko. She really hoped Naruko would be okay somehow. It would take a while, but maybe she will still be able to properly function quickly without drawbacks from this experience. She would also have Twilight by her side. That had to count for something! Right?

“Why am I the one thinking so hopefully…” she said a little worriedly as Naruko finished up the preparations for their escape.

“I don’t care how odd and wrong it is, if this fails, which I’m betting is very likely… I’m so taking glitchy fake Twilight to at least make this damnable place slightly better,” Naruko said. She ignored the part of her that really liked that idea way too much.

After all this was in her mind, they could do anything and everything here. She’d just have to ignore all of the strange effects in the area. She could do that. She lived through her time in Konoha where she faced terrible things.

Dark Naruko came over and placed her hand in real Naruko’s mane and looked to the pony version of herself with concern. Naruko actually seemed to draw some comfort from that contact. It was a really weird scenario. Dark Naruko petted Naruko some as the pony seemed to cry a little in frustration.

“Let’s… Let’s get this over with… I really want to go home now,” Pony Naruko said as she wiped tears away. Dark Naruko nodded and got in position. She first turned into a pony so they would be doing this correctly.

The Narukos started redrawing the runes and worked from one side to the other side. They went as fast as they could to do so neatly and at the same pace. The mindscape started to glitch more heavily. Winds seemed to pick up in speed and formed a storm of some kind. Fire started to join the storm as the two ponies started muttering words to stabilize the effects as much as possible. They did not slow down in their writing of the runes through it all.

As they reached the end of their rewrite, images were swirling around all of them and glitching in the most horrific manners. Naruko paid attention to the matter at hoof as her eyes took on a strange light again.

The storm started to intensify! The pictures sped up. It was as if the spell knew it was almost over and was hell bent on doing as much mental and psychological damage possible.

“Done!” the two Narukos shouted simultaneously with the same finishing flourish. The storm and images paused. The Narukos looked around hoping it worked correctly.

The images pieced themselves together. The distorted and glitching background disappeared as it turned white and gold. A wave of comfort and love from somewhere washed over both of them as Dark Naruko faded back into sleep. Naruko saw two undecipherable figures standing in front of her. Their voices felt caring and somehow familiar. “We knew you could do it! Now save your friends!” they said before everything soon faded away.

{-} {-} {-}

Just as it all faded away Naruko felt her body plop on to the ground. She groaned a little in pain. She looked around and hoped this was the actual real world and not another twisted dream one.

There was a pillar of fire as Kyuubi appeared by her side and came over to her. She stood up and he jumped on to her back hoping it would help her after what she experienced. Naruko smiled as she took in a deep breath and felt his presence. “You really are very nice and warm,” she said to him.

“I’m just glad you’re back. I couldn’t really do anything while you were in there. I had to wake up your dark self,” he said clearly disappointed he wasn’t able to do more.

“It was the right call,” Naruko said with a nod.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

Naruko gave him a weak and sorrowful smile as she said, “I have to be. Otherwise I can’t help the others.”

Kyuubi didn’t like that smile. It was too similar to the way she smiled when she wasn’t trying to fool people back in Konoha, but trying to ignore how hopeless she felt. “They’re in Ponyville. Discord’s really changed the place…” he warned.

Naruko nodded. “Can you try that fire teleport? It would be quickest for us,” she asked.

“I can use it to get us close enough. Twilight’s probably at the library. Things didn’t go well with her and the others,” he admitted. “I could watch in a way, but my powers were oddly affected by you being trapped in that world and were too unpredictable in this Discord version of Equestria.”

“I get it… Thanks for doing that at least. I couldn’t even do that much,” Naruko said as they were surrounded in fire and reappeared near Ponyville.

The place was a mess. Pink clouds were in the sky and the ground seemed to be some checkered board pattern of different colors. Some buildings were floating on sky islands and some were floating upside down.

Naruko gave a wide relieved smile. “No glitches. This is good,” she said causing Kyuubi to frown deeper. He wondered what happened to her that she would call this ‘good’.

{-} {-} {-}

Discord again felt violently ill for a few seconds. He really hated this. Not even chaos magic could find a way to cheer him up at the moment. He also felt a strange sensation. It was as if the spell he cast on Naruko died… That wasn’t supposed to happen. If Naruko had died, it would have dispelled itself, not actually die as well.

He thought about going to greet her back in his own fashion, but for some reason he suddenly felt woozy and decided not to move from his new throne. He was usually a go with the flow kind of guy, sure he could change the flow, but he still went with it. He didn't even know what to fully expect at times and he usually loved the adventure and fun. He had no idea what was going on now and he really didn’t like it this time at all.

Author's Notes:

So yeah... Discord really made things dark and terrible for Naruko without even intending to in the first place.

Discord’s World

Naruko trotted along on her way to the library. She was even humming a little tune to herself happily. Kyuubi was concerned about this considering their surroundings. “You don’t have to try and act all cheery and as if everything is okay, Naruko,” he said.

Naruko gave a giggle, “Compared to what I just went through. Everything is cheery and oki-doki!”

She almost chuckled at a couple of pegasi flapping their wings backwards. “Is that… chocolate milk rain?” she asked as she was distracted momentarily by something new. There was a part of her still looking for glitches in case they chose to pop-up again randomly to catch her by surprise.

“Yes. It is,” Kyuubi said with a sigh dryly.

When the two approached the library and Naruko heard the sounds of Twilight crying, her seemingly good mood vanished. Even if there weren’t any glitches here, it was not okay if Twilight was crying like that. Naruko felt anger again at Discord for everything he did and stomped a hoof on the ground in anger and frustration. She took in a calming breath before she entered the library. It would not do for Twilight to see her angry at a time like this.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight gave a sniff. Her friends were terrible right now. They were completely different ponies, even if Fluttershy seemed oddly fluttershyish compared to the others. She hated this though. Discord had easily destroyed everything. “I hate him!” she shouted to the empty room.

Shortly after her shout, the door opened to the library. She looked to see what was happening. Was Pinkie coming back to be mean again? Did Rarity decide Twilight had been hitting on Tom too much and was coming here to put her in her place? It could be anything by this point and she wouldn’t be surprised.

Her eyes actually watered in relief as Naruko approach her with a worried face. Twilight ran over and immediately hugged Naruko tight. She started to cry everything that she needed to cry out without even saying a word. She then stopped and looked up horrified. “What if Discord got to her as well?” she thought in panic.

Naruko didn’t know what to say or do. She was just relieved to have the real Twilight in her hooves again. She pulled Twilight back into a hug and rubbed her back. Twilight cried some more and felt relieved. “Discord hasn’t gotten to Naruko!” she thought not knowing what it was the pony went through a few moments ago. The two ponies stayed like that for a few minutes embracing each other.

Naruko finally spoke, “I want to ask if you’re okay, but it’s obvious you aren’t. What happened? What did he do you?”

Twilight sniffed. “It’s horrible! They’re all different. They’re all acting the exact opposite of who they really are! I don’t know what to do!”

Naruko hated seeing Twilight like this, even if it was still better than that mockery in her whatever it was. She hated even more that the dark voice inside her echoed thinking this was good in a way. That finally she wouldn’t have to share Twilight with the others anymore. She hated that voice even if her dark self helped her escape. Naruko focused on helping Twilight instead of the echos of such thoughts. This was something both of her agreed on.

The blonde unicorn spoke softly to Twilight and smiled in a comforting manner. “I’m here at least. We’ll figure out what happened to the others and fix it.” Twilight hugged her tighter and took in a deep breath at Naruko’s words. She took in Naruko’s scent and it helped her calm down.

“I was about to lose all hope… I feared something happened to you and you couldn’t get here. I was afraid he got to you too,” Twilight said.

Naruko’s comforting smile was strained for a moment, but Twilight didn’t see it. “Well. I’m here. Tell me in detail what happened to everypony.”

It didn’t take Twilight long to explain everypony’s behavior to Naruko. It was bad, but there was a part of Naruko wishing she had been through what they experienced instead of what she got. “Fluttershy seems to be the most curious case. Can you repeat what she was like?” Naruko asked.

“I agree she seemed different from the others. She was kind of mean at times, but it felt more like she didn’t know how to be a proper friend or something and was trying to be one anyways. It is odd. She was like Fluttershy but not, if that makes any sense. She definitely seemed to have a lot of confidence in herself. She was ummm… showing off in certain ways,” Twilight explained. She wasn’t about to admit Fluttershy claimed to have like liked Naruko. She believed in Naruko but there was that doubtful part of her that thought Naruko might decide somepony else was better.

Naruko was nodding in thought. “Maybe since she’s been through her trial, even if she hasn’t found her balance, that’s why she was different. Fluttershy talked a little bit about her trial when we were in the temple. She also seemed to have moments where she was different and she called her other side Cruletyshy. She claimed this other version of her was everything she wasn’t and wanted to be in some ways.”

“Maybe… Fluttershy did say she was trying to get rid of that part of herself. Maybe it is always there and she can’t really get rid of it. Then when Discord did his thing to her, it switched them out,” Twilight thought out loud.

“Maybe they can switch out again? You’ll have to talk to her and approach her differently. No matter what you think will help with the others,” Naruko said.

“I think I will. I didn’t really hate her, but we did argue… And she did get upset when she thought I was mad at her and she flew off crying. I guess Fluttershy is Fluttershy, even if it is her dark self right now,” Twilight said.

“What do we do about the others? It seems the Elements won’t work properly with how everypony is right now,” Naruko sighed.

“It’s like they forgot who they were or something. Maybe. Maybe I can use a memory spell to help them remember who they really are and that will put an end to whatever it is he did to them. Do you think that will work?” Twilight asked.

“It could. Perhaps they are under some kind of hypnosis spell or something else and that would jumpstart their brains so to speak. It will be hard tracking them all down. I'll distract Discord with Kyuubi’s help while you gather them. Keep his eyes off of you all,” Naruko said.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, it will be hard tracking them down, but I want them back and your plan might work. I don’t really like it, but I don’t see a better option. Maybe I should teach you the spell I have in mind. Just in case you run into one of them on your way to Discord.”

“I may not be an Element, but I want them back too. Who are you going to start with?” Naruko asked.

“I think Fluttershy. I feel like I owe her an apology. I wasn’t exactly the nicest pony either, even when she was trying her best despite how terrible it was,” Twilight said with a frown.

Naruko placed a hoof on her and smiled. “You can do it. I’m sure she'll forgive you. You said it yourself. She’s still Fluttershy. If she didn’t want to be your friend too, she wouldn’t have kept so close to you and stayed around as long as she did.”

“I feel bad for how I behaved now,” Twilight said.

“None of us are ourselves right now nor are we okay. I think your behavior can be excused after you apologize. You're still my favorite pony and marefriend no matter what though,” Naruko said as she hugged Twilight desperately before they got ready for their plan.

Naruko was thinking maybe she could also use the mind spell on Discord as well. Give him a taste of his own medicine and let him see what he did to her. That got her to smile a little darkly. Twilight noticed, but thought it was a trick of the light, since it only seemed to last a moment. "After all, Discord didn’t get to her," Twilight thought. She shouldn’t be any different and Naruko didn’t smile darkly like that.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight felt encouraged now that they had a plan and she knew where her first stop would be. She hated that Naruko had the dangerous part, but they needed a distraction to occupy Discord. Naruko was the best they had. Their plan might work because Discord was more bored and looking to entertain himself than out right wanting to take over the world. It was just what he did in his boredom really hurt ponies and friendships.

She was on her way to find Fluttershy. Twilight felt bad about how she acted now that she thought about it even more. Fluttershy was keeping close to her the whole time. It seemed obvious now the pegasus still thought of her as a friend, even in her dark state and wanted to be by her side. Perhaps this was a case where dark didn’t mean evil. Maybe Fluttershy needed to accept the other side of her and that will be how she finds her balance. That was a different talk for another time though. The only thing that mattered now was finding her.

It wasn’t long until Twilight found the upset and angry pegasus sitting on a tree branch looking over the Discord version of Ponyville. “Hmph! I’m surprised some silly filly believing in friendship would even bother looking for me. I could just fly off you know. Besides, I’m the cruel one, remember?” she said showing she was aware of the other pony’s presence, even if she wasn’t looking at her for the moment.

Twilight used the tree climbing spell to climb up and sit next to dark Fluttershy. The other pony looked to her. Twilight didn’t smile, she just sighed. “Sorry about that,” she said. Dark Fluttershy blinked in surprise. “I figured it out. You’re Fluttershy’s other half and not something created by Discord.”

“Ding Dong. We have a winner…” she said with a frown and a sigh.

“I wish I could help you two out,” Twilight said.

Darkshy scoffed. “You wouldn’t have to if she had just listened to me so long ago. I told her I was a part of her. She thought I had to be gotten rid of,” she said with a frown.

She hated how weak and stupid her other side was. If she would just accept her, the two of them would become whole more or less and so much more than they were. She also didn’t like the idea of being stamped out, even if she was just a side of the real Fluttershy. Thinking about it kind of scared her.

“It isn’t easy confronting our darker sides,” Twilight said. Darkshy just rolled her eyes. “I want to help. But I don’t think now is the time for that because of Discord. Disquestria isn’t exactly a place for such things.”

“You just want to get rid of me too,” the pegasus said stubbornly with a frown as she looked to the side.

Her heart skipped a beat in surprise when instead of giving up or saying something else. Twilight chose to hug her. Darkshy couldn’t help but feel a tear try to escape her right eye.

“You’re my friend. I don’t want to get rid of you. I want to help you. You’re still Fluttershy even if you’re her darker emotions and self,” Twilight said as she continued to hug the pony who eventually hugged back.

“If only you could get her to realize that… We’d be one and balanced,” Darkshy said as she let the tear fall and gave control back to her other self.

“Twi… light…” Fluttershy started in surprise.

“Fluttershy?” she asked.

The other pony got all of the memories her other self experienced. She sniffed. “I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have said that. I shouldn't have done those things. I should have made sure I really had gotten rid of her and this wouldn’t have ever happened.”

She would have gone on but Twilight silenced her with a hoof and smiled. “She actually wasn’t that bad. She just felt neglected. She is you, Fluttershy, but she isn’t as experienced with friends as you are,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy stiffened but gave a resigned sigh. Twilight was right. She had been trying to get rid of something that was a part of herself. That wouldn’t be balance at all. Fluttershy still didn’t like her other side and was scared of it, but she would work on that once this was over. “So, what do we do about the others? Where’s Naruko?” Fluttershy asked.

“We need to find the others and get them to remember who they are. I have a spell that can help with that. You were a special case so I didn’t use it on you,” Twilight said.

She then looked over in the direction where they felt Discord was. “Naruko’s keeping him distracted while we gather the others. We need to get going. We already owe a lot to Naruko and we shouldn’t leave her to fight him on her own for long.”

Fluttershy was determined as she nodded to Twilight. Twilight then led the way to their next friend and hoped her plan would work the way it was supposed to work. They were going to Applejack next. Twilight was pretty sure even discorded AJ would still be at the farm. Probably lying through her teeth about some tall tale, but still there.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko didn’t run into any of the elements on her way to meet Discord. She was fine with this because she felt too angry and frustrated to be able to help them. She paused and stomped a hoof on the ground hard. “Why did I have to have the really messed up encounter?!” she grumbled. “Why couldn’t I have just been turned to my dark self. Ohhhh… I bet he would regret that…”

“I hope you’re talking to me and not yourself,” Kyuubi said on her back. Naruko paused in step and her eye twitched answering his question indirectly. Kyuubi sighed. “I get a feeling we will have a lot of work to do once this is over.”

“I just want this over with. Sadly, we have to actually face the God of Chaos himself and hope we can last against him long enough until they’re ready,” Naruko said. She didn’t comment on his saying they would have a lot of work. She wasn’t fully sure at this moment that would actually be possible. She could totally see herself completely losing it as soon as her current mission was over. That possible reality scared her.

She was surprised when she heard a sound that seemed a lot like someone with a bad stomach ache from nearby. “Did I eat a bad meatball before I was turned to stone?” Discord wondered. He still couldn't believe Naruko did this to him some how.

“Was that all it did to him?! Grrrr… Maybe I should have said to hell with it and gotten back at him like Dark me wanted to do and found a way to turn the corruption on him,” she almost stomped a hoof again but paused. She needed to get serious and not give herself away with something like a frustrated hoof stomp.

It was lucky Discord seemed to have actually picked a place far from Ponyville and the others for his throne ‘room’. Naruko made a couple of clones and sent them to do what they needed to do. She didn’t want to let some sense of caution hold her back against him. She smiled a little darkly again. She wanted to find a way to really hurt him. He may be immortal, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel pain and the way he was groaning about a little tummy wummy ache meant he didn’t have a high tolerance for such things. She would change that and probably enjoy it too much. For a moment, there was that dark and strange light in her eyes again.

Naruko took in a deep breath and let it out. Her barrier was soon enough setup around the area thanks to her clones. It couldn’t really stop him, but he didn’t know that. He couldn’t even sense it was there with how she set it up. "The beauty of runeseals as opposed to just runes," she said to herself.

Naruko stood up and walked purposefully forwards. “Discord…” she said in a low voice that promised pain and suffering and Discord only blinked at it. It was like he was trying to figure her out or something.

“What do you hope to do? I see you found a way out of my spell… That is commendable. I suppose…” Discord said while he was actually feeling uneasy about that still. If she could get out of that, what else could she really do?

Naruko gave a smile that might have been a little too on the devious said as she simply said, “Kyuubi… Nine tails…” Kyuubi became a pillar of fire and energy before he was then a few buildings high and grinned with a wide mouth full of sharp teeth.

“So, you’re the so-called God of Chaos… Let’s see how you handle a Demon Fox,” Kyuubi boomed. It seemed Naruko’s own desires and feelings were affecting him as well on some level.

Discord just stared for a few moments with his jaw hanging wide open. Maybe this was going to be an actual fight. He was a little terrified not knowing what the duo were capable of. More than that though he was excited.

He picked his jaw up off the ground and gave a chuckle as he grew in size to match Kyuubi. “Oooooo!! I’ve never fought in my big form before. I didn’t even know I had one. This whole unstoning thing has really been filled with all kinds of first times for me!” Discord then blushed as he looked innocent and shy and said, “T-t-this will be my first t-t-time… You’re popping my cherry.” He then grinned as he said with a chuckle a little darkly, “Don’t be gentle.”

“We won’t! Not after what you did!” Naruko shouted. She was still very much audible even up here. Kyuubi swiped with his claws as Naruko jumped and disappeared. Discord hated how she used teleport that way. He had no idea where she would pop up next. The draconequus dodged and barely evaded a fine and sharp laser beam attack that seemed to actually leave a trail of smoke when it passed him. It might have singed his beard a tad.

Naruko then appeared next to his arm as did a second one. Discord’s eyes widened. He dodge one attack that looked like some kind of cutting wind, but not the other one that cut off his lion’s paw. He gave a hiss in pain. Naruko was back on Kyuubi looking proud of herself.

Discord closed his eyes and yelled in pain, though he only did so for dramatic effect, as he regrew the missing limb. Limbs were easy to regrow. Naruko frowned and sighed. “Of course, he regenerates… I can never get a break. Can I?”

Then as if mocking her, Discord made a giant Kit-Kat bar and broke one of the chocolate pieces off. He grinned at her. Naruko sighed. If she was in a better mood she might appreciate the little joke, but she wasn’t. She narrowed her eyes and it seemed as if they caught on fire. Discord thought that was a cool trick.

Kyuubi roared and the pressure sent Discord skidding back as he dug into the ground with a something. It looked like it was from some strange world where everything was made of tiny squares to make bigger objects and looked kind of a cartoonish 2-D. “Phew…Never leave home without a shovel. Or well a shovel blade in this case,” he said as he snapped his eagle claw and it disappeared.

Naruko was already going after him again not letting him rest. He may be a lot bigger than her now, but she could still take him out. His size meant hitting weak spots was easier. She appeared with a swirling mass of energy on her horn aimed right at Discord’s smaller eye.

Discord tried to swat at her but it was as if his lion’s paw just passed right through her and her attack was even closer. He was barely able to dodge and the attack and it instead hit his goat horn. He again hissed in pain before he actually managed to swat Naurko this time. She was sent flying some, but she managed to land all four hooves on a tree trunk before disappearing again.

“That seemed dangerous…” he said as he commenting on her attack and she vanished. He would have to learn that neat tree standing trick she did though. It looked like so much fun. Discord then, not so much heard, as he felt some tremendous gathering of power. He carefully turned around and saw a giant black ball with a purple aura growing right in front of Kyuubi’s mouth. “Now now now… I-i-if you miss me you’ll hit the town,” he said nervously as he pointed at Ponyville.

Naruko and Kyuubi looked like they couldn't care less about such a thing. Naruko even said in a dark but powerful sounding voice, especially for such a small pony, “So?”

The energy ball shot at him faster than he could move. He covered his eyes in fear, but his serpentine dragon body slither to the side on instinct and he was only knocked about a little by the sheer force of the attack passing by him. He then looked where it was heading and was oddly fascinated to see the resulting destruction.

The attack full of power shot forward fast and then hit something and seemed to explode in some weird fashion. It was like the attack hit a dome or a giant invisible bowl and splashed outwards before blowing up. When the town was still there standing with only the changes he made to spice the dull place up, his mouth was again hanging open in surprise.

“A dome?! But I don’t even sense it… I can sense runes. Magic… everything! Except emotions and cooties… No one can really sense cooties…” he said as he chuckled a little desperately. He may be a God of Chaos but seeing somethings that are too out of his understanding kind of got to him at times.

“And to withstand that kind of an attack…” he muttered to himself as he looked to Naruko and thought, “Who are you really? What caused you to grow up with eyes like that?” Her eyes were a rich blue and entrancing in an odd way. They were so serene even with the explosions when they weren’t filled with anger at him. It was rather striking.

Naruko and Kyuubi were getting ready for another attack as Discord turned to them. “I’ll shoot at him, you add your element,” Kyuubi said. It was time to see if they could get him to dance a little to their tune for a change.

Kyuubi charged up another Tail Beast Ball, but this time it was going to be one that continuously shot at their target. They would at least get a better idea at how the draconequus’ body moved. They could use that for planning further attacks if nothing else.

“Again?!” Discord cursed as they started shooting another one of those attacks at him, but this time they kept coming. He was having to really move now and even shrunk his body for better maneuverability. This was really the most fascinating, interesting, most enjoyable, but also frustrating awakening he had ever been through.

“Granted this is just the first time I’ve been awakened,” he said out loud to himself as he continued to book it. He wanted to use this as a chance to see how fast he could actually move. He never really met someone who could put him through the paces.

{-} {-} {-}

“Did Ah really say all of that?” AJ asked as her eyes cleared and she recovered from feeling a little dizzy. “What in tarnation…” she asked as she looked around the farm. Big Mac was acting like Winona. Granny Smith was dancing some impossible jig while seeming really smug with herself. The rest of the farm was a mess as well.

“Well… It was kind of fun at first... Or at least I recall it felt that way…” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah… You aren’t any good at lying, even when Discord made you AJ the Liar. Until it got to be too much, it was pretty funny,” Twilight said.

“Well… Geez… Ah sure am sorry about all that none the less. Who are we going after next?” AJ asked.

“Rarity. I’m pretty sure Pinkie is probably some place really random and we can’t really afford to look for her too much,” Twilight said as she started moving.

“Well if we find Rainbow after Rarity. Ah got myself a plan that might help us with Old Grumpy Pie,” AJ said. Despite the situation Fluttershy and Twilight giggled a little at her nickname. AJ seemed to pause for a moment as if expecting something to happen. “Guess that weren’t enough,” she thought when nothing did.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight swallowed as they approached the Carousel Boutique. Given the way Rarity was acting last time they saw her, the purple unicorn had a bad feeling about this. Fluttershy went first. “R-r-rarity?!” she asked in a small voice before she plopped on the ground and covered her eyes.

Twilight sighed and dared peek inside just as Rarity shouted, “The nerve of some ponies!”

“Eww… eww… eww… Just get to her and cast the spell… Can you please hold her down? Fluttershy?” she said. Fluttershy whimpered but quickly did as asked.

Applejack could only stare in shock. “That girl is thirstier than a seapony in the desert…” she thought. There was no way she could look at her friend the same way again. It didn’t matter that she was only acting this way as a result of Discord’s magic.

There was a bright light and then Rarity groaned as she stood up and Fluttershy made a speedy exit. “Wha… What happened?” Rarity asked. Her eyes then widened as the memories of her discorded self came back “Oh my…”

“Did I --? With a --?” Rarity couldn’t even get the words out. Twilight just nodded. Rarity then screamed with anger and threw the rock out before exploding it into bits of dust. She then cleared her throat, fixed her mane and stood tall as she walked out calmly. “We must never speak of this again…” she said lowly in warning. Twilight and Fluttershy nodded.

AJ was still trying to get over what she just witnessed with her eyes. She might ask Twilight to use that memory lock spell on her again, once this was over. She wanted that scene locked away so she literally couldn’t speak of it again. It would still work for her idea and she only hoped Rarity would forgive her afterwards. She would do all she could to make up for it.

“Now we find Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said in a small voice as they all nodded.

{-} {-} {-}

“Got him…” Kyuubi thought. He understood Discord’s movements now. “That one jutsu will work just fine. I will create them. You add your wind to them,” he told Naruko who nodded.

However, before they could do their attack Discord was in front of them and touched Naruko on the forehead. Naruko was frozen in shock as her eyes turned to pin pricks. She started looking around rapidly making sure reality wasn’t corrupting away and glitching on her again.

“I wonder what kind of pony you will be…” Discord thought to himself as he used the spell on Naruko he had the others. “No doubt you will be easier to handle than you are now… Ooooo… Maybe you'll be a lovely demure pony eagerly wanting to get out of your shell! I can make you my marefriend! That would really get to Purple I bet, even if ponies aren’t usually my kind of taste.”

“Wait a minute…” Discord said as he tapped Naruko on the forehead again. She was shocked that it seemed nothing was happening. Was it some kind of trick?

“Why. Aren’t. You. Changing?!” Discord said tapping her with each word. His spell wasn’t effecting her at all. It was like something was guarding and protecting her. Keeping him unable to influence her.

Discord looked to the massive fox as he said, “It’s you… Is it?” Discord focused on this new theory of his. Naruko was still too confused and shocked by the lack of something happening. Kyuubi was busy concentrating. “You’re… you’re not even whole… And yet you and her can do this much?” Discord was more curious than ever. Though he did have to admit Naurko’s coat was very silky smooth and soft to the touch. He would simply have to get the name of her conditioner when this was all over.

The Discord wearing a lab coat and glasses inside Discord's brain tisked at himself for getting distracted and continued thinking on it. “There really is no dark energy in you…” Discord said to Kyuubi. “Literally there isn’t… Half of you is missing… Well not half. You’re growing back the missing power. The missing half…”

Now Kyuubi was stunned. “Could it be the fourth did something even more impressive for his daughter and the village than I thought?” he wondered. It would explain why he got along so well with Naruko, especially after he saved her. It would also partly explain why he was so amiable ever since they came to Equestria. It didn’t make sense regarding balance, but he was just fire and energy essentially.

“Maybe the rules don’t apply to me?” he hoped that was the case. He didn’t want to suddenly become grumpy and mean again. He liked his partner Naruko and his friends. Kyuubi narrowed his eyes and let out a mighty roar. “It doesn’t matter even if I was with my yin half again. I would make it behave and not lose my precious ponies.” he thought in determination he clearly learned from his partner.

Discord went flying and smacked right into barrier after the roar. Naruko and Kyuubi were surprised by this. They expected him to fly right through it. Perhaps his powers didn’t let him do that, or maybe it was because he didn’t understand what the barrier was and that kept him inside it. Regardless, Kyuubi summoned up three massive tornadoes and added his fire to them. “Now! Naruko!” he roared to her snapping her from her shock as she added wind to the tornadoes.

They grew larger and swirled faster. The fiery storms seemed to almost whine in power. They moved closer to Discord. The God of Chaos again found himself on the defensive with these two. He snapped his eagle claw to try and transform the one closest to him. Nothing happened.

He tried again this time with the intention of shrinking it down so much it didn’t do anything. Again, nothing happened.

“I really don’t like this whole fire business!” he said with a growl. He snapped his tail to add water to it hoping that would cancel it out. This wasn’t really funny, but it seemed his humor was not allowed in this situation. Something happened this time though. He growled… “Great! Now I have some kind of icy tornado thingy coming after me!”

Naruko then concentrated on the one he messed with and added her own fire power to it.

“How it is that even possible from a pony?!” Discord shouted as he kept backing away and moving as erratically as he could. Now he had to deal with some kind of icy fire tornado. That is something only he should be able to do and he had never thought of such a thing before!

Discord got an idea as a light bulb went off above him. He snapped his lion’s paw, eagle’s claw, and tail all at once. The Fiery Icy Death storm of doom dissipated. Discord’s eyes lit in triumph as he laughed in joy. “Yes! Yes! Yeah-ah-ah yes!” he said then he heard two more whines near him and he said, “Damnit…” he had forgotten there were two more he had to deal with. He dealt with one, but the other struck him before he could move to counter them.

“Yeouch!” he shouted in pain. He felt a shearing pain racing like razors up his body. It then hit him and exploded. He then fell to ground as a pile of ash and a pair of eyes that looked very angry.

Naruko wondered what was going to happen next. She was sure that there was no way they had just defeated Discord. That would be too much positive thinking and she was not in the mood for such stupid things.

Soon the ash hovered up into the air and Naruko sighed and said, “At least this oddly makes sense…”

The ash seemed to swirl around the eyes and Discord was reborn again. He was himself again, but his body was covered in soot. Naruko got ready with her next attack as he spoke. “Do you know how annoying… and painful… it is to regrow your entire body from ash?!” He then gave a laugh as he said, “I don’t think so---” He looked around and took a head count. “Wait… Where’d she go?”

Kyuubi smirked as he nodded to his side where Discord now heard a different whining power attack. He couldn’t even dodge as it hit him and Naruko tumbled past him before reappearing on Kyuubi again.

Discord felt a new level of pain. He didn’t like this kind of new experience, he only teased others about being a masochist! It felt as if his body was surrounded by crackling energy that was stinging him at the cellular level. He couldn’t even cry in pain as he body seemed to explode and he had to again regrow it.

“Twice… Twice…? In… a… row…?” He wheezed. The exertion of doing so much so quickly like this was getting to him a little.

His eyes then became oddly focused and his demeanor changed completely. He looked over Kyuubi and Naruko. He then spoke in a voice without his usual hint of amusement. “It seems… I actually have to take an opponent…” he shuddered at the thought. “Seriously…”

Naruko felt a mix of pride and terror at this proclamation. She was horrified at what a serious Discord could actually accomplish. She was deeply proud that she forced a literal god to take her seriously in a fight.

Discord looked around and narrowed his eyes then opened his mouth. He let out a single sonic cone aimed at Naruko and Kyuubi. The two dodged easily. It was then they noticed they weren’t his target. The sonic cone hit the dome and reverberated back at them louder. Discord did the same at other points in the dome.

Kyuubi and Naruko felt as if the sonic cones were stunning them and distorted their everything. The serious Draconequus then launched himself at them quickly with an attack ready with his Claw, Paw, and tail. He was going to unleash them all once. He was more or less point blank to Naruko and Kyuubi.

Fortunately for Naruko and Kyuubi, unfortunately for Discord, due to her earlier experience inside the degrading corrupted Dream Reality. Naruko was able to deal with distorted everythings. Discord launched at her and she forced Kyuubi to duck as she jumped up.

Discord’s eyes were in shock as she dodged his first attack with his claw. He then shot a magic attack at her with his lion’s paw. Naruko threw up the best shield she could think of. The attack hit and the shell of protection rippled before sending the attack back at Discord.

As he was struck by his own attack causing him to freeze momentarily in the air, he snapped his tail in a last ditch effort of this attack trying to hit her. Naruko watched as everything seemed to move in slow motion. Several pink and red diamonds seemed to form almost completely around her.

Naruko was still moving backwards seemingly slowly as the sound waves seemed to be pelting her with everything they had. She felt some kind of internal pain from the effects. She knew those diamond things were going to be bad news. She focused with all she could on her horn and even her forehooves.

Her forehooves shot up and moved in a strange manner of a pony. She had visions of the hand signs she wanted to use. Some energy formed in between her front hooves. She yelled in determination as energy from her horn met with the energy from her hooves. She felt the strange and slightly painful strain on her body using its power in a way a unicorn wasn’t supposed to use it.

She knew this was probably the only time she could do this, but if it meant living and pushing back Discord. She would gladly go through with it. She wasn’t the Grand Captain of the Ever-Free Patrol for no reason. She embodied their beliefs about doing all one could to protect those they care about and Equestria.

The two energies combined and shot forward. They formed a bubble around the attack diamonds just as they were about to fire!

Discord’s last attack in this barrage disappeared before their eyes! Even the God of Chaos didn’t know what happened.

Suddenly, he was surrounded by his own attack. He was unable to move. He was unable to even use his limbs or powers to cancel it. The diamonds of red and pink fired at him faster than the eyes could see. He could only howl in pain before his body fell to the ground.

Naruko was also on the ground looking at him panting. Kyuubi was still being affected by the sound wave storm. His keen senses were actually working against him in this situation. Naruko and Kyuubi kept staring at a motionless Discord once things seemed to clear. They wondered what was going to happen next.

{-} {-} {-}

It took them a while to find Rainbow Dash, but they had. She was napping on a cloud in the middle of a grove of trees. AJ was about to holler up at her, but a yellow hoof stopped her.

“I think a quieter approach is needed here,” Fluttershy said in her soft whisper of a voice.

“What did you have in mind?” Twilight whispered back. She was actually good at it.

“I’ll fly up there grab her cloud and bring her down here for you to use your spell. I was always very gentle with my cloud touch in flight school. You know... before I ended up in Ponyville,” Fluttershy whispered. Twilight nodded to this. Rarity got ready to trap Rainbow in a bubble just in case the rainbow maned pegasus woke up.

Fluttershy quietly flew up to the cloud. Rainbow was snoring away, but she was oddly quiet compared to usual. “Maybe Discord Rainbow doesn’t have snoring problems?” Fluttershy thought and almost giggled before catching herself.

Fluttershy carefully grabbed a hold of the cloud. She then gave a really really loud mental cheer at her success before bringing the cloud down to the others. Once she placed it on the ground without it dissipating, Twilight looked to Rarity and nodded. The beautiful fashion loving unicorn’s horn glowed with her spell ready to use.

Twilight then took in a deep breath and let it out. Rainbow’s eyes opened and she blinked at them to get her surroundings. Twilight quickly shot the spell at her friend and then Rainbow’s eyes seemed to swirl with all of the memories of who Rainbow really was.

Rainbow moaned as she teeter tottered on her spot. Her eyes then cleared and she blinked. She then frowned in confusion. “Why in the hay… Did I think this little cloud was Cloudsdale?!” she asked no pony in particular. Rainbow then found herself hugged by Twilight and Fluttershy.

“It worked!” Fluttershy cheered really loudly.

“Okay… Okay… I get it. But seriously, what the hay?” Rainbow asked again.

Applejack grinned. It was time for her plan. “Probably Discord. The same gosh darned reason Rarity over here was all hot and bothered for a giant useless heavy rock.”

“I thought we agreed to never speak of that again!” Rarity almost shouted.

AJ looked to her apologetically as Rainbow giggled uncontrollably. She soon broke out into loud boisterous laughs as she said, “Well Rarity. That’s-that’s one way to get a hard one!” She then laughed even louder and it almost seemed to echo.

Rarity fumed and AJ gulped and said, “Just wait… There’s a reason for me saying that… Ah hope.”

“There better be,” Rarity said dangerously and then suddenly as if on cue…

“Stop laughing at me!!!!” Pinkie Pie randomly appeared glaring at them all. “It was you wasn’t it?!” she shouted looking at a confused Rainbow Dash.

“Ohhhh!” Pinkie said before then turning to face Twilight. “I get it now… It was you the whole time laughing at me!!!”

Twilight blinked for moment and shrugged her shoulders as Rarity’s mouth fell open in shock and she forgot what she was angry at AJ for anything. Applejack gave a silent prayer to the heavens in thanks. Twilight then looked at the seething Pinkie with a raised eyebrow and her horn glowed with the memory spell. Pinkie was very much in range and this was probably the best opportunity they would get.

Pinkie’s eyes suddenly took on the look everypony else’s did as her memories rushed back to her. “Wow…. I really said I hate chocolate?” she asked in confusion. The ponies then hugged her together realizing in that moment the true Pinkie was back to them.

“Now we need to get the necklaces and my crown, which Rarity… Graciously… collected for us earlier,” Twilight said.

Rarity gave a slight blush as she divvied out the elements to their appropriate bearers. She had sneaked away with them all when they were arguing earlier.

“Now girls! Let’s go help Naruko and take out Discord!” Twilight said as she beamed with confidence. The elements would work now and Discord was done with!

{-} {-} {-}

Discord was still recovering from the attack turned against him by Naruko. She was much more skilled than he first thought. He moaned in agony. Naruko seemed to growl in anger as she stomped a hoof to the ground three times in anger and frustration.

“Why won’t he just die already! I want to be with Twilight! I don’t want to be dealing with his sorry ass anymore! Kami damn it all!” she shouted in her head as she started to seethe in anger. She knew what her next move would be, but she needed the opening.

Discord looked her over slowly and seriously. How in the world was she still standing after all of that? How was she able to turn his own attack against him? The way things played out just then, he couldn’t help but think both Order and Chaos were actually working to protect her. Her defense and attack were far to effective, even for her talent he was sure. The only way something like that could happen is if destiny itself had a much grander plan for the unicorn and was giving her a helping hoof of some kind.

“Who in Tartarus have I crossed? What has she been through to power through such an onslaught from a literal god and come out on top?” he wondered. If the forces he thought of were really behind this all, then he wondered just what it was Naruko would be going through in her life.

There was also a pesky part of him that was demanding he do certain actions. It was as if Chaos was ordering him to act in a certain way at this point. It was as if chaos was saying, “See… I told you messing with her like that was bad. No matter what you do you have been working towards what I want. Your desires have nothing to do with it despite what you think.” Chaos also sounded both smug and regretful to him.

Discord finally had enough strength to stand and he asked, “What kind of life did you have to live to make you this way?”

Naruko looked at him with a deep-seated anger and he actually felt ashamed when he saw it. A pony’s eyes should not hold so much of that emotion.

She glared at him in a way that caused him to actually feel some dread. Naruko’s blue stormy eyes were filled with tears as she said entirely too calm, “You want to see what happened to me? What you did?”

Her eyes changed before him to match that of Kyuubi’s, but these eyes were filled with sadness, anger, and hate. “I’ll show you!” she shouted at him as her horn glowed a bright color and the domed area filled with her magic.

Without warning, everything became blurry as if it was witnessed through tears or something. Discord was completely caught off guard by this. He couldn’t look away or break out of it. The essence that fueled his power urged him to witness whatever it was he was about to witness.

Discord had to watch as this person turned pony’s past played out before him. It was cruel to watch.

He wasn’t even that cruel when he was at his worst in the past. This wasn’t fun or funny. It was just sad and terrible. “How could they do that to a child?” he asked himself keeping quiet. He wouldn’t leave children alone himself, but he never treated them this way. He would do a little something here and there to make things more entertaining, but this was worse than that. Treating someone/pony this way would just make things sad and ugly.

Why was he having to feel these emotions?! It was as if the very multi-verse wanted to protect this pony for some reason. He didn’t get it.

The draconequus flinched as another image flashed before his eyes. He hated this. The image was in a roundabout way telling him what would happen even if he successfully overthrew the princesses this time. Existence wasn’t letting chaos have its way here at all and chaos was obediently bowing down. What was going on that was so important to possibly the very fabric of the universe? There was no answer to his questions, even his logical and smart self was lost to the answer.

“Is the very essence of chaos… crying?” he asked himself in complete shock. He never knew about such things really. He had also been under a rock for many eons. This was not at all what he expected.

Things then turned even worse. “What in the?” he asked as the sickening feelings from before encountering her returned only much worse. He looked around wide eyed. It was as if everything was crumbling around him.

It genuinely terrified him. He loved chaos. He was chaos. But chaos did not include distorted bits of sky stuck in place flickering. It didn’t include staticy bits hanging in the air unable to be fixed. It didn’t include patches of complete and udder black speckled across the landscape.

“Was this what she saw in the Dream Reality I cast her into?!” he asked himself wide eyed.

When everything returned to normalish, Discord felt relieved. He saw the look in Naruko’s eyes. He knew what he wanted to do to her, and what it was even the essence of chaos demanded he do to her. “You’re very different from the others…” he said in an awed voice.

Discord actually felt sad and worried that she didn’t seem to fully realize what her destiny was. He would correct this! Both chaos and order demanded him do so at the sacrifice of his powers. He couldn’t deny the deep-seated order that affected his very being at the most basic of levels currently. He could still have some fun, but he actually had a mission. It shocked him deeply that he had such a thing.

He wasn’t stopping the fight now though. He needed to see more of what she was able to do. He shot at her again. Naruko could almost see her opening coming as he charged at her like before, but he didn’t have any tricks this time.

As the draconequus came forward, Naruko brought up another spell. He wouldn’t be able to dodge this one either. “Rasenshuriken Special!” Naruko shouted as a swirling mass of energy formed above her horn with four burning blade edges. Discord couldn’t even dodge it as he was struck by the powerful spell.

Discord discovered new meanings to pain in that moment as he yelled. He felt as if he was burning away while being cut at the cellular level. What was with all of this cellular level pain she was dealing to him? It was unlike anything he even knew existed. Discord managed to focus enough strength to summon forth giant scissors.

He cut off the lower part of his body before the pain could spread! Hurting himself in such a way was another new and very unpleasant experience for him.

He was forced to regrow his body again. This time though, it went very slowly. He was actually running out of energy and needed a break. He panted once he recovered. He looked to Naruko and Kyuubi. They too were panting. Perhaps all of the power she used had gotten to her as well. Kyuubi was now in five tails as he panted but he was still ready to fight.

“My my… You really are something, Naruko. I’ve never gotten serious before like I did earlier,” Discord said in a manner that wasn’t even a little mocking. It was just impressed, despite being tired.

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia hadn't even put up this much of a fight before they whipped out the elements. That battle really wasn’t fun or all that exciting. Naruko was different.

Discord felt some of his energy returning. He wasn’t even sure what to think after what just happened. There was a part of that felt it wasn’t fair to her he was an immortal god. He couldn't figure out why he actually hated having an advantage over his opponent.

Naruko glared at him and spoke as she panted. “We will only get stronger…” she threatened, even if it was clear she was straining herself to remain standing.

Discord was given surprising images by both chaos and order in response to these words showing Naruko much more powerful than she currently was. It reinforced her threat and what he had to do. There was also a part of the essences giving him commands even louder. They were telling him to stop messing around and do what he was told. The voices reminded him of old mama discords scolding him. He was annoyed by them because he didn’t need the orders. He had honestly already decided on doing what they commanded of him. He had even decided he would do so in his next move.

He turned to her and grinned a little mischievously as he said, “I’m sure you will, Naruko.”

He then gave a sigh and donned a modeling expert’s clothes as he looked Naruko over. He smirked at her, “I really think it would be such a waste to just let you go on like this, darlllling.” He wanted one last bit of fun at least.

Naruko and Kyuubi were focused on him and got their next attack ready. They didn’t have much left and given Kyuubi was down to five tails now. They weren’t sure if what they did would even matter. They both took some relief as they saw Twilight and the others were now ready in the corner of their eyes. Naruko dispelled the barrier so it wouldn’t interfere. She played it off as a slight dizzy spell, though honestly she was surprised she hadn’t just collapsed already anyways.

“I think I’ll give you a little gift. It would be a shame for you to go unrewarded for your efforts. I also would be very bored otherwise,” Discord said with a broad smile. He then moved quickly and smiled as he placed his lion's paw on her chest. Naruko’s eyes went wide as she felt something reach deep inside her and, for lack of a better term, mess with her. She didn’t know what happened, but something did this time. She looked to Discord with panicked eyes.

Discord actually felt a little sorry for her oddly enough. She was obviously very important and he had unintentionally really messed her mind up bad. He knew her friends would need her to be as strong as she was going to get. The Elements wouldn’t be able to do what they needed to without her and that would be bad for them all.

He also felt bad because she didn’t realize the powers dwelling insider her. She didn’t know what she was meant to do for them all yet. He had given her a gift of sorts demanded by chaos and order through him. He would have given it to her anyways, because of how interesting she was.

There was one possibility Discord didn’t fully realize as he touched Naruko on her chest. When he heard a thrum of energy coming from his right side, he knew it was over and what Naruko's plan was all along. “Damn…” he said in shock as the beam of magical energy struck him from the side. He was once again turned to stone.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko’s eyes were still wide in shock as he turned to stone. She helped the others in the end, but she was worried what Discord’s touch would do to her. “Are you okay?! Naruko?!” Twilight asked her before rushing over to her and grabbing her in a tight hug. When Naruko didn’t really respond right away Twilight actually cried a little. What had happened to her?

Naruko then whispered in her ear, “Are you really here?”

Twilight’s heart ached at those words. She sniffed as she asked, “He got to you too, didn’t he?” Naruko nodded slowly in response as she still looked around frantically. Twilight thought it was as if she expected something to happen.

Twilight sniffed as she said in a watery voice, “I am really here, Naruko. I love you…” She then looked to her marefriend. Her special somepony and realized she had failed her by not realizing something was wrong earlier. Twilight cried a little as she looked Naruko in the eyes. She didn’t care what the others would think. They kind of already knew.

There was only one thing Twilight thought she could do to help apart from holding Naruko at this moment. She moved to place a kiss on Naruko’s lips. She tried to pour all of the love she felt and everything into it for Naruko’s sake.

Sapphire blue eyes widened as they desperately returned the kiss. She didn’t care if the others were watching. Twilight’s lips were reassuring her she wasn’t warped back into that terrible Dream Reality. She started sobbing as she held on to Twilight tightly and heaved in her sobs. Everything was crashing around her now that she had completed what she was focusing on earlier. It was just as she feared. Her emotional pain, her physical pain, and her mental pain were all crashing down and she felt wrong inside for some reason.

Naruko then spoke in a broken voice as she said to Twilight loud enough the others heard. “I’m not okay… I’m not okay…” She cried and sobbed as she said, “I don’t think I ever truly will be…”

The others paused in shock when they heard Naurko’s words as they were going in to join in the hug. Rainbow was on the verge of making a joke about Twilight and Naruko kissing, but when she heard those words and saw Naruko’s tears. All jokes of such nature vanished. She also felt pretty crummy that she had even dared think of making such a joke of this situation. She hated mushy stuff and she was deeply affected by it all. She sniffed herself. She couldn’t feel anything but admiration and worry for Naruko.

She doubted few ponies would be loyal enough to take on Discord on their own just to help out the others. She felt a little ashamed that a pony who wasn’t even an element seemed to have a better understanding of loyalty than she did. “It seems… I still have much to learn about loyalty,” she said to herself softly.

It was time she got off her butt and figure out her balance and element. She couldn’t slack off anymore and call it image training for a new stunt she wanted to do. She couldn’t just nap in a cloud and say it was conserving her energy. She still wanted to be a Wonderbolt, but she wasn’t as keen on it as she used to be. She felt her life as the Element of Loyalty was a higher calling. She would still try to be a Wonderbolt because that would be awesome, but it wasn’t her only dream now.

Pinkie Pie was oddly reflective and quiet. She wanted to make Naruko and the others laugh more than anything at the moment, but there was something inside her that told her “No!”. It wasn’t saying no laughter was allowed, but it was saying this wasn’t a moment for such things.

“Maybe… Laughter isn’t always the answer after all, even if it is important to life,” Pinkie said to herself. She felt as if she had just discovered a huge and very important key to her everything. More than that at the moment, she wanted to be there for Naruko and the others, even if it meant she would do so quietly.

Naruko sniffed while in the group hug. “Can we go home now? I’m really tired…” she asked her voice sounding weak.

Twilight got the others to break off the hug as she looked to Naruko and tried to smile as warmly as she could. “Yes. Yes, we can, Naruko,” she said trying to sound more cheerful than she felt.

“Good…” Naruko said as she slowly made her way back home. Naruko led the others back to the library on auto-pilot with her head lowered.

“What happened to her?” Twilight couldn’t help but worry. She had never seen Naruko like this, not even when she had talked about Konoha back when she first came to Equestria. Twilight looked to the two-tailed fox walking slowly next to her marefriend, even Kyuubi seemed worried and crestfallen. He wasn’t meeting anypony’s eyes at the moment and just walking forward. He was lost in worry and thought.

The sun was out shining brightly. The trees looked beautiful and provided lovely shade. The white and fluffy clouds were gently rolling across the sky. The ponies still out and about were seemingly lost and confused, but also relieved things were better. Princess Celestia felt relieved and proud of Twilight and the others. Princess Luna vowed to find time to check up on the patrol and in particular Naruko. The Land of Equestria was back to normal and happy again.

One group of ponies weren’t and were far from it. Something inside all of them had changed and they didn't really know what all that meant.

Healing isn’t Easy...

Dear Princess Celestia,

I was surprised to receive a letter from you as soon as we entered the Library after defeating Discord. I guess it was easy figuring out he was stone again. I was happy to read you were making a new stained-glass window for the occasion. I do ask you include Naruko, since she kept Discord busy while the rest of us got ready to make our move. Back to the topic at hoof. I am happy to hear this and the others were as much as can be expected.

However, though a ceremony would be nice, we don’t feel like we can make it. The price of defeating Discord already feels too high and we don’t even know how much it costs us yet. We are all concerned about Naruko and don’t wish to be parted from her for something such as a ceremony for a new stained-glass window and we all need to heal in a way.

You may believe a ceremony would be good for Equestria, and maybe you are right, but we… I… have to think about Naruko right now. She still hasn’t told us what it he did to her, but it was something bad and she needs us right now. We need her as well. Discord may have caused them to do things they would never think of doing, but they can’t act like those things didn’t happen.

We all wish you well and are glad Equestria is once again safe, but we need time now to heal. We weren’t magically healed like the land was once he turned to stone again. I beg you to please understand.

Sincerely your student,

Twilight Sparkle

P.S.: Please be sure to ask Princess Luna to pay extra attention to Naruko’s dreams over the next few nights if she can.

“Done…” Twilight sighed as she handed the letter over to Spike. Spike didn’t even need to ask where to send it to before he flamed it away. Her letter might have been rushed, but she needed to get it done with and quick. She had to get it out of the way.

Twilight walked back into the main area where the others were. They were all on the quiet side, but the atmosphere was still that of friends caring for each other. Twilight helped her self to a sip of her drink. It was amazing how sometimes it was the simplest things that helped you feel a little better. They weren’t partying it up like many would think ponies who just saved Equestria from a literal God of Chaos would. They might have done so, if things were different.

However, they all had a good bit on their minds. They may have not been through the worst of it as a whole, but seeing Naruko at the end really got to them. In a way it kind of made things feel more real. The Elements of Harmony may have saved the day in the end, but due to their lack of understanding of their elements they were first useless. Naruko was extremely powerful especially with Kyuubi by her side and yet Discord wasn’t defeated until the Elements were used properly after Twilight got the others out of the spell.

This showed them their necklaces and Twilight’s crown were merely tools. If the users weren’t able to use them then they were useless and little better than jewelry. Fluttershy’s words on becoming the avatars of their elements seemed more important than they did before and not something to wait on tackling. It seemed to make sense if they were able to connect directly to their elements in that way than even Discord wouldn’t be able to stop them. When they learned Fluttershy wasn’t turned the same way they were, it was more proof she had a better grasp on what they needed to because of her trial.

At the moment, the group of friends were just sitting quietly drinking juice with each other. Naruko finally let out a sigh. “Well… I sure am glad that’s over with. Sorry for not being too excited. I’m just really exhausted after that fight.” Naruko then gave a small smile as she said, “I think I’ll need a spa trip in the next few days. And I might even try the Rarity Package.”

“It is simply marvelous, Darling! I wonder if you will be able to enjoy trips in the future without that package once you’ve experienced it,” Rarity said beaming. She then gave a little laugh, “I bet you’ll be singing a different tune about seaweed wraps after you have one.”

“I’ll try it, but probably only the once,” Naruko said. After that, the others seemed to be more talkative as well. They didn’t really address Naruko’s breakdown. It felt that was something for her to mention first. Hopefully she wouldn’t force them to act on it though by keeping it all bottled up inside her heart.

{-} {-} {-}

When the others left and it was just Twilight and Naruko, the blonde unicorn sighed again. “I’m sorry for how I acted after the battle, Twilight…” Naruko said in a small voice proving her earlier words were mostly for putting on a brave face around the others.

Twilight came over and sat down right next to Naruko as the other pony leaned on her. “You have nothing to be sorry for Naruko. Nothing. You went through something really tough I can tell and that was before you fought Discord to distract him,” she said in a caring voice. “I do wish you would talk about it, but I know such things can be difficult.”

Naruko was in thought for a moment while she chewed on her bottom lip. She knew she probably should talk to someone about it and Twilight was the best for that. “I guess I’ll tell you some of it, but not everything and I am not telling anyone else. Trust me… You don’t want to hear everything,” Naruko said.

“Discord trapped me in something he called a Dream Reality. However, something went wrong with it. Maybe its because I’m not from here originally or my connection to Kyuubi or something else completely. I’m not sure. But it started off nice enough. The spell actually uses your own dreams, desires, memories and fears to make it a realistic dream you won’t want to wake up from. But like I said it went wrong,” Naruko said giving a shudder.

“How wrong are we talking here and in what way?” Twilight asked. She felt a little apprehensive about this. If it caused Naruko to act this way it had to be really bad, but she wanted to help her girlfriend.

“It started off with me just going through several realities and not fully remembering the previous one, but knowing I just did something. Then the spell started to corrupt or degrade or who knows what,” Naruko said with a frown. Twilight grimaced to that thought.

“This resulted in reality literally falling apart around me. I was stuck for a long while watching as memories of my time here started to clash and try to combine with memories of my life as a ninja. I saw estimations of what my classmates would look like now and it would switch between happy times and dark times at the drop of a Bit. It did the same with my times as a pony. Then it somehow spliced it all together in some way and I ended up seeing myself as a half pony half human. It was really scary and strange…” Naruko said.

Twilight placed a comforting hoof on Naruko and started rubbing her back. Naruko soaked in the contact. “I did manage to get out of there by finding the anchor point and rewriting the runes eventually. It wasn’t easy because my own mind was fighting back as hard as it could with more of those terrible images.” She gave a shudder at the thought of those images.

Naruko let out a suffering sigh. “It was so bad that when I first came out I wasn’t even sure I was out. Hell! Discord’s world was like sunshine and daisies compared to what that place was like. Then when Discord touched me at the end...” she broke off for a moment.

Naruko looked away and sobbed a little. “He did something to me Twilight… I don’t know what. But I know he did something. I can feel it inside and I have no idea what it is.”

Naruko stood up and she started to pace a little, “He called it a gift, but this is a guy who thought it was fun playing with ponies for his own amusement. I-I don’t think I want to know what he did to me, but I do want to know what he did to me. Which I hate!” Naruko said louder than necessary as she stomped a hoof on the ground in frustration and anger as she started to breath shallowly.

Twilight got up and held Naruko again. Once more, the blonde unicorn seemed to soak in the touch as if it was the only thing keeping reality from again falling apart. “T-t-thanks. Twilight. I don’t know what I would do without you right now.”

She gave a humorless chuckle. “Grand Captain of the Ever-Free Patrol and I would probably collapse to the ground crying if you weren’t holding me. I guess I’m really not all that cool of a marefriend right now.”

Twilight nuzzled her a little as she softly said, “Maybe not. But you still are the best one ever.” She tried to smile brightly in the hopes it would make things better. Naruko swallowed as she nuzzled Twilight back. She then seemed to feel relieved at the success of returning such a minor intimate gesture and she held on to Twilight even more.

Twilight hated how she had mixed feelings about this. She hated how Naruko was suffering so much. At the same time, she loved how attached Naruko was acting towards her. “Are you going to be okay to sleep tonight? I’m pretty sure rest is going to be very important for you the next few days,” Twilight said in worry.

Naruko sighed as she thought it over. She was pretty sure she wouldn’t be, but she didn’t want to bother Twilight anymore with such things. She couldn’t lie either. “Maybe… But only if I get to snuggle with you a good bit tonight first,” she said blushing a little. It sounded childish, but she kind of felt a bit like a lost filly at the moment.

Twilight responded by hugging her tightly and saying, “I can definitely make that happen. I won’t even have to use my magic.” She gave a musical giggle the sound of which made Naruko feel warmer.

Naruko and Twilight got refills of their drinks and sat down together snuggling. Naruko loved feeling Twilight’s warmth next to her. Dream Twilight didn’t really have that warmth. This meant she was still in the actual real world.

“You do realize once you're doing better you are going to have to give me make up snuggles, right?” Twilight asked with a smile.

“Sounds fair to me,” Naruko said with a giggle. She wasn’t sure what Twilight meant by this, but it was something she looked forward to anyways.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko woke up and quickly looked around her dark room. She was breathing shallow and fast as she looked around in panic. She looked outside her window quickly. The outside world was still there and how it should be. Naruko gave a sigh in relief.

She shouldn’t have been surprised really. She should have counted on this happening a lot after everything. She saw just the slightest hint of what she thought was a glitch in her other wise happy dream and immediately woke up in a panic.

Naruko let out another sigh as she placed a hoof on the temple of her forehead. She let out a groan and gave a stretch. She then took in a calming breath and let it out before quietly making her way to her restroom. She splashed some water on her face and sighed as she looked at her exhausted face in the mirror. She got some water to drink before heading back to bed.

“I really need my rest…” she said to herself. “It wasn’t real. That wasn’t real. It didn’t really happen,” she said trying to convince herself it was okay to go back to sleep. She used the word it because she dared not use the word dream given the name of Discord’s spell.

It took a while for her to fall back asleep. This time she was met by a pure white space as her boss stepped out of a portal. Naruko took a certain level of comfort in this. Princess Luna never appeared in that place. “I’m glad to see you Princess Luna,” Naruko sighed.

“I meant to appear sooner but your dream ended oddly quick and seemingly for no reason. Is everything alright?” the Night Princess asked.

“Discord… He did something to me that made things seem close to reality and then it went all wrong quickly. I suddenly thought that was going to happen,” Naruko admitted. She didn’t fully explain, because she didn’t want to worry her boss anymore than she already was.

“I see. Well it is good Twilight suggested I pay you a visit then. I want you to take some time off from your duties as Grand Captain. I know we are expanding soon, but your health is important and we still have preparations we can do before we are fully ready to begin the expansion,” Princess Luna said.

“Does that mean everything?” Naruko asked warily. She was hoping to get back to working soon and get back into a routine again. That would help she thought. That would be familiar, but then again that is what that spell did before ruining everything as well. Maybe work wasn’t the best idea after all.

“Yes. You can visit but you are not to work. No Paperwork. No meetings,” Princess Luna said hoping Naruko would be on board with this decision because of the last two things.

Naruko frowned a little.

Princess Luna frowned as well. “It isn’t permanent. I expect you to get back to your usual self again or as close as you can. I figured you’d be happy to be out of doing paperwork and meetings.”

“I guess I just feel like I’m… useless or something,” Naruko said as her shoulders slumped.

“Useless?! Hardly. I can’t think of any other ponies that could take on Discord like you did,” Princess Luna said.

“I had Kyuubi with me… It also didn’t really do much more than give Discord some pain. I didn’t even defeat him. Twilight and the others could have probably beat him anyways,” Naruko said as she looked to the side not meeting Luna’s eyes.

“Let us not dwell on what might have happened. Let us think on what did happen. You were able to actually hurt Discord and you kept him from further interfering with The Elements and allowed them to defeat him by surprise,” Luna said.

Naruko sighed to that and nodded to show her agreement with the princess. “Is there anything else, Princess Luna?” she asked.

Princess Luna thought it over before smiling and giving Naruko a hug. “Thank you for helping save Equestria once again.” She then gave Naruko a motherly nuzzle before backing up. “I will make sure you have nothing to worry about the rest of tonight while you sleep, Naruko. Enjoy your time off.”

Naruko felt really warm as she smiled at Princess Luna and teared up a little in happiness and relief. “Okay. I will do my best,” she said as Princess Luna exited via another portal.

Princess Luna really hoped Naruko would be okay. The Grand Captain didn’t seem to realize just how important her role played in Discord’s defeat. Some ponies still out and about during the fight witnessed it all and many ponies actually felt relieved and safer as a result of what she did.

Some ponies watched as the Elements failed that first time. Seeing the Elements fail to stop Discord was very disheartening for those who still had their awareness about them. Some of them ran for the barracks hoping to ride out Discord’s reign hidden. These ponies explained what happened to the others already and that caused them to feel hopeless.

Those same ponies who felt hopeless would later hear from witnesses, or see for themselves, as Naruko dared challenge Discord. Seeing the Ever-Free Grand Captain fighting strong despite everything gave them a sense of hope. The fact it seemed to observers Naruko was actually a challenge to Discord, even if it was with the help of Kyuubi, really gave them a reason to hope. When they moved in closer and noticed Discord tried something on Naruko but it failed, they felt encouraged his reign would not last. Once the Elements showed up again, they caught the Draconequus by surprise and won. The ponies who witnessed this went to tell everypony.

Surprisingly during the tales it ended up being Naruko’s bravery that really stood out to them. Sure, the elements were the ones who defeated the Draconequus, but that was expected of them for using the Elements of Harmony. Naruko was known to be powerful, but the fact she beat all expectations and went hoof to claw with Discord was something else.

Sadly, as happens with many ponies, Naruko didn’t fully realize how important she was. Princess Luna wanted her favorite pony to realize her value to not only her friends but Equestria as a whole. Luna couldn't try to pretend to be unbiased when it came to her personally picked Grand Captain.

Naruko was one of the few ponies who would actually be better off from such a realization. Lesser ponies would gain an air of arrogance if they were in her position. Princess Luna believed wholeheartedly Naruko would become an even better pony and more dedicated Grand Captain if she learned her true value to the nation and those around her. She might have a bit of a freak out at first, but she would recover and grow even more as a pony from this realization.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko woke up slowly the next morning, “Kami damn it all… Why the hell does Celestia have to make the sun so damn bright?” Naruko was also cursing the sun a little, which was not something she usually did while here in Equestria. Princess Luna had helped her out, but Naruko remembered their exchange and she was not fully happy about it as a whole. One of the last things she ever wanted to do was look weak in front of Princess Luna. She loved the Night Princess and wanted to be the best Grand Captain she could be for her. Discord had to go and ruin that too apparently even after he was gone.

Naruko gave a mighty yawn as she slowly made her way out of bed. “I actually need coffee…” she muttered to herself. She wasn’t allowed to work today, but she still needed coffee to wake up. She also wanted to at least pay a visit to HQ and let them all know she was okay. Naruko gave a yawn as she muttered in response to this idea, “Even though I am clearly not okay.”

The blonde unicorn looked at herself in the mirror. She noticed small bags under her eyes. She supposed it made sense. She did wake up early in the night and had some trouble falling back asleep. Naruko ignored the part of her angry at Discord for possibly ruining her looks as well because of those bags under her eyes. She wasn’t a very vain pony but she liked being cute and pretty for Twilight at least. Sadly he had to go and decide it fun giving her some horrific images that would only serve to fuel her nightmares, even before Princess Luna could fix them and keep her from a proper sleep. At the moment, she didn’t care that he had done this completely by accident and if he had it his way she’d be all happy and smiles with dream reality Twilight.

Naruko sighed after she took a shower and made her way to the kitchen for breakfast. She was immensely relieved Twilight decided to cook despite it being Naruko’s turn. When asked about this, Twilight responded, “What kind of Marefriend would I be if I didn’t decide to make you breakfast after all you went through?”

Naruko didn’t have any answer apart from a mighty yawn. “See? Further proof I made the right choice. All you can do is yawn,” Twilight answered with a smile. Naruko blushed a little as Twilight gave her a quick hug. Naruko wanted to express her feelings at such contact, but felt she had to try and play it strong.

Twilight felt Naruko’s yearning at the simple contact despite the other pony’s attempts hiding such feelings. Twilight was concerned Naruko was still taking such warmth and love from even the simplest romantic contact in such a large way. She hoped a night’s sleep would help with that. Twilight was really glad they were completely finished with Discord and would never have to see him again in their lifetimes if he got to Naruko this bad. She also decided to be sure to give Naruko more affectionate gestures for her sake.

Naruko wasn’t sure what to feel. Twilight was there with her and very close, even during breakfast. Naruko wanted to be seen as strong and not needing help. She was also deep down very desperate to receive as much love and comfort as she could possibly feel from her girlfriend. Naruko was actually terrified how clingy she could possibly get after everything. It didn’t help she wanted to be just that way.

There was a huge part of her which wanted to grab on to Twilight and never let go ever! There was also a part of her that feared such actions would scare away the best pony she ever knew and leave her an even bigger mess than she already was. Naruko hated feeling like this. She almost wished she could go back to how things were in Konoha. Sure it really sucked, but she never had to worry about coming off too attached with a girlfriend there. She was just mostly left alone. She hated that but she never feared losing someone she grew close to through her own actions.

“What are you planning to do today?” Twilight asked.

Naruko took in a breath and answered. “I was actually planning to pay HQ a visit.”

“You weren’t planning on working, were you? Princess Luna got in contact with me and said I needed to pay extra attention to you just to be safe and make sure you didn’t try to work yet,” Twilight admitted. Naruko didn't really have a problem with Twilight paying close attention to her like that.

“Maybe a part of me is still that little girl seeking attention from others no matter what,” Naruko thought to herself. She wasn’t about to lie to herself. She still loved getting attention from other ponies. The blonde unicorn hated how there was still that small part of her that wanted as much attention as she could get from those closest to her. She had easily kept it from getting out of control, but after Discord everything changed. She wasn’t so sure she wouldn’t revert back to the overly desperate for affection girl she was, even if she acted closed off back then at times.

Twilight placed a hoof on Naruko’s back and smiled as she said, “I want to spend the day with you, Naruko. I’m coming with you to the Ever-Free HQ.”

Naruko smiled as she felt warmth flowing through her from Twilight’s touch. “Oddly enough… I’m perfectly okay with that,” she said with a smile as she grabbed the purple unicorn in a tight hug.

“I think I can get used to Naruko’s new behavior. I just really wish it wasn’t because of everything Discord did to her,” Twilight thought. Her eyes then narrowed in anger as she thought, “I will never forgive him for all he did to her…” Twilight wasn’t keen on forgiveness when it came to that… horrible vile loathsome creature thing.

{-} {-} {-}

As the two walked towards HQ, they noticed some ponies were acting a little strange around them. The ponies were looking towards them in awe, especially Naruko Twilight noticed. “I wonder what’s up with everypony?” she asked quietly so only Naruko heard her.

The blonde unicorn gave a shrug before saying, “Maybe it’s you. You told me Princess Celestia wanted to have a ceremony for you all to show off a new stained-glass window.”

“That was just yesterday… I highly doubt the ceremony, if she still held it without us being there, would have already been held. Also… You do realize you were included in that right? It wasn’t just us,” Twilight said the last part sternly to get the point across. She wasn’t about to let her marefriend act like she hadn’t done anything at all, especially after the price she ended having to pay for it.

“You were the ones who…” Naruko caught Twilight’s face and sighed. “I was just saying maybe they know about you all defeating Discord.”

“You were the one who actually put in the work. It's obvious they're looking more at you than me,” Twilight said.

Naruko looked around and noticed several of the onlooking ponies blush and go about their business once her eyes met their own. She wasn’t glaring at them or anything to set them off and they acted like that. She found it weird but guessed maybe Twilight could be right. “If that’s the case… I hope it’s a good thing,” she thought to herself as they neared their destination.

They stopped in their tracks as they looked forward. They hadn’t expected to actually see a couple of Night Guards standing guard out front. They were also a little caught off guard when the two snapped to attention and saluted Naruko. Naruko easily returned the salute.

They also saw a tried Lyra seemingly on break as she smiled at them and waved. Naruko and Twilight approached her. “Hello, Lyra. What are you doing out here?” Naruko asked.

“Hey, Boss!” Lyra grinned and hugged Naruko who happily returned the friendly gesture and once again soaked it in. “I’m taking a bit of a break. Things are pretty crazy in there. You’ll see that soon enough I guess. Bon Bon and Cloud Kicker are out patrolling right now. I was with them earlier to help scan for residual chaos energy readings. It seems there is one place Discord’s magic couldn’t fully touch and that is the Ever-Free Forest, but there’s still been some effects on the wildlife there,” Lyra said.

Naruko nodded in thought as Twilight blinked a little in thought. “First Lieutenant recommended we look into it. Bon Bon and Cloud are getting an eyes on report. I can scan for it but getting too close would cause problems due to the opposing natures of Unicorn magic and uncontrolled chaos energy. You guys whooped Discord so it is going unchecked even if it is slowly deteriorating. By the way, thanks for doing that and please tell the others I thanked them as well.”

“How did the evacuation go?” Naruko asked. She knew Derpy would have done so as soon as things got bad.

Lyra sighed. “About as well as it could really. We didn’t have much notice and not only are we limited in number, but also reach of our location.”

Naruko gave a sigh. “I wish we had enough ponies in the patrol to have an outpost on the other side of Ponyville. Not a full HQ, but enough of an outpost we can use it as an evacuation shelter.”

Lyra gave a nod in thought. “That might end up being possible… As for the Outpost itself. We could easily copy the protection and expansion runic matrixes. I bet we could even come up with some maintenance runework as well. We might need a little help, but that way we would only have to check in on it instead of having a pony there at all times just for cleaning and such.”

Naruko nodded to this. Twilight blinked and then shook her head as Lyra looked to her questioningly. “Sorry…” she started as she gave a nervous giggle. “I kind of forget you too were at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns… I wasn’t exactly the most sociable pony back then.”

Lyra gave a smile and a chuckle. “Understandable. We weren’t all Celestia’s private student like you were and Boss was later, but there are actually a couple of us here in Ponyville and we can be smart when we want or need to be.”

Twilight frowned to that. She hated getting this information now. She should have found it out herself sooner. Now she felt a little bad at not having been a better pony and friend to the others at school. She didn’t hate them or anything like that, but she wasn’t really interested in others apart from her family and Princess Celestia. The first pony she was genuinely interested in was originally a human and that was kind of what started their friendship which grew into a relationship. She didn’t want to dwell on these things now because she felt Naruko needed her focus.

It was silly but it again felt like there was some force out there trying to drag her away from Naruko for some reason by mentioning ponies she should be friends with near her. She wasn’t going to let it win. She would worry about making amends with former classmates later. She chose to listen in on Naruko’s conversation with Lyra which helped her put those thoughts to the back of her mind for the moment.

“I see where you are coming from, but what do you mean by that being possible? The expansion hasn’t started yet and there hasn’t really been too much interest from local ponies apart from you and the others in joining up,” Naruko said.

Lyra fought back a huge grin from bursting out. She instead chose to say, “Just go inside. You’ll find out. Trixie’s also really helping out again as well. She wanted to talk to you about something so hopefully she can get a break soon and you can talk to her,” Lyra said. She then gave a hum in thought and asked, “Are you coming back to work already?”

Naruko was a little sheepish as she said, “No… I want too, but Princess Luna told me last night that I’m taking time off. She said I could visit, but I’m not to get back to work yet. She thinks I need some rest after the whole Discord thing. She’s probably right, but I still dislike not helping you all.”

Lyra looked to her with a reassuring but stern expression as she said, “We are all Ever-Free, Boss. Let us do our job as well and don’t hog it all. Besides with Derpy getting her promotion, which we still need to have the party for mind you, things are to the point you can take a bit of a break after going head to head with a God of Chaos.”

She tapped Naurko’s shoulder with a hoof and said, “You passed us all and you’ve trained with us. Give us some more credit. If we have to fight some other ancient mean god we’ll give you a call and I’m sure that will be an exception to the ‘no work for now’ rule. You deserve some more time off, even if you’ve been better at managing it lately. Derpy’s been full time since she joined and she still gets more time off than you do.”

“Alright. Alright. It doesn’t matter because I have orders from my boss to take time off, but I get you. I do really appreciate each and every one of you patrollers. That’s why I do my best as your Captain, friend and Grand Captain,” Naruko said with a smile as she placed a friendly hoof on Lyra who smiled back.

Twilight wished she could better understand this level of comradeship with Naruko. She was a little bit jealousy, but also happy for Naruko. She figured this bond they had grew from the way they’ve been through danger together while working for the Ever-Free Patrol. It was more reason she wished she could go on a temple mission with Naruko so she could reach that level too.

“It’s good to see you after that all happened. I’m sure Derpy and Trixie will also be glad to see you again. Bon Bon and Cloud would like to see you too. If they don’t arrive before you're finished visiting today please visit again,” Lyra said.

Naruko smiled warmly to that. “I will. Thanks, Lyra.” Lyra smiled back and nodded even if she wasn’t fully sure why she was being thanked. Naruko knew her patrollers were close to her, but hearing Lyra say they wanted her to visit helped her some more.

{-} {-} {-}

If Twilight and Naruko were surprised to see Night Guards outside, they were even more surprised by what they saw going on inside HQ. The ponies were actually so very surprised that they both instinctively reached out to the other to touch them with a hoof just to be sure they hadn’t somehow fallen asleep and ended up in a dream. This gesture meant a lot more to Naruko than it did to Twilight.

There were a few more Night Guard ponies inside by doors as a huge commotion was heard from the main lobby and break room areas. There were ponies of all different colors everywhere in the rooms excitedly talking to each other. Several were filling out forms and others were there in support. There were stallions, mares, unicorns, earth ponies and pegasus ponies all together.

The two were only noticed by some of the nearby night guards who all saluted Naruko. No pony else had noticed her for the moment which was probably for the best. As they walked around carefully to avoid drawing attention to themselves, they overheard some of the ponies’ conversations.

“I really wish there was an Ever-Free Patrol Contingent in Baltimare… I really want to be the kind of pony that helps others in situations like that. I heard about the parasprite invasion and I was here visiting you during the whole Discord thing. I used to think only ponies like the elements and recently the Grand Captain could actually help ponies. When that earth pony Bon Bon showed up and brought us here… That was when I realized I might be able to help out in smaller more meaningful ways. I don’t care about having to do that other stuff like patrolling the forest as well. I’ll do what I can to help out there too,” a bright blue mare with a green mane said to a friend.

Her friend was an earth pony mare with a light gold colored coat and a light brown colored mane. She had a cutie mark with what looked like an electrified wrench. “That’s why I’m signing up now. I hope I can make the cut and get in. I was happy working at the toy shop and seeing all of the little fillies and colts smiles, but I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. During the parasprite invasion everypony was brought here. I saw many children here and I simply wanted to do something more to help the patrol protect those kids,” she said.

The first pony gave a chuckle. “You’ve always had a soft spot for children, Electra. I think you can make it. You do actually keep in shape and such and if anypony has the drive. It’s you.”

Electra Wrench gave a smile. “I hope you’re right. I’ll do what I can to make sure you’re right. The forms say you can try more than just once. You just have to wait six months to a year before trying again. Lots of ponies here are only interested because of how the Grand Captain held off Discord and they might not make it and that time period is enough for them to lose interest if they are only wanting to join because they think it would be cool. I'd use it to improve myself to pass next time.”

There were several other conversations of similar exchanges going on in the area. Naruko was happy about this. Sure, it might be like that one pony said, but that didn’t mean Discord could have been the final push some ponies who will actually make it needed to get serious and reach their final decision. She also liked how there were ponies from around Equestira here visiting family or friends. These ponies could end up helping spread the word to others and that would only help with the expansion.

Twilight smiled as she gave a Naruko a hug. She knew what hearing these conversations meant to her friend. Naruko returned the gesture and they finally went to the front desk. They were a little surprised who was working it at the moment. They momentarily forgot Lyra telling them outside.

“Trixie has told you she is not a part of the patrol and she is only helping out! I have no say in who gets in or not. The fact you are trying to worm your way in probably means you won’t make it! That is Trixie’s thought at least. Fortunately for you… Like she said! I have no say in who joins. You can fill out the forms like everypony else and try whenever your appointed testing occurs,” she explained.

“Yeah… Well! What do you know?! You said it yourself you aren’t part of the patrol and are only some… some… errand pony for them…Besides! It’s just a volunteer organization. Can it really be picky like you’re saying?” the stallion said as he scoffed at Trixie.

Trixie let out a loud frustrated groan and was about to say something but her eyes widened and she sat up at attention.

“True. We are a volunteer organization. But we don’t have to accept just anypony who wants to join. You seem to be misunderstanding the reason we test everypony who wants to join. In the Ever-Free Patrol, you will at some point experience a life or death situation at least once. You need to have an appropriate drive and fitness to face such odds. We will not let just anyone join and put them in that kind of a circumstance. The patrol is a volunteer organization and even requires you to undergo a magical swear, if you make the cut. And we don’t pay you for all of this. We are and we aren’t part of the military. If you want to join for Honor, Glory, Achievement, and Recognition you are better of trying to join the Royal Guard,” Naruko said.

“What if that may be the initial reason we try to join, but we can change and we also want to help?! Huh what then?! What do-do-do…” the stallion started with some anger because he was already heated from earlier. When he turned around, that anger left him in less than a heart beat as his eyes widened. He still finished his statement in shock. “You have to say to that?” he finished lamely as he almost trembled. There was no way he wanted to piss off The Grand Captain. He saw some of what she can do.

Naruko didn’t smile too smugly at his reaction as she said, “Trust me. If you really can change and want to change, like you’re implying is possible, the test will sort that out too.”

The stallion gulped apologized to both Naruko and Trixie before quickly grabbing the forms and leaving. Several ponies were staring at the scene as it played out and luckily for the stallion they weren’t paying him any mind. They all instead took Naruko’s words to heart. After all, if anypony knew about the patrol it was the Grand Captain herself.

Naruko felt a little nervous with all of their eyes fixated on her at once, but she also liked how all of the ponies were looking at her. They were looking to her with respect and wonder. It wasn’t like when she was stared at back in Konoha. There it was with revulsion that people looked at her, even if there were the odd looks of pity she rarely got. It was also obvious these ponies weren’t looking at Twilight the Element of Magic but instead her. She gave a smile and waved to the ponies.

One pony then spoke out loud, “Are you really already getting back to work?” It was a little filly with her big brother. The big brother felt a little embarrassed by his younger sister making a scene like this and blurting out such a question.

Naruko gave a chuckle. “No. I am not. I’m just here to visit the others in the patrol. Apparently Princess Luna, our boss, decided fighting a chaos god meant I could have some time off.” She nervously scratched the back of her mane. Several ponies then started laughing.

Naruko then thought to drive home her earlier point as she said, “What I said is the truth. I am happy so many ponies are interested in the Ever-Free Patrol now, but you all need to realize what it means to join us. I look forward to hearing the results of everypony’s tests. I am sorry we have to schedule appointments, but there is a lot of interest and only so many of us currently.”

“Will you be testing us?” a young stallion asked.

“It depends on when your being tested, but odds are given I’m taking time off by Royal Decree.” a few ponies chuckled to that. “It will probably be First Lieutenant Hooves, Ponyville Contingent’s second in command, doing the tests. She knows fully well what it takes to be in the Ever-Free and you should all realize no pony in the patrol gets the respect they have or their position without proving over and over again they deserve it through their ability and dedication,” Naruko said with a smile.

The ponies then went back to filling out their forms as they finally realized Naruko spoke about a magical swear. It was mentioned on the forms, but they double checked and it was made real once she actually said it. Some ponies were rightfully thinking more on their choice to join. Many were still just as encouraged to give it their best and show they can fit in the patrol and help other ponies more.

Once everything was a little calmer, Trixie let out a deep sigh as she smiled at Naruko and almost seemed to shed a tear in relief. “It is good to see you are here, Naruko. I’m glad Princess Luna is forcing you to take time off.” Trixie then chuckled as she said, “Trixie otherwise believes you wouldn’t ever take it!” Naruko blushed a little as Twilight giggled.

Twilight then looked to Trixie and smiled. "I’m really glad to see you are helping everypony out, Trixie. I also heard things went well with you and Rarity. How are you doing?”

Trixie smiled. “Rarity is very much a wonderful pony. I have apologized a few times for what happened that day to her. Trixie is doing well, even if things get a little frustrating. There are so many questions and I can’t really answer them all. Everypony keeps thinking I’m part of the patrol despite my telling them otherwise. I haven’t earned the right to be considered a part of the patrol yet,” she said.

Naruko then looked around and noticed there weren’t any other ponies waiting for forms. She turned to Trixie and said, “Lyra told me you wanted to speak with me about something. It seems you have time now. Do you want to talk? I may not be working today, but I am allowed to visit and talk to ponies here.”

Trixie’s eyes momentarily widened as she then cleared her throat and blushed a little. “I umm… Do wish to talk to you about something. Can we talk in private?” she asked as she sort of hinted to Twilight’s presence. Twilight felt she should frown or maybe give Naruko a great big hug and kiss before letting them have this private talk.

Naruko placed a hoof on Twilight gently and smiled to her. Twilight blushed that she was thinking that way and returned the gesture. “Let’s go and talk in my office then,” Naruko said.

“You better not try to work while you are up there,” Twilight warned.

Naruko sighed. “I won’t. Trust me… I really appreciate having Princess Luna’s orders to avoid paperwork.”

“It hopefully shouldn’t take long, Twilight. Trixie will force the Grand Captain out of the office if she has to,” Trixie said. Twilight felt comforted by this and felt a little sillier for her earlier thoughts. If it was what she feared it would be, Trixie wouldn’t be saying something like that. The purple unicorn gave her a nod and smile while Trixie returned the gesture.

{-} {-} {-}

“So. What is it you wanted to talk about, Trixie?” Naruko asked once they were in the office and she even chose to activate the protections.

Trixie responded by showing Naruko some forms. The blue unicorn was blushing as she did so. Naruko blinked a little bit and looked through them really quick. It seemed Trixie had been thinking about what Naruko thought she was thinking about. Naruko couldn’t help but feel happier. She even felt a little proud.

“Trixie knows she is supposed to turn in the forms to Derpy, but I wanted to show you first. I also wanted to again thank you for giving me the chance you did back then,” Trixie said with a slight sniff. “You had no reason to accept me here in HQ with open hooves. Maybe even less reason considering what happened that day to your friends, even if you weren’t there for it.”

Naruko smiled and quickly came around and hugged Trixie. “This really makes me happy, Trixie. I kind of had a feeling you were really thinking about this. Hearing you actual say it means a lot.”

Trixie blushed at the praise and hug. Naruko then looked her in the eyes as she said, “You have more than shown me and the others, including Princess Luna, that the chance was well worth taking.”

Trixie sniffed a little and Naruko used her magic to wipe away a few of the other unicorn’s tears. Trixie then gave a heart warming smile as she said, “I am very tempted to kiss you for those words and that hug. But I’m pretty sure your marefriend wouldn’t appreciate that.” Trixie then gave a giggle as Naruko was shocked for a moment or two before joining in on her laugh.

Naruko then calmed down and asked, “I guess this means you are getting close to finishing your trailer?”

Trixie nodded. “I’m pretty much finished with it, but I wanted to go through my patrol test and training before heading back to Hooffington. I might have overheard Princess Luna speaking to Derpy about the expansion plan and how my home town is a high priority,” Trixie said as she gave a nervous whinny.

Naruko shook her head and chuckled. “We knew it would be likely for you to overhear things while staying here. I’m sure you’ve heard a lot during that time. The fact you didn’t share any of this information is further proof we were right not to force you to take the magical swear in the first place.”

Naruko then looked to her a little more seriously as she asked, “Did you happen to overhear anything else regarding expansion plans?”

Trixie thought for a moment before shaking her head. “That was all I heard. I decided at that moment I should be more careful and not accidentally overhear anything else.”

Naruko nodded in thought. “Should I tell her?” she wondered. She eventually gave a sigh and reached a decision. It might just be an even greater push for Trixie knowing the plans for her. A push the pony might need for what is to come and to go ever further than she currently was with her magic and training.

Trixie was nervous wondering what Naruko was thinking. Naruko then seemed to come to a decision and motioned for Trixie to sit down. She wasn’t sure what to think of this, but she could tell it was something very important.

“I’m sure you know this, but whoever ends up testing you won’t go easy on you even though you’ve been helping out here this whole time,” Naruko said.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way. Like you said, no pony gets to where they are without proving they earned it,” Trixie said showing her seriousness and determination.

“Good to know you realize that, though I expected you would. The thing is… If you pass your test, which I think you will, we have plans for you already. These plans will only be set in motion if you pass your test,” Naruko said.

Trixie was nervous and excited. She listened closely.

“I am only telling you this because it is important information and an exception in a way. But if you pass your test. Princess Luna has already ordered me to train you not as a patrol member, but as the Captain of Hooffington Contingent,” Naruko said.

Trixie’s mouth fell open in shock. She was really happy about this, but she also felt pressure to do her best. Fortunately, when it came to pressure she was a show pony and knew how to thrive off of it and push herself further. Trixie’s dark purple eyes narrowed in determination. “I will do all I can. I will prove further I was worth the huge chance you all gave me,” she said.

Naruko liked her look and her words. She smiled and said, “That is part of the reason why we want you to be captain if you pass. You may have been a different pony at one time and it might have been before you went through the whole Ursa Minor incident, but you have since then risen as a different pony. If…” Naruko shook her head, “When… you pass and join us you will be more than just Trixie Lulamoon the show mare. I look forward to seeing the kind of pony you become in the patrol. A Captain of the Ever Free with show pony flare. You might just end up becoming a huge driving force behind our expansion.”

Trixie smiled to that and said, “Well… regardless of what happens with my test and before I even thought about trying to join. I already decided to spread word of the patrol on my way back home.” She then blushed as she added, “I wasn’t going to make myself the star either or really get out of hoof with it. I learned that lesson.”

She then looked down in thought for a moment as she said, “Maybe I should apologize to Applejack and Rainbow Dash as well before I go… I mean I did go a little overboard in dealing with them.”

Naruko was in thought here. “I wasn’t at the show. If you feel you should, then maybe you should. Applejack can be stubborn, but if you are honest when apologizing to her she will more than likely wholeheartedly accept it. She lives at Sweet Apple Acres with her brother, sister, and grandmother. You can usually find her there.”

Trixie was taking mental notes as she listened.

Naruko gave a sigh. “Rainbow Dash will be a problem. She has a lot of pride. Maybe even too much at times. She can be a good friend, but she really has a big ego and isn’t always the forgiving type. I would probably apologize to AJ first and even have Twilight or I go with you as you apologize to Rainbow. She’ll be more willing to listen that way and won’t just blow you off before shooting off into the clouds above. She might be tricky to track down too, but trying to set something up as a way to get her to come to you will only make things worse.”

Trixie frowned. She would still apologize. She just wished it was easier than this. It isn’t like Rainbow was just some innocent bystander she forced to get on the stage. The mare did that on her own to show off. Honestly, they should both apologize to each other. Trixie went a little overboard dealing with Rainbow, but Rainbow pretty much barged on to her stage during her show just to show off herself.

Trixie sighed. “Why does this have to be so difficult? I honestly probably shouldn’t even apologize to Rainbow Dash…”

Naruko looked her over in thought. She partly agreed from what she heard. “Again. I wasn’t there. So, I don’t know what all happened. There is a belief out there that forgiveness can sometimes be for the pony offering it instead of the pony receiving it. Perhaps in Rainbow’s case that is the reason for you apologizing to her. You are in a way forgiving her for what she did at your show and admitting you also made a mistake. I can tell it bothers you, Trixie. If it helps, think of this as you moving on from the pony you were, into a Trixie worthy of being the Ever-Free Captain of Hooffington Contingent.”

Trixie sighed as she thought that over. “It shows I still need to work at it if I have to be motivated like this to apologize,” she said.

She then stretched and stood up. “I need to go and do all of this apologizing before I really think about all of that stuff too much. I think I’ll go and turn in my forms to Derpy now.”

As she was about to leave she turned around and asked one last question, “Trixie never asked this, but why weren’t you at my show? I mean most of Ponyville showed up for it.”

Naruko blushed a little to this. “I was ummm… with Fluttershy getting teased by both Princesses for our exuberant and alcohol induced behavior the night before… in Canterlot…”

Trixie blinked to that. “You mentioned that trip a little before. Wasn’t Twilight with you both?” she asked.

Naruko nodded.

“How did she get back in time for my show? Even with teleportation that would be tricky if you were all drinking,” Trixie asked.

Naruko gave a little chuckle. “Well we were all three in Ponyville and crashed at Fluttershy’s house that night. Twilight was so drunk she more or less decided the rules of teleportation regarding space and time no longer applied to her and she teleported us all back.”

“Really?” Trixie asked in surprise.

“Yep… It was probably something she will never do again and it involved a lot of soot and a lack of caring for anything but finding a bed on our part,” Naruko said with a chuckle. The three of them were kind of mess by the time they all snuggled up in Fluttershy's bed together.

Trixie chuckled a little and shook her head. “That oddly seems likely to me. See you later, Naruko,” Trixie said as she left.

“Later, Trixie,” Naruko replied. She then stretched and made her way back to Twilight.

Once she was in the lobby area, she found Twilight and there were a lot fewer ponies around since most had finished their business. Twilight smiled and waved. Twilight was sitting with Lyra and they were seemingly catching up. “What did Trixie want?” Twilight asked.

“She wanted to tell me she filled out her forms and was going to try to join the patrol before she headed back to Hooffington,” Naruko said.

“Was that all? You two were gone for a good while,” Twilight said.

“We talked about some other things as well. She wants to apologize to both Applejack and Rainbow Dash too,” Naruko said.

“Ouch,” Lyra said. “I mean Applejack will workout I’m sure, but Rainbow…”

“Has too much pride and ego to even admit at the very least she too was in the wrong there, even if I do think she was the pony actually in the wrong instead of Trixie,” Twilight said. She then sighed. “I shouldn’t talk about my friend that way…”

Lyra shrugged. “It’s true. Everypony knows it.” She then chuckled and said, “Even Rainbow knows it. She just doesn’t really see a problem with it.”

“Well I did kind of tell Trixie to have one of us go along with her. Sorry for kind of volunteering you… I didn’t think it would matter,” Naruko said feeling a little guilty.

Twilight shrugged her shoulders. “It’s logical to have one of us go too. I don’t mind helping out and would have volunteered myself if I knew she was going to apologize.” The three ponies then talked to each other some more.

Right as Twilight and Naruko were going to leave Bon Bon and Cloud Kicker returned. “Hey you two. I came by to see everypony,” Naruko greeted them. She was not fully prepared for the two to tackle hug her at the same time.

“Good to see you, Naruko.” The two ponies replied at once both smiling.

“We were a little worried,” Cloud said first.

“Yeah… It isn’t every day your Captain takes on something like Discord. We heard you all beat him, but we were worried something happened as a result,” Bon Bon said after they finished their hug and she stood next to Lyra.

“Well… I’m not really over it all, but I’m working on it. Princess Luna has me taking time off from working in the patrol. I can still visit. I really should get back now though. I’ll have to say hello to Derpy some other time. Trixie’s talking to her right now,” Naruko said as they parted and the others waved goodbye. The Night Guards at the doors saluted again as Naruko left and she again returned it.

As they were walking back home, Twilight finally asked, “What's up with the Night Guard?”

“I guess they were there to make sure no pony got into trouble inside the HQ since there were so many in that relatively small space,” Naruko said.

“I gathered that. I was asking about the whole saluting thing,” she said.

Naruko blushed and cleared her throat. “I am technically… Their second in command just under Luna.”

Twilight paused in her steps. “Wait… You’re not only head of the Ever-Free Patrol but also of the Night Guard?!” she asked.

“Yes. I don’t really get too involved with them, since they usually work directly under Luna’s command, but yes I am. I’m also here in Ponyville instead of Canterlot,” Naruko said.

“Wow…” Twilight said. She shook her head and smiled a little as she gave Naruko a hug and kiss and said, “One of these days you’re going to stop surprising me so much, Naruko.”

Naruko giggled, “Wouldn’t things get boring then?”

“Maybe they would,” Twilight said as they both giggled together and continued home.

Author's Notes:

well that’s this chapter finished. I started the ball rolling on expanding the Ever-Free Patrol including the Ponyville contingent. I'll be mostly filling out the rooster with OCs. I have reasons for the kinds of ponies I’m bringing into the patrol and I didn’t want to try and look up “fandom approved” background ponies. This is mostly because they’re pretty much nothing more than OCs people agree upon and even then there are still so many different interpretations of them it would be too much of a hassle to figure out.

I don’t plan for the Ever-Free patrol to take over too much of the story, but it will be a big part of it because Naruko is a big part of it. I also plan on really getting the next phase of this story to focus more on the mane six and Naruko as they go on missions and figure out their elements and balance. It will take sometime but the plan is to have most of the mane six figure out a good part of their balance and learn more before we get to the wedding arc. Hopefully that works out as planned, but you never know.

I am not sure how much I will follow of cannon season two, but I will still use some of the stories I really liked and put a different spin on them probably.

In case anyone is wondering, the half pony half human Naruko she saw wasn't an anthro version of herself.

What Really Came to Pass?

Naruko let out a sigh as she snuggled with Twilight under a couple of shade trees. It had been a couple of weeks since she last visited HQ, but she was still off. Today was wonderful and perfect for being outside with your special somepony. It was warm and there was a slight breeze every now and then. Naruko could really get used to this whole time off by Royal Decree business, especially if she got to spend so much of it with Twilight.

“You know I really wish it was under better circumstances we were like this, Naruko,” Twilight said as she smiled lovingly at Naruko.

“Hmmm?” Naruko hummed in question too busy gazing into Twilight's beautiful purple eyes to ask her question properly.

“Well I wouldn’t feel so guilty at loving this side of you so much if we were like this for a different reason other than what Discord did to you,” Twilight said as she blushed and looked away.

Naruko smiled and turned Twilight to face her as she said warmly, “I don’t care about that… I’m really enjoying every moment we have like this. It really helps. You shouldn’t feel guilty for loving snuggles and hugs with your girlfriend under any circumstance.” Naruko held on to Twilight a little more.

“And laying next to each other under a tree outside?” Twilight asked with a smile.

Naruko nodded. “And rarely leaving each other’s side,” she said.

“And even touching each other in the simplest of ways? I really like how much you enjoy those lately. Though I really love how you react to this…” Twilight said as she gave Naruko and affectionate nuzzle causing Naruko blush as she returned it.

“And…” Naruko started her cheeks turning redder. “More importantly… Kisses…” Naruko leaned in to place her lips on Twilight’s. Twilight was blushing but she was really happy and slowly came to meet Naruko’s lips.

“Ohhhh… This is so precious… This is going to be so much fun!” a familiar voice said as they were less than an inch away from each other. Both ponies froze in place and their eyes widened as they looked over to where the voice came from.

“Awww… Did I interrupt the moment?” Discord said with an exaggerated disappointed sigh. “I was so close to squealing in excitement. After all you two are my favorite couple, even if you aren’t my favorite ponies.”

Twilight and Naruko were now standing together and glaring at the Draconequus. “What are you doing here? How are you here?” Naruko demanded.

Discord shook a finger at them as he tisked. “Someone is rather demanding today.”

“We can defeat him again! I don’t know how he got here or why he is speaking to us like this… But we did it once we can do it again. I’ll grab the girls. You’re strong enough to hold him off until then,” Twilight said as she was about to leave.

“Yes. Yes. Because that clearly worked out so well last time,” Discord said in bored sarcasm.

“This time Kyuubi and I will destroy your statue and even Princess Celestia won’t be able to stop us!” Naruko said as she was about to summon Kyuubi.

Before she could, Discord was right next to her and he said lowly, “You really do think you all defeated me… Don’t you?” He then placed his lions paw right on Naruko’s chest again right where he did last time. She panicked as she looked to him with scared eyes. Discord gave a dark chuckle. “What did you think I was doing when I gave you my gift?”

Naruko looked around quickly. It seemed as if everything was frozen except for her and Discord. “Honestly, it truly amazes me every time I use the Dream Reality spell. If it wasn’t for my connection to the very essence of Chaos, even I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”

“You’re… You have to be lying…” Naruko said in a broken voice.

“Ohh… Are you about to cry?” Discord said in a mocking weeping voice.

Naruko seemed to snap as she growled and glared at Discord. “So… Scary,” he said mockingly.

“That’s it! To hell with all of this! To hell with everything! Kyuubi!!!” She roared.

The fox appeared to her in his full might and grinned menacingly at Discord. “You really have done it this time… Little Chaos God.”

Naruko’s appearance changed it looked as if she was transforming into some kind of Fox/Pony hybrid. It was as if anger allowed the girl to reach some new level of power. Discord could feel it. He shivered in delight.

“Oh how I wish we could play like this!” he said cheerfully. He then sighed as he said, “Sadly, we can’t.”

“That’s right! Play time is over!” Naruko shouted her voice taking on a tone similar to Kyuubi’s.

“No. That’s not what I meant…” Discord then took a thinking pose. “Actually, it is what I meant, but not in the way you think. Your caretaker is arriving.”

Naruko blinked as she asked, “Caretaker…?”

Discord was nodding. “Yes. I find the guy boring and gloomy… But he is powerful. Especially now… Especially with those special talents of his. The ninja world is truly a scary place if they can easily produce people like him. No wonder they love him so much. Unlike they did with you.”

“W-w-who… is it?” Naruko asked her voice small and scared again.

Discord gave a chuckle. “I think you know who it is. You see the thing is… Twilight, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and all of the others. I defeated them awhile ago. I got bored so I used my chaos powers to make my way over to Konoha and the rest of the ninja world. Rather dark place it is. But so exciting and sometimes fun! I really love the two guys wearing green spandex and their constant and ridiculous challenges they make for each other.” He chuckled, "I've even given them suggestions a couple of times."

Naruko looked to him confused. “Sorry… I got distracted," he started again. "You see when I went there I met your caretaker. He was an actual challenge unlike you two. I was impressed and promised him some power. He so gladly took the offering and we made a deal. I get to have a little fun with using the dream reality spell. He gets you whenever needed and I help him better understand ways to use those eyes of his. They actually have a link to the essence of chaos in a way. It truly is remarkable.”

Naruko’s blue eyes seemed unfocused as she looked to the ground. “You can’t mean…”

“You see all of this? You’re time in Equestria. It was all part of that dream reality,” Discord explained and then giggled. “He really is such a sadist though. I mean he encouraged me to make you feel so wonderful, happy, and loved here. Just so it can everytime be ripped out from under you so suddenly. Did you honestly think you could just disappear from that world?! That’s something only beings with powers like me can do."

Naruko’s blue eyes seemed to turn darker as she stared blankly down to the ground. Kyuubi wasn’t able to respond without her concentration.

Discord gave a cruel smile as he said, “Did you honestly think you would be able to achieve so much at such a young age? I mean you aren’t even 17 yet. Why would you be the head of some amazing and important group like that Ever-Free Patrol you conjured up? Why would you be given such status of Contract Guardian?”

“That’s enough, Discord…” a cold but familiar voice said, even if it was slightly deeper than she remembered. Naruko gasped at hearing it. The man who spoke was tall with pale skin and had black hair. It was longer than it used to be and his bangs were framing his face.

“But I was having so much fun,” Discord sighed.

“Hnn…” the owner’s voice replied.

“Does she really have to go? Please let her stay a little longer, Sasuke old buddy,” Discord whined in an overly dramatic and comical way.

“She’s needed…” he answered coolly. He then looked to Naruko and smirked as he said, “Besides we all know its my job to break her every time.”

Kyuubi snarled as he looked at the hated Uchiha before him and jumped to attack as he roared “Uchihaa!!!!”

“Obey… Fox…” Sasuke intoned deeply as the three tomoe of his Sharingan spun and the eyes seemed to glow red.

Kyuubi immediately fell to the ground and seemed to be calm. “No… hypnotized… He’s lost who he is…” Naruko thought as she felt her power from earlier leaving her. She also felt as if some of her own willpower left as well and she fell to the ground. She looked at Sasuke and glowered at him as he smirked at her. His smirk was even worse now than it was in school. She hated him. She hated him so much, but even she had to admit he was handsome. These conflicting thoughts annoyed her to no end and he loved every minute of it.

“Why am I thinking that… I love Twilight…” she thought as she looked to the purple unicorn. Naruko noticed she was at the same eye level as Twilight despite knowing she had collapsed to the ground as the power left her. “What? But I’m on the ground and she’s standing tall…” Naruko said.

“Humph… I still can’t believe she loves multicolored ponies so much. Come on Naruko. Stand. You know you have a human figure,” Sasuke said as Naruko stood even though she didn’t want to stand. Her eyes were wide. “look at me,” Sasuke said as she did so almost as if she was hypnotized herself through her link to Kyuubi.

Sasuke smirked at her as Kyuubi came and positioned himself next to the Uchiha looking almost like a massive overgrown dog. “Really... You can be such a pain with how worthless you are. At least you are stronger than those insufferable fan girls and you aren’t half bad looking,” Sasuke cruelly grinned at her a little.

Naruko placed a hand to her face as she took in a quivering breath. Images flashed before her. She almost wanted to puke at what she saw and heard from them. The sounds of flesh against flesh and moans of ecstasy were sickening as she saw the middle of a battleground surrounding her.

“It seems someone is remembering her true memories and self now,” Sasuke said coldly with an amused smirk.

“Like I said,” Discord giggled. “Total sadist…”

Naruko wanted to collapse but her body wouldn’t let her. “Focus…” Sasuke intoned. Naruko’s body felt less sickened and the memories faded into the back of her mind. “It’s time we go,” Sasuke said as Naruko frowned at him and glared but followed never the less. Kyuubi seemed to disappear as if he was unsummoned or something.

“Bye bye, Naruko. I have so much more planned for the next time we visit. I just know you’re going to love it. Well… Until it comes to end at least,” Discord said with a laugh as Naruko and Sasuke entered a portal and left the area and everything faded.

Naruko looked around as she was inside a cage of some kind. She then looked to the cold black eyes of Sasuke Uchiha and glowered at him. “Do calm yourself, Naruko. It’s rather boring when I have to waste part of my powers on something like you and force you into behaving better,” he said.

Naruko calmed down but the anger in her dark blue eyes kept looking at him. Sasuke smiled. “I love that look in your eyes. It is so much better than the brightness they once held. So much closer to my own.”

“I hate you…” Naruko said in rather subdued voice.

Sasuke chuckled. “That’s because all there is in this world is hate. Love. Bonds… Foolishness all of it. You know that better than anyone else, Naruko…”

Naruko huffed a little. She hated how he was right. She gave a sigh. She really missed Discord’s dream reality. There she at least felt some happiness. She stood up as Sasuke unlocked the door to the cage. This cage was designed as the place for Discord to meet with her and have his fun with the Dream Reality spell. It kept his chaos energy from leaking into the rest of Konoha as per their agreement.

“You should be happy I let you have this little mercy and reward for being a good little demon fox container,” Sasuke said to her.

Naruko hated that. He acted like he did this for her. He only did it for himself. Discord helped him learn how to make Naruko’s connection with Kyuubi much stronger and taught him how to control them. With this new set up, Konoha was the most powerful and feared ninja village in all of the land because of her and him. Even that group led by the man claiming to be Madara Uchiha didn’t stand a chance against them in the end.

The Madara of that group was exposed to be an impostor who was an Uchiha long thought dead. He had some silly plan that required him to extract all of the tailed beasts from their Jinchuriki and then he was going to cast some kind of everlasting Genjutsu on the land where everyone would be happy. It was similar to Discord’s Dream Reality except it covered the whole world instead of just one person’s mind.

However, Kurama was no longer a tailed beast in the same way the others were since Naruko was no longer a Jinchuriki. Their new bond was much stronger and the two far more powerful. Naruko was so powerful now that she was nicknamed the Nine-Tailed Fox Goddess and they were nigh untouchable. Sasuke controlled them though, thanks to Discord’s help. He was also very powerful in his own right. When their enemies tried to take Sasuke out thinking he relied on her strength alone, they were destroyed by him. Their two person Konoha team was unstoppable. They were seen as heroes by the ninja world at large. Things weren’t very good for Naruko though.

She was also seen as a hero in her own way, but Sasuke was held in higher regard than her. He was after all the Last and Loyal Uchiha war hero and the Tamer of the Fox Goddess. The world thought the two of them were in love. Sasuke loved fooling them like that, and made her play the part otherwise she would be… punished… He could do some really nasty things to her thanks to his power and control over her.

Sasuke also achieved what was called the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. It was the last stage of the Sharingan and he used his brother’s eyes so it wouldn’t have any of the defects that came with the powers it granted. He loved toying with her by saying it was his “love” for her that let him unlock the last stage and gave him what he needed to kill his traitor of a brother.

He unlocked it by letting her actually rage at him for once and fight him with all she could. He claimed it was him giving her a gift of love. He was strong, but they would have won if it wasn’t part of his plan all along to use them as a way to push to his eyes to the edge. Sasuke claimed to have seen his own death in a very realistic fashion and that was enough to mimic the whole “Kill your best friend” requirement for the last stage of the eyes to unlock. As soon as they were about to kill him and were less than an inch from doing so, he shouted “Obey!” and that was the end of it.

He many times enjoyed making her life miserable privately after that while having her play the part of elegant lover in public. She was a damn good actress so it worked wonderfully. She also kept the fan girls away because even with how crazed they were. They wouldn’t dare cross the Fox Goddess. They also wouldn’t befriend her either, because they were too jealous of her for stealing their beloved Uchiha's heart. Naruko literally had no one close to her other than Sasuke and what they had was the most twisted relationship possible in her mind.

Naruko and Sasuke passed by a vanity near her cage and they stopped. Sasuke sat in a chair nearby and waited. Naruko sighed and sat down at the vanity and looked herself over. She always did this every time Discord visited. She had to in a way make sure she was herself again and that it was real. She looked over her current clothes which were a mess. She started undressing as Sasuke sat there and watched. She had little to no privacy in her life now. It didn’t really bother her too much because she was used to it. Sometimes Sasuke would look away other times he would drink in the sight of her naked body in with every detail.

Naruko was very much the Beauty of Konoha as well, despite Ino’s claims otherwise. She was a little bit shorter than the average girl, but not by much. She still had her light peach tanned skin and long blonde hair she usually wore in twintails. She would sometimes let it flow loosely when at more formal occasions or by Sasuke's request. Her body was one girls would die for. Her hips had the perfect width. Her waist was narrow and her chest was large, but it wasn’t too large. The Whisker marks on her cheek were still there, but seen as a mark of beauty as opposed to the cursed mark they once were in the past.

It took only a small demonstration of the control she had over the fox’s power and Sasuke’s power and control over her if things somehow got out of hand for the village to finally accept her. She hated how easy it was with Sasuke by her side to go from demon child pariah to village goddess. Sasuke told her it was because they hated their enemies more than her now and that was why they accepted her. She fully believed him considering everything she had seen and experienced by that point.

He may not love her and she may not love him, but they both had a deep twisted lust inside themselves for the other. Naruko hated that as well. She would genuinely love him if he wasn’t such a terrible person to her, but he saw her as less than human for the most part. In fact, part of the reason he was controlling her like he did was because she attacked and killed a would be rapist back before she even graduated the academy. She had given into Kyuubi’s power when that happened. Her Old Man Hokage managed to stop her before it got really bad and he didn’t fully blame her for it, but he was deeply disappointed in her and made different plans on how to deal with her after that.

Sasuke was given even more care and attention afterwards. They even let him have access to the full unedited Konoha archives apart from the Uchiha Clan Massacre, which he didn’t want to see anyways. They told Sasuke his Sharingan could control the Kyuubi. They didn’t know how it was done since only Madara Uchiha managed to accomplish it. Sasuke found out about other ways Tailed beasts were contained and how powerful some of those methods were and what drawbacks they had during his research. Shortly after that was when Discord decided to visit Konoha on a whim and thus Sasuke’s and Discord’s pact was made.

Naruko fluffed her hair so it wasn’t stuck in her orange and black half zipped jacket with the Uzumaki Symbol on the back and straightened her short battle skirt. Naruko finished changing into her other clothes by adjusting her jacket so her black choker necklace with the Uchiha clan symbol medallion was hanging in the center perfectly. She noticed Sasuke gazed at her intently the whole time while she changed. She knew what he would want to do tonight and there was a part of her that really looked forward to it.

For better or worse her life wasn’t fully devoid of pleasure. Most of the time it was nice things like a quiet dinner somewhere fancy with Sasuke as company. Sometimes it was sharing a meal with other Kunoichi, even if they never really went beyond being polite and accepting of each other. Sometimes it was a quiet night in where Sasuke was reading over scrolls and memos for the next Clans Council meetings. During those nights, she was allowed to do whatever she wanted as long as she didn't disturb him too much. She understood this because he was an important member the Clans Council and needed to be on top of everything at the meetings.

At the worst of times, pleasure came from the middle of a battlefield after a fight with her naked and Sasuke taking her rough sexually from behind. When you were a ninja or kunoichi, you sometimes had to get it where you could. She still had plenty of urges as well and Sasuke was the only person really in her life. He also had plenty of urges because he wouldn’t dare be with anyone else apart from a strong and beautiful girl deemed a goddess by everyone, even if he didn’t hold her in such high regard personally.

“This… isn’t right…” a voice seemed to whisper from somewhere.

Naruko looked around and narrowed her eyes. “What is it?” Sasuke asked bringing his guard up. There was at least that they had in common. Both of them were sworn to protect the village no matter the costs and despite everything they took that vow to heart.

After a minute, Naruko frowned. “I thought I heard something, but it seems it was nothing. Just in case…” She formed a shadow clone and it disappeared to look around the area for any signs of trouble.

Sasuke gave a “Hnn…” before lowering his guard just a bit. He then stretched and said, “Let’s go then. We're having dinner tonight with Shikamaru, Temari and Tsunade.” Naruko nodded and took in a deep breath before taking Sasuke’s arm and exiting the building.

She liked Shika and Temari. Tsunade was a bit annoying though. The fifth Hokage liked to drink and while she seemed to hold Naruko in high regard and was friendly enough, she never dared get any closer than a friendly professional relationship. The third retired a while ago, but he was deeply consumed by guilt for having failed Naruko and Minato though he never said it out loud and he had more or less retreated from civilization.

As they walked through the streets, several people greeted them both warmly and smiled to them. Naruko wished this had happened before she was attached to Sasuke. There was always a part of her that felt this was somehow the case, but it was in a different world. She chalked it up to Discord’s fun he had tormenting her in that dream place. She could see him making that a normal habit there just to enjoy the way she felt when it was taken away from her.

Several girls sighed as they watched the two pass them. “Awww…. I wish I was forced to always be with Sasuke…” Sakura said in a dream like voice that was oddly very much like it was during their academy days despite Sakura actually being a full grown woman. It didn’t have the confidence and strength it should. Naruko thought that odd.

“So unfair!!! I would love to be Sasuke’s slave if it meant he was taking me to bed every night!” Ino said with strong amount of envy and again sounding like she too was still academy aged.

Naruko blinked and looked downward as she briefly saw what looked like a chain attached to her necklace… no collar… being held by Sasuke’s other hand as he sneered at her. “Hear that Narubitch. They know you should be honored to be my plaything,” he said coldly to her.

Something caught her eyes and she looked to the side. She searched for it and found nothing out of the ordinary.

The blonde girl blinked this wasn’t right… Sasuke wasn’t Mr. Nice and didn’t think her human, but he actually thought that made her better. He was just kind of dark and a sadist, but she was a masochist so it was fine. It was a balance in their relationship and the closest either of them could have to love anyways.

She flinched as her clones were dismissed. It turned out the whisper earlier really was nothing. She blinked as she looked around. “Are you okay?” Sasuke asked very much concerned by her sudden stop. The deep loving care always present in his eyes, which others thought cold, shining bright for her alone.

“Yeah…” Naruko said slowly.

He smiled in relief. “Good… I really hate it when things bother you, NaruHoney. You know you saved my life and kept me from going down the path my father was. I don’t even want to think what it would be like for me without you.”

Naruko gave a giggle. “Much more boring that’s for sure,” she said giving him a loving and warm smile. Sasuke chuckled back and nodded in agreement. She happily blushed a little as she clasped his hand. She really loved even the smallest touches. Naruko next smiled as she said, “Come on, Sasuke. Old Man Hokage and Granny Tsunade are waiting for us. We shouldn’t keep them waiting and that ramen isn’t going to eat itself.”

“Hnn…” Sasuke said before smiling. “Even after all of these years you're still crazy for ramen.”

“Yeah. It’s the best food ever. I might even start a religion about it…” Naruko’s words trailed off as she vaguely remembered something about having actually done that with someone very important to her. She then blinked as she saw a large patch of the sky seem to break away and be replaced by something that looked like television static.

Her eyes widened as everything seemed to freeze. “Noooo…”

“Nooo!” Naruko yelled as she woke up in her bed and looked around. She was back home in Equestria in her bed. The sun was up high but it wasn’t midday yet. She was breathing quickly as she covered her eyes with her hooves. “Damn it…” she said as she cried a little.

The plan failed after all. She and Twilight came up with a plan to help with her sleep. Naruko was tired of having less than restful nights and bothering Princess Luna so much. The Night Princess had lots of ponies to look after, but Naruko had been taking up a lot of her time at nights. Twilight and Naruko luckily found a deep sleep spell. It would give the pony it was cast on a deep dreamless sleep.

The spell had worked well for a few nights, but that seemed to be over now. She didn’t get what it was that was causing this. “Is there something left over of the spell inside my mind?” she thought. She really had no ideas.

She was unaware of him as Kyuubi seemed to close his eyes and figure something out. He needed to prepare, but he had an idea on how to help her. It was a possible solution all along, but it was something that should be left as more of a last resort. If what he caught of her dreams before she woke up was anything go by, then it seemed that solution was the only one that would work.

“This could be bad… But what was that voice that whispered to her there in the end?” he asked himself. It wasn’t Naruko’s other self he was sure. The voice was familiar to him, but sounded distant and hard to make out for him.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko was still in a bit of a panic as she decided to go and get something to drink and eat from the kitchen. She wasn’t really paying attention as she made her way there and was muttering about the dream to herself. She bumped into something purple and warm.

“Oof… Are you okay, Naruko?” she heard a very familiar and welcomed voice say.

Naruko looked up her eyes watering a little as she hugged Twilight tightly drinking in the warmth of her girlfriend. She sobbed a little as she said in a small voice, “It didn’t work…”

Twilight’s eyes saddened in concern as she held her marefriend tightly and asked, “Bad dreams again?” Naruko nodded. “Was Princess Luna unable to reach you because you were in such a deep sleep?” Twilight asked. Naruko nodded and sniffed. It was a possibility they thought might happen because of how the spell worked.

“It was really bad this time!” she started as she sobbed. “Discord was in it and he said everything that happened since I came to Equestria was all part of his Dream Reality spell. He said I never left Konoha in the first place!” Twilight was concerned by Naruko’s words as she looked around a little panicked, but there wasn’t anything she could do to stop her girlfriend’s emotions.

“Naruko…” she started in a poor attempt to calm her that didn’t work at all.

“He told me I never became a pony. That I was still human! It was even worse because I was being used and controlled by the bastard Uchiha! He was even worse to me than he was at the Ninja academy when I was younger! I was pretty much just a weapon this time. A beautiful weapon but still a weapon… Why was it so bad?! What went wrong?! It felt so real…” Naruko said.

“Naruko…” Twilight tried again feeling even more panicked now even as she held her marefriend so close. She was thinking what she could do to help with this new problem. “Maybe a memory spell… I really don’t want to do that though,” she thought in worry as she looked to her side.

Naruko sobbed a little more as she held on to Twilight even more and said, “Hugging you like this and feeling your warmth is the only thing that’s keep me from thinking he was right and I am still in Konoha and a human… The dream reality never seems to be able to duplicate the feeling warmth from you and your hooves…”

Twilight decided to just hold Naruko for now. She would deal with damage control later. She only hoped she would be allowed to wait.

“Woah! Woah! Woah!!! What the hay is a human?!” a familiar slightly scratchy but still squeaky voice asked.

“What do you mean you aren’t a pony?” a soft concerned voice asked.

“Where is this here Ko NO Haaa place? AH ain’t ever heard of it,” a farm pony’s draw asked.

Naruko’s heart stopped. Her eyes widened and her pupils shrunk. She was trembling as she took in a rattling breath. She looked around Twilight. There at a table were the others sitting look to her in worry and concern.

“Clam down, Naruko… We’ll deal with this… I-i-it will be okay,” Twilight said pleadingly. She was partly mentally cursing her other friends at the moment, even if she really couldn’t fault them for anything. This just happened to be the literal worst time for this information to slip.

Naruko looked to each of them in turn with wild eyes. Rainbow swallowed and was thinking maybe she had made a mistake blurting out that question so soon. Naruko looked genuinely terrified before she then vanished in a flash of light.

“Naruko!!!!” Twilight called. She gave her friends a look asking them to stay there and ran upstairs. She heard Naruko rustling around in her room in a panic. Twilight knocked on the door.

“W-w-who is it?” Naruko asked in a worried voice.

“I’ll handle this Naruko. Trust me…” Twilight said.

Naruko swallowed but nodded before realizing Twilight couldn’t see her doing that. “O-o-okay…” she replied.

“Don’t do anything rash. Please… Please just stay here for now? I love you…” Twilight pleaded through the door.

Naruko sniffed and shed a few tears. Twilight still wanted to be with her even after that. It made sense and she shouldn’t have thought otherwise, but it still deeply touched her heart. “I love you too, Twilight… I’ll stay here for now,” she replied before lying in her bed and screaming into her pillow. She then wrapped her self up in her covers and worried what would end up happening. She didn’t want the others finding out about her deepest secret this way. She feared she would be forced to leave Equestria or banished to that place Twilight always fears Celestia will banish her when she's scared or worried and way overthinking things. Naruko was pretty sure she wasn't overthinking things though in this case.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight gave a sigh as she walked back downstairs slowly hoping things would work out with her friends. She also hoped Naruko would be okay for the moment. She sighed again. “It isn’t even lunch time yet and I feel like I could use a drink…” she said to herself. She didn’t mean a regular juice either when she said drink.

The other elements were waiting as patiently as they could. Pinkie actually seemed extremely calm which was something Twilight found odd, but she was thankful for that at the moment. It was actually Rainbow who seemed to be the most excited. The purple unicorn gave yet another sigh as she magicked in some drinks for them all (juice for her friends and something a little more substantial for herself) and created a security bubble. Her friends realized she cast the same spell she did back when Fluttershy mentioned her trial to them.

Pinkie was glad she chose to listen to that part of her that said now wasn’t the time for laughter. It was still a part of her that she wasn’t sure about and had only come about recently. She was still worried about it. Laughter was always the solution in her book, but this other side or voice was saying the opposite at times.

“So… What was that she was going on about? I mean I know Discord did a number on her, but it felt like something else… Something deeper she was talking about and the way she reacted to seeing us here,” Rainbow said with a concerned look.

Twilight took a deep gulp of her drink and refilled it. She really needed to calm down when revealing Equestria’s biggest secret to her friends. “You know how we talked about Fluttershy’s trial?” she asked. The others nodded. “You remember the warning I gave you all about that?” They again nodded. Twilight sighed for a fourth time in the last few minutes.

“What I’m about to tell you all is an even higher-level secret…” she started as a heavy atmosphere settled over the gathered ponies. It was appropriate in her books.

“As far as I know only me, Spike, Kyuubi, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia and Naruko know this secret. Not even Princess Cadance, my old foal sitter, knows yet,” she said. The gathered ponies were nervous and gulped as they waited. “Naruko wasn’t always a pony… She came from a different world. She was a human there. They are this… highly evolved primate creature that is just a capable as ponies are and maybe even more capable in some ways…”

“Really?” Rarity asked in awe at this information. It was tough for her not to over react to the landslide of information she just received earlier. She would have thought it a joke, but there was no way Naruko would have reacted like she did if it was.

“Yes. They even have something very similar to magic there. That is part of the reason Naruko is so powerful as a unicorn,” Twilight said.

“Wow… Seriously like super duper wow…” Pinkie said. She was even finding it a bit difficult to wrap her head around this whole a friend of her's came from a different planet. She did kind of think it neat and wondered if there were other ponies who came from somewhere different, but she didn't let her mind stray too far this time.

“Naruko had it really tough over there… So tough the things she said before she realized we weren’t alone actually seem very much feasible and realistic. They have ways of using stuff similar to mind control and such. The reason she is so very good and well versed in combat magic is because of her past. They excel at that stuff where she came from. She was trained to be a ninja since she was six years old. She was trained how to fight and even kill for the sake of protecting her home,” Twilight said.

The other ponies gasped at this realization.

“Naruko wasn’t really opposed to being a ninja and really wanted it, but she was treated really badly there. Her home was a ninja village called Konoha. When she was about 12 years old, shortly before she came here, she found a scroll of forbidden magic and used one of the spells that randomly placed her here. Princess Celestia was the first to greet her and Kyuubi to our world,” Twilight said. She really wanted to try an emphasize that both princesses knew about Naruko’s past and they were perfectly fine with it and saw her as a much beloved little pony just like they saw all of them.

“Naruko is 100% a pony now though. The magic she used changed her into a pony completely. She is just like us and even has the same diet as we all do, despite her old species being omnivores. I really hope you will all see her as Naruko, like you have always seen her. She has always been Naruko in my eyes. The pony I first became friends with. The pony I love…” she admitted hoping that would help as well.

Twilight deep down knew she would choose Naruko over all of them, but she didn’t like that she felt this way and knew it was true. She really hoped they wouldn’t force her to choose between them and Naruko. It wouldn’t matter to her if they suddenly hated Naruko for not being a true pony. Twilight would still stay by Naruko’s side. She didn’t want to be a bad friend, but Naruko was the pony she loved the most and had the strongest bond with in her life. Naruko and Twilight had helped each other out through tough times even before they came to Ponyville.

“So... Naruko is like a ninja pony?!” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight nodded. Rainbow Dash gave a bright smile as she said, “That is like so totally cool!” She then started doing some karate moves where she was for a moment.

Twilight felt more at ease from that response. Rainbow’s outburst made her feel this would only bring them all closer together. She was still worried what the others would say about this whole situation.

Rarity was the next one to speak. “You aren’t bothered by the fact she’s from a different world? That she wasn’t always a pony?” she asked.

Twilight tensed a little in worry. She really didn’t want this to divide her friends. She really didn’t want that at all.

“Why would it? I don’t know about all of that magic stuff, but Naruko is Naruko. She stood up to Discord despite all odds for our sake and so we could get him by surprised and lock him away in stone again. Plus… Come on… Ninja pony!!! That is so cool it like goes beyond everything else!” Rainbow Dash said with a smile.

Rarity looked to AJ in question. Applejack gave a sigh as she took off her hat and wiped her brow. “Ah ain’t saying it is easy ta swallow Naruko being all from a different world and all that stuff. But she ain’t done nothing ta get on my bad side. Hay! She was there with us by our side when we all fought the Nightmare Moon and got our elements. It’s like Rainbow said. She’s been there fighting for Equestria every day of her life and all of that. Ah can’t say Ah will look at her the same anymore after learning this about her, but I still count her as a friend.”

Rarity then looked to Pinkie who was oddly quiet. “What?!” Pinkie asked. Rarity gave her a look and Pinkie seemed to understand. “Ohhh okay. I see her as a friend too. She is just a little different is all. It in a way makes sense she's from somewhere else given what she can do.”

Pinkie then frowned a little as she added, “If she came from such a place… Then I only want to make sure she smiles even more and laughs more with us as our friend. I know how sad and bad and mean things can get… That’s why I want to make everypony smile when I can!” she said giving a bright Pinkie smile in reply.

Rarity then looked to Fluttershy. Fluttershy didn’t blush or hide or backdown in any way as she seemed to stand tall. “I went through a tough and terrible temple adventure with her. I’m not about to see Naruko as anything other than a dear friend of mine.”

Fluttershy then blushed a little as she looked away and spoke a little softer, even if she was still clearly heard by the others. “She really helped me out… I also ummm… well…”She looked to Twilight briefly before blushing more and admitting really fast. “I kind of had a crush on her while we were in the temple… I mean I got over it now and I don’t have a problem with her dating Twilight and I’m happy… ish for them… But yeah… Even my other self liked Naruko.”

She looked again to Twilight and got low on the ground as she said, “I’m sorry… I don’t want it to be a problem with us.”

Twilight looked to her and said, “Your other side already told me about your crush… It is alright.”

Fluttershy sighed in relief. “Well… This certainly explains why she got a little defensive when I asked her about her past at the temple when we were resting.”

She then took in a deep breath and let it out. Fluttershy then looked to Rarity with determined blue eyes as she asked, “Why have you been so keen on how we would answer, Rarity?”

Rarity blushed a little. “Don’t take it the wrong way! I love Naruko as a friend. Just like I love all of you as my friends. I was just making sure we were all on the same page.”

She then took a sip of her drink and wished Twilight had given her something a little stronger than juice, even if it was still morning. It wasn’t every day you learn one of your dear friends is from another planet and was a different species. Rarity then calmly said, “Naruko’s modeled for me twice now. She was also there when I really needed help the most.” After seeing the others’ faces, she quickly added, “I mean no offense and do not wish to open old wounds. I am just pointing out where my feelings regarding Naruko lie.”

She then looked to AJ as she told the others, “I am with Applejack on this matter. I can’t possibly go back to seeing her as I once did.” AJ nodded in understanding. “That doesn’t I won’t come to see her as something even more than I once did as we get to know her even better.”

Twilight gave a smile and sigh in relief. “I am so glad you all are accepting of this, even if it might take time to fully swallow that information. It means a lot to me. It will mean a lot to Naruko as well.”

Twilight took another sip and offered the others a refill. Each of them gladly took the offer. “I think we should all go and see her once we finish here… Leaving her alone wondering for too long will only hurt everyponies’ feelings,” Pinkie said as she took a sip.

The others agreed with a nod, but they wanted to savor their juice before that moment. They needed some time to figure everything out. They rightfully figured Naruko needed some time to sort through everything as well. They only hoped she wouldn’t need even more time. The group friends weren’t aware that Naruko would need a lot more time to process everything. However, thanks to Kyuubi she would have the time she needed.

{-} {-} {-}

Despite placing her full trust in Twilight, Naruko was still worried how her other friends would react to the news of her being a human originally. She was hoping for the best but planning for the worst. One of her plans included living out the rest of her days in the Ever-Free Forest with Zecora if the zebra would allow her to do that.

Naruko even had plans for if that didn’t work. “I’ll simply go to the Temple of Life and live with the Bunnicans!!! I’m sure they’ll help the Guardian from the Stars and the Celestial Fox… Yeah… they will have to… right?” she asked her shadow.

She gave a sigh. “I will do whatever they want to allow me to stay there. I don’t want to be thrown out of Equestria. It is more of a home than I have ever had in my life.” She then sobbed as fresh tears fell from her eyes. She loved her home. She didn’t want to have to leave it.

Naruko was in the middle of crying and cursing how much that dream had messed with her emotions and her control over them when there was a small flare of flame in the middle of her floor. The flame left no trace because it was purely magical.

Kyuubi jumped up on the bed. He walked until he was staring the blanket covered Naruko right in the eyes. If things were different, he would enjoy the sight and even tease her for being such a cute pony. She couldn’t help it. Ponies were just naturally cute.

Naruko looked to Kyuubi curiously.

“I have a possible solution to your problem,” he said to her gently but still with some sternness.

Her eyes were a mix of shock and deep relief at this prospect. Kyuubi then spoke in a deeper voice than normal as he said to her. “It is time you return to your Mindscape.”

Naruko’s blue eyes widened in apprehension. She was scared of going there. She hadn’t really been there since coming to Equestria. She worried what it would be like without Kyuubi's presence.

Kyuubi was not looking at her any softer as he said sternly. “You have been there since coming to Equestria. It is time you return there. This time alone and without your other self,” he said.

Naruko swallowed as she now realized something she really didn't want to realize. It regarded where that spell was placed. If it really was her mindscape, she was scared how it would be now.

Author's Notes:

I know it is a little shorter than recent chapters have been lately, but I felt the next part needed to be a different chapter. I felt otherwise things would go on for too long in one chapter. I really don't like having my chapters too massive, even if it can't always be avoided. Also things did get a little dark here, but hopefully it is understandable why they were that way.

Mindscapes are Tricky

Naruko’s eyes were a mix of shock and deep relief. Kyuubi then spoke in a deeper voice than normal as he said to her. “It is time you return to your Mindscape.”

(-------)

“What will that accomplish?” Naruko asked Kyuubi.

Kyuubi looked to her and spoke in his normal, but still far too deep for his size, voice. “I believe Discord’s spell had an actual effect on your mind other than what you experienced before fighting him,” he explained.

Naruko frowned to that. “What does going into there have to do with anything?” she asked. She wasn’t a fan of her mindscape really. The place was a literal sewer at one point and then a complete mess since then. She was mostly just guessing from what it was like last time she was there. She still didn’t want to go there if possible.

Kyuubi gave a sigh. “Like I said the problem is originating from there. I’m pretty sure about this after what happened in your last dream.”

Naruko blanched at that and wrapped her bed covers around her tighter.

“I know it won’t be easy… But it is necessary. Do you really want to go through the rest of your life fearing what you will see when you go to sleep?” he asked.

“No…” Naruko said in a small voice.

“Then you need to do this. Go into your mindscape. Clean it up. Improve it. Fix whatever is wrong in there, or at the very least identify what is wrong there,” he said. He knew this wasn’t an easy task, but it was something Naruko had to do. He wasn’t a full resident in her mindscape like he once was and not as knowledgeable of her inner workings even if he could still figure some things out.

Naruko was in thought for a moment. She looked to him and asked, “How do I do this?”

“I will stay here to act as an anchor for you. It will make returning easier. I don’t even know if this will be something that can be fixed in one trip. When you are ready to return, focus on our connection and you will find the way. I had to do a couple of things in preparation for this and I will need some time again before you return another time in the future with this method,” he explained.

“Could I go to my mindscape without your help?” Naruko asked.

Kyuubi shook his head. “Not at the moment you can’t. Well… you could but I don’t think that will be a good idea. Your mind is a bit of a mess at the moment. Without me or your other self, you could get swept away by it and your trip could end up taking years or even longer, regardless of how much time seems to pass inside there.”

Kyuubi gave a stretch. “With me acting as an anchor point, far less time will have passed while you are inside. Days or even longer will have passed inside, while out here it will only be a matter of minutes or seconds.”

Naruko nodded to him in understanding. Kyuubi was secretly glad she was far from the idiot she once was. It also really paid off having a studious bookworm friend like Twilight at times. Naruko could grasp and understand complex and abstract ideas with more ease now, even after she improved back in Konoha.

“Anything else?” Naruko asked.

Kyuubi was in thought for a moment. Something came to him, but he wasn’t sure if Naruko would know what he was talking about. “Have you… heard… voices? Apart from your darker self?” Kyuubi asked seriously.

Naruko narrowed her eyes thinking she should be offended, but she decided to be truthful. “Yes. I have heard them. They have been encouraging and helpful. If that makes a difference,” she answered.

Kyuubi was relieved. He wasn’t sure what to make of the whispers he heard inside her head. They felt different from what one would usually think was the case in such situations. He gave a nod to her. “Find them. Follow them… But don’t let them consume you while you are in there,” he advised.

“So… I’m not crazy for hearing them?” Naruko asked in surprise.

“In your case, I don’t think you are,” he replied. “I have no idea what they are, but I have heard them as well. They seem… oddly familiar…If that makes any sense,” he admitted.

Naruko’s eyes brightened and it was clear she felt relieved by his admission. “I do get what you mean. They helped me out last night. They helped me out during Discord’s attack. I feel a sense of familiarity, but I’ve never been able to place them.”

Kyuubi nodded to this as well. He knew he didn’t need to tell her to be safe. She would do that on her own. “When you are ready. Assume the meditation pose pony version,” he said.

Naruko sniffed but raised an eyebrow. “Really? Pony version?” she asked him with a neutral look.

“You know what I mean… I just figured I needed to point out you were a pony so it might be different,” he said with a slight blush on his cheeks.

Naruko smiled to him and gave him a surprise hug. “Thanks for helping me like this,” she said in a softer voice than normal.

“I would be terrible partner if I didn’t help you out, but I appreciate the sentiment,” he replied. Naruko smiled too brightly to be fooled by his tough demeanor, but she didn’t tease him about it. She instead got ready as he instructed her.

Naruko’s breathing evened out as she closed her eyes and concentrated on clearing her mind. She felt a small warm paw touch her chest and smiled at Kyuubi’s always familiar warmth. It was a little surprising how comforting his warmth had become since they arrived in Equestria. Naruko stopped focusing on it and returned to her meditation.

{-} {-} {-}

When she opened her eyes again, Naruko felt comfortable temperature wise. She wasn’t cool or warm. She was just right. She also noticed a certain level of serenity to her persona. Sapphire blue eyes looked around the area. The world was bright white. It wasn’t a sewer like it used to be. She did notice some flickers in the distance as it seemed parts of her mindscape were phasing in and out or something. Naruko started walking in the direction she felt was correct.

As she walked, she noticed other parts of her mindscape flickering. Some were even giving off a slight buzz sound every now and then. It was wrong seeing her mind messed up like this. Naruko knew she would have been freaked out about this at any other time, but this time she wasn't.

This time Naruko felt serene. She felt in control. She knew the flickers meant nothing to her here. She wouldn’t be assaulted with odd visions and images. She wouldn’t be sucked into twisted dreams of some form. It was just her and the mindscape around her.

Naruko gave a sigh. She kind of wished it looked better than this. As if on cue, her mindscape changed. It was now a forest glade with medium length grasses covering the floor. She also ignored the flickers in the distance, though they were harder to see now. “Wow…” she said out loud as she looked in front.

It seemed without Kyuubi taking up a permanent residence inside her she had more control over her own mindscape. She looked around and decided there was too much extra stuff and seemed to know what she could do about it. She took in a deep breath and concentrated on the image she wanted to see.

The forested area shimmered. It transformed into something different. It was now a rolling glade with a hill in the center and a tree perched on top of it. There was also a small pond to the side filled with clear and clean water. While the pond was small in size, she knew it was deep.

Naruko was focused on the tree atop the hill. It was a perfect tree for anypony to lounge under and enjoy a pleasant afternoon. “Wait a minute…” Naruko said to herself as she blinked a little. She then realized that she was much taller than her pony self was. She looked down and gasped as she saw feet and toes.

Naruko quickly ran over to the pond. She used the reflective surface as a makeshift mirror. The waters were calm enough it worked. The sixteen almost seventeen year old girl was surprised to see her human form. She was also pleased it resembled the body she had in her dream from earlier.

There were differences though. Naruko thought she actually looked much more beautiful and cuter here. It was as if the weight of being essentially owned by Sasuke had affected her dream’s self. Other than that, she looked much the same even to the whisker marks on her cheeks. She was still wearing a choker necklace but this one had a lovely medallion designed after the Royal Symbol of Equestria. She much preferred this one to the one in that dream.

Naruko smiled as she traced the medallion with a fine finger. In response the water rippled in a way that she would describe as happy if that made sense. She then looked at the clothes she was wearing. She could tell from her reflection she was wearing the altered dress Rarity made her after the Gala altered for her human body. Naruko felt warm seeing the dress her friend took great care to make for her. She looked it over some more and kept smiling. She didn’t notice as one flickering part of her mindscape seemed to mend itself in reaction to her thoughts about her friend.

The blonde girl stopped looking at her reflection and turned to the lone tree on the hill. Naruko looked around the area and thought on what Kyuubi recommended she do once inside her mind. “Where are those voices?” she asked herself gently.

She looked around some more before she decided to sit under the tree and focus. It seemed to be central to her mindscape and it looked the perfect place for such things as meditation. Naruko sat down with her legs folded and took in slow deep breaths as she focused on her surroundings.

The first sounds she noticed was the buzzing of the faulty parts of her mindscape. She filtered out those sounds. She then heard what sounded like birds chirping in the distance. “What is that about?” she asked. “Ambience?” she questioned. She could see that being the case. She hated absolute silence. She had to hear something or it wouldn’t feel right. She didn’t filter out these sounds since she found them comforting and not distracting.

It took some time, but eventually Naruko not so much heard as she did feel something like a voice. She could feel it coming from the tree right behind her. Naruko stood up and turned to the tree. She looked at it for a moment and then reached out to touch it with a hand.

When her hand touched the tree’s trunk, she felt something. It was a different kind of warmth. It wasn’t like the warmth she felt from being with her friends. It also wasn’t as exhilarating or caring in the same manner as the warmth she felt from Twilight. It was more akin to what she felt from Princess Celestia or Princess Luna.

“Who are you?” Naruko seemed to ask the warmth. It pulsed as if trying to answer, but she couldn’t make it out. The pulse was there, but it was weak. She still felt a distant familiarity from it.

Naruko didn’t like how weak it felt. She wanted to meet whatever was causing this warmth. She wanted to get to know it. Naruko closed her eyes and concentrated on the pulse. She found it and immediately started to feed it energy from her actual body, but not too much to cause problems for her in the real world. It felt grateful to her for the gift.

“Would you show yourself to me?” she asked it. There was a much large pulse and Naruko lowered her hand before stepping back a bit.

Shortly after she asked, a figure appeared next to the tree. Naruko’s eyes seemed to widen in eagerness and hope. She watched as the figure became fully visible. There was now a beautiful woman a little bit taller than her who seemed only a few years older standing next to the tree. She had fair skin and long bright red hair reaching just below her waist with violent colored eyes. Her eyes were filled with tears of happiness.

Naruko sniffed back tears of happiness as well. She knew who this woman was. Naruko raced forward and quickly grabbed the other woman in a hug. “Mom…” she said as the figure sniffed and hugged her just as tight.

“Yes… Yes, Naruko honey,” the woman said as she smiled.

“But how?” Naruko asked.

Kushina sniffed as she answered. “I used the last of my chakra to leave an imprint of myself here for you, Naruko… I was going to help you whenever you decided to face Kyuubi properly…”

Naruko kept hugging her mom as tight as she could. She didn’t care if it was an imprint or not. It was still her mom. She sniffed as she said, “Well. That won’t be needed.”

“I know… I’m proud of you. You’ve done something no one else has ever even considered doing, my dove… You befriended Kyuubi,” Kushina said smiling and pouring all she could into the hug before Naruko broke it off to look at her properly.

Kushina couldn’t help but smile warmly. Her daughter was a beauty and she was strong even if things had been really tough on her lately. She started to tear up a little again. She really wished she could have been there to see and watch her daughter grow up. She experienced some of it through Naruko, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

Naruko hugged her mom again as she said lowly, “Why are you sad? Don’t be sad… I’ll get sad and I’m tired of being sad lately…”

Kushina wiped some tears and tried to chuckle as she scratched the back of her head nervously. “I’m sorry, Honey… I just wish I could have been there for you. I was so happy and excited when I found out I was pregnant with you. I wanted my own family so much,” she sniffed a little. She felt kind of bad that her own daughter was now comforting her. It should be the other way around in all fairness.

She took in a calming breath and stood up. “Sorry about that… I wanted to help you out so much, but I couldn’t really do anything from in here. My connection to you didn’t even strengthen a little until after you came to this new world. I could only watch as your life played out.”

Naruko gave a bit of a sad smile to this even if she still mostly had the whole serene feeling, which she was thankful for. “I would have loved that… It would have been really nice,” she said.

Kushina gave her another hug. She really didn’t want to stop hugging her daughter now she had the chance. Naruko was perfectly okay with this as well. Kushina then spoke to her. “I’m honestly surprised you aren’t angry with me or something.”

Naruko gave a chuckle. “I think the way I entered here is helping with that. I feel… serene… It probably also helps that I learned about you from him a while ago. You two may not have been on good terms, but he did know you. He told me you were the kind of mom that would do all you could for their child and you wouldn’t have died unless it was the only way. Being here in Equestria has helped as well. I’m not alone like I was in Konoha.”

Kushina looked a little pouty and Naruko raised a questioning eyebrow at her mother. It was kind of odd being so close in age to her mom. She was guessing at most her mom was seven years older than her, if even that. Well her mom’s chakra imprint at least seemed that way.

Kushina blushed a little as she caught Naruko’s eye. “Sorry… I’m just a bit jealous… The Princesses got to be your mother instead of me. Especially Princess Celestia. I will say I approve of her at least.”

Kushina then gave a bit of a foxy grin as Naruko pouted now. “I also approve of your girlfriend,” she said in a sing song voice.

Despite Naurko’s serene nature she was now blushing deeply as she folded her arms and looked away sticking her bottom lip out. She was then hugged once more by her mother. Naruko blushed but returned the hug. “I trust you will treat her well,” Kushina said.

Naruko gave a nod. She then sighed as she looked around in thought. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with her mom, but she was here for a real reason. She then thought for a moment and then blinked. “Wait a minute… where is dad?” Naruko asked.

Kushina started to look around as if she hadn’t heard her daughter’s words.

“You know where he is…” Naruko said in accusation.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Kushina said innocently. She kind of wanted to hog more Naruko time so she wasn’t eager to bring out her husband’s imprint, even though she loved him dearly.

Naruko sighed. “You know as well as I do that if you left an imprint he sure as hell did. Don't try to play it off.”

“Language…” Kushina said weakly before sighing. Her daughter was almost 17 now. It was her first time actually being with her daughter and Naruko was already pretty much a full-grown adult. Kushina then gave a smile as she said, “Why don’t you find him like you did me?”

Naruko gave a pout before taking in a deep breath and calming down and closing her eyes. Kushina actually found the power from her daughter to be very impressive. It also wasn’t as stormy as she thought it would be. It was a lot calmer, but ready to burst forward if needed. Sure, Naruko found a way to enter her mindscape calmly, but her chakra’s or magic’s feel would not be changed by such things.

Soon Naruko’s eyes opened as she looked up above and then seemed to send out some of her energy as she did with her mother’s imprint earlier. “I know you’re there, dad.” Naruko said. There was a slight hint of bitterness in her voice, but her serene nature seemed to really temper it. Regardless of this, Kushina was starting to think she might have to defend her husband’s imprint from their daughter.

“If you don’t show yourself I will make you,” Naruko said in warning. There still wasn’t a response. She gave a sigh and again poured forth some more of her energy and said in a more commanding tone, “Show yourself.”

Shortly after she said that a tall man with spikey blonde hair and a strong but not too muscular build appeared before her eyes. Naruko had to do her best not to let her tears show.

“Eh heh heh heh,” Minato said warily as Kushina sighed. He was worried what would happen. He was really excited to see his beloved daughter finally, but he was scared of how things would go.

Naruko steeled her nerves and clenched her fists. She charged at him and punched him.

“Oooff…” he groaned as he rubbed his stomach where she punched him. He hadn’t expected her to hit that hard if at all. “What was that for?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“That’s for sealing Kyuubi inside of me and leaving me…” Naruko said as she looked downwards.

Minato was then surprised again as she wrapped her arms around him tightly and sniffed as she buried her head in his chest.

“Tha-that’s for giving me my one and only friend while growing up…” she said as she sniffed back more tears.

Minato sniffed as well and placed a comforting hand on Naruko’s back. Naruko shuddered and sobbed a little. Kushina came over and wrapped both of them in a big hug. Naruko felt really happy. Her parents loved her after all. She could tell it from the way they were hugging her now. She couldn’t describe how much this meant to her. She had a mother figure and even a bit of a father figure in her life, but that was nothing compared to her real parents. She didn’t care if they were only chakra imprints. Their actions and words meant so much to her.

{-} {-} {-}

After Naruko spent some time with her parents discussing small inconsequential things, she was focused on her task once again. “So, what is it you brought us here for, Naruko-chan?” Minato asked. He had some ideas, but he needed her to actually say it to be sure.

“I’m not sure how aware you two have been to what happened, but there was this God of Chaos I had to fight…” she started as she looked to the side not meeting her parents’ eyes. It was as if she felt depressed she wasn’t able to fully defeat a God or something.

“We know…” Minato started. He then reached out and hugged Naruko again. She liked the hug and returned it.

“We were the voices cheering you on there at the end that you probably didn’t recognize,” Kushina said as she joined the hug. She wanted to hug her daughter as much as possible here.

Naruko took in the hug and smiled. “Kyuubi said coming here and fixing the damage properly might be what I need to get over it all a little more and maybe the all too realistic feeling nightmares will end. Sadly, it is too much of an odd situation for even Princess Luna to really help. She might be able to make them disappear for the night if I told her, but that won’t solve anything.”

She then gave a sigh as she looked around her mindscape. She could see some small flickers scattered throughout the area, but they weren’t bothering her with horrific imagery. She stood tall and pointed at one, “I need to find a way to fix those.”

One flicker came close to her and her parents. It didn’t show anything, but it was something broken that needed to be repaired. Her father and mother looked it over. “Are there holes in your memory now?” her father asked.

“Nope. What would that mean?” she asked.

“It could have been due to the nature of the dream reality that when you dismissed it chunks of your memory went missing. Your brain could have then been cycling through probable scenarios in your life to replace them before settling on a version of the truth. Given you are pretty much both a pony and a human that would be extra difficult for it. If that happened you would know it by recognizing holes in your memory,” he said in thought.

It was something which happened to some unlucky veteran ninja during his brief time as Hokage. The Yamanaka came up with a way to use reports to fill in the gaps instead so the ninja’s memory of the event wasn’t as damaged. All of them knew they were missing memories or the ones they had were wrong in some manner though. It seemed Naruko didn't look at these flickers as memories, so it had to be something else.

“I can’t tell if you did anything wrong during the sealing of the anchor. That is something else that could have happened in this situation. There would be signs of some kind though, even with your ‘Runeseals’,” her mom said in thought. Kushina then smiled brightly and hugged her daughter again as she said, “I’m so proud you managed to take sealing to a new height! You really are an Uzumaki through and through.”

Naruko blushed as her mom hugged her. “Thanks…” she said quietly. She still couldn’t hide the bright smile she wore regardless of her supposed embarrassment.

Kushina was in thought again. “It might be your emotions are negatively tied to these… flickers, as you call them and that's what really causes the problems instead of them fixing themselves.”

“Can we fix that?” Naruko asked in worry. If her emotions were tied to them than it could explain why she would go from happy and wonderful dreams to nightmarish visions. “I really don’t want to chance seeing myself again with Sasuke the Bastard in that kind of manner,” she said with a slight shudder.

“Sasuke? Mikoto’s son? From the main branch?” Kushina asked curiously. She wasn't really aware of everything in full detail. She was a bit aware of how he acted, but for her to talk about him that way it had to be more to it.

Naruko blinked for a moment as she thought over what she knew of Sasuke's immediate family before nodding.

Kushina gave a sigh. “That’s a pity he turned out that way overall. She was actually my best friend and the two of us had hoped to have a boy and a girl who would end up together.”

Naruko blanched at that thought. “I’m sorry, mom… But I would hate myself being with him. He is terrible and so very stuck up and it would not work out at all… Not since the Uchiha Clan Massacre at least. I think I ran into him a couple of times before that happened and he was alright then, but there is no going back for him. I don’t know what has happened in Konoha since I left, but he was already well and truly down the dark path of no return even before we graduated from the academy.”

“I’m not saying you have to be with him. I was just saying it was a pity. Besides… Twilight is a wonderful girl,” Kushina said as her cheeks puffed a little.

Naruko’s blue eyes then widened a little in horror. “How much have you seen of our relationship? I agree she is wonderful, but still…”

Kushina looked a little worried and concerned as she tried to come up with an answer.

“I think if you focus on memories of your friends from your time in Equestria we can use those emotions to patch the problems here,” Minato said. Kushina was relieved her husband saved her from a very embarrassing discussion with her daughter. Naruko was now focused on the task at hand once again.

“That sounds… too easy… What's the catch?” she asked.

“You need a variety of memories from different friends. Focusing too much on memories with just Twilight would be problematic. You would want to be even closer to her than you are, which isn’t bad, but you would also end up depending on her fully to maintain your sanity for lack of a better word given what we are about to do. We could try to remove the flickers, but that would be far more taxing than simply rewriting them,” he explained to his daughter who nodded to him.

Kushina chose to speak as well in the hopes of further keeping her daughter from asking troubling questions. “If something were to happen to Twilight again, it would cause the flickers to burst forward suddenly and in full force. Using multiple happy memories from different friends would make it so you have mental forces to keep that from happening in a way. Building on from there will only further help heal the problem. Due to what happened to you, you actually need a more hands on approach to fix them here first and properly attach the feelings of happiness and contentment. If that make sense,” she said as she looked her daughter over and Minato nodded with a smile to them.

Minato wished this hadn’t happened to his Naruko, but it did. He was also partly thankful it did and brought her here. He was happy to get to actually see her and touch her in a manner. If things had happened how he wanted, she would still be in Konoha as a respected Kunoichi. He couldn’t blame her for leaving after knowing what she went through a little. He was also proud to have his daughter more or less his equivalent here in Equestria. “Hell, she’s probably higher in rank than me,” he thought. He wasn’t sure how Grand Captain of the Ever Free Patrol compared to Hokage.

“I get what you’re asking of me, but it seems like it will take a lot of time,” Naruko said with a frown.

“It will take some time at first, but eventually you can speed up the process, Naruko-chan,” he said to her. Naruko blushed but felt very warm hearing her father call her that.

Kushina beamed as she said, “You also have us to help out as well.”

“Well then… Let’s start with this one first,” she said pointing to the one in front of her.

“Think of the memory and we will tie it to the flicker. Pay attention and we will get this taken care of quicker. If you can multi-task like that,” Kushina said with a teasing lilt in her voice causing Minato to chuckle and Naruko to grin at the playful challenge.

The trio got to work. Naruko chose to first focus on more innocuous memories of her time with Twilight. She figured if they weren’t too heavy then it was less likely for the memory to fizzle out explosively and remain a flicker if something were to happen to Twilight. She thought of how happy she felt making her first friend apart from Kyuubi as the two talked magic and ninjas when they first met.

Naruko had a lovely smile as the feeling was quickly attached to the flicker in front of her. Kushina and Minato felt happy, but a little sad. They were happy she had such pleasant memories, but they were sad they missed them in real life. Minato was also deeply disappointed that his wonderful and lovely daughter had to go to a completely different world to get such memories. Perhaps he had severely over-estimated Konoha’s commitment to bonds after all and put too much faith in the people there.

“Good job! Naru-chan!” Kushina said in a very cheerful voice as the first flicker was dealt with.

Naruko then focused on another one. “Could you two just channel whatever it is you are using to tie the memories through me? That would make this easier,” she asked as another flicker was replaced. This time it was a memory of one of the nights she and Twilight spent together in the castle as a ‘sleep-over’.

Kushina and Minato analyzed what their daughter was doing and figured out how to do their job with her. They each placed a comforting hand on her shoulders as Naruko thought of more memories of Twilight. Now, the flickers were being dealt with faster than earlier.

As more memories of Twilight were used, Minato decided he needed to remind her of their plan. “Don’t just use memories of Twilight alone,” he said to her.

She started to use memories of Kyuubi. It wasn’t seen by Naruko, but Minato gave a triumphant smile as he watched the memories of her and Kyuubi overwrite flickers. “It seems one of my gambles paid of greatly at least,” he thought.

Kushina gave him a look as the two focused their power into Naruko to help her overwrite more flickers. She was surprised to see her daughter had such a friendly relationship with the tailed beast. She would have been worried, but she could tell there was no danger of falsehood in the memories so their friendship was real. She also caught her husband’s look and felt a little extra warm. He had done something amazing and that always got to her, even if she didn't know what it was yet.

Naruko thought of more wonderful memories. She thought of moments she shared with the other elements. She thought of more Twilight memories. She thought of both princesses she was close to in her own way. She thought of the times she foal-sat for Pipsqueak. She thought of Trixie, Lyra, Bon Bon, Cloud Kicker and especially her wonderful First Lieutenant, Derpy.

Naruko’s method was working really well. The memories she used were quickly seeking out flickers to fix. They didn’t even have to focus on anything more than using her memories to overwrite. They didn’t need to do any guiding of the memories or anything. They were seeking out the flickers on their own seemingly as they attached them with their own power.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko frowned as she growled a little bit. Sure, the process was going faster than she originally feared it would, but it still seemed to be taking too long.

“I’ve thought enough of the others… Right?” she asked in an almost ragged voice. “It’s good enough right? Mom? Dad?” she asked in an almost pleading voice. This was taking a lot more mental energy than she wanted it to take and too much time. She wanted the flickers dealt with before she left. She figured focusing on strong memories of Twilight would speed up the process.

“Maybe…” Minato said in response. He was worried. He was also saddened she had been hurt so much that this was taking so long to repair.

Kushina took a break to give her daughter a tight hug. “You’ve done really well so far. I’m as proud as a mother can be of her daughter, Naru-chan,” she said in a soft and warm voice.

Minato didn’t want to be the bad guy here, but he had to give a last warning. “If you focus on Twilight for one last attempt to finish the ones remaining… You will come to rely on her a lot more than normal… probably.”

Naruko took in a deep breath and let it out. “I don’t care… Twilight already owns my heart as far as I’m concerned. I may not be the best at showing it, but that is how I feel. I want to be with her as long as she will have me. I want to be with her in anyway she will have me. Maybe it isn’t a safe and healthy way to feel about such things, but it is how I feel,” she said.

Minato looked to Kushina. She nodded to him. He then spoke. “Then we will let it happen and do what we can to finish off these flickers. Naruko-chan! Give it your all,” he said.

Naruko nodded. She then went through several memories choosing which one to use. There were plenty of strong memories with happiness and love and warmth tied to Twilight. Naruko knew she was possibly tying herself too closely to Twilight, but she didn’t care. She could tell this would fix the last of the flickers remaining. She would be there by Twilight’s side despite everything and she didn’t care how strong that attachment grew.

Naruko’s blue eyes seemed to shine with a bright light. It wasn’t to the level Twilight’s eyes shone when she was channeling the power of the Elements of Harmony, but it was still bright. Minato and Kushina could feel the power coming from all directions as their daughter made her choice.

Naruko chose to focus on the memory of Gala Night with Twilight. They might have been drunk, but many said alcohol lowered your inhibitions. Perhaps they both needed that to open up to the other like they did. Maybe they just needed that push to finally admit what they were feeling for the other. Naruko wasn’t sure, but she was sure it started a deeper relationship between her and Twilight. They weren’t just a one-night stand with the other and they didn’t require alcohol to be around the other.

She focused on their kisses and caresses. She also focused on when they touched each other’s horn and let their magic flow through the other. It was an event that she would never forget and she was certain it shaped the both of them in some manner. Naruko felt warmth and love around her. It was a warmth and love different from her parents. She let out a breath as she pushed out her own feelings of the same in return.

Minato and Kushina were wide eyed as they watched what happened. Naruko soon started to float upwards and away from them as power seemed to shimmer in her hair. They were unable to move as they just watched. Naruko seemed to glow in a pink aura that changed to a bright yellow orange. The building energy then shot outwards and all of the remaining flickers were demolished! The glow soon returned to Naruko as she floated back downwards.

When she opened her eyes, they were no longer blue. They were similar in appearance to the fox’s eyes, but they didn’t have any of the hatred and malice his once had. They emitted a feeling of comfortable warmth in the area as they held the same color as the glow from earlier. The glow seemed to die down but the color still stayed there.

Naruko looked around and seemed to have a deeper understanding than before. She seemed to sense everything around her. She felt her body flowing with a different energy. She felt much stronger. She looked around and seemed to understand things at a different level from before. She cocked her head as she looked at her parents’ chakra imprints and seemed to understand them differently. She waved a hand at them.

Both Kushina and Minato shivered as they felt something pass over them. The two were impressed with Naruko, but also a little wary of her for some reason. As the wave passed over them, they felt calmer. They looked to her and noticed tears seemed to slowly leak from her eyes.

Naruko reached out and grabbed them both into a deep hug. “I love you two,” she said quietly to them. She understood what they really were. “How long can you two stay?” she asked calmly.

Kushina was the first to answer her with a smile. “We will be here a good while yet. You gave us plenty of energy when you forced us to show ourselves,” she explained.

Minato then said, “We will have to go eventually…”

Naruko smiled and nodded to him. “I understand that. I want my parents’ souls to feel this all. I want them to know they were able to be with me in some fashion. Will you give me a warning before you have to go for good?” she asked as she again buried her head in her father’s cloak.

He gave a heartwarming chuckle as he said, “What kind of father would I be if I didn’t?”

Naruko smiled as she said, “You’d still be my father, no matter what and I’d still love you.”

He hugged her tighter. He tried to let her know through the hug how much he was sorry they couldn’t be there for her physically. He also tried to let her know how much he loved her despite everything. Naruko felt all of these emotions and sniffed happily as she shed some tears of happiness and held the hug.

Minato then said to her, “That means you better come back here to visit. You hear?” His voice choked a little at the end.

“I do. I will…” she said as she held the hug longer before breaking it off.

Naruko then turned to her mother and hugged her tightly. “I love you, Mom…” she simply said. She didn’t know what else to talk about at the moment. So, she tried her best to convey her feelings through their hug. The whole time her eyes still had that same look and she was able to pick up even more strongly her mother’s feelings for her. Naruko hated how it made her shed more tears even if they were tears of happiness.

It was odd. It was like Naruko felt she could better understand emotions and thoughts from others. She wasn’t sure what was happening and hoped she could find a way to use this ability once she returned to the real world of Equestria. It would take training but she was sure she could do it. At the moment, that didn’t matter. Naruko just wanted to enjoy what it felt like to receive a mother’s love. Kushina was her mom and not just a mother figure. It was much different from what she experienced with the princesses and she wanted to soak it all in the best she could.

Kushina hated this. She hated this so much. She wanted to say so much in this one moment, but she couldn’t voice those words. All she could say was, “I love you too, Naruko… My wonderful daughter.”

Naruko held the hug a good while longer as her eyes faded back to their usual sparkling blue. Minato joined in on the hug as the family held on to each other longer in silence.

{-} {-} {-}

“I found a scroll from Whirlpool it seems. I found it in a magic shop here in Canterlot. The shopkeeper claimed it was from a seer pony of some kind. Do you have any idea why that happened?” Naruko asked as she lounged under the tree next to her parents. Each of them would place a comforting hand on her here and there or sneak a quick hug as they talked about many things and enjoyed this time together.

“Well… You aren’t just an Uzumaki. You are an Uzumaki from the main family. From the main branch and founders of Uzushiogakure. Perhaps the scroll sought you out? It is amazing what our clan’s sealing techniques can do,” Kushina explained. She was incredibly happy to finally be able to share some of her clan’s history with her daughter. Had things been different, she would have been holding such lessons often with her beautiful baby girl, even if she was a lovely young woman now.

Minato gave a chuckle. “I know I was regarded as a seal master during my time in Konoha, but I only got to that level because of your mother,” he said as he flashed a loving grin at Kushina, who blushed in response.

“Well… well… you really took the craft to a new level yourself, my loving husband,” she said not at all hiding her blush and movements of unease.

Naruko smiled as she teasingly said, “I don’t know how this whole chakra imprint body thing works, but I do hope you two won’t do you know what kind of things and force me to see it as well. I don’t want to be forced to take a vow of celibacy with Twilight just to keep myself from experiencing visions of my parents’ spirits… if that is what you two are… doing it.” She understood when they disappeared everything they experienced her parents’ souls would when she was in that strange and powerful state earlier.

Kushina blushed and looked away. Minato chuckled and said, “Don’t worry about such things, Naruko-chan.” He then mussed her hair causing her cheeks to redden a little but also filling her with warm feelings and love.

The family talked a little longer together for some more time. Naruko knew her time was coming to a close. She had waited for the rewritten flickers to settle in as she stayed with her parents and talked about many things. As her time was coming to an end at the moment, she noticed her mother was constantly stealing glances at her and blushing.

“Is something wrong? Mom?” she asked.

Kushina felt her heart swell at the words. She still said, “Oh… umm… nothing… nothing is wrong.” She was making a point of not looking directly at her daughter.

Naruko sighed. It was so obvious her mom wanted to ask her something. The blonde girl wondered if she was this bad with Twilight at times. She feared maybe she would get this bad with the purple pony, but she also kind of looked forward to that oddly enough. “What is it, Mom? You can ask me anything,” she said.

Kushina sighed. “You’re just as perceptive as your father,” she mumbled.

Minato couldn’t help but chuckle at his lovely wife’s words. It was even more hilarious considering how often she called him a wimp when they were younger and thought he was a bit of an airhead and all around unimpressive. She was now here lovingly praising him to their daughter.

Kushina blushed as she puffed her cheeks at her husband.

Naruko chuckled at her parents’ actions. “So, what is it?” she asked again after enjoying the moment.

“Well… ummm… I was,” Kushina gave a suffering sigh. “I guess I should just come out and say it,” she tried to give herself a pep-talk. “Yosh!” she said in a sort of call to arms as she gained her courage to speak again.

She then turned to her daughter and quickly asked, “Can I see you in your Pony form?!” Kushina blushed once she said it. She couldn’t believe she was asking such a question. It was embarrassing for a fully-grown woman to ask such a thing. She was well known and respected by most ninjas, yet she was asking to see her daughter’s cute pony form.

Naruko smiled to her mother and laid her head on her mom’s chest for a moment. “Alright,” she simply said to her mom as she concentrated on taking her pony form. It was much easier than expected but tougher than wanted to Naruko. Regardless she was now in her peach tanned coated unicorn glory looking up more to her parents.

Kushina gave a surprising squeal before she grabbed Naruko in a really tight hug. “OOHHH!!! You are so adorable!!! I just want to take you home and hold you all the time!” she said grinning happily.

Naruko blushed as she actually felt a little embarrassed here. “Mom…” she whined.

Kushina paused at the sound of the whine. Kushina grinned and squealed again as she said, “That was just too cute!!!! You are cute! Such a cute little pony and daughter!”

Minato smiled and chuckled a little as he petted his daughter’s mane. She didn’t really notice because of how much Kushina was demanding of Naruko’s attention. He was happy with how soft and warm his daughter’s mane felt. To him, it said she was having a wonderful life and taking care of herself. That was all he could ever wish of her.

Naruko blushed and protested a little at first, but she was now enjoying her mom’s affections. “I’m still that attention starved girl…Aren’t I?” she wondered as her mother made more squeals and hugged her even more. Naruko was oddly happy and fine with being that kind of a girl. She would just find a way to get more attention and affection from Twilight, but right now she was going to enjoy her mom’s love.

{-} {-} {-}

“Well I guess I’ll be going now…” Naruko said with a sigh.

“Yes,” Minato said with a frown. Kushina sniffed and hugged her daughter once more tightly. Minato decided not to try and remain strong here after all and hugged her as well. Naruko couldn’t have felt happier at that moment.

“Kyuubi will probably want to speak to you, dad. When we fought Discord, he brought up some curious points. I would ask for the answers myself, but I feel Kyuubi should get those answers first,” Naruko said.

Minato smiled as he said, “When you can find a way for him to come here and not attack me, I will gladly answer his questions.”

Kushina was still holding on to Naruko with all of her might. Naruko loved it. She knew she would miss this sensation once she back in the real world and had to face the others. “I’ll do what I can there, you better believe it,” she replied as she looked to her father with a reassuring smile.

“I bet you well, Naruko. My lovely daughter,” he said and tried to remain strong for this temporary goodbye. Naruko smiled weakly back at him as she sniffed and then bowed before disappearing back to the real world.

Kushina let out a quick sob before she recovered. “I miss her already… It doesn’t matter we are here inside of her. I still miss my Naru-chan,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Minato came over and held her close to him as he said, “I miss her already too… But. Our daughter will come back and she is amazing in every way.”

Kushina nodded to that. “I’m really glad we will have more time with her before we cross over,” she said with a warm smile as he wiped the tears from her eyes.

She then smiled at him in a different manner. “I’m also glad I get to feel you again as well, even in this form,” she said as she adopted a foxy grin that Minato had long ago fallen for on many occasions. All of those occasions were wonderful. Kushina stood up on her tiptoes as she kissed her husband on the lips and blushed. It was obvious to him what she wanted and now they had physical bodies to do such things. They also knew how to keep such things from affecting their daughter’s mind and held each other’s hand as they moved to a different location.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko let out a groan and moan as she sat up on her bed.

“Was it successful?” Kyuubi asked her.

“I’m not sure yet completely, but I think it was. I want a few days just to be sure on the matter,” she said.

Kyuubi nodded in understanding.

“Those voices… the ones you talked about… they were my parents. We will have to find a way to let you get in my mindscape as well. My dad. He said he would answer your questions as long as you didn’t try to kill him,” she said.

Kyuubi’s red eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected the man who sentenced him to that punishment to be so reasonable. “Then that is something we will work on… If he is willing to talk peacefully and not attack me… Then I will do the same to meet him,” he said.

“That’s good to hear. There was also something else that happened in there. I want to figure it out. I can tell it will make us stronger. I felt as if I was something more than I was. I was much stronger. I could sense… feelings... almost. It was really strange, but I want to find out more about it,” she said.

Kyuubi was humming in thought. “Maybe... Maybe, you got a taste of what the humans called sage mode. Few were able to get to that level of power and understanding. It is tricky, but I think we can do it. It will require work,” he said. The fox then grinned and chuckled a little, “But you’re far from being shy of such things. I still want us to figure out how to get me in there to talk to your dad first. I think that will help greatly given our circumstance.”

He then gave a sigh. “It is really strange how we can communicate through our minds and you can even use my power and go into your own mindscape but I can’t do the same fooly yet. I was able to help a few times, but it is hardly an on demand kind of thing. I find it a bit ironic that I was once a forced resident inside your mindscape eager to escape, but now I can’t easily enter it on my own when I want to,” he admitted.

Naruko gave him a warm smile as she stroked his fine coat. “I’ll help you with that if I can. You’ve helped me so much. I can only wish to return the help back to you,” she said.

Kyuubi chuckled. “We’re partners now, Naruko. We don’t keep track of such things. Well… Not officially at least,” he said with a smirk.

Naruko couldn’t help but giggle to his words. She was feeling pretty good at the moment. The feeling was fading as she realized she would have to deal with the other elements soon and that did terrify her. She would do her best, but she wasn’t sure if that would be enough in this instance.

Naruko’s heart froze and her eyes widened when she heard a knock on her bedroom door. “Who… Who is it?” she asked weakly. She hated how she so quickly shifted moods just because of a knock on her door.

“It’s me… Twilight. I’m not alone. Can we come in? Please?” Twilight’s voice asked from the other side of the door.

Naruko swallowed as she got ready to fight her way out if needed. She would give them a chance, but she really hoped Twilight would be able to keep the others calm or something and she wouldn't have to flee or anything. “I guess…” Naruko replied weakly as her anxiety from earlier returned seemingly tenfold.

Twilight opened the door to Naruko’s room with her friends by her side. The purple pony wore a look of concern. The others were looking around nervously as well. It seemed they didn’t fully have control of their own composure at the moment. Twilight hoped that wouldn’t be a problem.

“Heh. Heh,” Naruko let out a dry laugh. “All of you are coming after me at once?” she asked worriedly. Naruko wasn’t so sure she could escape in this circumstance.

“After you? Why?” Rainbow asked. Her usual lack of tact actually playing in their favor for once it seemed.

“Well… I mean you all know I’m not a pony originally,” Naruko said caught a little off guard by Rainbow’s statement and the looks the others were giving her as they seemed to grow more serious.

“As far as we’re all concerned, ya are a pony, Naruko,” Applejack said.

“I explained things to them,” Twilight said to the blonde unicorn who still seemed a little lost.

“You mean… You don’t all hate me?” Naruko asked.

“Finding out about where you really came from was kind of a doozy, but it’s all good,” Pinkie said with a smile. She then giggled and added, “I would throw a I just discovered a good friend of mine is actually from a different planet party, but that is probably too much to go around shouting about.”

“I actually thought it was totally awesome finding out you are a legit ninja! That is so bad ass!” Rainbow said with a grin.

Naruko was feeling more at ease but she looked to her friends who had been quiet so far. Rarity cleared her throat, “It is still rather surreal finding out you were a human, but we are all on the same page, Naruko.” She smiled to the blonde unicorn.

“After the temple, I can’t help but see you as a close friend even if you are from a different world,” Fluttershy said.

Naruko was crying happy tears now as her friends came in for a group hug. “I’m so happy… I was scared you would all hate me,” she said as they all hugged.

Twilight gave a mock offended scoff to that statement. “You know I’d never hate you, Naruko,” she said with a grin when Naruko looked to her in question.

The group of friends spent some time together that day in the Library. Naruko mostly answered all of their questions about what it’s like being a human. Naruko was well prepared for this considering that was pretty much all she talked about with Twilight at first apart from magic. Spike was more than eager to join in as well. He actually helped answer some questions as well from what he knew so Naruko could catch her breath and take a break. Twilight tried to help out but she would get a little overly technical about things and slip into lecture mode.

{-} {-} {-}

Once the others went home and it was evening, Naruko and Twilight sat with each other and enjoyed the other’s company. Naruko was feeling really good and happy tonight. She was also tired and a little worried what she did in her mindscape wouldn’t be enough. She would find out tonight.

Naruko gave a yawn as Twilight floated over a mug of hot chocolate to her. “Thanks,” Naruko said as she took it into her own magic.

“Things started out really hectic, but ended up pretty well I believe,” Twilight said as she sat right by Naruko.

“Yes, they did. I was so sure they would hate me or in the best-case scenario tolerate me after that slip up. I was ready to go and live out the rest of my days deep in the Ever-Free Forest,” Naruko said with a chuckle. Now that the crisis was over, her overreaction to the situation was kind of funny.

“Are you going to be okay tonight? You know After that dream you were frantically telling me about?” Twilight asked.

“I think my dreams will be better now. While I was freaking out, Kyuubi came up with a plan to help with that. I gladly went through with it as a way to get my mind off of things,” Naruko said.

“That’s good to hear,” Twilight replied easily. She decided to ask for more details on this plan later. It sounded fascinating to her.

Naruko then blushed and looked to Twilight before looking away again. “What is it?” Twilight asked.

“Well… ummm… Never mind it was selfish,” Naruko said.

“While I find your blush cute, I know it isn’t a never mind kind of deal, Naruko,” Twilight said looking to her marefriend.

Naruko sighed. “Okay… So, I’m worried about tonight anyways. I was thinking maybe. If you didn’t mind. We could sleep together tonight. And I mean really sleep,” she said as she sipped on her hot chocolate.

Twilight smiled to that and grabbed Naruko is a hug. “Of course, we can.” Naruko seemed relieved. Twilight gave a sigh of her own and gave Naruko a sideways glance. “Pity we can’t have some fun before at least,” she said causing Naruko to blush a little. Twilight liked how Naruko was being very cute at the moment.

“Sorry…” Naruko replied.

Twilight chuckled and then said, “I was joking. I’m fine with just sleeping. If it will help you out I’m doubly fine.”

“Thanks,” Naruko replied this time.

The two ponies went to bed after finishing their mugs of hot chocolate. As they lay together in bed, Naruko snuggled in smiling and feeling very warm.

“Hey, Naruko?” Twilight asked.

“Yes?” she replied.

“Have you ever wondered what was going on back in Konoha?” Twilight asked.

Naruko was silent in thought for a moment. “I have sometimes. Not much. I’m still perfectly happy to not look back on that chapter of my life. This stuff with Discord hasn’t helped either.”

“Sorry I brought it up…” Twilight said with a frown at herself.

Naruko gave her a nuzzle. “It’s fine. You’re Twilight. You’re my girlfriend. You get to ask me things like that, even if they aren’t always easy to answer.”

She then ran a hoof across Twilight’s flank. She kind of wanted to get her mind off of Konoha now and had a solution. “Perhaps we can have a little adult pony fun tonight after all,” she said in a mischievous voice. Twilight giggled as the two shared a kiss and let their desires lead them into the night.

Author's Notes:

Hopefully this chapter was okay. Hopefully it wasn't too mushy or awkward.

Konoha Interlude

“And you’re sure about this?” Tsunade asked wishing she could really have a bottle of sake right about now. She appreciated Shizune’s efforts to keep her from going overboard drinking, but this was not an easy discussion. The person she was having it with didn’t make things any easier either. She had been having really mixed feelings regarding them lately. It was confusing and caused her heart to actually feel again in a way. She thought that wouldn’t be possible after losing Dan.

Her visitor gave a sigh. “Unfortunately, it is… I wanted to investigate further, but I decided it best to get out of there with the information instead of going after who I thought I saw. On my way back, I decided to cut all ties with them.”

“But they were your old students…” Tsunade said as she looked the man over. “Jiraiya… I understand if you have a soft spot for them still.”

Jiraiya shook his head. “If they are with Akatsuki… Then they are no longer the precious students I once taught. I can tell something is dangerous about them and I won’t openly attack them, but I won’t hesitate either if… when it comes to that…”

“Jiraiya…” Tsunade said with some concern. She used to try to be callous and cold or at most professionally friendly, but after all the things that have been going on while being the leader. She realized how much loneliness got to you if you stayed that way all the time.

Sarutobi might have thought paperwork was the bane of all existence, but she didn’t. She didn’t like paperwork and absolutely wanted to tear it all to shreds, but she found loneliness to be a bigger bane as Hokage. Perhaps Sarutobi didn’t realize this because he had close friends still around him and even a family of his own. Something she would never have due to her actual age and personal choices after losing her brother and also her Dan.

Tsunade used to choose any option other than growing close to others. Even her niece, Shizune, was still at an arm length’s away. She thought closing off her heart would be for the best, but now she felt different. She’d rather have precious memories with others even if she later lost them than nothing at all.

Maybe it was also how she kind of realized the only reason Jiraiya was still here in front of her was because he chose not to go after his former student wearing Akatsuki colors. She also knew the reason he didn’t make that choice. He was loyal to Konoha and his role was more important than ever now. There was also his unofficial vow to not let himself die until he met his Goddaughter.

The man looked Tsunade in her honey brown colored eyes. “How much trouble would we have saved if the Old Man actually dealt with our… errant… teammate? Or I would have dealt with him the few times I had the chance? I wish it wasn’t this way, but they are with Akatsuki now and that means they are more or less irredeemable. Yahiko probably wouldn’t have hesitated to kill me had I chosen to follow him, but my gut was telling me not to do that.”

Jiraiya gave another sigh. “I wish it was some other way, but if what I heard is even half true, then he is deep and high up in Akatsuki. The others will be with him as well. For better or worse nothing can separate them.”

Tsunade frowned to this. She had long since given up keeping her Hokage persona up when she was alone with Jiraiya. It still kind of hurt seeing even him like this, but that was just how things were. Konoha ninja were still better off in that department than others, but the times were getting to them as well. That was why her old teammate was more serious and less perverted than he used to be, even if he still had his moments.

Jiraiya then gave a small smile and a chuckle. “Besides. You already know I made a pact with myself that I can’t let the Shinigami take me until after I’ve seen my Goddaughter and met her.”

“How can you be so sure she is still alive? We’ve been looking for her and haven’t found any trace of her or the nine tails,” she said.

Jiraiya gave a slight smirk that she had come to find endearing as he said, “That’s how I know she’s still alive somewhere. If she had died, we would have heard something. You weren’t here when Orochimaru invaded during the Chunin exams, but I was. When the container of the one tailed beast died there was no doubt about what happened. So much energy was released as the beast dissipated. I know you heard about that even before I found you and maybe even felt the energy unleashed.”

Tsunade nodded to this.

“It would be at least the same if Naruko died. Perhaps even worse given how potent the Nine tails’ chakra is. She’s out there somewhere. We just don’t know where and can’t find her. She also isn’t really a missing ninja either given she never received her head band,” Jiraiya looked out her office’s window as he smiled. It was hard for anyone else to really understand, but the fact Naruko was out there somewhere he just knew was a good thing and a sign Kami-sama hadn’t fully given up on their world yet. The other Konoha ninjas weren’t so sure, but they didn’t argue with the strongest of the sannin on the point.

Jiraiya then took on a bit of a slightly pervy look obviously not aimed at the subject of their discussion. “I bet she’s a very buxom beauty that causes heart breaks wherever she goes,” he said with a giggle.

Tsunade sighed and glared a little despite how reassuring seeing him like this made her feel. She then said, “She’s your Goddaughter! For heaven’s sake…”

Jiraiya gave an offended huff as he said, “I simply want her to be able to enjoy all of the wonders and pleasures life has to offer if she chooses. I may have used Minato and Kushina as inspiration for my books, but I will not do the same to my Goddaughter…” He grinned and blushed a little as he added jokingly, “Mostly…”

Tsunade just let out a deep breath. She was half tempted to break her desk in response, but that would mean more paperwork. While she felt loneliness was worse than paperwork for Kages, she wasn’t about to anger the paperwork gods. She instead steered the conversation back to more important matters. “Speaking of our errant teammate…” she started and didn’t have to finish.

“He is dead for real this time. Itachi made sure of that so the snake wouldn’t keep possessing his brother. Half of me wishes that happened to the younger Uchiha, but the thought of what Orochimaru could do with those eyes… Is more than enough to feel this is for the best, even if we now have an even more overpowered Emo-chiha to worry about. Who ended up killing his own brother. It at least seems he has no designs for Konoha. Perhaps his belief we were so weak we held him back is actually playing into our favor. I am of course keeping an eye on his movements the best we can,” he said.

The toad sannin then looked to her and said, “I’ve already had people look into every sound village base we can, but it isn’t pretty. Some of them seem to have been abandoned for years. The ones more recently abandoned are little better than decaying mass graves. I’ve already handed over any relevant information we gathered, but it was obvious someone beat us to all of the good stuff. Probably Kabuto. Sasuke would deem anything the snake had as beneath him apart from the snake summoning contract. Which we know he already signed years ago.”

“The only current problem I can see from him is if he joins Akatsuki and tells them Naruko’s been missing from Konoha for years. Even then that just means they will be even less concerned with us which would allow us to keep up our secret war with them,” he said as he sat down again.

“And thanks to you… We know one of their operational bases. I wish we could just attack straight on against Ame, but I know that would be the worst idea of bad ideas,” Tsunade said as Jiraiya chuckled in agreement. “I’ll have some people look into past information of Ame’s movements we have archived. You are having people track their movements, right?”

Jiraiya nodded to that and decided to change the subject. He then asked, “How is your apprentice, Sakura and her teammates doing? Especially… Yakumo?”

“She's recovering. It will still take some time, but Itachi really did a number on her when Team Seven ran into him not too long ago,” she replied.

“I still like the nickname they gave her. Blessed Eye’s Bane. Really has a nice ring to it and fitting considering how much the idiot council loved the Sharingan,” Jiraiya said with a smile.

“It is true. After all, the Sharingan doesn’t breakthrough or properly see through blood line abilities. Given how much they are used to having all Genjutsu useless before them, they don’t fully know how to handle a bloodline that is about Genjutsu. Itachi’s training and experience allowed him to better survive his encounter with her. Even then, his favorite ability became a dangerous double edged sword, since it was affecting him as well. I would even go so far as to say part of the reason Sasuke could win is because Itachi was probably still recovering from the encounter,” Tsunade said a little proud she had decided to let the girl be a kunoichi for Konoha. The girl wanted to be one as a way of atoning for what she did in the past.

Tsunade turned to Jiraiya and said, "Thanks again for placing that controlled limiter seal on her. It has really helped her learn to better use and control her remarkable abilities."

He gave a nod to her silently saying you're welcome.

She then gave a chuckle and sighed as she said, “I’m sure her talents will be even more effective against Sasuke. Itachi didn’t have the full-blown arrogance his younger brother has and that's why he might have caught on.”

“I only wish his arrogance wasn’t so well placed…” Jiraiya said with a huff as she nodded in agreement.

“Sakura and Sai are both doing really well. Sakura has come even further in her training and only has a matter of time before she surpasses me. That girl may not have any special bloodline abilities or a long ninja family heritage, but she has a drive I’ve seen few match,” Tsunade said with another proud smile. She was proud of her pink haired student.

“Sai is still Sai… He has been finding creative ways to let us in on some of Danzo’s plans in advance. We have been able to interfere with some of them when I deem it necessary and the War Hawk isn’t fully aware of our involvement. I’m sure he has theories, but he thinks everyone works like he does or they aren’t at all capable compared to him. I seem to fall into the latter… Which I have used to Konoha’s advantage,” she said to Jiraiya.

“I always thought a huge reason he got away with so much was because Sarutobi-sensei trusted him too much. Anyone willing to let Orochimaru have his way like that isn’t at all trust worthy,” Jiraiya said.

There was a part of him projecting his previous blind spot towards Orochimaru on Sarutobi. He cared for his old sensei, but the man was not without his faults. No one really was without their faults, except maybe Minato. Jiraiya’s favorite student and the Fourth Hokage may have lasted a short term compared to the others, but he only went down in the end while sealing away a full powered and enraged Kyuubi, while on little sleep, given the complications around Kushina’s pregnancy.

The two talked a little longer while Tsunade finished up some more paperwork before it was time she called it a day. She gave a yawn and a mighty stretch, not at all diminishing the view of her assets from Jiraiya’s gaze as she stood up. “Shizune,” she called.

The meek brown haired young woman entered and gave a bow as she asked, “Hokage-sama?”

“I’m calling it a day. I filled out paperwork and sorted out Jiraiya’s reports with a note who should receive which ones. Once you take care of that, you can call it a day as well,” Tsunade said with a smile.

Shizune smiled and bowed as she said, “Thanks, Tsunade-sama.” She then grabbed the papers and moved quickly to leave.

Jiraiya gave a chuckle. “I’ll admit you at least know when to call it a day and not get too far behind on paperwork. Plus, your secretary choice is a lot easier on the eyes than the ones Sarutobi usually picked, especially compared to Iruka.”

“So long as I don’t find out she is the star of one of your books… I’ll take that as a compliment,” Tsunade said with an edge of warning as Jiraiya gave a nervous chuckle.

“It was purely meant as a compliment,” he said hoping to appease her.

She shook her head at him before shifting her position a little and speaking to him again with a different tone of voice. “Say… Jiraiya… How about we go and get a drink to-get-her?” she said maybe blushing a little bit and taking full advantage of the young appearance her jutsu gave her.

Jiraiya could deeply appreciated her look and behavior, but this was Tsunade so his answer to her offer was. “With your drinking habits? I think I’ll pass…” he replied with a friendly smile.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and huffed as she dropped all pretense and said, “I’ll pay for my drinks.” She planned on it from the start honestly. She just really wanted the company tonight. She could understand his hesitance though. She wasn’t exactly the most approachable person and reacted in a less than becoming manner when he was involved many times, even when he later reeled in his perverted habits a bit.

Jiraiya then gave a wide and bright grin as he said, “In that case… Sure! I’d love to get some drinks with you. It could be a lot fun. I just hope I don’t regret the fun come morning.”

Tsunade actually genuinely blushed as she said, “Y-you won’t…” Jiraiya was surprised by this but didn’t press the matter. He instead offered her his arm, which she took, and led the way.

{-} {-} {-}

“Knock. Knock. Yakumo,” A pink haired young woman said with a smile. There was a young man with extremely pale skin and dark hair and eyes standing next to her in the door frame.

“Hey! Sakura. Sai,” a partially bandaged girl with pale skin, brown straight hair and brown eyes said with a smile as she sat up in her bed. Her body wasn’t weak like it used to be thanks to Tsunade’s expertise and the training her teammates gave her, but she still wasn’t as stalwart as her two best friends. She did at least have the advantage of her bloodline ability with Genjutsu. After all of her training, it had indeed really leveled the playing field for her in most situations, if not give her and her team the full blown advantage.

Genjutsu was tough when it was someone really talented using it on their own. It was even tougher in Yakumo's case given her bloodline and special ability. It allowed her to actually make her illusions real. She had learned many ways to use her abilities to trick and do much more against her opponents. She also had a pretty big advantage against Sharingan users since their eyes didn't work properly on bloodline abilities, even if they were still dangerous opponents.

The three of them actually made a really good team together with their abilities and talents. Yakumo also helped Konoha out in many other ways as well when she could. She had been teamed up with all of the other “Konoha Eleven” as they were called on multiple occasions. She still preferred her teammates over the others, even if she was their replacement member. She sometimes thought of herself as that, but Sakura and Sai had both on many occasions assured her she was their true teammate.

“How are you doing?” Sakura asked with some concern in her voice. She knew the staff here were good, she had worked with them plenty, but she also knew she was better than most of them thanks to her training with Tsunade and Shizune.

“Good. I can actually move around a lot now, but I still rest plenty,” Yakumo answered with a smile. She then looked from side to side as she leaned in closer and said, “I’d like it if you would look me over again. I know the medic-nin here are good, but they aren’t you.”

Sakura smiled to that and nodded. “We can start whenever you want,” she replied.

Yakumo looked to her and asked, “Can you start now?”

“Sure,” Sakura answered as her hands started to glow green and she began to run scans on her teammate.

Yakumo then looked to Sai unaffected by Sakura’s scans. You had little choice but to get used to such situations when Sakura was your teammate. “How are you doing, Sai?” she asked.

He gave her a smile which was actually a true smile as he pulled out a picture he drew for her. “I made this for you. I know you like flowers,” he said as he handed it over to her.

Yakumo smiled warmly as she looked at he picture. Both Sakura and Yakumo loved the detail he put into his casual drawings. He often gave them pictures as presents when the occasion required such things as gifts.

He continued to smile as he said, “If you ever are near it and need help push chakra into it and the picture will give you a chance to escape or land a devastating hit.”

Yakumo giggled as she lifted her shirt for Sakura to further examine her. Sakura was always very thorough in her examinations and that inadvertently required a lot of intimacy and a lack of embarrassment around such things. Sometimes clothing only got in the way of her proper medical treatments.

Yakumo blushed a little as Sakura went for her bra and Sai actually blushed some and looked away. “Sakura… I appreciate how thorough you are in examining our teammate, but you do realize I’m a guy, right?” Sai said.

There were still some situations where despite everything embarrassment crept in a little bit.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. “It never bothers you when we are out in the field. I mean you’ve seen Yakumo naked a few times before and she’s seen you in the same way. Hell, you’ve even seen me in an undressed state too,” she said.

Sai didn’t say anything. Yakumo was blushing a little bit too. Sakura was rather blasé when it came to such things at times. It was an unfortunate side effect from all of the times she worked in the hospital and assisted with surgeries or preformed treatments in the field. She was damn good at medical ninjutsu though.

“I see…” Sakura said. She then looked over Yakumo’s clipboard and added some notes to it. The staff weren’t happy about this at times, but they were used to it. Plus, they all knew Sakura was one of their best. Shizune had even commented how the pink haired kunoichi was faster at learning than she was and probably already more or less her equal.

Yakumo was finally able to relax fully clothed as Sakura went on with their conversation acting as if nothing had just happened between her and Yakumo. The brown haired girl was blushing and a little bit flustered because her body was sensitive in certain areas. She at least hadn’t embarrassed herself like she did a couple of years back when she got her first Sakura Field Examination. Much to her horror the girl had an orgasm under Sakura’s intense examination. The pink haired medic-nin hadn’t realized at that time just how sensitive her teammate’s body was in that aspect.

Yakumo giggled and smiled as she looked at the picture again. “Typical, Sai though. Always giving you something beautiful and practical.”

Sai smiled a little brighter and attempted to chuckle… it was still a work in progress… as he said, “Well we are ninja. Why not make everything have a practical use?” The two girls giggled to that and nodded in agreement.

“How are things going with Ino, Sai?” Yakumo then asked.

Sakura chuckled a little as she asked, “Has she realized when you first met her and called her beautiful you were only doing so to not get her angry?”

Sai was smiling as he said, “She grows on you. She really is pretty beautiful in her own way.”

Sakura just smiled. It wasn’t like she was actually jealous her old rival and friend managed to land a lover before her or anything like that. Nope that wasn’t it at all. It wasn’t like Ino got a lover first, even if he was the most awkward human boy she knew. Nope totally not.

Sakura wasn’t unattractive or anything like that. She may not have large breasts, but she knew plenty of people found her attractive. They just weren’t eager to approach her. Tsunade said it was because of her training. Apparently, guys were a little apprehensive in approaching you when you could literally demolish massive boulders with your bare hands or leave craters in the ground with a normal punch. She didn’t understand why. It wasn’t like she would use her full strength on them or anything for no reason.

“Well…” Sakura said her smile strained a little. “That’s good to hear.” She then brightened up a little bit as she asked. “Have you given her a flower drawing yet? Her birthday is coming up and I just know she’d love one of your more impressive casual drawings with flowers.”

Sai was actually writing down a note. Sakura looked to him with a raised eyebrow. “Ohh… Lee-san told me it was always a good idea to take notes on useful information. I categorize information on what your girlfriend wants as such.” He finished the note and said, “Thanks for the idea, Sakura. I will keep that in mind. I was thinking of giving her chocolates at first, but she mentioned something about a diet last time we saw each other yesterday.”

“Glad I could help,” Sakura said. She gave a mental sigh as she thought, “I wish I had a boyfriend wanting to give me gifts for my birthday… Maybe… No… I don’t think I will go there yet… Lee is too much to handle, even for me.” She didn’t hate Lee. She even considered him a good friend and an invaluable comrade, but he was just waaaaayyy too… youthful… for anyone really, except maybe Guy-sensei. It was best not to tread in that direction though, even if Sakura had a thing for BL (Boy's Love).

“He is really strong… And boy does he train… Imagine the body he has…” Sakura shook her head of those thoughts. Why was she even daring to think about such things? Sakura gave an audible sigh.

“Is something wrong, Sakura?” Yakumo asked.

“Nothing… Nothing at all… I’m just realizing I really need to find some time to de-stress and relax,” she said with another sigh.

Sai nodded as he said, “You have been really busy with training and special missions lately on top of hospital duty.”

Sakura sighed again. She was secretly wishing she had a lover to de-stress with at the moment. “I’ll figure something out. Sorry to have worried you two,” she said to them with a smile as they continued their conversation.

{-} {-} {-}

Tsunade was humming as she walked to her office that morning. She was positively glowing if you asked any of the people around her. “Good morning, Shizune!” she greeted in a sing song voice.

“Hokage-sama? You’re here?” Shizune asked in surprise.

Tsunade frowned. “Am I that late?”

Shizune blinked and looked her over carefully. It was Tsunade and not some impostor. “No… The opposite actually… Didn’t you go out drinking with Jiraiya-sama last night?” she asked.

Tsunade smiled as she said, “Yes, I did. I didn’t get too carried away this time. I actually enjoyed his company more than my sake last night and it was really good sake.” She wasn’t going to say it but she did end up in bed with Jiraiya.

It was a lot more mind blowing and enjoyable than she thought it would be when she decided on this action after she asked him to go drink with her. He had been on her mind a lot lately and she finally decided to go all in with him. She wanted to be as close to her teammate and precious person as she could be.

It seemed he had picked up a lot of tricks over his years traveling the many lands of their world. Her lack of such relations might have also played a role as well, but despite that it was completely amazing last night. She even lost control of her jutsu midway thanks to the pleasure she was feeling. Jiraiya seemed to be encouraged by this, even if he loved the way she looked with her jutsu a lot. Tsunade had completely let go of herself during the night. She had no reason to hold back with him.

That morning she even let him get away with grabbing her ass while she actually cooked some breakfast for them both. He in turn mixed up a wonderful non-alcoholic breakfast drink he learned the recipe of during his travels.

Tsunade was now, for the first time in a long while, actually ready for the day and feeling closer to the age her jutsu portrayed her as. She was ready to decimate that mountain of paperwork and show it who was boss. This was a feeling only Naruko’s dad had when it came to being Hokage in the past. It was part of the reason why he was infamous to the paperwork gods for his abilities to finish it all off and still have plenty of time to spare in the day.

As the day went on, Tsunade was surprised how quickly she was able to figure things out even after looking over her decisions. She even looked over a missive regarding a certain old war hawk’s activity and was able to pick out just the right team to handle dealing with them. It would help with Sai’s concerns regarding Root. Sai was now a full Konoha ninja thanks to the friendships he built with his teammates and the others in his age group. He still dealt with Root a lot, but he used that position to help Konoha more than Root.

Sai had met with Tsunade a couple of times and mentioned he was worried Danzo was second guessing his commitment due to the information he shared in his roundabout way with her. He was good at doing this and she was good at making sure it was obvious they weren’t Konoha ninja interfering with Root Operations without it being too obvious. Tsunade also started making some plans for a possible Root base raid in the future if things got too out of control. She would love it if Danzo’s operations were purely for his benefit and would make her decision of taking them out easier, but despite everything he too was focusing on the main issue at hand. Akatsuki.

Tsunade gave a sigh. “If the old War Hawk came out in the open and approached me to explain all of this, I might actually be willing to work with him to a degree…” Danzo was frustrating. She hated his methods, but he got results. She also hated how he did things, but he was also incredibly convenient at times and his Root operations had handled things in a manner that helped Konoha, but kept them clean of any trouble. She didn’t mention this to Jiraiya because he would hate it. The sad truth is he was right to hate it. For every time Danzo actually helped Konoha instead of himself, there was an Orochimaru or a Kabuto he worked with willingly.

Still… his recent mission they gained wind of from a source other than Sai needed to be stopped with no witnesses. Danzo clearly didn’t have the most recent information that she had. Tsunade felt a sense of pride in the way she dealt with things as a result of this. It also showed how good her people were with handling sensitive data and how amazing Jiraiya was as Konoha’s Spy Master.

She still had to figure out this operation’s details and double check who she wished to send on it. Danzo was about to make a move that would cost them a potentially good lead on Akatsuki due to their recently discovered connection with Ame thanks to Jiraiya. It was a “regular” Ame mission going to a place they usually wouldn’t go. Danzo decided Ame was getting full of itself and insulting Konoha through some strange Danzo brand of logic. Tsunade on the other hand saw this as a chance to see their possible movements and knew the mission didn’t in any way insult Konoha with its completion or get in their way.

{-} {-} {-}

Sakura gave a yawn as she woke up later than she usually would. Last night she relaxed and blew off steam by enjoying her favorite “reading” material of choice. She had gotten a little carried away and stayed up later than she should have, but she did manage to make it to her bed before she fell asleep. She was also just more or less on standby, so she did pretty much have the day off.

Looking at the plethora of “reading” material scattered about she had one thought on her mind. “I need to find a different hobby… I think I’m developing a quirk and not the cute and endearing kind of quirk,” she groaned to herself. The last thing she wanted to be was a female version of Kakashi-Sensei. Her literature choice didn’t have deceptively innocuous book binding like his did either. It had taken her and the others a while when they were younger to figure out just what it was he was always reading, even if they knew it had to be bad given his giggles.

She also really hoped he never found out about her love of certain literature. She could just hear him giving her an evil giggling kind of laugh as he said something of the likes, “Welcome to the darkside, Sakura-chan. We have more then just cookies.” He would probably also tease her about her choice of literature just to get back at her for all of the times she gave him a tough time about his orange book.

Sakura gave another yawn and started to clean up her place without even bothering to wear anything apart from the panties she slept in last night. She didn’t want to take the chance of anyone seeing her books. She didn’t want someone to see her in nothing but panties, but that was far less embarrassing than someone finding her collection of Boy’s Love manga and books. Some would probably say it wasn’t too big of a deal someone finding it all. They didn’t have Kakashi-Sensei to worry about and Sai the most awkward boy in all of existence. He was better about his “friendship lessons”, but he might accidentally expose her secret as a means of joking and building a stronger bond.

Recently, Sakura finally moved into her own place. She had a nice apartment with a few rooms and located in a nice part of Konoha. She decided she needed her own place after another incident of her parents being embarrassing in public and overly concerned for her. She loved her parents, but they needed to realize she wasn’t little Sakura still in the academy anymore. “Hell… I’m stronger than they are and a much more successful ninja. I mean they’re retired Genin,” she thought with a sigh. She had been a Chunin a long while now and there were occasionally whispers of her being tapped out as a new Jonin soon. She was already thought of as the second coming of Tsunade for better or worse.

She got the whole parental instinct, but it was clear to her they needed some space. She still visited them often and from what she could tell it was helping with the relationship she had with her parents. There was also the fact she would work long hours and sometimes odd hours at the hospital and was called upon for missions at night sometimes. She didn’t want to accidentally bother her mom and dad when she arrived late at night or had to leave at dark o’ thirty in the morning. Plus, they would have probably discovered her much more expansive than it used to be collection by now. She really didn’t want to have that discussion with them.

Sakura gave a stretch as she felt one of her alarm seals go off. She quickly put on a shirt and pajama pants before opening her window as a tiger masked ANBU entered her room. Her alarm seals weren’t for intruders, at least not the one that went off, it was there to let her know someone wanted her for official business. It would differ depending on if the person was at the door or the window. For some reason, the ANBU loved using her window when they wanted to reach her.

“Yes? What is it?” she asked. It seemed she wasn’t getting to have today completely off, but she was now ready and refreshed.

The ANBU member pointed to his mask and said, “Hokage-sama wishes to speak with you… as soon as you’ve showered.”

Sakura gave herself a sniff and blushed realizing it was obvious she needed a shower after last night. When she looked up the ANBU was gone already, he was at least polite enough to close her window after his exit. She took a shower and grabbed an eagle mask from a very hard to find and overly secured location and made her way to the Hokage’s office. That was what the ANBU meant when he pointed to his own mask.

The mask she had with her was special. She wasn’t really a full on ANBU member, but she was used for special missions so she didn’t have a regular ANBU mask. The one she had looked like an eagle and had a special seal that activated when she wore it. The seal changed the color of her hair to black, since her lovely pink hair was rather iconic and distinctive.

Sakura dived into a safe place and made sure no one was observing her before she placed the mask on. She also, for the sake of further secrecy, used a Genjutsu Yakumo taught her. It sent a Sakura looking projection into the crowded streets of Konoha before disappearing as if melding into the mass of people. Sure, her teammate was much better at it than she was, but that was because of Yakumo’s bloodline and not because Sakura’s lack of skill.

Sakura arrived in Tsunade’s office via window, since she guessed that was the ANBU preferred entrance. She was the third to arrive as she looked over the other two ANBU waiting. “Sorry Hokage-sama, I got here as soon as possible,” she said her voice a variation of her own.

“They barely arrived before you so no worries, Eagle,” Tsunade said as she pointed to the other two.

Sakura knew them both even with their masks. One was a tall man wearing a cat mask with red and blue markings called Tenzo in the past. He went by Yamato when not in the mask and on these missions he preferred Blue Neko. He gave Sakura further training so she could help with the special missions she sometimes went on usually with Sai, while Yakumo worked with others for Konoha.

The other one was extremely familiar to her. He too had black hair and it actually lay rather flat. It was because his usual gravity defying silver hair was just as iconic as Sakura’s pink hair. He wore a dog mask.

“I asked for the three of you because on this mission, you will be facing against Root members. A different but still trustworthy source made me aware of this Root mission. While it otherwise might not be too important to intervene with it, I have come across new and recent information regarding a potential lead to Akatsuki. Danzo’s mission’s success would cause problems. This mission in a way may also help put my usual source on Root at ease and withdraw some of the heat they feel is on them currently. Do you follow so far?” she looked them over and received a nod each.

“On this mission you will be interfering with potential Root ambushes against a team from Ame. The mission they are going on will not matter to us, but we are keeping an eye on their movements. I have recently learned of a potentially strong link between Ame and Akatsuki. We do not know how far deep it goes, but we are keeping an eye on them to figure that information out,” the Fifth Hokage looked to make sure they were still following and continued with the details.

Before she dismissed them, she added one last thing, “Eagle… If things get to draining on this mission send me a message that way.”

Sakura’s eyes looked over her mentor’s shoulder and noticed a small Katsuyu peeking out at her. “Understood, Hokage-sama,” Sakura said as they left. Sakura had signed the slug contract a while ago and passed the test. She wouldn’t be summoning a large slug on the battlefield, because that would be a dead giveaway of who she was. What she could do was summon a part of Katsuyu and use the small slug to almost instantaneously send a message to Tsunade. It was an ability only slug users could use in this way.

{-} {-} {-}

Sakura, Kakashi, and Yamato were approaching the first ambush point. Kakashi was the leader for the mission. They had a wood clone from Yamato and a shadow clone from Kakashi shadowing the Ame team on their mission. This was in case Danzo sent a separate root ninja to actually take out the team apart from using the ambush points. Since it was Danzo, there was little reason not to over think his moves. Sakura was glad she was working with not one but two ex-Root ANBU for this mission. They knew how Danzo moved and Root worked.

Sakura got ready when Kakashi signaled them the group was approaching. There were five of them. She would take on only one at a time if possible. Kakashi and Yamato were more capable than her and had better jutsu for crowd control. The root ninja were tough, but the Konoha team had surprise on their side and that was a huge factor. They were also going for the kill here. They weren’t allowed to leave any alive or take prisoners, even if the latter was very unlikely.

The root team was moving silently and carefully. Kakashi signaled for the start of their attack. Sakura went in first to take on one of the blank masked ANBU with a rather simple attack. “Ambush!” he shouted just as Yamato and Kakashi joined in the fray and cut off his teammates. He then engaged Sakura in a bout of hand to hand to test her first.

It was just what she wanted.

She had learned to use her medical jutsu in a darker way. She had seen what Kabuto was capable of a couple of times first hand. He never really bothered to see her as more than a distraction in those instances and he was a very goal oriented individual. He saw fighting others as straying from the goal and pointless. She was able to learn how effective he was in using medical jutsu in combat though. As much of a perversion it was to fight like this, it was very effective.

Sakura jumped back and seemingly used the basic clone technique. It wasn’t. It was actually a Genjutsu she perfected with Yakumo’s help. It made ‘clones’ that seemed to act regularly right by her side, but it actually distracted her opponent and cloaked her actual movements completely.

As the root ninja seemed to easily defend against her before she used that technique, he said without emotion, “So your mask is just a ruse?” His eyes then widened under his mask just as he felt a couple of cuts on his right arm making it useless as Sakura severed important ligaments and the clones disappeared. “Maybe it isn’t…” he muttered.

He was at a disadvantage, but he could still fight. He proved this by blocking her blade attack with his own blade. He may be right handed, but he was a ninja and had lessened the weakness of his left hand. Still, even he realized he was at a big disadvantage here. He also knew he was on his own. The others were occupied by really skilled ninja that seemed to have knowledge about how Root fought.

Sakura dodged her opponent’s blade attacks, but she had to admit he was very good at it even with the one useless arm. She needed to plan a different attack. She could use a little of her monstrous strength, but not too much of it to draw attention to herself. She could find a way to cut him again in a way that he would mostly ignore. Then she would use a certain technique she learned under Tsunade in a not so delicate manner. She hated perverting her master’s lessons, but this was Root and she needed to do so to keep her cover intact. Plus… “Most of Root is still fully loyal to Danzo and are traitors we are merely tolerate while they're useful,” she told herself as a way to get over her misgivings for the actions she had planned.

Her opponent swung and seemed to hit her. He then heard a thunk sound and noticed he struck a log. He looked around trying to find where she disappeared to in an effort to clearly get some distance. The main problem was she didn’t do so to get distance. He felt her blade strike him a few times and felt her hit some other part of him. He wasn’t sure where that part was, but he still wasn’t too badly hurt. He has some bleeding wounds but nothing more.

He jumped back to get some distance and then froze. It was like his body couldn’t move. “Poison?” he thought as an explanation. That shouldn’t work though… Root knew how to negate poison except for their special “won’t take me alive” poison Danzo gave them all.

He then looked up with wide eyes as the girl placed her hand on him. They were glowing green, but it wasn’t the usual medical way. He then realized what happened. “That hit… You knew how to temporarily disable me. But why?” he spoke because usually ninja liked to brag when they seemingly had the upper hand.

Sakura wasn’t like that though. She always thought bragging useless after she graduated the academy. The Uchiha bastard pretty boy traitor did that and she hated bragging even more since then. She instead concentrated and quickly used a usual lifesaving technique for extracting the worst of poisons, to instead extract her opponent’s blood quickly. A simple “mistake” in the technique was all it took. Her opponent could only watch as his blood sprayed from his wounds and his vision darkened before he died.

Sakura hated using her master’s techniques in such a horrifying manner, but they could be very effective. Sakura jumped back and threw a kunai with a disposal tag on it at her opponent. It might seem like overkill, but this was Root they were fighting. She quickly joined Yamato who seemed to need a little help, even if he had the upper hand. Kakashi was already getting ready to finish off his last opponent.

{-} {-} {-}

When Kakashi joined the fight, it immediately became apparent he was a big threat. He started off with a Giant fireball technique which caused the two Root ninjas to jump out of the way. He then used the momentum of one ninja’s jump to land a solid hit right in the perfect place to forcefully release the special poison each Root ninja had so they wouldn’t be taken alive. It was fast acting and so his first enemy died quickly. Root were seen as disposable tools and so they died instead of being taken prisoner if they could help it. Most ninja would usually be taken prisoner as a way to gather more intel on an enemy and find a way to escape. Root didn’t even value their lives that much.

He next engaged the other Root ninja in blade combat. He would have to make an opening to use any more jutsu this fight. Also, the fact he knew exactly how much power was needed and where to hit to force the usage of that special poison showed how he was familiar with Root and their methods. His next opponent would be on guard.

“You seem familiar with us… Who are you?” the Root member said in a voice with no emotion. It might have seemed intimidating to most, but not Kakashi.

“Oh? Like I should tell you,” Kakashi said as he swung strongly and seemingly missed. Before his opponent could take advantage of the opening, Kakashi kicked him hard and also dropped a dust bomb. It was a simple trick, but sometimes simple was the most effective, especially when you used the opportunity to sink into the ground.

The second root ninja Kakashi attacked looked around with his guard up and tried to sense where his opponent would attack. He didn’t react quick enough to dodge as Kakashi launched from under his very feet fast with an uppercut.

Kakashi also said, “Blue Immolation Jutsu!” just as his lower hand touched his opponent’s chest. The root ninja immediately was encased in blue hot flames as he screamed in pain despite his training. It seemed as if there was only a pile of ash left after the technique finished. Kakashi still used a disposal tag anyways. He then looked up and watched as Yamato and Sakura were about to finish the last root member together. He scanned their surroundings to make sure none of their targets had escaped. He could tell none had.

{-} {-} {-}

Yamato had taken on two Root at once. He was at a huge disadvantage since he wasn’t using his wood release. He never did on these kinds of missions. Those were signature and would give his identity away. It was even more of a concern when fighting Root. Danzo knew about his defection from root, but seldom acted on it because Yamato was still helping Konoha. The old war hawk didn’t want to expose his actions by attacking the wood user directly. It still meant Root knew how to deal with him should the need arise and his fighting against them to kill was such a need.

He vowed to further improve his non-wood release techniques as well once this was over. It wasn’t that he hadn’t done that anyways, but any ninja worth their salt constantly looked for ways to overcome their weaknesses. Fortunately, he wasn’t Root so he had one huge advantage over their enemy. He had teammates who cared about him and not just the mission. It came in handy, because while this first opponent was defeated with a combination of Water Release: Tearing Torrent, which was similar to the fourth’s legendary Rasengan though not as powerful, and a disposal tag attached to a kunai. The second opponent was different.

The other Root ninja was a Lightning and Earth ninjutsu specialist. It was Yamato’s worst type of opponent when he wasn’t using Wood release techniques. He thought about risking using wood release to change it up. He trusted Kakashi-sempai to finish his opponent, but Yamato didn’t find a good opening to do that. He did notice as Sakura joined him though.

The Root ninja barely dodged a well-placed punch from Sakura and got enough distance while using a jutsu on Yamato that she couldn’t counter with a kick. “Two against one… Not good. I must keep going for Danzo-sama,” the root ninja thought.

He knew if the one wearing the dog mask joined he was doomed, but he kept going. It seemed the rumors of Tsunade having a Root killing squad was true. These three knew where to find them and they were strong. Killing just one of them would be a huge advantage for Danzo-sama and that was all a tool such as himself could ask for in his otherwise useless life. He only wished he had developed a sacrifice technique to take them out with him at this point. He hoped they would be too tired after the battle or didn’t know of the other ambush sites at least.

He faced the two opponents. He could tell the one with the cat mask was a bigger threat than the one with the Eagle mask. He would try to take out both, but he was going to focus a little more on the higher priority just as Danzo-sama drilled into all Root members. Higher priority took precedence over all else. He also had no choice but to fight them. There was no way he could escape and continue his mission.

Sakura and Yamato were standing next to each other ready to act. The Root member charged at them. Sakura ran through a series of hand seals. Soon the advancing Root member saw nothing but darkness and Sakura petals floating around him. “Such a low-level technique is useless on me,” he said in that toneless voice most of his kind used. He easily dispelled it.

His eyes widened a little as he heard the cat masked ANBU shout, “Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!” Several mud and rock spears quickly shot up from the ground at him. This would be really bad if he wasn’t able to counter it.

“Lightning Release: Shock Field!” he shouted. Several bolts of lightning shot from him and destroyed the spears. “Useless attack. Someone at your level should know Lightning is strong against Earth.”

“I’m not the one you should be worried about,” Yamato said in a cool voice.

The root ninja looked up just in time to watch as the Eagle masked ANBU threw a punch at him. He moved to minimize the damage it would do. He knew how strong he was and had a hint about how strong she was. He would be safe, even if it sent him back a good bit.

When the hit landed on his chest, there was a resounding and sickening cracking sound. The Root ninja coughed up blood as he felt his inside explode. There was no way someone apart from Tsunade or her apprentice would be that strong, even if it wasn’t as powerful as they were capable of using. As he wheezed his last breath, his mind decided Eagle was somehow in fact Sakura, but she hadn’t been at all fighting like the pink haired medic fought. He died with that last thought.

Yamato placed a disposal tag on the last remaining Root member’s body as it too was burned away leaving no trace apart from some signs of their battle there. Those signs were also easily removed as the trio rested a little bit before moving to their next target zone.

“How are we all doing?” Kakashi asked. “Do we need to send that message?”

“I’m good,” Sakura replied.

“Same here. It isn’t easy having to avoid using my best techniques, but I am good,” Yamato said.

“Mah mah, Tenzo. I mean Blue Neko. Perhaps you need to take Eagle’s initiative and work on a completely different set of attacks and abilities for missions like this,” Kakashi said and was eye smiling even if it couldn’t be seen due to his mask.

“Sempai…” Yamato said with a sigh.

Sakura couldn’t help but giggle a little at the exchange. She then asked, “Is the Ame team good?”

“My shadow clone hasn’t dispelled so it is likely that is the case,” Kakashi said. “Well then! Shall we continue?” he asked.

“Obviously!” Sakura and Yamato said at the same time with a roll of their eyes. The trio disappeared from the clearing as they made their way to the next ambush site.

{-} {-} {-}

They carefully approached the second ambush position. The Root ninja were already there waiting. Kakashi and Yamato noticed they had some kind of alarm set up to tell them when the Ame ninjas were close. The two debated on if they should disable it or not. Sakura got in the final word, “Leave it. That way if it goes off while we are in combat we will at least know the Ame team’s progress on their mission.” It might cause a bit of a scramble, but Kakashi decided they would leave it. He could probably tamper with it so only they would hear, but that might trip it as well.

Sakura gave a light sigh as she saw the group in front of her. It was the same size as the last one. “One day I will rank up to two Root ninjas at once instead of just one,” she thought to herself with a pout. She didn't at all realize how impressive it was she gauged herself on how many Root Ninja, with ANBU level training, she could take on at once.

This time it was Kakashi and Yamato who jumped in first. Once they had their two enemies each, Sakura jumped in to get in the way of the fifth root member so they couldn’t help out the others.

Sakura fought the guy blade to blade and dodged a few jutsu of his to get an idea of what he could do. She quickly came up with a plan. She would use some of her strength and a more well-known technique of her own at a much lower capacity. She figured it would throw the Root ninjas off balance a little bit and might distract them enough to give Kakashi and Yamato an opening. She also knew how to turn it into her advantage if it failed to be a finishing blow.

Little did Sakura know at the time, her opponent was actually the leader of this group of Root ANBU. He also had abilities other Root ninjas wished they had. He was one of Danzo’s most loyal and faithful Root ninja. Danzo saw him as a tool still, but he was a higher value tool than the others. That was why he trusted him to make sure this mission was completed. Had Sakura seen his face. She might have thought more on his Auburn colored short ponytail. She might have even flinched knowing who he was, but that was not the case here.

Sakura fought her target in blade to blade combat with some hand to hand thrown in as well. She was barely able to hold her own, but she was good enough he didn’t get any openings on her. Sakura missed a strike and he landed a hit on her. It hurt and sent her flying back a bit, but she used the momentum to gain a little distance in preparation for her next move.

The Root ANBU she was facing might have given a smirk, but such useless emotions were long since striped away from him. He instead decided, given their situation and his more advanced skill in his clan's techniques, to use one of them on his opponent. This girl’s teammates had their hands full fighting the rest of his team, even if they were holding their own. He would give his squad an advantage, since most Konoha ninja, even the regular ANBU, held on to useless things like bonds.

Sakura’s eyes widened as she recognized the hand seals and heard the ninja say, “Mind Transfer Jutsu!” She couldn’t avoid it. She was too shocked that Danzo dared and managed to gain a Root member from one of the more proponent clans in Konoha. It took no time at all for the technique to hit her.

Fu Yamanaka was much more advanced in this technique than Ino was. He had enough contro he could secure himself and was partially aware of his body’s surroundings unlike how Ino was. Danzo had forced him to improve his usage of the technique to minimize the weakness of it. However, despite his training, there was one thing he was not prepared for and that was Sakura.

“Cha!!!! Again! Kami I hate this!” Sakura thought.

Her inner Sakura wasn’t as different as it once was. She learned after a lot of talk with her friends that Inner Sakura was part of her exceptionally strong will. She then used meditation and some other practices to more or less become one with it, but at the same time her inner self still existed. Ino actually encouraged her to keep her inner self like this. After all, if it kept a Yamanaka from fully controlling her than there was a lot of use it could have. Ino also used Inner Sakura to help her improve her abilities in her family’s jutsu.

Sakura’s pale green eyes narrowed at her opponent in disgust. She hated the idea of a Yamanaka using their abilities like this. Ino had told her she was actually severally punished for using her family’s abilities on a loyal Konoha ninja during their match. It didn’t help that Ino lost the match during that first Chunin exam either. Sakura had taken her training more seriously sooner and so she won their match, even if she didn't actually advance far in the final tournament that year or get promoted.

After it was all over, Sakura actually reached out to her first friend and helped Ino train in any way she could. Ino was extremely happy with this and admitted she thought of Sakura as her best friend even when they were fighting over Sasuke in the academy. Sakura felt stupid at the time knowing she had almost ruined another great friendship because of her foolishness. This all didn’t change the fact that Sakura was an opponent, if not the only one, the Yamanaka abilities didn’t work on as much. This meant that she dispelled the jutsu rather easily despite her opponent’s training.

Fu Yamanaka was stunned by what just happened. He had never had a mind literally fight back and force him to leave like that after a scolding. It was enough of a shock to shake his training to be emotionless.

Fortunately, he was aware enough to dodge as Sakura attacked him from above using a downward punch. His eyes actually widened as he jumped up and witnessed a small crater form beneath the girl he was facing. “She’s strong…” he said. He also wasn’t prepared for her to somehow find away to launch herself upwards.

Fortunately, Fu Yamanaka barely shifted out of the way of her two feet as she rocketed up towards him.

Unfortunately, Sakura counted on this and even planned on it.

As Sakura kept rising into the sky due to the momentum she used to launch herself, she looked at her opponent with cold and disappointed pale green eyes. Fu could even tell she was disappointed in him. He was shocked, but didn’t see what difference it would make in their situation. Then he noticed the sharp blue bladed chakra encasing her hands. He somehow knew it was over because he didn’t know who she was and obviously underestimated her. Danzo had only one former Root member that could fight like this and dared not train another due to how dangerous and powerful such abilities were.

When you were in the air dodging, your options were very limited. Sakura had learned how she could fight in such a way besides the usual jutsu requiring multiple hand signs and hand to hand or weapon to weapon combat. She used her chakra scalpel instead to tremendous effect. Fu Yamanaka did not train in such a manner and he would never have the chance to do so after this, his last fight.

As the disguised pink haired medic continued to move upwards, she used her chakra scalpels to slice a deep cut into an important part of her enemy’s neck on the side. She also managed to slit his throat as well. It was terrible using a medical technique like this and she was sure Tsunade would otherwise hate her for it, but again Sakura couldn’t deny how effective it was. There was little that could defend against such usage of this technique. Luckily, it was really hard to get to the level you could even use it in such a manner. Sakura wasn’t even sure if Shizune-sensei could do so, but she was sure Tsunade could if she wanted. Sakura knew Kabuto did already.

Sakura was glad she kept rising a little longer. She really didn’t want to be covered in an opponent’s blood. Some ninja would find a way to poison their own blood to get back at their attackers. Sakura flipped right before she landed on the ground once she started her descent and went to help out her teammates. Both Kakashi and Yamato were clearly in the upper hand, but they still had one more ambush site to take care of after this. They all needed as much energy as they could keep for that fight.

Yamato and Kakashi easily cleared away their opponents’ bodies to leave no trace after the battle. Sakura on the other hand was actually taking the time to sever her first enemy’s head and preserve it the best she could. Kakashi frowned a little at the sight.

He had to admit he wasn’t the best sensei he should have been for Sakura and Sai, but he still cared for them both. Sakura really concerned him because of how effective she was at killing when she was Eagle and how little she seemed to care about her opponents. He lost one student to darkness and the world might suffer because of his failure. He was not about to lose another one to it as well, especially because he really liked seeing her usually bright pink hair and smile.

“Sakura…” he started in worry. They were on a mission, but they were alone here and it was safe to use her real name. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“As much as can be, yes,” she replied easily as she continued to carefully go about her grisly business with the corpse in front of her.

“I’m only asking because of what you seem to be doing… We aren’t here to collect bounties. We don’t make a habit of dismembering corpses,” he said.

Sakura looked to him with a raised eyebrow. “Root this loyal to Danzo are traitors. You taught me and Sai the only thing worse than trash were those who betrayed their fellow ninja. That is exactly what Root does. They would easily hand over all they could to Danzo, if he merely hinted at wanting them to do so. Sai is just an exception.”

“Yes. This is true… But there are lines we shouldn’t cross,” he said in reply.

Sakura then seemed to realize something and nodded. “I get that. The only reason I am doing this is… Well... see for yourself,” she replied.

Kakashi and Yamato came over with some worry. They really didn’t want to see Sakura fall into darkness. They figured she would be a very terrifying opponent if she did so. Their eyes widened in shock and they both couldn’t help but gasp as she removed the mask from the dead Root member in front of her.

“I recognized the mind body switch technique. I seem to be an exception to it. Ino tried it on me during our first Chunin Exam. I’ve been working with her on it so she can improve it. He used it on me and I immediately recognized it. I figured Tsunade would want solid proof of how far Danzo is willing to go. I know it is gruesome, but I feel it is needed,” she said.

She then gave a sigh. “I really wish Tsunade-sama would do something about him already, even if he is sometimes unwittingly helpful. Ino told me how disappointed her dad, who always treated her like a princess, was when he learned she used her family’s techniques against a fellow loyal Konoha ninja.”

Kakashi and Yamato let out relieved sighs. Kakashi spoke first, “I’m glad that is the case. I hate to admit it, but well… you know how it is… I sometimes worry about you, Sakura-chan. I want you stay as my cute student, even if you grow to be very strong and dangerous.”

Sakura couldn’t help but smile warmly to that. “I plan to, Kakashi-sensei. I want to be strong and dangerous to Konoha’s enemies,” she replied.

Yamato took in a deep breath and let it out as Sakura disposed of the body once she had the head detached and stored in a scroll. “I really wish we didn’t have one more ambush site to look into Kakashi-sempai,” he said. Both Kakashi and Sakura nodded and got up to his words.

“Are you two both ready now?” Kakashi asked.

Both Sakura and Yamato nodded.

“Then let’s get going. Remember! Don’t get sloppy just because our mission seems to be almost finished. We need to keep calm and finish strong,” he said to his teammates. A pep-talk probably wasn’t needed, but it wouldn’t hurt with these two.

The three Konoha Ninja disappeared from the clearing that had only a scent of blood quickly dissipating as proof of their fight left in the area. Right after they left there was an alarm that quickly sounded in the clearing. It was a sign of how far the Ame team got on their mission, but that wasn’t important now. The Root Crush team quickly moved to the next site. They didn’t have to escort anyone so they could move at an acceptable speed.

{-} {-} {-}

Sakura gave a moan and stretched as she took off her mask to breath in the fresh air in the area. She knew it didn’t really affect her physically, but it felt good to let her pink air once again flow freely in the breeze. She also wiped some sweat from her brow. She was already planning to take a nice long soak in Konoha’s Kunoichi Outdoor Spring Bath once she got back home.

The last ambush site was easier than the others. It seemed Danzo planned for his first two teams to defeat the Ame team and take care of the VIP they were escorting. If that didn’t work, then he counted on them to have hurt the ame ninja enough they would be exhausted or at least a man or two down by this point.

They still had to face four Root Ninja, but Kakashi used a Chidori to eliminate one right away. The display of strength did give away his identity. Fortunately, this display actually seemed to shock the Root ninja even with their training. Yamato and Sakura were able to make sure no enemy escaped to send word back to Danzo or instead try to do something else.

The battle was tougher because the trio was tired and the Root Ninja fresh. Yamato and Kakashi both sustained injuries, but Sakura was there to treat them. They were able to recover and waited where they were for a sign the Ame mission was complete.

“You know… I still don’t get why Danzo hasn’t thought to add medic-nin to his group. I’m glad he doesn’t; given how that would make things even worse, but still…” Sakura said as they waited. She undid her vest to enjoy the sensation of the cool breeze in the area.

“Danzo doesn’t care if his agents die. He only cares if they did so in a manner that didn’t expose him. There are a couple of exceptions…Two of them are right here… But he only cares about results,” Yamato said with a hint of anger in his voice. He was usually calm but Root and Danzo got to him because of his past in the group.

“Uhhn…” Kakashi started as he read through another one of his books. Sakura wanted to throw something at him, but she could totally understand why he was doing it. There was a part of her jealous she didn’t think to bring her own reading material, but she didn’t want Kakashi-sensei to get the satisfaction of seeing her engaging in such reading.

“Danzo sees all ninjas as tools and nothing more. He doesn’t want them returning alive if they can help it unless they have important news for him. He thinks ninja should throw their lives away for the sake of their leader and the mission. I also wish Hokage-sama would do something about him. Who knows how many talented ninjas he has wasted because of that philosophy. Sai is a prime example of that. Along with Tenzo here,” he said as he shot his other teammate an affectionate eye-smile.

“Kakashi-sempai… It’s Blue Neko right now… Or Yamato,” Yamato said with a sigh.

Kakashi cheerfully said, “Mah. Mah… Don’t worry about it Tenzo! You will always be my important junior to me.”

Sakura giggled when she noticed Yamato blush to Kakashi’s words and sigh as he shook his head. She really loved the way these two bantered with each other. She always hoped Sai and she would have such a close relationship someday. She hoped she would always be close to Sai and Yakumo. It didn’t matter to her that he was still very awkward when communicating with others apart from her and Yakumo. “And Ino as well…” she said to herself. She couldn't deny, despite how she liked teasing him, the two did get along surprisingly well.

There was a small part of her that she ignored, which wondered if maybe there were more Root members like Sai. She was grateful when Kakashi distracted her from going down that road after all of the lives they had taken today, and the others they had taken in the past. She also knew they would be killing more Root before everything was settled there. Thinking there were more Sais in the group would only make things worse in that regard.

“Oh ho,” Kakashi started suddenly.

Sakura and Yamato looked to him with raised eyebrows.

“It seems Danzo had a last-ditch effort setup we didn’t know about. Luckily, Blue Neko and I took care of it. Danzo had an assassin setup to take out the VIP after he reached their destination. It is a shame really. She was such a hottie. Still, she had to be dealt with in the end. There was also a group of ‘well armed and extra dangerous’ bandits he arranged for to take care of the team and the target. Our Ame team ‘friends’ were more than able to take care of them,” he said with a smile. That last part might not have been the case if the trio's mission wasn't successful.

Kakashi then looked to the others seriously as he added, “It seems this VIP might actually be important to Akatsuki’s plans. The team assigned to that mission were on hold for a good while. There were very important missions that came Ame’s way recently, but this team was still put on hold despite being very capable and highly sought after by those in the know with Ame. The team wasn’t high profile,” Kakashi said as he looked off into the distance.

“However… They were highly skilled. Skilled enough they might have been able to fight off one of the Root ambush squads at the very least,” he said gravely.

“Did they recognize us?” Yamato asked.

“Nope… Or at least it seems that way. I’m pretty sure they didn’t though. My shadow clone approached them in a very well-done disguise and they just ignored it. Your wood clone and my shadow clone engaged the last assassin before it could attack and we won, even if it was a close call,” Kakashi said.

“My clone dispelled after making sure it was all clear. I’ll give Hokage-sama a full report on the Ame ninjas’ abilities that I was able to garner when we get back. I’m still glad we didn’t have to go with contingency 12 for this mission,” he said with that eye-smile of his. Sakura couldn’t see it, but she knew it was there.

“You mean the one where we would have taken the Ame Ninjas’ places to finish the mission for them?” Sakura asked. There was a huge chance that option would have given up their identities, even if it was just that they were Konoha Ninja.

The last thing any of them wanted was another Akatsuki attack as a result of learning Konoha was keeping an eye on Ame more than usual. The last time Akatsuki attacked them it was just two members and completely by happenstance, but it had dealt a blow to them anyways. Sakura really didn’t want that to happen again… Ever…

She saw how badly it tore at Ino, Shikamaru and Choji. It also really hurt Hinata, Shino, and Kiba as well. Two good ninjas were lost that day, even if Kurenai’s death was due to really bad luck while on medical leave for her pregnancy.

{-} {-} {-}

“And that is all for your report?” Tsunade asked her three ninjas standing in front of her.

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” Kakashi answered cheerfully.

“Thank you for all of the information. Do either of you two have anything to add?” she asked looking to both Cat and Eagle.

The two looked to each other and cat nodded to Eagle. It seemed Sakura was nervous about something.

Sakura sighed and looked around the office. Tsunade used an extra security seal just added by Jiraiya not too long ago. Sakura then took off her mask as a way to unnecessarily highlight the importance of her next actions.

The pink haired medic-nin put a scroll on the desk in front of Tsunade. She then opened it and Tsunade gasped at what was there. She even put up an extra privacy barrier that wasn’t needed just to be extra safe.

“I faced him when we attacked the second ambush team… I don’t think I need to say how massive of a revelation this is,” Sakura said in all seriousness.

Tsunade recognized the head in front of her. If Danzo managed to sink his poisonous claws into this man, then who knew what else the old War Hawk had up his sleeve. She narrowed her eyes. She would have a lot of questions for Inoichi before she let him have the remains. “It seems I really will have to deal with Danzo sooner than I wanted. I wish the old man would work with us instead of on his own,” she thought to herself. Sadly, she knew he wasn’t about to do that.

Danzo thought he should be the one running Konoha. Sarutobi-sensei wasn’t any help there at all really. Tsunade’s old instructor had yet another blind spot when it came to his old teammates and his old rival. Tsunade was wondering how it was her sensei had developed such blind spots after everything, but she didn’t want to bother him with such matters. Sarutobi-sensei was old and deserved the rest he was now enjoying in his retirement. It would be up to her and Jiraiya to deal with Danzo and it would take time. She hoped Sai would be helpful along with their other sources, but it would be a difficult time ahead of them.

Tsunade looked to her apprentice and nodded to her. “Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I will make dealing with such things more of a priority.”

She then looked to the others and smiled. “Congratulations on completing an S-Rank mission. The pay will be delivered as you have specified. Take the next few days off to recover,” she said as they saluted and were dismissed.

“Now what to do about an old War Hawk that needs to be retired permanently?” she thought in her head.

She then turned on her intercom and asked, “Could you please have Jiraiya come visit me in my office at his earliest convenience?”

“Yes! Hokage-sama!” Shizune said in response with a much more chipper voice than needed. She then heard her lovely first apprentice hum something.

“What is it?” Tsunade asked.

“Ahhh!! Sorry… I was just thinking it was good you were moving on finally. I loved my uncle Dan and I know he loved you as deeply as possible. Uncle Dan would want you to move on and be happy though,” Shizune said.

Tsunade sniffed. Why did her niece have to bring that up at this moment? She sighed. “Just… Just send the message…” she said in reply.

“Yes! Hokage-sama!” Shizune replied happily and Tsunade felt a little happier inside oddly enough.

“Focus… We have some things to plan and think about… Figuring out how to deal with Danzo is the priority!” Tsunade told herself as she waited. Things were going to get more complicated and days feel even longer. She was glad she was letting Jiraiya in her heart more. She had a feeling they would all need as much support as they could get in the coming days, weeks and months.

Author's Notes:

Hopefully this will work as a bit of a Konoha update chapter. There have been a few people asking me how things were going in Konoha without Naruko and had been thinking on doing another Konoha chapter lately. Hopefully this helps a little bit there. Some things may seem better, but you have to realize timeline wise we are close to the end of what would have been Shippuden.

Things have been delayed here. But we are still technically towards the end of Shippuden timeline wise. Naruko is about to turn 17 in Equestria and the “Fourth Shinobi War” hasn’t even started over on Konoha in this story. Akatsuki’s plans have been delayed and the other ninja villages are still busy keeping their Jinchuriki closer than they did in canon and aren’t at all willing to work together as they vie for the title of “Strongest Shinobi Village”.

Jiraiya may still be alive, but he is not as much of the happy pervy sage he was in canon as a result of things. Sakura isn't as optimistic either compared to canon. Sasuke is much more arrogant because Naruko wasn't there to keep surprising him and showing he isn't as amazing as everyone else told him he was. Sarutobi is still alive, but Sand and Konoha aren't anywhere near as close as they were in canon either. Garaa has sadly been dead for a long while. Naruko/Naruto also isn't there to bring together people from across the ninja villages as much as they would have been by this point in canon.

"Friendly" Fall Competition

“I haven’t missed anything, have I?” Twilight asked as she greeted her friends sitting on a set of makeshift stands Rarity made as magic practice. They were very nicely constructed and extremely comfy despite being stands.

Rarity had felt a little left behind when it came to magic as a unicorn lately. It made sense in a way given the two unicorns she was closest to outside her family were Twilight and Naruko. It didn’t matter they tried to point out how absurd it was rating herself to them considering who they were, or how she was extremely good at magic control. After Discord and everything, she still felt it necessary for her, an element, to improve herself in many ways including her magic.

“By the way these are really nicely done, Rarity,” Twilight said as she sat down comfortably.

Rarity smiled at the praise and answered Twilight’s question. “They haven’t started yet. They have been bragging to one another, but that is all.”

Twilight nodded to Rarity in thanks as she looked around the area. They had a score board and everything. It was a bit excessive in her opinion. This whole thing started just because Rainbow lost a game of horseshoes and couldn’t just lose a game played just for fun gracefully.

“What’s Cloud Kicker doing here? I didn’t know they told any others,” Twilight said as she looked towards the scoreboard.

“Ohhhh. She’s score keeper. I was going to be score keeper, but I kind of wanted to watch with everypony,” Fluttershy said with a soft smile.

“Big Mac and Sweetie Belle are judges. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo wanted to be judges as well, but as you can see…” Rarity said pointing to the two fillies sitting at opposite ends of the stands. “That isn’t the case. They were both too biased. Apple Bloom for AJ and Scootaloo for Rainbow Dash. Everypony knows Big Mac is reliable and will be a fair judge, so they don’t have a problem with him judging.”

“Sooo… Where is Naruko?!” Pinkie asked.

“Oh! She wanted to come, but she got a foal sitting job and she really likes doing that and wanted to help out the parents. I’m going to tell her all about this tonight when she gets back home,” Twilight said giving a smile.

“Suuuuure you are. Try not to get toooo distracted by Naruko when you do,” Pinkie said with a giggle causing Twilight to blush.

Rarity then cleared her throat to draw their attention. “Look! They're getting ready for the first event!” she said much more enthusiastic than she really was. She did not want to hear about love and romance and all of that stuff at the moment. It absolutely, without a doubt, wasn’t because she was even a slight bit jealous of her fellow unicorn friends finding love or anything like that. That's what she told herself at least.

The first match was a Barrel Weave competition. They would take turns running through a set of barrels weaving between them. There was a four second penalty for every barrel you hit while running. The fastest time won. Applejack went first and she was fast. Rainbow went second and she was also fast.

“You know… I would have thought AJ had that one in the bag. I mean she does all of that Pony Rodeo training,” Twilight said.

“Rainbow is really fast at running too though,” Fluttershy said in defense of her fellow pegasus friend.

“True. But AJ lost because of a penalty. I just didn’t think she would get a penalty is all,” Twilight said and Fluttershy nodded to that in agreement.

Next up was a Bucking Contest and not in the sense of a crude word used to describe a couple’s moment of deep intimacy. It didn’t matter that Twilight’s mind drifted to that connotation.

“That was further apart than I thought it would be…” Fluttershy said with a half frown. AJ managed to blast the bell so hard it went flying.

“Makes sense to me, Darling. While both may buck a good bit due to their occupations. It does take more strength to apple buck than to cloud buck,” Rarity said as Fluttershy hummed in thought before nodding.

Twilight was blushing deeply as she said, “Does no pony else see how easily that word can be misconstrued? Seriously?!” Her friends blinked at her for a moment.

It was surprisingly Fluttershy who understood her first. “Eep!” she said as she blushed and cutely hid her face with her forehooves.

“Ohhhhh!! I get it!” Pinkie said before laughing with her back on the stands where she was sitting.

“A-a-anyways…” Rarity started as she tried her best to look composed despite her reddening cheeks. “Next their doing a Bronco Buck contest…” Her blush deepened. “That really doesn’t help. Does it?”

Fluttershy blushed more and now used both her wings and forehooves to hide her face. Pinkie paused in her laughter for a moment before laughing even more.

Twilight looked concerned. “I really hope Spike will be okay!” she said, the worry in her voice apparent.

Pinkie paused in her laughter again only to then laugh even more. “If it is good enough of a bucking… I’m sure he’ll be very happy!” she couldn’t help but say.

Twilight ignored her.

Fluttershy made a rather strange sound.

Rarity could only blink several times in astonishment before shaking her head.

When Spike was bucked off each of the two ponies, Twilight made sure to use her magic to bring him down safely. She felt relieved after Rainbow’s turn.

“For the next competition!” Sweetie Belle shouted for the now larger crowd of gathered ponies to hear. “They will be lassoing Spike!”

“I don’t remember volunteering for this…” Spike muttered with a frown.

“The first to lasso him wins!” Sweetie said just as Big Mac placed a helmet with horns on top Spike’s head. He also said something quickly to Spike that got the baby dragon to smile and go along with it.

Applejack won by hogtying his arms and legs quickly. This caused him to fall to the ground in a storm of dust with an “Oof” sound.

Rainbow somehow managed to hogtie herself to a nearby tree branch.

Twilight quickly teleported next to Spike, untied him and brushed him off before putting him on her back and teleporting back to the stands. If they needed anymore volunteers for something, they would just have to bully somepony else into it as far as she was concerned. She sat down with Spike comfortably and protectively in her forehooves to continue watching. He was oddly enough perfectly fine with this.

“Haah… Geez…” Twilight sighed with a frowny pout. “I’m surprised the two of them aren’t long lost siblings or something with the way they get carried away with their bickering and fighting at times…”

Rarity seemed to be in thought before she quietly said, “I guess I can kind of see it? Sweetie Belle and I may have our… moments, but we could never get that bad.”

Pinkie was silently in thought.

“That’s because you and Sweetie Belle are rather far apart age wise. You also usually have a certain air of maturity Rainbow and AJ lose all forms of when they let their tempers get the best of them,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy gave a shudder and let out a little sound in response to Twilight’s earlier words. “I can understand it… I am not looking forward to the next time I visit my family in Cloudsdale. My brother, Zephyr Breeze, always got on my nerves. I can only imagine how it will be now for me.”

“You have a brother?!” Pinkie asked with wide eyes. Fluttershy nodded.

“What’s he like? Oooooo is he like a stallion version of you? Is he like super popular?! Is he like the coolest pony ever?! Wait! I’m pretty sure if that was the case you wouldn’t get upset with him. Come on! Tell us Already!” Pinkie said eager to learn more about her friend.

Fluttershy blinked a little in surprise. She wasn’t used to ponies taking that much interest in her family or anything really. Both Twilight and Rarity were seemingly very interested as well. Spike was completely taken with watching the competition between Rainbow and AJ.

“Well… ummm… He is very annoying… and kind of a jerk… He is really full of himself and takes advantage of my parents’ meekness,” she said with a frown. “I mean he is my brother and I care about him… I guess… but he really gets to me.”

“What are your parents like?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy blushed a little as she looked to the side not meeting any of her friends’ eyes. “Ummm… Even before I grew more assertive and courageous, I was still more so than they are. He just easily takes advantage of them without a second though.”

She then gave a huff. “He is so full of himself… He thinks he is the best at everything, but he isn’t. He could be better at things, but he always gets bored with everything and claims he is too advanced and experienced to get anything from classes! I really really dislike it!” Her voice was rising, even if it still wasn’t loud enough to disturb the now many other ponies watching the AJ and Rainbow competition. The two were hoof wrestling now.

“He also has the audacity! The audacity! To think Rainbow Dash is obsessed with him!” Fluttershy said in loud enough of a voice that Rainbow heard her. The rainbow maned pegasus got angry hearing that and thinking of Zephyr. She gritted her teeth and slammed AJ’s hoof down causing the earth pony to be deeply shocked and also fall to the ground.

“Oooh… Ummm… sorry,” Fluttershy said a lot quieter in apology to everypony. The other ponies watching the event didn’t even really register her remarks earlier. They were too busy watching one of the best sports’ events Ponyville had seen in a long while yet.

“Wow…” Pinkie started. “I guess I am extra thankful for my sisters then. I mean Maud is only the bestest, coolest, smartest, most fun Earth Pony ever! She is working on her Rocktorate. But even Limestone isn’t that bad. She is a little mean, but it is understandable. She’s under a lot of stress with taking over the family Rock Farm. Still though… wow…”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Fluttershy. I guess I’m lucky. I never got that bad with Shining even when we were younger and he loved picking on me,” Twilight said with a frown as she placed a comforting hoof on her pegasus friend.

Rarity made a mental note to take Sweetie Belle out after this competition to spend some time with her and to reward her for being such good and fair judge in the contest as well as a good little sister. Rarity frowned in thought as she mentally wished to find a way to get closer to her little sister without it endangering her career. Sweetie was wonderful, but also very much a klutz at times.

In an effort to distract herself from feeling guilty about the lack of time she made for her little sister, Rarity turned to Pinkie. “I didn’t know you had two sisters,” she said.

Pinkie smiled as she said, “Three! Actually. Limestone is the oldest. Then it’s Maud. And then there is Marble. She’s the youngest of us. Limestone and Marble still live with my parents and work the rock farm. Marble is actually very shy and doesn’t really speak much. But she is still a lovable sister!”

The group of friends might have kept talking, but Spike interrupted them. “Wow!! Rainbow’s actually taking a commanding lead now!” Some ponies might think the group was bonkers for not watching the whole contest, but they were just used to competitions between the two. It was a rather common occurrence for them all. They were interested after hearing Spike’s words though.

“Ohhh… huh…” Twilight said in thought as she watched what they were currently doing. It was some contest for moving a group of chicks across a mud pit. It seemed the one to have the cleanest and most chicks in the shortest time at the end won.

All eight were on Rainbow Dash. AJ seemed really angry about the turn of events. It made sense when you saw the score was currently 12 – 5 and it was obvious Dash would win this round as well.

Rainbow reached the end of the mud pit smiling brightly with all eight chicks happily chirping on her back and only two had a very slight amount of mud on them. Twilight was actually impressed with her. Rainbow Dash took a very creative and ingenious approach to the contest. She used her wings to block mud from getting on the chicks. It was rather obvious AJ’s assigned chicks decided to get a lift with Rainbow instead.

AJ frowned deeply at Rainbow, but she didn’t say anything at the moment.

The two judges were in a bit of a discussion about the rules of this little contest. It was Sweetie Belle who spoke up yet again. “Due to the nature of scoring for this stage of the competition… We, the judges, have decided to award Rainbow Dash not one point, but two! She carried two teams of chicks across the pit at one time and didn’t lose a single one.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow shouted in glee as two points were added to the scoreboard by her name.

“Grrr… We ain’t done yet!” AJ growled as she got ready for the last event. It was Tug of War. A classic. If she won that, which she believed she could, she could say for sure she is the better pony and call out Rainbow on her cheating with those goddang wings.

The two were each at a different end of a long rope. There was a flag in the middle to use in case the time limit completed without a pony in the mud. AJ was sure she had this one in the bag. Rainbow wasn’t weak by far, but she wasn’t an Apple or an earth pony.

Rainbow was actually a little nervous for this last event. She wasn’t sure she could stand up against AJ’s full strength.

“Ready?! Goooo!” Sweetie shouted. She was really enjoying being a judge in this competition. It was so much fun!

The two ponies started tugging. Rainbow did with all of her might. AJ wasn’t at full strength yet. She was planning on getting inside Rainbow’s head a little. AJ was luring the pegasus into a false sense of security by being a little slack in her pulling. It was working.

Rainbow couldn’t believe it! AJ was trying her best she was sure, but Rainbow was the one winning. The rope’s flag was slowly making it’s way towards her end of the mud pit. AJ looked like she was really struggling. “I guess she tired herself out from everything else? I don’t blame her. This has been really tough. If it wasn’t for my wings I would have lost already. Wait… My wings!” she thought to herself with excitement. Rainbow gave a mischievous grin. She knew how to win this competition with ease.

“Ah’ll admit she is strong, especially for a pegaus. But ah’m gonna win. Look at her getting all cocky and such. It is time to take this here competition up a notch!” AJ thought as she saw Rainbow’s grin and she got ready to make her move.

“What tha?! Horse apples!!!!” AJ shouted suddenly.

Rainbow got a tight grip on the rope and shot up into the sky a little bit. AJ screamed out loud in response. The blue pegasus grinned. She then actually felt a little a bad as she saw AJ’s shock and unease at the maneuver. The blonde farm pony’s eyes were wide in horror as her legs kicked about everywhere in panic. Rainbow was thinking maybe she went too far here, but that didn’t stop her wings from unintentionally raising them both a little higher into the air.

AJ wanted to scream out at the surprise and shock she felt. She really didn’t like going airborne without her consent like this! She kicked her legs about trying to find the ground to no avail. Rainbow raised up even higher. “Hay no! That cheater ain’t playing fair at all! Ah could get hurt if I fell from up too much higher!” AJ thought in panic. She let go before it got too much worse. She fell into the mud.

The crowd watching was actually a little shocked and silent at the ending to the competition. They breathed a sigh of relief when AJ got up and seemed to only be angry and not actually hurt. They cheered at the end to a very amazing and entertaining sports competition! Cloud Kicker added the last point to Rainbow’s name on the scoreboard. The ponies watching quickly left as they commented on how amazing it was now that it was over.

Rainbow landed on the ground and scuffed a hoof on the grass below her. She figured she should apologize for getting too carried away there at the end. She still couldn’t help but laugh in both relief and humor when she saw her farm pony friend covered in mud and looking a little angry at losing but no worse for wear.

“I won,” Rainbow said. She then gave a nervous giggle, though it didn’t sound that way as she said, “It was all in fun and games though. You did do pretty well, AJ.” She even tried to give a friendly smile.

AJ wasn’t in a good mood though and took Rainbow’s actions as mocking her.

“Ya’ll were cheating tha whole time once ya used them goddamn wings!” AJ said louder than she meant to say.

Rainbow was offended by this and gave an indignant scoff at AJ’s words. She hated it when ponies called her a cheater. She never cheated. She might read into what was left unsaid in the rules at times, like she did here, but that wasn’t cheating. She was also going to apologize for what she did and even think about calling it a draw in the end, but that wasn’t the case now after being accused of cheating by one of her friends.

“I didn’t cheat at all! You never said I couldn’t use my wings! I didn’t even use them until the end! I could have used them earlier, but I didn’t. You just don’t like it that you lost,” she said. Rainbow was angry and she wasn’t going to back down. It might have hurt her a little seeing AJ like this. She also didn’t like seeing their friends coming over to them as their smiles changed to looks of concern as they approached and heard the argument.

“Ah didn’t think I would havta tell ya about decent pony manners!” AJ said with a stomp of her hoof.

Rainbow was even more offended now and snorted steam from her nostrils. She wasn’t some etiquette queen like Rarity, but she wasn’t that bad! “All I’m hearing is blah blah blah… I lost but I’m claiming you cheated cause I’m a sore loser!” she said.

AJ growled at her. “How about we settle this proper like, then!” she started.

Rainbow blinked and some of her reason returned to her. She decided to hear her friend out. She didn’t want go even further and really damage their friendship. Sure, AJ was mad and wrong to be mad at her, but if she cooperated then they could make up with each other later. She might even dare to do all that mushy stuff that she hated.

“How?” Rainbow asked.

Apple Jack was taken a little aback and blinked a little. She mentally admitted maybe she was getting a little heated, but she couldn’t just let this stand. “The Running of the Leaves is tomorrow. Whoever wins that is the winner no matter what,” she said. AJ could easily make sure they were even and no pony with wings cheated for that race. If she lost, she could graciously lose in that case.

“Fine! We’ll call this a draw despite everything and settle it tomorrow fair and square!” Rainbow said as she pointed a hoof at AJ while she hovered a little above the ground. She could put up with that. She also was more agreeable because she remembered seeing her friend’s look when she was suddenly airborne without warning during Tug of War and felt a little guilty.

“Fine then,” AJ said. Her voice wasn’t at all hostile at this point. She then gave Rainbow a determined look and said, “I won’t go easy on ya.”

“Hmph!” Rainbow started before she grinned and said, “Wouldn’t want it any other way.” The two then shook each other’s hoof in agreement and the other friends all sighed in relief at the scene.

{-} {-} {-}

“Thanks again for agreeing to this, Naruko. It really surprised me you did. I figured you would be busy with the Ever-Free Patrol and all of that, but there was still a little hope,” a mare with a pinto coat said with a smile as she carried a couple of saddle bags of groceries.

“No problem. We have new recruits who are testing to join, but Derpy is taking point on that so I have some extra time. I did just get cleared for working again by my boss and figured I could do something a little different. I also really missed the little guy,” Naruko replied with a smile as she walked with the mare who she met on the way to her job.

She was foal sitting Pipsqueak again. She wanted to do a job she considered more fun than just paperwork as she eased herself back into working again. “Plus,” she started with a smile. “He still goes on about how he is a big fan of Princess Luna. I don’t mind looking after a fan of my boss.”

The other mare gave a chuckle to that. It was kind of funny hearing somepony calling the lunar princess simply boss. “We really appreciate it. My husband and I are both really busy with late meetings at work tonight. We were allowed a short break first to take care of some things at home, but we should be busy into the night sadly. One of those times of the year things, you know,” she said with a smile as she opened the door to her home.

Naruko was immediately assaulted with a tight hug around one of her forelegs. “Lady Naruko! You really are here again,” Pipsqueak said with a wide grin.

His mother chuckled as she said, “As you can see he is really excited. So, excited he doesn’t even greet his mom with a hello.”

Pipsqueak gave a nervous laugh as he said, “Well you are going to just be leaving again shortly. I was saving up my welcome backs and all of that for when you get back tonight!”

The mother chuckled to that. “I’m not so sure I want you staying up that late tonight,” she said after giving her colt a smile.

“Then I’ll just save them for the morning!” he said with certainty.

“Did you do your homework and practice already, Pipsqueak?” she asked him after ruffling his mane a little.

He nodded and pointed to the kitchen table where his dad was checking over it to make sure he didn’t miss anything. The stallion looked up with a smile and waved as he said, “Hello again, Naruko!” The blonde unicorn returned his greeting.

“Good,” Pipsqueak’s mother said to him after his dad confirmed he was looking over it all.

“I also straightened my room and did my chores!” he said with a big grin. He didn’t want anything to get in the way of fun with the coolest foal sitter ever! “Seriously! Who else gets to say the Grand Captain foal sits for them and wouldn’t be lying?” he thought as his grin grew.

“So, what are we going to be doing today then? Another sea faring adventure!” Naruko asked with a smile as she got down to his level.

“Aye Matey!” he replied as he ran upstairs to get what he needed for playing pirates.

“No running up the stairs! Be careful, Pirate Captain or not!” his mother called after him.

She received a “Got it!” in reply before he later ran back down stairs.

His mother gave a sigh as his father chuckled. He then placed Pipsqueak’s work down on the table and helped his wife with putting away groceries. “He finished everything,” he told her.

Pipsqueak tugged on Naruko to follow him into the living room area. He had decided it was the pirate store where they would get the map for their next adventure and plan it. He also knew his parents would be leaving soon and wanted to see them off before they really got down to pirate business.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko hummed happily to herself as she stroked the mane of a sleeping Pipsqueak. She really did like children when they weren’t being too much trouble. She could tell how strong the love of this family was. She thought about her own family. She really wished she could have lived with her parents. She was going to make sure to visit them a lot in her mindscape though. She wanted to experience family as properly as she could.

Foal sitting for Pipsqueak was a lot less stressful now for her. She still worried a little when he cried out because of small pains, but he stopped pretty quickly and he wasn’t as bad as he was at first. Today they played pirates again, even if they were more of a strange mix between pirates and what she guessed was Pipsqueak’s thoughts on what it was like in the Ever-Free Patrol.

He had a much different idea about what pirates were like from what she knew in real life back in Konoha. She guessed it was a mix of childhood innocence and how things were always seemingly much better in Equestria compared to back there, even at their worst. She gave a chuckle as she thought back over the day. Pipsqueak had proudly announced he was going to be an awesome and friendly pirate for Nightmare Night this year.

“Nightmare Night huh?” she thought out loud. It was a pony tradition she really loved, but she felt a little odd about it now.

Princess Luna was her boss. Princess Luna was both Nightmare Moon and not Nightmare Moon as well. She wondered if things would be different this year for the holiday now that ponies knew of Princess Luna. Maybe they would keep going with the fun and old tradition because it was fun and old. Maybe other ponies had decided Nightmare Moon was different from Princess Luna or something. Naruko was kind of looking forward to the holiday anyways to see what it would be like.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko heard the door to the house open after the lock clicked. She smiled as she knew who it was. “Welcome back,” she greeted softly.

Both of Pipsqueak’s parents sighed in unison as they entered. Their meeting went well enough and it wasn’t as late as they feared, but it was still a very draining day.

“Thanks again, Naruko,” Pipsqueak’s mom said with a tired smile. Her smile grew a little livelier as she saw Pipsqueak sleeping peacefully on Naruko’s lap. It was clear the little guy played himself out already. “Will you wait here a little bit?” the mother asked. Naruko nodded in reply. The two pony parents took their son upstairs to tuck him in for the night.

When they came back down, the father spoke first. “I want to thank you for being able to look after him on such short notice.”

Naruko grinned brightly as she said, “No worries! I really like the little guy. He’s a lot of fun to watch over and not too much trouble.”

“How did things go?” the mother asked as she entered the kitchen to get a couple of drinks.

“Pretty good. He got a little scrape or two, but it wasn’t too bad and I treated them. He didn’t even cry too much. Children really are surprising like that I guess,” she said.

The parents laughed fondly to that. “He really is,” the father said as he wrote out the check for Naruko’s payment. “I love him as he is, but there is a part of me that can’t wait to see the stallion he grows into. I also can’t wait to take him out for father and son bonding trips.”

“It will be nice to have those days to myself around the house and Ponyville,” the mother said with a chuckle.

“Oh yeah… He’s kind of decided he wants to be a pirate for Nightmare Night this year,” Naruko said.

The parents chuckled again. “He decided that a while ago and hasn’t changed his mind. Given how much he loves playing pirates I’m not surprised,” the dad said.

“Speaking of which…” the mother started earning a curious look from Naruko. “We were wondering if you would be able to watch over him that night… That’s only if you don’t have something else planned already.”

Naruko hummed in thought. She had some plans, but they were plans for late in the night. “It won’t be too late will it?” she asked.

The mother seemed relieved, but the father wasn’t celebrating yet. He shook his head, “Not too late. We were thinking at latest about this time again. We would drop him off a little before night. We know it is a bit selfish, but there is this party we wanted to attend that night. It is really hard to keep the love on fire when you have kids you know. We wanted a little break where we could be young again in a way at least.”

Naruko chuckled to that. “I can understand in a way. I get it. I can do that. Twilight and I wanted to spend some time looking around Ponyville that night together, but we can do that with him anyways. If you don’t mind,” she said.

The parents chuckled to this. “The two strongest and most gifted unicorns we know watching over our boy together? We would be too much of worrywarts if that wasn’t really enough. You don’t think she will mind, do you?” the dad asked. He didn’t want their selfish desire to interfere with Naruko’s plans.

“It will be okay. We’ll have the later parts of the night together alone so no worries there,” she started. She then blushed a little as she added, “We in some ways both let our inner fillies out on Nightmare Night anyways. So, I think things will be perfectly fine!” Naruko smiled fondly at her previous memories of Nightmare Night with Twilight.

When Naruko first heard about the holiday, she was really excited about it. When her first Nightmare Night actually came she was nervous she might make a fool of herself for being too childish and excited. It was only a couple of minutes into that first time the two of them forgot all pretense and pressure to act like “grown-up” ponies and they just enjoyed the holiday to the fullest without a care.

“Good to hear!” the mother sighed with relief. She really wanted to be with her husband that night as a mare and a stallion instead of as a mom and dad. Hearing Naruko agreed to watch Pipsqueak that night and actually seemed happy about it, was a huge relief and bonus. Her husband was satisfied with it as well. “We’ll tell Pipsqueak later and work out the details with you before then,” she said.

“I look forward to it,” Naruko answered before taking the check and smiling in thanks to the couple as she left to go back home. It wasn’t too late in the night so Twilight should still be up and about. She really wanted to hear all about the AJ and RD Iron Pony Competition in full detail.

{-} {-} {-}

“So, after all of that… They called it a draw and decided the Running of the Leaves would be where they decided who was the best,” Twilight finished explaining to Naruko as the two sipped tea together and Naruko chuckled.

“That really does sound like the AJ and Rainbow thing to do. I’m surprised it seemed to get so tense there for a moment,” Naruko said in thought.

“We were as well. The rest of us decided to keep an eye on them just to be sure they will be okay after tomorrow,” Twilight said.

“It’s too bad I couldn’t make it, but it was a lot of fun watching Pipsqueak. Oh yeah… speaking of which… I kind of said I would watch him on Nightmare Night. It will be until about the time I returned tonight at the latest. I figured that would leave plenty of time for our personal plans. I really hope you don’t mind,” Naruko said.

“I don’t mind. I think it might be kind of fun. I’m just glad you can also plan for us to have fun as well. Everything we had planned for earlier in the night shouldn’t be a problem to do with him as well. In fact, it might be even more fun!” Twilight said with a bright smile.

She then looked to Naruko dead serious as she said, “I still plan on being Starswirl the Bearded this year, even if you two are pirates.”

Naruko laughed to that. “Well he was very adventurous in his day from what the stories say. I wouldn’t be surprised if he traveled with pirates similar to how Pipsqueak sees them. I don’t think it will be a problem. I’ll convince him otherwise if need be. Don’t worry about it,” she said with a smile.

Naruko’s smile then turned a little lustful as she added, “I do wish you were going as some non-bearded super sexy female version of him though.” Naruko placed a hoof on Twilight’s flank causing the other girl to gasp as she blushed.

“Really… You can be quite the incorrigible pervert when you want, Naruko,” she said with an exaggerated sigh and roll of her eyes.

Naruko giggled as she said, “Says the pony who could only think ‘Bucking Contest’ meant a sex competition.”

Twilight blushed deeper as Naruko giggled. She joined her friend in laughing after a moment. “I know I am a pervert at times, but you really should have seen the other’s reaction to that. It was very amusing, even if I didn’t mean for that to be the case.” Twilight finished with her own giggle as Naruko joined her with a new round of giggles.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight gave a mighty yawn as she got up and stretched the morning of the Running of the Leaves. She looked around a little groggy as she yawned again and made her way out of the room in a daze. She knew it wasn’t her room. The full extent of what that meant hadn’t reached her yet as she staggered through the hallway, catching Spike’s curious eyes as he noticed she left from Naruko’s room. He frowned a little in confusion as she passed him with a slight nod in greeting. There was an odd scent to her, but he couldn’t place it and figured it was just some strange morning thing or something.

As the warm water rained down on her in the shower, Twilight’s purple eyes widened a little bit. “Whoa…” she said as her brain re-engaged. She had never done that much during the night with Naruko before. She had stayed in Naruko’s room plenty of times, but they either just relaxed or were much tamer in their affections. Last night that wasn’t the case.

Twilight blushed a little at the memories. She was a little embarrassed, but also really happy and warm inside. She just hoped Spike didn’t notice anything was up with her or anything that morning. She and Naruko were no strangers to ‘intense affections’, but it was never that long into the night.

Twilight was also surprised how awake and refreshed she felt. She was ready to take on the Running of the Leaves and conquer it head on! She had been taking time to train for it with Naruko. She may not be in some competition like AJ and Rainbow, but she was going to give it her all. She had tried to convince Naruko to go all out, but her girlfriend was dead set on keeping pace with Twilight the whole time pretty much. They might have a mad dash race on the last part of the event, but that was all.

Once she was finished, Twilight started working on breakfast. It was her turn today, even if the menu was already decided. “Mooorningggg” she said in a sing song voice as Naruko entered the kitchen with Spike.

“You seem to be in a really good mood today, Twilight,” Spike said casually as he helped himself to a glass of juice before breakfast.

Twilight paused for a moment as both she and Naruko blushed unnoticed by the baby dragon. “I just got a really good night’s sleep last night… Besides… I need to be energetic today! It’s the Running of the Leaves,” she said with a smile. She hadn’t lied one bit in that statement and Naruko recovered her own composure. Twilight was a little surprised Naruko was caught off guard like that. She really loved seeing her blush though.

{-} {-} {-}

“What is this all about again?” Rainbow asked with a frown as she was tied up in rope.

“This is so you won’t be all tempted to use them wings no matter what! We’re keeping this here race completely fair and balanced,” Apple Jack said as she tightened the rope one last time. She had effectively tied Rainbow’s wings to her side.

Rainbow sighed to this. She guessed she could understand where AJ was coming from, but it kind of irked her a little. “I wasn’t going to use them, you know…” she said with a frown.

“And Ah’m sure ya would have said that if I asked you before the Tug of War before you ended up using them anyways,” AJ replied.

Rainbow couldn’t really come up with a convincing rebuttal to that. She might have still been tempted to use them since it wasn’t against the rules. Though truth be told, “Well, we won’t know that now I suppose…” she said grumpily.

AJ actually paused for a moment. “Ah guess… not…” she said in a low voice. She actually wasn’t so sure now that she thought about it. She had already tied Rainbow’s wings to her side, but when the pony said she wasn’t going to use them anyways, she oddly felt as if her friend was kind of telling the truth. It didn’t matter now.

“So, this is the tie breaker?” Naruko asked as she and Twilight came up by the two with their own numbers. Twilight was smiling very brightly and it caused Rainbow to wonder about it for a moment before she got into race mode.

“Yep! It sure is,” AJ replied.

“I still think the tying my wings thing is unnecessary,” Rainbow grumbled.

“Well it is too late now. Quit yer griping,” AJ said as she looked to the other two ponies. “Are ya’ll sure yer ready for this?” she asked.

Twilight gave a determined nod. “I’ve been training for this. I’m sure I’m ready!”

“Alright, but ya’ll aren’t gonna get any higher than third. Hope ya’ll don’t mind!” AJ said. She gave a chuckle and said, “I’ll be getting first. And Rainbow here will be getting second!”

“Hey! I’m the one who will get first. And you’re the one who will get second!” Rainbow corrected.

“Heh heh. Ah like yer optimism. But ya’ll gonna be second,” AJ said.

“Ha! In your dreams, AJ!” Rainbow replied.

“How about you two just focus on the race and not get in a fight about it? That way you won’t be distracted,” Twilight replied.

“That’s what I was going to say,” Rainbow replied.

“Sure… We’ll see who wins!” AJ said.

“Hey Derpy!” Naruko said distracting the others from their argument.

“Heya Boss!” Derpy replied from her spot on the starting line. The others took this as a sign to get ready for the race.

Just then Mayor Mare came out and stood in front of the starting line and smiled at the ponies. “I'm proud to welcome you all to Ponyville’s Annual Running of the Leaves. It is good to see so many new faces and returning faces today,” she greeted while waving in the vague direction of some of the usual pony participants and smiling. She really didn’t mind events like this, but it still meant she wasn’t getting to have this weekend day off. It was actually pretty remarkable she could be so charming and happy at such an event.

Mayor Mare then brought out a cap gun and aimed it to the sky. She pulled the trigger. It let out a resounding crack as the runners started!

AJ and Rainbow quickly took the lead, but then they started to try and shove the other around. They didn’t pay any attention to the other ponies who passed them as they complained about the other pony getting in their way. The two didn’t even notice as they were now at the back of the pack.

“Come on let’s go faster!” Twilight shouted in excitement as she noticed a large amount of the pack of ponies were in front of them.

“You’re the one who wanted to pace herself. Are you saying you want to change strategies? I thought the goal you had was to complete the Running of the Leaves with your marefriend,” Naruko teased as Twilight blushed.

“Oh… okay… Yeah. Heh heh,” Twilight nervously chuckled. She had gotten lost in the excitement of the race. She momentarily forgot her goal. Naruko could easily finish this race and probably secure first before then taking a nap while waiting for the others, but Twilight wanted the two of them to finish more or less together. They were going to have an actual race in the last stint, but until then they were supposed to stay together.

Twilight had wondered why Naruko agreed to this, but her girlfriend simply told her, “I’ve never had a relationship before. Especially with such a cute Pony like you, Twilight. I want to do everything we can together no matter what.”

The admission was so heartwarming and a little heartbreaking for Twilight. She was reminded of how Naruko’s life used to be. She had cried tears at that moment which were a mix of happiness and sorrow. Of course, she claimed they were all tears of happiness to Naruko. She didn’t even care that she herself had never been in a relationship before either. In Twilight’s mind, it was strange that a wonderful pony like Naruko hadn’t had a couple of lovers already. Twilight took this as proof of how lucky she was and again vowed to be the best lover and girlfriend she could be for Naruko.

The two ponies settled into a comfortable pace that might have been a little faster than Twilight’s initial calculations claimed they should be for optimum performance. The beautiful purple pony didn’t care about that though. She was feeling more energized and happier than she usually did, which was saying something for her since she came to Ponyville. Twilight wanted to be happy and fulfilled by the time they finished this race. She didn’t care if she was more tried than she initially planned or sweatier. She wanted this to be a memory for them both to last a long time.

Twilight’s pace picked up a little bit. Naruko just smiled at this turn of pace. “She seems to be in a really good mood. She can go at this pace and make it I bet,” she thought as she gazed at Twilight for a moment before catching up to her.

{-} {-} {-}

Rainbow wasn’t sure how she eventually got separated from AJ but she did. She had a feeling she was in the lead. She decided to play a trick on AJ. She ducked behind a bush as she waited for AJ to come into sight. She blamed AJ for tripping her earlier, even if the other pony wasn’t anywhere nearby at the time. Rainbow then noticed AJ was coming up the way. She quickly spun a sign to point AJ in the wrong direction.

“What the… Ah sure don’t think that is the right way,” AJ said as she looked over the sign. Rainbow did her best to hide her giggles. “Ah guess they changed the route or some such…” AJ said before she trotted up the path the sign pointed towards. It was actually a dead-end path, but Rainbow didn’t worry about AJ.

She then spun the sign back around so it was pointing in the right direction again and the flock behind AJ continued to run in the correct direction as she laughed at AJ falling for the trick. Rainbow then climbed out of the bush and joined the other ponies in their run. She knew she could easily make up for any lost time she had.

“Did she just…” Naruko asked lowly.

Twilight gave a sigh, “Yes, she did…”

“I really don’t get it,” Naruko admitted with a frown.

“I don’t either. Looks like she is getting ready to do something else now… Should we just forget about them?” Twilight asked.

“I say we do. We can explain on what they're doing is wrong after the race if we really need to do so,” Naruko said. She looked around behind them and frowned again. “I guess I will have to run this course again or something after the race. Their constant fighting and interfering is causing problems with everypony else and messing up the whole purpose of this race in the first place.”

The real reason behind the Running of the Leaves was to help clear away some of the more stubborn leaves from the White Tail Woods. It was a bit odd for Naruko who was still a little used to how seasons worked as a human, but this wasn’t Konoha. This was Ponyville. The Running of the Leaves was a pony thing that only really made sense to ponies in the end. She understood it, but still found it a bit weird in some ways. There was no denying the event was fun though.

“Alright! Let’s kick it up a notch, Twilight!” Naruko said with a grin.

“Sounds like a plan to me!” Twilight agreed as the two picked up their pace and started to make their way towards the front of the pack of ponies.

{-} {-} {-}

“You brought this upon yourself, AJ! I know you tripped me a few times and then that one stunt you tried to pull! Don’t blame me for evening the odds and flying this last stretch. Get off me!” Rainbow said as she flew a little above the ground with AJ grabbing on tight and not letting go.

“Ah tried to get you?! What in the hay are ya talking about? I know about the sign. You were trying to trip me! And ya broke your promise and started to fly the second ya could! How about that for sportsmanship?” AJ asked clearly angry.

“Ohhh…” Rainbow said. She came to realize just what she had done to a friend no less. She felt a little guilty now and seemed to crash back down to the ground. The two tumbled a bit and then immediately got back to running full speed ahead.

They were neck and neck with each other. There weren’t any other ponies around. They were sure they would be the first to finish, but who would win?! She wasn’t flying anymore, but both AJ and Rainbow were trying to shove the other off course as they continued to run.

“Not much further!” Rainbow said.

“I can see it!” AJ said.

They were yards away.

They were feet away.

They were inches away!

Rainbow and AJ both dived forward to try and get a hoof ahead of the other. They were both sliding forward as dust flew up everywhere and they came to a stop at the finish line.

They tied…

“How in the Sam Hill?!” AJ shouted in frustration. How did she and Rainbow tie after everything?! It wasn’t fair at all.

“That’s what I want to know,” Rainbow grumbled as she got up and helped AJ up as well out of instinct.

As AJ stood up, she asked, “How in the hay did we manage to tie? Again?!”

“I know! Right? Seriously… There is no way we should have slid to the finish line at the same time like that. I really don’t like ties,” Rainbow said with a sigh.

“Me too, Dash. Me too…” AJ said with a sigh.

“Soooo… who gets the first-place medal? Do we both get it?” Rainbow asked.

“I guess so… Ah’m not sure…” AJ replied.

“Actually… Neither of you get a medal,” Twilight said only sounding a little smug. As far as she was concerned, this turn out severed them both right. She really hoped they would learn a lesson here, even if she was sure the two would always be hyper competitive with each other.

“Wha?” AJ asked in shock.

“Yeah… Because you two were more focused on fighting and interfering with each other you two tied for last,” Twilight said with much more ease than the other two liked.

“Did Ah hear tha right?” AJ asked in disbelief.

“You two tied for Last,” Twilight repeated herself.

“Last?!!!” Rainbow shouted in a whine. She then whined a little more and hung her head down in shame.

Twilight’s expression softened a little. “If you had just raced properly you probably would have placed first and second, though I don’t know in what order. It’s just supposed to be for fun, you know. The whole Running of the Leaves. You two got so carried away I wouldn’t have been surprised if you hurt… your friendship…” Her voice tapered off towards the end as she frowned deeper and looked to the ground.

AJ gave a sigh. She then sniffed and took her hat off before placing it over her heart. “Ah sure am sorry, Rainbow. I shouldn’t have gotten the way I did. Ah love competing with ya, but ah got carried away. Can ya forgive me?”

Rainbow sniffed a little as well. “Of course, I can. But only if you forgive me as well. I got really carried away as well. I even ignored my heart when it told me I was doing things wrong…”

“Ah can if you can…” AJ replied.

“Then I do…” Rainbow replied as the two sniffed a little and hugged each other as a way to show their forgiveness and reaffirm their friendship.

Rainbow then looked back behind them and frowned anew. “There seems to be a lot of extra leaves still,” she muttered.

“Ummm… well… You two kind of messed that up too,” Twilight started.

AJ’s eyes widened as she looked as well.

“Don’t worry about it!” Twilight started. “Naruko’s going to take care of it. She’s already back at the starting line getting ready to run again with a bit of a wind spell following her to fix it all.” She hoped that would put her friends at ease.

“Gosh darn it… We can’t let Naruko fix up our foolishness. We were the ones acting liked spoiled fillies. We ought ta fix it,” AJ said.

“Yeah,” Rainbow agreed.

“I can teleport back there with you if you two really want to do this. Otherwise Naruko will probably be finished by the time we got there,” Twilight said.

“Teleport away,” Rainbow said as she placed a hoof on Twilight. AJ nodded as well before placing her own hoof on Twilight. The three vanished in a bright flash only to reappear seconds later back at the starting line.

“Hey,” Naruko greeted them as they appeared.

“We were the ones to mess up, so we’re gonna fix it,” AJ said to their blonde unicorn friend as Rainbow nodded.

“Do you two have the energy left to do so?” Naruko asked.

They nodded.

“Can you two not get carried away competing again and actually do it properly?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

The two other ponies blushed at exactly the same time and each placed a hoof behind their head nervously before nodding.

Naruko smiled. "Alright then,” she replied.

AJ and Rainbow lined up. Rainbow then asked a question that had been bothering her. “So where did you place, Twilight?” she asked pointing a hoof at the medal around Twilight’s neck.

Twilight beamed brightly as she said, “I actually placed third! I did much better than I thought I would do. I just wanted to finish the race. I had no idea I would actually rank that high!” She then cutely clapped her forehooves together as she squealed a little in happiness.

“Wow… That’s actually really good,” Rainbow admitted.

“Who got second then?” AJ asked. She kind of figured Naruko got first given what she saw the pony could do.

“I did,” Naruko admitted as she held her medal up to Twilight’s and the two grinned together.

“We were keeping pace with each other until close to the end. I then raced Naruko on the last stretch of the course. I knew she was still going easy, but it was exciting even though I lost to her,” Twilight replied.

“Double wow…” Rainbow replied in shock. She too figured Naruko would get first if Twilight got third. “Who got first?” she asked.

“Track Stars,” Twilight replied. “She had a good lead before we got serious at the end.”

“I almost overtook her, but she managed to cross the finish line just before me,” Naruko admitted. “I might have gotten a little too carried away and serious in that last stretch.” Naruko gave a grin and scratched the back of her mane and laughed a little.

“Well, Ah’ll be…” AJ said in disbelief.

“Anyways… We should probably get started, AJ. We messed up enough as it is and need to make up for our mistake,” Rainbow said.

“Got that right,” AJ said as the two got into position and Twilight counted down for them before they shot off again. This time they weren’t going to horse around. This time they were going to do things right.

“It seems like they learned their lesson,” Naruko said with a smile.

“Maybe…” Twilight said still not fully convinced. She then smiled brightly as she asked, “So what do you want to do now?”

Naruko was in thought for a moment. “Well there was that one place you wanted to try. Shake’s an’ Hay’s.”

Twilight gave a new squeal in delight and hugged Naruko tightly. “I really want to try that place! I really want to have the Banana and Berry Cream shake I heard about. What are you going to get?” she asked.

“I think I’ll try that Iced Mocha Coffee,” Naruko said with a nod.

“Are you sure? You do remember how coffee affects you? Right? When you’re already awake at least,” Twilight said.

Naruko frowned. “It’s Iced Coffee…” she argued.

“It’s still coffee…” Twilight replied.

“It’s still the afternoon. I’ll be fine,” Naruko said with a nod.

“Okay… I just hope you won’t end up too energized and excited to sleep tonight,” Twilight replied in concern. Naruko could have coffee in the mornings after waking up just fine, but having it later in the day could be problematic. The caffeine went straight to her and didn’t let up at all until many hours later.

“Besides…” Naruko said with a mischievous grin. “I’m sure the two of us could think of some very fun and great feeling ways to get me exhausted tonight if needed,” she said with a bit of a bump in Twilight’s side.

Twilight blushed but smiled widely back. “I heard they have a two Iced coffees for one deal today in case your interested, Naruko,” she replied back.

Naruko giggled, “Now you're being an instigator and a little greedy.”

“All I see is a win-win situation for us both,” Twilight teased in reply before giggling again. She led the way to Shake’s an’ Hay’s much faster than a pony who just ran a marathon and placed Third usually should be able to move.

Naruko giggled again and caught up with Twilight’s pace and placed a kiss on her cheek. Twilight smiled warmly in reply before quickly returning the favor. “Let’s make this day even more memorable, Naru…” she said in a breathy voice as Naruko blushed.

Author's Notes:

I know Fall Weather Friends took place in the first season, but I figured it was something that could really be placed anywhere. MLP isn’t exactly clear on how seasons progress and what episodes take place in what season apart from a couple of exceptions. I mean we have Winter Wrap Up which is supposed to be bringing in Spring and then two episodes later it is Fall.

Also, something I am a little curious about is if people think I am bringing too much up about Naruko’s and Twilight’s relationship. I don’t really think I am but some might think so and might have good reasons for thinking that way. I also want to say that we will be getting to another temple adventure soon in case readers think there hasn’t really been enough action lately. Hopefully the Konoha chapter helped with that a little.

Tricky Apologies

“Thanks once again, Twilight,” Trixie said as she and Twilight trotted next to each other.

“We haven’t really even started yet, but you’re welcome. It may be in the past now, but I think it is pretty good on your for approaching them both like this,” Twilight replied with a smile.

“Trixie, should have done this sooner, but she was a bit of a coward she will admit. Now that Trixie has officially passed her Ever-Free Patrol tests, it is time,” Trixie said in her showpony way.

She then gave a nervous chuckle and said, “I will admit I am a bit nervous this will go south real fast, but I want to put it behind me completely. I am a new and better pony than I was. I need to do this.” Despite her nervousness, Trixie’s steps were determined.

“We’re almost there,” Twilight said as she led the way. Big Mac pointed them in the right direction to where AJ was working at the moment.

“Applejack, Hello!” Twilight called to her farm pony friend and mentally sighed when she noticed Trixie was trying to hide behind her. “Hopefully she’s getting her game face on,” Twilight thoughtfully wished.

“Well hey there Twi. What brings you ‘round here today?” Applejack said with a smile. She then gave a puzzled face as she asked, “And who did ya bring along?”

“Somepony who wished to speak with you,” Twilight said as she bumped Trixie in hopes of getting the pony to speak up. “Go on,” Twilight whispered to Trixie.

Applejack continued to wait wondering who would need to go through Twilight to speak with her. When she saw a familiar Blue unicorn with a silver mane, she wore a neutral expression. She had heard that pony was still around, but she hadn’t ever run across her since that show.

Trixie stood tall and took in a deep breath and then let it out. “Trixie…” she started and faltered. She then took on a less proud stance and started again. “I wanted to apologize for what I did during the show. I will admit I got a bit out of hoof with my behavior. Can you forgive me?” she asked meekly for her.

Applejack took her hat off and held it to her chest with a hoof. “Well Ah guess Ah too got a bit out of hoof. Ah should have known better than to act in a disruptive manner like that. Ah say we let bygones be bygones and start anew, if ya want,” she said.

“I would like that. Trixie has learned a lot since then,” Trixie said sounding more at ease.

“Where have ya been this whole time anyhow? Ah’ve heard ponies mentioning you a bit here and there, but ah never saw ya,” Applejack asked genuinely curious.

“I’ve been staying at the Ever-Free’s HQ. The patrol found Trixie at her lowest point and took her in when they didn’t have to. I’ve been doing what I can to help out around there in return,” she explained.

“She’s helped out a whole lot from what the other members in the patrol told me. She also became good friends with Naruko,” Twilight further clarified. She wanted there to be little doubt in Applejack’s mind that Trixie was a different pony from when she first came to Ponyville.

“Well then if Naruko’s befriended ya. Then ya can’t be all that bad at all,” Applejack said with a nod as she placed her hat back on top.

“How about we go and celebrate this here new beginning with some good old Apple Family Hospitality? Ah’m sure Granny Smith finished with her baking storm by now and Ah sure am starved enough ta eat a whole horse's worth of good eatings,” Applejack said with a friendly chuckle as she led the way back.

Just as Applejack said, Granny Smith had indeed baked up a feast for guests. Twilight and Trixie weren’t the only guests either. “Howdy there girls,” AJ said in greeting to the CMC.

The trio of fillies looked as if they had just finished with a bath. No doubt they just finished another one of their crazy cutie mark attempts and needed to wash up afterwards. “What were you all trying this time?” Twilight asked in a friendly manner.

“We tried to get our cutie marks in construction!” Sweetie Belle said out loud as she took a bite of her Apple pie slice.

“It seems we aren’t no good at advanced ramp constructing,” Apple Bloom replied after swallow her bite of apple.

“Why is there always so much sap and twigs… We didn’t even touch that kind of stuff,” Scootaloo said before taking a sip of her juice.

“Ah’m sure ya’ll will get them before ya'll know it,” AJ said with a sisterly smile.

“Not soon enough…” Grumbled Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom then looked up and noticed Trixie. “Hey! You’re that show pony ain't ya?” she said pointing a hoof at Trixie as the other two looked up.

“Now girls. Ya’ll need ta be...” AJ was about to lecture them on being polite and giving others a second chance, but she was cut off by Scootaloo whose tiny wings fluttered in excitement as she grinned widely.

“That Puppet Show was actually funny! I even saw Diamond Tiara enjoying it,” she said.

“The what now?” AJ asked.

“How did ya come up with such a story?” Apple Bloom asked with equal excitement.

“Was it hard using magic to levitate multiple objects like that?!” Sweetie asked. Before Trixie could even answer that first question, she added in a louder voice, “Can you teach me?!”

“Trixie is glad you all liked the show! I actually first got my cutie mark doing a similar show when I was younger. Levitating multiple objects isn’t too hard once you get used to levitating, but it can be tough to move them independently,” Trixie tried to answer their questions as the girls asked even more questions with mounting excitement.

“What am Ah missing here, Twi?” AJ asked quietly as she took the slice of pie Granny offered her.

“During the Parasprite invasion, Trixie helped the patrol with organizing the shelter at HQ. She then performed a comedic puppet show to help clam down the younger ponies. It really helped out everypony there because the parents didn’t have to worry about keeping their children calm on top of everything else,” Twilight said. She had made a point of asking about the details.

“Really now?” AJ asked as Twilight nodded.

“Trixie said it was something she really enjoyed and reminded her why she loved being a showpony in the first place. That was before she got caught up in the whole entertainment showbiz mentality and lost her way,” Twilight answered as AJ found a bit of a new respect for Trixie.

{-} {-} {-}

The group enjoyed their snack break and things were going really well. Applejack picked up on how Apple Bloom and her friends seemed to take a shine to Trixie. They were obviously really interested in hearing the full story of how the showpony got her cutie mark. Trixie was just about ready to seek out and apologize to Rainbow Dash, but things didn’t work out that way.

“Hey! Didn’t know you were all having a snack! Can I have some apple fritters?” Rainbow appeared out of seemingly nowhere and asked as she sat down next to Applejack.

“Well hello to you too, Rainbow… Didn’t know ya were coming,” AJ said with a bit of neutral expression. She had a feeling about how Rainbow got there and she didn’t care for it. The rainbow maned pegasus was a good friend and all, but that didn't mean she wasn't without her faults.

“I was already here. Your Family’s trees are the best for napping!” Rainbow answered as AJ sighed.

“Rainbow Dash?!” Scootaloo shouted in surprise and excitement. “I didn’t know you hung out around here,” the small pegasus said as she added a new entry to her Rainbow Dash hangouts file.

“Heya Squirt! What’s happening?” Rainbow asked.

“She knows my name?!” Scootaloo squealed and Rainbow raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“I didn’t know your name was Squirt. I thought it was Scootaloo,” Sweetie said with a slight frown.

“Or Chicken,” Apple Bloom said with a mischievous grin as Sweetie Belle giggled. Apple Bloom was surprised when Scootaloo didn’t react at all to the verbal jab. “She’s gone ain’t she?” she asked rhetorically as Sweetie still giggled and nodded. Scootaloo was smiling and off in her own Rainbow Dash filled world because she thought Squirt was close enough to Scootaloo to count.

Rainbow looked to the other two ponies visiting and glared at the blue unicorn. “It’s you… What are you doing here?” she asked as she glowered at Trixie. Rainbow wasn’t known for easily forgiving others at times. This was especially the case if you weren’t already friends with her. Most ponies would figure a way out of it or do something to lessen Rainbow’s temper towards them, if not just avoid her until enough time had passed.

This wasn’t to say Rainbow usually held grudges for really long, but with Trixie it was different. Rainbow did not easily get over humiliation, even when she fully brought it upon herself. There was also the fact in this case the humiliation wasn’t something Rainbow fully brought upon herself. Sure, Rainbow was at fault too, but Trixie was as well.

Twilight sighed to the situation. There wasn’t really any helping it. She knew that while Trixie had learned to be humbler, she still had a showpony’s pride to an extent. AJ wasn’t sure what to do here at the moment. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle picked up on something going on here but they didn’t know what it was, even Scootaloo was conflicted. She loved Rainbow Dash, but she didn’t think Rainbow would act so hostile to a pony like this.

“What’s going on?” Scootaloo asked quietly in worry. She hoped her idol wasn’t actually a bad pony somehow. Such a thought was inconceivable!

“Ah don’t rightly know,” Apple Bloom whispered to her. “Ah think it might have something ta do with when Trixie first came here, but we were off crusading at the time. So who knows what all happened for sure,” she said.

“I know Trixie didn’t have the best first impression. Rarity was a bit of a mess at that time, but she got over it and when Trixie came to apologize the two actually hit it off pretty well,” Sweetie explained as they listened. It seemed Rainbow and Trixie were having a stare down.

“Trixie was thinking we could apologize to each other and get past that show,” Trixie said standing tall. She wasn’t about to back down or be humble when confronted like this.

Rainbow gave a derisive scoff. “Me?! Apologize to you?!” She then gave a sarcastic laugh. “It seems your comedy act needs a lot of work! You owe me an apology! I don’t owe you anything,” she said almost growling at the other pony.

“Ha! Trixie finds that rich!” the showpony started. “You were the one who interrupted my show and tried to upstage me! You were the one who insulted unicorn magic in front of the whole town!” she said as she scoffed. “You’re lucky Trixie even dared think she too might be at fault.”

Rainbow really growled then. “I don’t have to take this from you! I bet you’re a fraud! You aren’t even half the unicorn Twilight or Naruko are!” she said in her rage. The usually easy going blue pegasus was in full stubborn mode now.

Trixie rolled her eyes at the pegasus. “Oh yes… Great come back there. After all! It isn’t like Twilight’s specialty is all of magic or anything. And Naruko is a unicorn capable of going hoof the claw with a literal God of Chaos! Trixie is sure any average pony can do that. That’s like saying all pegasus fillies should be able to create a Sonic Rainboom the second they’re born. Trixie finds your attempts at insulting insufficient… Please leave and try again when you actually know how to verbally spar,” Trixie said as she tossed her beautiful mane. It seemed the unicorn was also in full on stubborn mode too. She may be a newer and better unicorn but she was still herself.

Trixie would later admit she kind of got caught up in the heat of the moment and lost her temper. She would then ask Naruko to give her extra lessons in tempering her emotions so she can remain calm when needed. That wasn’t at the present moment though.

“Maybe I will just leave! I have no reason to put up with the likes of Trixie, The Great and Annoying!” Rainbow said before she flew off.

“Get back here! Trixie isn’t finished yet,” the showpony said as she chased after the pegasus.

Twilight sighed again. “I knew there would be problems when it came to Rainbow. I didn’t think it would get like this though. I guess I underestimated a showpony’s pride,” she said.

“Ah hear ya there. Rainbow can get mightily hot headed when she wants to, but Trixie's personality kind of poured gas on the fire,” AJ said.

Scootaloo looked to her friends. They looked to her and each other before shrugging. Scootaloo still loved Rainbow, but maybe she was thinking her idol was less a goddess of the sky and more pony than she first thought. “Still, she's the coolest and most awesome! Buuuut she's also a pony,” she thought to herself.

“So, what do ya’ll wanna try getting our cutie marks in now?” Apple Bloom asked. She wasn’t sure about the whole thing with Rainbow, but it was time they got down to business. They already finished their snacks. That meant it was crusading time again.

“Do you two ever think we should try getting our cutie marks as stunt ponies?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I mean we have been through a lot of falls and bumps and scrapes and many other things already.”

Scootaloo was in thought on that remark. She then shook her head. “Nah! I think we got to try other things instead.”

Apple Bloom nodded in agreement with her pegasus friend as the three headed off. “Tha way Ah see it. If we are supposed to be stunt ponies than we’ll get our cutie marks while trying everything else!”

“I guess I get it. Stunt ponies do have to do a bit of everything,” Sweetie said as she followed her friends.

Once the three fillies were gone, Twilight looked to Applejack and said, “I guess I should follow Rainbow and Trixie and make sure they don’t kill each other.” Applejack nodded to that and so Twilight departed. She judged Rainbow was heading home from the direction she flew off to.

{-} {-} {-}

Rainbow Dash had to admit she was surprised Trixie was trying to keep up with her after she flew away. “Of course, if I just kick it up a notch she won’t be able to keep up,” she thought to herself. Rainbow was half tempted to hear the pony out since she was so determined… maybe.

“Trixie won’t give up that easily!” the showpony shouted.

Rainbow was no longer tempted to hear her out.

She took Trixie’s proclamation as a challenge and sped off towards her home. “Doubt she’ll bother now,” Rainbow said with a bit of a smirk.

Shortly after Rainbow shot off, Trixie ran faster. She could tell Rainbow went towards her home. She wasn’t going to let the pegasus off that easily. If she were a pony to give up so easily, she wouldn’t have made it through the patrol’s tests. She wouldn’t have been able to keep training with Naruko like she did. She wouldn't have become a showpony of any caliber if she was like that.

It wasn’t long until Rainbow heard the sound of hooves running towards her home. She looked down wondering if maybe Twilight was coming to lecture her or something. Rainbow would admit she didn’t exactly behave properly in front of Scootaloo and the others. Despite being awesome, she still wanted to be a mentor Scootaloo could be proud of. The self proclaimed fastest flyer in Equestria then decided to take on her role as mentor, idol and older sister figure more seriously.

Rainbow was a bit surprised when she noticed it was Trixie who ran to her in the end. She had to give the pony points for determination. Oddly enough, she could appreciate that even in a pony like Trixie.

“I will have you know. I’ve learned the Cloud Walking spell and I’ll use it if you make me!” Trixie said as Rainbow stood up and moved. She thought the pegasus pony was about to hide inside her house. She would get up there and keep pounding on the cloud door until Rainbow heard her out.

“Oh yeah?! Show me,” Rainbow said in a voice that wasn’t hostile but instead more challenging.

“Trixie will!” the showpony said before she cast the Cloud Walking spell on herself and teleported up to stand in front of Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow looked her over and actually blinked in surprise. She knew those spells weren’t something just any unicorn could do. Rarity told her how much training it took her to be able to use the teleportation spell and she couldn’t go anywhere near the distance Naruko and Twilight could.

The blue pegasus looked to the blue unicorn and gave a slight frown. “Look. Trixie. I can’t just apologize to you. I want to be a Wonderbolt and you humiliated me in front of all of Ponyville. The Wonderbolts do character assessments before they even allowing ponies to attend their academy. They include interviews. How do you think they will react when ponies talk about how I was easily upstaged by a unicorn in my home town?” she stated.

Trixie met Rainbow with a matching expression. “And Trixie can’t just apologize to you because you did interrupt her show. I may be trying to move past that show, but it still happened. I can’t just allow ponies to act that way and walk all over me, especially with what Naruko and Princess Luna have planned for me,” she said.

“What is that?” Rainbow asked. Her foul mood was overcome by her genuine curiosity.

“I have changed a lot since that first show. I have grown, but I will not be seen as somepony that forgives when something like that happens, even if it isn't her full fault. Ponies won’t take me seriously when I’m starting up the Hooffington Contingent of the Ever-Free Forest Patrol,” she said. Rainbow was an Element of Harmony and did have the clearance to know such information and Trixie felt this might smooth things over.

“Really?! Hooffington needs one as well?” Rainbow asked. She’d never been to the Trixie’s hometown. She mostly just hung around Ponyville, Cloudsdale and now Canterlot.

Trixie sighed as she looked in the general direction of her home. She would admit the part missing her home was growing a little. “Trixie may have exaggerated the tale a little…” she started and looked back to the other pony.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at her.

“Okay… A lot… But the tale about the Ursa Major was true. It happened when I was little and maybe it was just an older Ursa Minor, but when you are a filly everything seems bigger than it actually is. You know,” she said.

Rainbow nodded in agreement.

“It did happen though and we didn't have a pony like Twilight there and her methods might not have worked in this case. It took several unicorns to push it back into the forest. That is something that doesn’t happen often, but there have been other problems as well. We don’t have a direct line to the princesses like Ponyville does with Naruko and Twilight. Hooffington and New Hollow Shades are the first targets for the Patrol’s expansion plan,” she explained.

Rainbow was in thought for a moment. She could see where the other pony was coming from, but it still wasn't all that easy for her. “So, what are we going to do then? I’m still not about to apologize first and you aren’t about to either I’m guessing,” she said as Trixie nodded.

“I have a solution. If you will listen,” Trixie said. Rainbow nodded for her to go on with it. “I will pretend you apologized to me and I did so in return and we are putting it behind us. You can pretend I apologized to you and you did to me in return and we are putting it behind us. Then we can try to start over fresh. I’ve already apologized to both Rarity and Applejack. I’m sure you wouldn’t dare even humor this if I hadn’t. You are the Element of Loyalty after all,” she said.

Rainbow thought it over and grinned. “I can get behind that plan. But only because you managed to both use the Cloud Walking spell and teleport. I still need to get Naruko or Twilight to show me this tree and water walking business they talked about,” she said with a friendly giggle and extended a hoof to cement the deal with a hoof shake. Trixie gladly accepted the offer.

Trixie then gave a smirk as she said, “Trixie would wish you the best of luck in getting into the Wonderbolts. But she is sure you have no need for such luck.”

Rainbow gave a jovial laugh as she said, “You better believe it!” Trixie then laughed as well, even if it was mostly because she had heard Naruko use that phrase a few times before. Rainbow then smiled easily as she said, “I hope you do your best in the Ever-Free Patrol as a Captain. I want to hear about the super amazing Ever-Free Patrol Captain from Hooffington in a few months after you return.”

“I plan on it. I want to prove to both Naruko and Princess Luna that their faith in me wasn't misplaced. I am going to be instructed by Naruko. That should help,” Trixie said.

“Then you have the best teacher it sounds like,” Rainbow replied.

Trixie then jokingly took on her showpony aura and said, “Trixie will have you know she has already been training with Grand Captain Uzumaki!”

Rainbow gave a teasing grin to that. “And how has that been going?” she asked keeping the grin.

“Trixie has at least survived!” she said before laughing as Rainbow joined her.

{-} {-} {-}

Twilight caught up to the two ponies just as Rainbow dared Trixie to use the Cloud Walking spell. Trixie did so and teleported up to face Rainbow evenly. “I didn’t know Trixie could do that. That’s actually very impressive,” the purple unicorn thought to herself. Things seemed to actually be going well after that. Twilight was thinking maybe Rainbow had grown more than she let on as well over the time they’d been in Ponyville.

When the two came to an agreement of sorts, Twilight thought it was oddly fitting for the two ponies. Both had egos and pride. The solution allowed them to get past this issue and both move on together while keeping their egos and pride. “I always had a feeling those two would be the type of ponies to get along really well with each other; if they didn’t mix as poorly as oil and water,” she told herself. Twilight left quietly once she realized the two were getting along with each other. She was happy for them both. Twilight saw Trixie as a friend as well and even if the unicorn would be leaving to head back to Hooffington eventually, she still wanted all of her friends to at least tolerate each other if not get along well.

Trixie was pleased and really relieved with herself after spending some more time with Rainbow Dash. She was glad things worked out in the end, even if they started off really rough. She felt she could fully move on from her past and become a pony worthy of the rank Captain of the Ever-Free Patrol: Hooffington Contingent. She then blushed a little, even if no pony was around, as she thought over the whole afternoon again. “Maybe I need to have Naruko really train me on better handling my emotions when needed,” she told herself as she walked back to the Patrol’s HQ. She was looking forward to her new life as a part of the Ever-Free Patrol.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the shorter chapter. I felt this part should be its own chapter. I was planning on having this one and the next be the same chapter, but even though this is shorter than what I usually write I felt it was best on its own.

That Holiday Named after Naruko's Boss’ Past Self

Naruko smiled as she woke up this morning. “Good Morning, Twilight!” she shouted as she opened the door to Twilight’s room. Twilight responded with a groan as she plopped out of bed.

“Good Morning, Spike!” Naruko shouted at him as well.

“Huh?! What?! Oh yeah! Morning, Naruko,” he replied as he yawned and stretched before heading to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Naruko was humming as she cooked breakfast for everyone. It wasn’t technically her day, but she figured it would be a nice gesture after the way she woke them all up. Today was a day she really enjoyed. She was excited for all they had planned for it. Rainbow had been going on and on about how awesome this day’s celebration was in Ponyville and Naruko was ready to find out herself.

“I thought it was my turn?” Spike asked as he made his way to the kitchen.

Naruko smiled to him. “I figured after the way I woke you both up this was a good idea. You can help me out if you want,” she said to him as he nodded.

“Can you check the oven? The croissant rolls should be almost done,” she said.

Spike nodded and checked them. He turned off the oven and put on mitts to bring them out. The rolls were a mouthwatering golden brown. “Their good,” he said as he licked his lips and Naruko chuckled.

Twilight came down and gave a mighty yawn. “G-g-g-good morning,” she greeted. Her eyes then widened a little, “Oh… You’re cooking today?” she asked Naruko.

“I begged Spike to let me cook instead given how I woke everyone up,” she said as she winked at the baby dragon who played along.

“I told her only if I could still help,” he said in pride. He was giving himself a high five mentally. He wouldn’t have to make up for the day this way.

Twilight nodded to that as she sat down at the table. “Okay,” she said. Twilight then blinked her eyes for a moment. “Today’s Nightmare Night isn’t it?!” she asked now much more awake and there was more than a hint of excitement in her purple eyes.

“Yep!” Naruko said with a huge grin as she placed the grits and eggs on plates.

“I still don’t get why it is you like Nightmare Night a lot more than your own birthday, Naruko. You're birthday is earlier in this month.” Spike dug into his meal as he said that.

“I’ve told you how in the past before I came here the others in my home village were kind of mean on my birthday. That’s why I like Nightmare Night so much. Sure, my birthdays are actually nice and fun here. Sadly, I just don’t think they're all that interesting,” she explained.

“Oh…” Spike said with a frown. “I’m sorry I said that. I wasn’t thinking. I should have known better,” he said.

Naruko smiled to him. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s not think on that. Let’s all just enjoy the holiday named after my boss’ past self,” she said with a chuckle.

“Sure thing!” Spike said, his attitude back to its usual high. “I can’t wait to show my new costume to everypony!”

Spike was really excited about that. He was originally thinking about wearing a dragon costume, but that was kind of silly. He instead decided to go with a dragon ninja costume! He even got Naruko’s input on it. For his costume, he had a dark blue long sleeve shirt, a mask that covered his nose and mouth, a pair of pants with a pouch taped on the right side, and a heavy-duty sleeveless jacket with several pockets on the front. To top it all off, he wore a slanted headband with a design very close to, but not exact like, the Equestrian Royal symbol.

His costume wasn’t what you saw in movies and such, but Spike thought this was much cooler than ninjas in movies. Rarity even said it was really suave with a certain allure to it. Naruko admitted she based his costume off of a rather famous ninja from where she used to be. Apparently, the ninja she based his costume off of was one of the best and in the ninja special forces on and off as needed.

Spike’s costume was so cool that even his friends Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom decided to be ninjas like him too. Spike was worried at first that they would be too similar, but Naruko helped them out there. They were all wearing the headband and jacket, but the rest of their costumes were different.

Scootaloo had holes in her outfit to make room for her wings and her costume was more like what you saw ninjas wearing in movies. She was wearing a snug fitting black body suit with a black blindfold mask with eye holes. She was going to call herself the Raging Storm Ninja for the night.

Apple Bloom was wearing an outfit that was a bit on the more eccentric side if you asked him, but she liked it and the outfit oddly worked. Apple Bloom was wearing a green bodysuit with orange leg warmers on her hooves, with a pair of saddle bags on top of her unzipped jacket. Her headband used red fabric instead of medium blue. Apple Bloom even asked to have some weights sewn into the leg warmers. Naruko had told her it was an outfit she saw an earth pony stallion wearing who was really really fast, even when compared to a pegasus flying. It was actually a human and not a pony, but that would complicate things for the young pony.

Sweetie Belle’s outfit was different. She wore a red snug fitting short and sleeveless red dress with some kind of mesh shirt under it. Her dress was split and showed off her flank, where she had a temporary marking grey in color. It looked like a stylized arrow with a swirl in the middle. It was placed in a way that you couldn’t mistake it for a cutie mark, much to the unicorn filly’s disappointment. Sweetie Belle then decided maybe she should try being a ninja pony for real and she hoped her ninja pony cutie mark would be similar to her costume’s mark.

Spike was actually going to be trick-or-treating with the CMC this Nightmare Night. Granny Smith promised to chaperon them and that was enough to get Twilight’s okay. Spike wished Rarity would be walking with them, but he was more than happy to just be going with a group this year.

The baby dragon had mixed feelings when it came to Naurko’s and Twilight’s costumes. Naruko’s wasn’t a problem and kind of cool. She was going as a pirate. It had something to do with how she was watching over Pipsqueak tonight. His parents were going to drop him off before they went to their office party. Spike was fine with Naruko’s costume idea.

It was Twilight’s costume that got to him. She was carrying on about how it was an outfit Star Swirl the Bearded wore and how that was super important. She even carried on about how she made sure to get the details exact and everything from the accounts she heard about his usual attire. Spike thought it looked kind of silly and like an ancient bearded clown, but he wasn’t about to ruin Twilight’s fun for the night. He only hoped Naruko and Pipsqueak didn’t mind it too much.

{-} {-} {-}

There was a knock on the door to the Library. Twilight answered it. “Trick or treat!” a trio of loud voices shouted.

Twilight smiled to them. “Well Hello there!” she said in greeting as she hoovered some candy over to each of the CMC as Granny Smith smiled watching over the youngsters.

Spike rushed over as the trio greeted him as well, “Hello Spike!” Sweetie Belle said aloud with a smile.

“Come on, Ninja Sweetie... It’s Ninja Spike tonight!” he corrected with a nod as the fillies giggled.

“I’m Ninja Scoots then! Oh wait scratch that. I’m still Raging Storm Ninja!” Scootaloo said as she did a couple of ‘ninja pony’ moves. The kids thought them cool and the older ponies thought them adorable.

“Does that mean Ah’m Ninja Apple or Ninja Bloom?” Apple Bloom asked. She then frowned a little, “It doesn’t sound as cool with my name…”

Naruko chuckled. “Then how about Shadow Bloom?”

“Ah like that one!” she shouted and grinned widely in thanks.

“Ahhh man… How come she gets the coolest name?” Spike whined in a not serious manner as the group laughed and he joined them.

“Thank you again Granny Smith for letting Spike trick-or-treat with you all,” Twilight said.

“Now don’t be getting worried about thanking so and so and all. Nightmare Night is supposed to be shared with friends when yer a youngin’. That’s how it’s always been,” the Apple family matriarch said with a smile as she led the group off to their next stop and closed the door behind them.

The next group that came to their door was larger. Naruko still found it odd that Pinkie Pie would watch over a bunch of colts and fillies. She loved her party planning friend, but she didn’t really think mature and responsible adult pony when it came to Pinkie. It didn’t help matters that said pink pony was wearing a chicken costume and asking for candy as well. She even clucked a few times like a chicken.

“Really, Pinkie?” Twilight asked with a slight frown.

“I’m never too old for candy, Weirdo Clown Twilight,” she said. This statement earned laughs from the children and a deeper frown from Twilight. Twilight wasn't petty in return to the slight. She for sure did not make a point of giving Pinkie much less candy then the children she was watching.

“Its Star Swirl the Bearded!” Twilight shouted as the group left. She gave a huff and turned to Naruko. “Ponies these days… Don’t even know about a famous unicorn like Star Swirl… What’s becoming of the youth these days?”

Naruko laughed. “I think you’re channeling the grumpy old pony version of Star Swirl, Twilight. You’re only a few years older than Pinkie Pie,” She said as the other unicorn rolled her eyes and leaned more on her ‘magical’ staff like an old pony would. Naruko chuckled again and this time Twilight snickered in return.

There was another knock on the door. This time Naruko answered knowing who it would be. “Avast me Harty! If it isn’t Captain Pip of the Seas!” she greeted in a pirate voice.

Pipsqueak cheered and replied, “Aye it be me! I’ve heard of ye! You’re Pirate Lady Naru! They say you’re as dangerous as you are beautiful!”

“That I be! But tonight! I’m First Mate Naru!” she said. She then turned to face Twilight and spoke again, “This here be the renown Star Swirl the Bearded! He may not be a pirate, but he be a unicorn of talent with a thirst for knowledge and adventure!”

Twilight then smiled and spoke in an exaggerated old yet still grand pony voice, “That I am. I seek knowledge and it can only be found by those most daring. I have heard of your exploits Captain Pip and your First Mate speaks highly of you. But I must ask. Do you thirst for adventure and wish to face the unknown? There will be plenty a booty for those who dare! Are ye such a pony?”

Pipsqueak was actually struck in awe at Twilight’s performance, even if it was obvious she was forcing the voice. He then grinned brightly and actually jumped in a couple of circles before saying, “Aye! I be such a pony! They also call me Pip the Fearless!”

“Good to hear, young Pip. I look forward to our travels together!” Twilight said to him.

While Twilight was giving her piece, Naruko spoke to Pipsqueak’s parents and went over the schedule once again. “Thank you again for this, Naruko,” Pipsqueak’s dad said.

“It really means a lot to us,” the young colt’s mother said with a smile.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad I could help you both out again,” she said with a pleasant smile in return.

“Pipsqueak, dear,” his mom said.

“Arrggg… What is it ye want, mum,” he replied still using his pirate voice.

“We’re going now. You behave for Twilight and Naruko. Have fun and be safe,” she said.

“Okay, mom!” he replied in his normal voice this time with a smile. “You and dad have fun too!”

“We’ll see you later, son,” the dad said as the family gave a parting group hug and the parents left for their party.

“Ahoy ye mateys! Let us be off! There are many seas to conquer! By the night’s end they will be singing tales of Pip the Fearless!” Pipsqueak said as he jumped on to Naruko’s back and thrust out his toy cutlass.

Naruko laughed. “I’m not going to let you just ride on my back the whole night you know,” she said as she left and Twilight closed up the library for the night.

{-} {-} {-}

There were a lot of booths and stalls for games and food in the town square for all ponies to enjoy. Decorations were hanging from dark ropes and wires between buildings in the area. There was a stage where a country band was playing Nightmare Night music with a country twang as they were calling it.

There were ponies of all ages wearing costumes of all sorts. Naruko managed to catch a glimpse at Dr. Hooves, Derpy and their youngest Dinky. The teenage daughter of the family was spending Nightmare Night with friends. Doctor Hooves was dressed like a temporally misplaced Sophisticated Gentleman with an extremely large moustache. Dinky was dress like an angle pony with a halo and wings. Derpy was dressed like a paper bag.

“Looks like Bon Bon will owe her five bits,” Naruko said with a chuckle to herself. Yesterday Derpy talked about being a paper bag pony for Nightmare Night. Bon Bon bet she couldn’t be something like that.

“Arrgg! Ahoy there!” Pipsqueak said as he greeted a friend he knew from school. This friend seemed to be in Pinkie’s group and the filly giggled in reply. Pinkie was literally pecking the ground with her costume’s beak as the little ponies followed her.

“I’m guessing Pinkie is getting a little too into character…” Twilight said with a sigh.

Pinkie gave a loud “Bakaw” as she helped herself to some candy corn. Twilight and Naruko both chuckled to that. It was kind of funny how Pinkie was pecking candy corn dressed as a chicken.

“Hey Apple Jack!” Twilight said as they made their way over to the apple family stand. Big Mac and AJ were running it. It seemed they already had a good number of customers come by it.

“Well Howdy there!” AJ said with a smile. She next pretended to be a little shocked. “Pirates?! Ya’ll ain’t here to take our booty are ya?”

“Arrggg! Pip the Fearless earns his Booty! There be no adventure otherwise!” Pipsqueak said as he thrust out his toy cutlass again.

Apple Jack gave a chuckle as she said, “Well in that case we got bobbing for Apples! Right over here! Two bits! Ya’ll can keep going until you get one. You can also pay three bits and you can try for 45 seconds to get a Golden Delicious apple. You get a prize if you succeed! But they ain’t easy to get now.”

“Can I go twice?” Naruko asked. She used her pirate voice and said, “Ain’t right making Pip the Fearless do such a thing!”

“But I want to try!” Pipsqueak pleaded with a lower quivering lip.

“If you don’t mind me holding on to you, then you can try. I’ll bring you up when I need too,” Naruko said in her regular voice.

Pipsqueak thought it over. “Okay!” he said with a smile.

“Alright, you only get to try for one though. Either a regular apple or a Golden Delicious. I won’t let you try for both,” Naruko added.

“Awww…” Pipsqueak whined but thought which one he wanted to try and get. He put his cutlass back up and tapped a hoof to his chin. “I want to try for a Golden Delicious!” he shouted cheerfully.

Twilight paid the three bits and Pipsqueak and Naruko positioned themselves. “Alright then! After I count to three,” AJ said as she set the timer.

“One,” she said as Pipsqueak tried to do all sorts of high end mathematical calculations to figure out the best way to get a Golden Delicious apple. They didn’t really amount to much. Math wasn't his strong suit.

“Two,” AJ said. Naruko positioned Pipsqueak while she held on to him. She had to keep him further away from the Bubbling Bobbing Cauldron because he was trying to dive right inside it.

“Three!” AJ shouted.

“Now!” Pip the Fearless shouted as Naruko put him under while still holding on to him.

Pipsqueak opened his eyes and looked in front of him finding where there were a couple of the prize-winning apples. He was just about to reach out when Naruko pulled him up.

“Aww… I couldn’t even reach one!” he said disappointed.

“Where did you see them?” Naruko asked.

“There,” he said as he pointed at it.

Naruko adjusted her hold and aimed him in the proper placement. “Take a big breath,” she said.

He did just that. She put him in again and pushed him down further while keeping a good hold on him.

Pipsqueak opened his eyes underwater and was surprised how close one was to him. He might have looked around a little more but he wanted that prize! He wanted that Pirate Booty! He quickly reached out and grabbed one. He had it in his mouth and tapped Naruko’s hoof as a signal he was ready to be pulled up.

Naruko pulled him up. Pipsqueak quickly held the apple with his front hooves and took in another deep breath after he exhaled. “Got it!” he shouted with a broad smile as Naruko pulled him away from the Bubbling Bobbing Cauldron.

“Well how ‘bout that!” AJ said with a grin. “We have ourselves a winner!” she said as Big Mac rang the winner bell. A few ponies nearby paused to look over at the Apple Family stand.

“Arrg!! Told ye Pip da Fearless always earns his treasure,” pipsqueak said before taking a bite out of the apple as AJ placed a new one in cauldron to replace it.

“Whaddaya want?” AJ asked as she pointed to the prizes. The prizes were different kinds of wonderful Apple Family treats.

“I want that Double crust Apple pie!” Pip the Fearless cheered in a not very pirate voice.

“Do you want it now? Or a fresh one delivered tomorrow afternoon?” AJ asked.

Pipsqueak smacked his lips. He could just taste it and smell it. He then was thoughtful for a moment and smiled. “I want a fresh one delivered tomorrow! I want to share it with my parents,” he said.

“Well alright then!” AJ said as she made a note with the address he gave her.

Naruko then tried bobbing for an apple. She got one with ease. It was a granny smith apple. “Mmmm… There really is something different about Apple Family apples,” she said after taking another bite.

AJ gave a friendly chuckle. “I’ll gladly take that compliment. That there difference is the Apple Family Quality.”

Twilight went next. It took her a good while. She was eager and didn’t think to take off her hat at first. Pipsqueak and Naruko both chuckled when she came up and the hat’s brim was drooping. “Hold this,” she said to Naruko as she forcefully passed her marefriend the hat and got ready try again with renewed determination.

It took three more tries and many laughs from Pip the Fearless and Pirate Lady Naru, before Twilight managed to finally get an apple. She was spending too much time underwater making calculations, which had to be redone every time she went back under due to the shifting water. In the end, she just tried without over thinking it. That was the time she actually got an apple. The mare dressed as Star Swirl made sure to fully enjoy the apple which she won. She considered it the best apple in all of existence between three universes.

The trio enjoyed more of the games the festival had to offer and even took a break to trick or treat at some of the surrounding houses. Naruko was a little embarrassed when they went to the house of one of the newer patrol members. They gave more candy than they probably should have, since she was their boss. “I kind of feel bad about this,” Naruko admitted to Twilight.

Twilight gave a little giggle. “Well you haven’t really met with all of the new patrol members yet. They did just finish their testing under First Lieutenant Hooves. It seems fitting they would be surprised when their immediate boss comes to their door,” Twilight said.

“Arrggg! We scored more Booty! Tis nothing to fear, First Mate Naru! We shall just better discover all the ocean’s secrets in memory of their sacrifice!” Pip the Fearless said while motioning with his toy cutlass. He was getting really good at that.

Naruko chuckled and smiled. “Thanks, Captain Pip! I shall take yer words ta heart!” she said in character as the colt smiled brightly and they continued.

{-} {-} {-}

Pipsqueak, Naruko and Twilight were playing one of the many games when suddenly there was a flash of lightning nearby causing them to jump a little in surprise. They then heard a familiar giggle and the two mares turned and frowned at Rainbow. “Ha! Got you!” Rainbow said as she giggled. She was dressed as a shadow bolt and even had a personally crafted thunder cloud she was using to prank ponies. Naruko looked to Twilight who nodded as Pip looked between the two holding his recent prize.

Naruko disappeared.

Rainbow blinked in surprise and looked around. “Where did she go?” Rainbow asked.

There was a large pillar of fire behind Rainbow and the pony was about to turn around, but before she could, a deep demonic sounding voice calmly spoke, “What’re you looking for, little pony?”

“Ahhh!” Rainbow shouted as she and her thunder cloud moved quickly forward a short distance and she turned around. She then looked and blinked as the now giant fox gave a grin that matched Naruko’s who was standing on his head. The two then laughed together.

“Got you,” Naruko said as Rainbow frowned a little bit and then chuckled herself after a couple of seconds.

“I would say that was cheating… But it was good!” Rainbow said as she chuckled again and sought out her next target.

“Wickedddd!” Pipsqueak said seeing Kyuubi in his five tailed form as he grinned. The other surrounding ponies chuckled a little thinking about Rainbow’s reaction and got back to their regular festival work. Kyuubi's appearance distracted them for just a moment.

“Sorry about that, Kyuubi,” Naruko said in apology with a smile on her muzzle.

Kyuubi gave a deep rumbling laugh before he shrunk down to his regular size again. “I actually found that a little fun,” he said with a grin.

“Thanks again, Kyuubi. I couldn’t just let Rainbow off,” Naruko admitted.

“You’re so wicked cool!” Pipsqueak shouted with a wide grin.

Kyuubi gave a small grin to the little colt. “Thanks, Pip the Fearless. A most fitting name, given you didn’t even flinch at my arrival,” he said with a hint of approval to the little pirate dressed colt.

“Arrggg! That be Pip tha Fearless!” he said with a pirate salute.

“I must go now! I was glad to be of service on your journey,” Kyuubi said in character before he vanished back to where he was before Naruko came to him.

{-} {-} {-}

The trio did have some more fun, but shortly after the incident with Rainbow there was a much louder boom sound and several flashes of lightning. This time all of the ponies were caught off guard by it. Twilight thought about scolding Rainbow for trying the same trick again and so soon, but she paused with her mouth hanging open when she turned around.

The skies were filled with many ominous looking clouds which were glowing with lightning as every so often a boom of thunder could be heard. A figure in the distance on the horizon was shrouded in shadow as the lightning flashed. The figure soon came closer. It was a chariot led by what looked like two pony bat hybrids. Naruko recognized them right away. In the chariot, there was a tall pony with eyes that seemed to glow from under a cloak that covered their whole body.

The chariot came to a stop above the town’s square. Many ponies were a little scared at the figure they didn’t recognize. When the figure spoke, her voice did not help matters. “Where fore aren’t thou sacrifices! You’re Ruler of the Night Hath come!” the figure said in a loud echoing voice.

The cloaked female then jumped down and landed on the ground and seemed to look around. “What manner of creatures are these?! Where fore aren’t thine subjects! Where fore aren’t thine sacrifices? We shall dine tonight whether on sweets or not!” the pony said still using the loud echoing voice with extra flashes of lightning and booms of thunder at certain words. Several ponies in the area cowered at the display and some screamed in fear.

“She’s going to eat us!” shouted Pinkie Pie with her group of fillies and colts shrieking behind her. Pinkie then screamed again before letting out a loud, “Bakaw!” and running off seemingly scared. Most of the little ponies with her followed, but a few stayed either too scared or intrigued by what was happening.

The mysterious pony, that wasn’t really that mysterious, threw back the hood of her cloak. She looked around a little worried.

“Princess Luna!?” Pipsqueak asked in wonder. He had his cutlass drawn and while he screamed earlier, he didn’t cower like many others. The small group that broke off from Pinkie’s group were staring in awe at both Pipsqueak and Princess Luna.

“Yes,” she said in a much friendlier voice. “You must be Pip the Fearless,” she said.

She earned an, “Arrgggg that I be!” from Pipsqueak. He was really loving this.

“Was it too much, my friends?” Princess Luna asked Naruko and Twilight.

Twilight gave a nervous laugh and replied, “A little bit.”

The other ponies in the area were watching now and not as fearful as they were earlier.

“I think it was the lightning and the voice, Boss,” Naruko answered with a slight smile.

“I see… I thought this was now actually a night of fun and scares,” Luna answered. She placed a hoof to her chin in thought. “Perhaps the atmosphere I was going for with my dramatics was too much,” she said more to herself than anypony else. She then turned to her escorts, “You are free until I wish to return.” They nodded and took off their chariot harnesses.

The town ponies were a bit surprised and confused now, but they weren’t really afraid. Princess Luna was one of their princesses and she seemed to be on friendly terms with two really respected ponies in Ponyville. They also knew the only reason they had the Ever-Free Patrol was because of Princess Luna and that put them further at ease. They were still really nervous being in the general company of Royalty. Many were just wondering why such a pony would visit here on such a night.

“P-P-Princess Luna…” Mayor Mare said not at all hiding her nervousness, even with her clown costume. “I did not expect you to make an appearance…” she said.

“I was planning on doing so as a surprise visit for my subjects,” the night princess said.

“Still… I will make sure we had a celebration worthy of royalty! What do you require?” the mayor asked.

“Worry not. I wished to partake in the festival as it was. That is the only way to truly appreciate it in my opinion,” Luna replied. She then looked around and said louder, “Go about your business. I shall partake at my leisure and wish not to distract from your festivities,” she said. The populace of ponies nervously got back to their regular activities. They at least did as normally as possible when one of your rulers came for an unannounced visit.

“Do you want to join us?” Twilight asked Princess Luna.

Naruko added, “We’d love it if you did.”

Princess Luna was about to accept when she got an idea. She smiled and asked Pipsqueak, “What does the pirate captain say? May I join your crew?” She gave a large smile to him.

Pipsqueak’s eyes widened for a moment and he didn’t even bother to keep up his pirate manner as he spoke. “Whoa! That’s awesome! My favorite Princess is asking me to come along?!” Princess Luna nodded to the colt. He grinned even wider. “This is the best Nightmare Night ever!” he shouted. He then cleared his throat and raised his cutlass. “Do ye seek adventure?!” he asked.

“That I do!” Luna replied.

“Than there always be room for ye on Pip the Fearless’ crew!” he said barely containing his excitement. He’d have to tell his parents all about this later.

“Ha ha! I accept!” Luna said. There was a flash of light and Luna was now covered in a pirate costume as well. “Pirate Princess Night Glow at yer service! Captain Fearless! The pirate fun has been doubled!” she said in her own pirate voice.

Pipsqueak would swear he couldn’t grin any wider. “Now, it’s the best Nightmare Night ever!” he said.

It was at this moment the fillies and colts who stayed after the rest of Pinkie’s group left started to talk to each other. One filly with a yellow green coat and blue mane spoke first. “Can we join your pirate crew for tonight too?” she asked. The group were impressed Pipsqueak wasn’t as scared as even the adult ponies when Princess Luna first arrived.

“Aye! There be plenty o’ room on my crew for those that wish to be brave and thirst of adventure and booty!” he said still in character. “This is a lot of fun! I can see why this is such a great holiday,” he thought to himself.

“Yeah!” the ponies shouted as they grinned to each other.

“Awww….” One pony started. “But I’m dressed as a ghost….” she sighed.

“Then ye be a ghost pirate! Welcome aboard!” Pipsqueak said. The filly smiled brightly to that, even if it was hard to see given her costume.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she shouted and jumped for joy.

Luna gave a royal and elegant laugh to that. “And here I was about to use magic to change your costume. But Pip the Fearless knows best! The captain says we will have a ghost pirate and so we shall!”

She still cast a small spell which caused the filly’s costume to glow a little. “Whoa! This is so cool!” she said in more joy as the now much larger group enjoyed their night together.

The group had plenty of fun that night and there were many shouts of “The fun has been doubled!” from Princess Luna. Eventually the other fillies and colts joined in her shouts.

When Luna played a spider toss game and landed her second one, she clapped her forehooves and said, “The fun has been-”

“Doubled!” the rest of the group shouted in joy as they all laughed in joy.

“I really like that phrase,” a pegasus colt said. He was dressed as a Wonderbolt zombie. Twilight decided to cast a small illusion spell on his wings to really sell it earlier. She made sure it wasn’t too horrific so it would just remain fun.

“That is some impressive magic, friend Twilight,” Luna had praised when Twilight cast the spell. The purple unicorn couldn’t help but blush and smile at the praise.

“Thanks!” she said in reply.

At a different game, Naruko was giving one young colt, who hadn’t won a prize yet, pointers. The game was a dart game. “Remember. Aim a little higher before you throw it with the same power you did last time,” she said to him as she helped him adjust his aim a little.

“O-o-okay…” he said a little nervously. He wasn’t good at these kinds of games and it was a little embarrassing, even if none of the other ponies cared. They even cheered him on. He did as Naruko told him and threw the dart.

Thunk! It sounded as it hit the target.

The colt couldn’t even see it since he closed his eyes.

“We have a winner!” the stall attendant shouted as he rang a bell for surrounding ponies to hear.

The little colt wearing what he called a super scientist outfit opened his eyes. He took in a quick breath in surprise. “I did it! I won!” he shouted as he danced and picked out his prize.

“Such skills in their own way are admirable,” Princess Luna praised as the colt beamed to everypony.

“I knew ye’d get it!” the pirate ghost said as she nodded happily.

“Arrggg! Let us give our Matey, Rock Solid a pirate cheer!” Pip the Fearless commanded as his crew obeyed cheerfully.

“Arrggg! Yo Ho! Yo Ho! Yo Ho me Matey!” they all shouted together in the pirate cheer. Pipsqueak came up with it earlier for their crew.

{-} {-} {-}

As the night for the little ponies came to an end, everypony gathered as Zecora again gave the story of Nightmare Night. When she got to the part about handing over some candy as a sacrifice to the Ruler of the Night, all of the gathered fillies and colts gave Luna her share. Princess Luna smiled and even had to wipe a tear away as they happily did so with bright and lovely smiles.

Those who were a part of Pipsqueak’s pirate crew even gave her a little extra and said in unison, “Thank you Princess Luna! It was fun getting to enjoy the holiday with you.”

Princess Luna then donned her character of Night Ruler from earlier, though not as intense, and spoke to them in a grand but not too grand voice. “Your Princess of the Night, who hath survived the Nightmare thanks to the Elements of Harmony, Approves of your sacrifice! My lovely subjects. Enjoy the rest of your night!” she said as she caused the light of the stars and the moon to glow even brighter. The gathered ponies all cheered in happiness and even hoof stomped in approval as they left with their groups for a little more fun before calling it a night.

“Captain Pipsqueak,” Luna started. He and his crew paused and listened. “I appreciate your hospitality for tonight, but I must now part company and return,” she said. She was a little surprised when the gathered ponies frowned and ‘Awwww’ed in disappointment for a reply.

Luna couldn’t help but smile at that. “I know it is a little sad to part like this after we all have doubled the fun numerous times tonight,” she paused as the ponies chuckled. “However, I am still Princess of the Night and must attend to my duties. It is what we must do to watch over all our little ponies,” she said as Pipsqueak actually gave one of her legs a hug.

“I knew I picked right when I chose you as my favorite princess,” he said.

“I am glad to hear it,” Princess Luna replied as she returned the little colt’s hug. Several other fillies and colts came to hug her as well. Princess Luna returned their hugs as her Night Guard ponies appeared by her side. “Farewell, My Little Ponies. Know that your Princess of the Night hath found much enjoyment in your festival,” she said as she climbed into the chariot and took off for Canterlot. “Happy Nightmare Night, all!” she said as she disappeared into the moonlight.

Just as the Princess of the Night left, several adult ponies came over to pick up their kids. They were a little worried at first when they approached Pinkie Pie, but she laid their fears to rest. “They wanted to stay with my friends Twilight Sparkle and Naruko Uzumaki. I’m pretty sure Princess Luna even joined them all. I figured it was okay cuz you know Twilight is really impressive with magic and Naruko took on even Discord. Then you add in one of the princesses, and you can’t really get much safer than that,” she told them. She also pointed them into the right direction to pick up their kids.

As the fillies and colts left with their parents, apart from Pipsqueak who was giving mighty yawns from Naurko’s back, they heard one of the colt’s ask his parents, “Can I be a Night guard bat pony next year?”

The parents chuckled good naturedly and said, “If you still want to be that next year, then yes.”

The colt made a small pouty face to that for all of two seconds before he smiled and said, “This was the best Nightmare Night ever! I was a part of Pip the Fearless’ pirate crew and everything!” He then started to excitedly explain to his parents all about his night of fun and they happily listened.

Pipsqueak gave a mighty yawn as they made their way to his family’s house. “Thanks, Lady Naruko. Tonight, was the best Nightmare Night ever! It was my first one too!” he said with a tired grin. The two unicorns found it impressive he still had enough energy to be as excited as he was. Pipsqueak turned to Twilight. “I really liked meeting you too Lady Twilight,” he said.

Twilight gave a giggle. “Even with my family’s titles and such, I still can’t get used to being referred to as Lady anything. You can just call me Twilight,” she said.

Pipsqueak gave a laugh. “I didn’t call you Lady Anything, but okay Miss Twilight,” he said to her.

Twilight paused in her steps for a moment and laughed. “It seems Naruko is rubbing off on you, Pipsqueak,” she said before giggling again. He just smiled in response before giving another yawn and his parents thanked them one last time before taking their son to bed.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko and Twilight were happy and relieved when they got home that night. They had the place to themselves, since Spike was spending the night with the CMC. “I think Princess Luna handled it really well tonight,” Twilight commented. She then gave a giggle. “I figured things would get messy and she would get upset about the holiday.”

Naruko gave a giggle. “She might have, but she asked me about the holiday in advance. That’s why she asked if what she did was too much. I told her while the night was named after her past, it was something much more than that and ponies loved it. I told her all about Nightmare Night after that and she was actually really happy with it,” Naruko explained.

Twilight gave a laugh. “I guess it isn’t surprising you would tell her all about your favorite holiday. I bet it didn’t even take much to get you started,” she said. Naruko rolled her eyes, pouted and shook her head all in a playful manner in response as they got ready to enjoy the rest of their night.

{-} {-} {-}

Three ponies emerged from clear blue ocean waters around the sandy shores of a mostly uninhabited island. The trio consisted of a royal guard grey pegasus stallion, a unicorn stallion with a dark grey coat and golden eyes and an earth pony mare with a light blue coat and a purple and red striped mane. Her cutie mark was a scuba mask and dive fins. They started taking off their specialized scuba gear. The process went much smoother thanks to the unicorn’s magic and instruction he already received from the mare earlier.

The group stretched and made their way to the island’s base camp. They were actually really excited, but exhausted as well. It wasn’t easy scuba diving as long as they had been. However, it was worth it in the end.

A couple of royal guards saluted as the group entered the camp. “Anything to report, Inspector BlackHoof?” one asked.

“Of course, there is. There always is. You do have to report both success and failure in matters such as these,” he said. The guards seemed to try and straighten up as a way of showing they had been properly chastised and understood. Inspector BlackHoof was always different in a way. Some of the guards liked it. Many didn’t appreciate it. They felt he was being too strict and condescending at times. The officers in the guard really hated his manners since they were more often than not from noble stock.

BlackHoof spoke to the guards again and said, “Gather all of the Heads. We have success to report.”

The guards’ eyes widened and they quickly did as told. He was one of the main ponies here. His specialization in dealing with ancient magical artifacts cursed or otherwise was the main reason he was brought on board for this mission.

“Remember,” started the now ecstatic looking earth pony mare. Her earth pony stamina allowed her to recover sooner. “You promised to ask I be given permission to help with further exploration after the main mission here is finished.”

BlackHoof gave a smile. “Of course, Aqua Life. Your instruction and assistance for all of the search patrols in this matter has been instrumental,” he said.

The Earth pony mare clapped her forehooves together. Her special talent was scuba diving and ocean research. She excelled at both book and field research but preferred the latter. She was called upon to help instruct the whole team on scuba diving and assist in the search phase of this mission.

“Besides…” BlackHoof started as the pegasus guard went to get some refreshment and rest. “It isn’t like the princesses will want too many ponies gaining knowledge of what we have found here quite yet. They aren’t about to ask another pony to take over in your stead.” She smiled in thanks to him as she trotted along ahead of him. She was glad using scuba gear was the norm for all ponies and allowed her this opportunity.

There is a spell that allows ponies to essentially breathe underwater and one that allows you to have magical dive fins. The problem with these spells is they aren’t easy to cast on a group and they’re even more difficult casting together. Inspector BlackHoof knew of two ponies who could do both and there might be more, but it was still generally preferable to use pony scuba gear. There was also the fact you needed to worry about keeping warm when scuba diving. Even with a pony’s coat, it got colder the deeper you went in the ocean. A spell solution for this would be very draining on a unicorn.

Inspector BlackHoof was recruited for this phase of the mission because soon after finding this island and beginning the search, a number of ancient magical totems were discovered on the island and in the water. On top of his usual skills, he was very good at finding things. He helped put the guards’ minds at ease and made sure it was safe for them here. He was looking forward to finishing his work here though. He was ready to get back to Canterlot. “But before that… I have to meet with the officers and get the message to the princesses,” he thought to himself.

Once all of the stuffy noble ponies, who were officers in the royal guard, and a few who actually earned their position, gathered in the command tent, BlackHoof spoke. “Today Sgt. Wind Wing, Aqua Life and myself found it.”

The nobles looked to each other and started to talk excitedly. One raised their voice to quite the others and verify with BlackHoof. “Is that right? Inspector BalckHoof?”

“Yes, it is. I wouldn’t have called for this meeting otherwise. I wish to inform you that I will take it upon myself to get this information to the princesses,” he said in answer.

The noble rolled his eyes at the Inspector’s tone. They were used to it by this point. Some took offense at first, but mostly they agreed he simply didn’t know how important it was to verbally verify information and, in most cases, further verify it from multiple sources. Fortunately, they wouldn’t have to worry about that here. There was no way anypony, even BlackHoof, would dare falsely claim this mission was successful. You would have to be dumber than the stupidest pony to lie about such things to Princess Celestia, and even further idiotic to lie about them to Princess Luna.

A different noble pony guard let out a long sigh of relief. “I for one am glad to finally hear such news,” she said. Several nodded in agreement. They could all finally go home. There would be a guard of ponies left here to watch over the area and keep others from getting in trouble, but that would be a different set of guards. The nobles were glad of this. Their subordinates were fine, perfectly fine, but they lacked a certain understanding and as a result made for rather poor company over an extended period of time.

This mission had gone on for a good while yet. It was the kind of mission that took a lot of time because you couldn’t take short cuts. They even missed Nightmare Night. Fortunately, they did at least have some form of a party for the celebration. The lower ranking royal guards put something together that was rather crude for most of the officers’ tastes, but it was still somehow rather enjoyable. Regardless of such things, the truth was even most of the regular royal guard were ready for some leave and a new assignment, even if it was palace duty again.

BlackHoof couldn’t blame the officers’ reaction. He enjoyed his time here, but it had been really long. He still needed to further figure out leads he got from the Swinn Del Sale case. Swinn Del Sale was still alive and brought in for questioning. Unsurprisingly, the pony was very forth coming and eager to cooperate once his gig was up. That was usually the case with ponies like him.

What was surprising, was where Swinn’s information led. He had several leads on other potentially harmful artifacts. Many of the ponies under BlackHoof’s command were narrowing the leads best they could. BlackHoof expected a lot of paperwork and information when he got back after this long mission, but you didn’t turn down a ‘Royal Request’. Knowing the ponies involved in this ongoing and overarching mission caused BlackHoof to feel even more eager to help.

The gruff inspector pony was glad to finally be getting back to Canterlot. He might take a couple of more days to just enjoy the locale. It was essentially a private beach under the protection of the royal guard, but he was ready to get back. He took time to enjoy this place during his free hours, but the nobles were getting to him by this point.

The noble ponies weren’t an evil lot or anything like that, but there was a definite disconnect between them and most ponies. There were a lot of them in the Royal Guard as officers, just more or less serving their time so they could claim to be ex-military of the Royal Guard. They were usually rather lazy, but they still more or less did their jobs.

BlackHoof had to admit there were some who were changing. He even felt hopeful for the future of the Equestrian nobility, but that was a ways off yet. He overheard a mare from the rather well known and respected Tafiter family named Energy Dancer talking about hoping the Ever-Free Patrol would have a Canterlot Contingent to join. That dream wasn’t too unlikely. BlackHoof looked up the past of the patrol and found out there was such a branch at one time.

Canterlot did have some grounds apart from the mountain that were considered part of the city, but the main purpose of the Canterlot Contingent was to act as a local defense for the city. That way the Royal Guard could focus on Canterlot Palace or other military facilities across the land. It was especially helpful in the past to protect Canterlot from spies and undercover enemies.

“I hope she gets her wish. It would be nice if the nobility got back to being actually respectful like it was in the past and even when I was younger,” BlackHoof thought as he wrote a letter. He was granted access to a letter teleport for this mission. Once he was given a letter in response saying his mission was complete, the object would disappear.

His letter was simple. It read:

We found it.

Signed,

Inspector BlackHoof

Dark Artifact Retrieval Agency

He sent the letter and waited for a response. It didn’t take long. He smiled as he read the letter.

Good to hear. Take a couple of days off and give us a full debriefing when you return.

The letter wasn’t signed, but he recognized Princess Luna’s writing. He knew the princesses would discuss this together during their meeting with each other. He planned to tell them during the full debriefing how Aqua Life was instrumental in her aid along with her desire to help with further study of their find. He would also tell them of Sgt. Wind Wing’s help as well. He was sure good things would come to both ponies as a result. After all, it wasn’t every day you discovered an ancient and mythical sunken Earth Pony city like Ponlantis.

Author's Notes:

By this point in the story I figured I should point something out. I have been hinting about it some here and there in comments. I know I took a long break from this story, but I was still planning things and already had plans for later in the story laid out. I wish to point out that this is an AU story.

Regarding post season 3 content/revelations (including the movie), I will be picking and choosing if I follow it or not. I may not even follow season two stuff completely, but in this case, it is more of a if it isn’t mentioned then just pretend it didn’t happen situation instead of me completely changing events.

I know most people are probably okay with this and don’t have a problem. Sadly, there are some people out there who get upset if you don’t follow cannon almost religiously even if a story is labeled AU (alternative universe) and a crossover. I can’t recall anyone commenting about such things like that in this story, but I have been keeping things relatively cannon, even with Naruko mixed into the story. Things might be okay for a good while yet, but they will change very much from cannon soon enough.

There are also some ideas I will start to introduce with the next mission Naruko goes on as well. Hopefully they will work, but I still feel I should give a warning at this stage of the story.

New Blood and a New Mission

Naruko rinsed out a glass of juice she just finished as she heard a loud boom sound and saw plume of smoke coming from Twilight’s room. Naruko ran past Kyuubi who was sitting almost like a small fox statue on their table unperturbed by the explosion. Twilight was coughing as she used a magic spell to disperse the smoke.

“Are you okay?” Naruko asked.

“Yeah. I am now,” Twilight replied as she frowned at a piece of paper in front of her. She wondered what she did that was wrong.

Naruko came over to look at the remains as well. Naruko right away saw what went wrong. “You messed up your writing. You used the wrong word and you seem to have rushed some of the strokes. I’ve told you to be extra careful when making a seal. You can take your time and should,” she explained.

Twilight’s frown deepened. “You write them so fast though and does it really matter?” she asked.

Naruko nodded. “Yes, it does. You have to keep in mind you are writing in a completely different language, that for all we know, didn’t exist on this planet until I first started writing it.”

“I know details are important, but just how important is it with this Kanji?” Twilight asked.

Naruko decided a demonstration was in order. She grabbed two sheets of paper and used a brush to write two different kanji that looked extremely similar. She then wrote out their meanings. “As you can see, there are several kanji that are very similar to each other and a slight difference can completely change the meaning. This is why I’ve stressed the importance of learning the written language before you really try seals.”

Naruko smiled and gave Twilight a quick nuzzle as the other pony blushed a little and smiled. “Your lovely head is actually working against you here, Twilight. You’re already seeing the basics of sealing and filling in some of the other aspects of it with your knowledge on runes, but the two are still very different in their own ways, even with their similarities.”

Twilight smiled softly as she looked at the kanji again. “I guess I just feel really left behind compared to you. You know how eager I get when it comes to learning.” Twilight then gave a sigh. “I still don’t get how you know all of this stuff so well. I mean you were pretty much already a master from what I can tell before you even came to Equestria!”

“I don’t know about being a master back then, but it helps I grew up with the language,” Naruko said. She then giggled and added, “There’s also the fact it is literally in my blood. My clan was famous for their knowledge and power in Fuinjutsu, what we called the sealing arts.”

She sighed, “It led to their destruction just before the third shinobi war began.”

Naruko smiled again, “Both my parents were sealing masters and I’m pretty sure if I wasn’t already as good as I am in it. My mom would find a way to drag me into my mindscape and teach me all about it without letting me leave until I was a master.”

“I still find that hard to wrap my head around, but it is good your parents are still with you in some manner,” Twilight said. She then stood up and stretched. “I need a little break I think. I’ll get back to practicing writing again later instead of jumping right into seals.”

The two made their way back downstairs. Twilight went into the kitchen and Naruko sat at the table Kyuubi was on. The fox opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times. “Hello, You,” Naruko said with a smile as she hugged him quickly and didn’t let him escape before he could move. Kyuubi just went with it.

As she broke off the hug, she asked, “Did you find anything out on what it was Discord said?”

“I did actually. Your father and I have put our grievances to the side. Your mother as well, at least for now… I’m not so sure it’s completely good there. She still has her temper it seems,” Kyuubi said. Naruko chuckled. She was envisioning her mom scolding the tailed beast as he rolled his eyes and sighed at her while drowning out her words like a teenager.

Kyuubi stood up and hopped off the table to move around some after sitting still for so long. “It seems he only sealed half of me into you. My yang half in particular,” he said.

“Wow?! Really?” Twilight asked from the kitchen. Kyuubi nodded to her. “I’m going to go ahead and make us lunch,” Twilight then told them so they could continue the discussion.

“But you’re so powerful. Why did he do that?” Naruko asked the fox.

“That’s exactly why he did so in the first place. Sealing all of me inside of you the way he did would have been too much, even for an Uzumaki,” Kyuubi explained.

“Is the sealing part of the reason you’ve been growing more powerful yourself lately then? Where did he seal the other half?” she asked.

“It is exactly why I’ve been growing from what we can tell. The seal he used is powerful and crosses time, space, and even dimensions. That’s why it requires a sacrifice to the Shinigami,” he said.

“So, the other half of you is sealed inside the God of Death?” Naruko asked in thought while also hiding her shock.

“More specifically inside your father who is inside the Shinigami.”

Naruko’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that pretty much hell?! We have to save him! What can we do?” Naruko asked as she stood up. She wasn’t about to let her father suffer like that.

“Calm down,” Kyuubi said causing her to sister back down. “There isn’t anything we can do about that. Once I finish absorbing my other half, your father will pass on into the afterlife. Once the absorption is completed, the Shinigami’s half of the bargain is fulfilled. Your father knew what he was doing when he sealed us, Naruko. Do not worry about him.”

Naruko still wasn’t happy with this, but she could rest a little easier knowing her father would eventually be free. “Do you have any idea how much you have absorbed?” she asked.

“Knowing now what I do. I can say I have absorbed about 50% of my other self. As you were thinking, the power increase I have felt wasn’t from growing stronger myself, but from gaining more of my full power,” he said. He was a little bummed that he wasn’t technically improving as much as his partner was. Naruko had grown so much since they came to Equestria. She’d already be one of the strongest ninjas if she were to return to Konoha.

“I still can’t believe your old planet literally has a God of Death,” Twilight said as she served up lunch to everyone. Spike was spending the day with the CMC at Scootaloo’s house today.

“There are many gods in the land we are from and several entities, such as myself, called demons. That does not mean all things labeled god or demon there are as such,” Kyuubi explained as they started their meal.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko made her way to Patrol HQ. She was working the afternoon and into the evening today. As she approached, one of the new recruits nervously saluted her. She saluted back and said, “We don’t need to do that. We aren’t as formal as the Royal Guard.”

“Yes, Grand Captain Uzumaki!” a cheerful pegasus stallion with a dark blue coat and orange mane and tail said. His cutie mark consisted of a book with a pair of wings.

“You don’t have to use my full title either. You can just call me Naruko,” she said.

The pegasus looked a little uncomfortable, “Can I call you Captain Naruko?” he asked.

She smiled and said, “If you want.” He felt more at ease and relaxed as he returned to his lunch and she entered HQ.

She soon saw another of the new recruits and Trixie gathered around a table with stacks of posters. Naruko made her way over to look at them. The new recruit at the table was an earth pony mare with a pale pink coat and bright yellow and green mane and tail. She had a cutie mark with an art brush and a pencil crossed together.

“Looking good, Joy” Naruko said catching the pony off guard as she quickly stood straighter.

“Thank you, ma’am!” she said. The pony’s full name was Artful Joy but she preferred to just be called Joy. She saw herself as a part-time artist and now a full-time patroller. She designed a few recruitment posters and Trixie was making copies of them with her magic. Joy smiled as she looked over the posters again, “I decided to use the first patrol members for inspiration, as you can see with the pony silhouettes.”

The first poster Naruko looked at showed a silhouette based off of her in her dress uniform. Her horn was glowing light blue and she was pointing with a hoof to the opposite side of the poster. There were Bon Bon and Lyra ponies charging that way on the ground and in the sky above Cloud Kicker and Derpy were flying in the same direction. Naruko chuckled a little as she noticed Derpy was saluting the poster’s viewer. On the top of the poster were the words, “For Equestria! For your Home! Join the Patrol today.”

The second poster Naruko saw showed Lyra, Bon Bon and Cloud Kicker holding each other’s hooves in the shape of a triangle around the Two Sisters Symbol. There were words by each corresponding pony as well. The words were, “Earth!”, “Sky!”, and “Magic!” At the bottom of this poster the words read, “The Earth you live on. The skies we love. The magic surrounding us. Protect it all! See if you have what it takes to join the Patrol today.”

A third poster showed Naruko and Derpy working together to help protect a group of forest animals. The poster was also split in half with the sun on one side and the moon on the other. This poster had the words, “The Ever-Free Patrol! We help all our neighbors. Either by sunshine or moonlight. Join today!”

“Trixie requested a poster of her own as well,” the showpony said.

“I figured why not. She will be starting the Hooffington Contingent and she helped come up with the slogans,” Artful explained.

Trixie used her magic to display a final poster. This poster showed Naruko and Trixie working together while leading a generic pony out of the woods. Naruko was in the leading the others while she looked forward. Trixie was behind her looking back at the pony they were leading and offering them a hoof. The wording on this poster read, “Help and protect those in need! Find your true self in the process. Speak with Trixie Lulamoon, Captain of Ever-Free Patrol: Hooffington Contingent.”

“Nice,” Naruko commented.

“I found the last one especially fitting for me,” Trixie said with a smile as she again reflected on how her life changed after meeting the patrol.

“Can I have a few copies?” Naruko asked. She could use them to decorate her room at home and her office in Canterlot.

“Sure,” Artful Joy said delighted her Captain approved of the posters that much. She then gave a giggle, “The others have asked for copies as well.”

“Thanks,” Naruko said as she helped herself to two of each of the first three and one of the fourth which pleasantly surprised Trixie.

{-} {-} {-}

After dropping off the posters in her office, Naruko checked in with Derpy and made her way around the HQ. Naruko wanted to make sure she checked in with all of the new ponies she could. Her next stop was to the med bay. One of their recruits made it his home rightfully so. She was actually really happy this pony ended up joining them. He was inspired by the way they helped ponies during both the Parasprite Infestation and Discord’s Escape. He was a dark grey unicorn stallion with a dark blue mane and tail. He had a first aid bag with a red cross as his Cutie mark and his name was Iron Cross.

Iron Cross was looking through the medical supplies and making a list. He originally worked for Ponyville’s hospital under Doctor Hoof. Iron Cross was a medical pony, but he wasn’t a full doctor yet, but he was very knowledgeable and his particular expertise would greatly help the patrol. He loved helping ponies and even made his own medicines. He was particularly skillful in what even Dr. Hoof called Battlefield Medicine.

The stallion at one time tried to join the Royal Guard because of this, but they said there weren’t any openings for a pony specializing in first aid. The nobles in charge he spoke to thought he was trying to make up an officer position or something. They didn’t specialize guard members outside of some officers. They couldn’t believe his audacity to try something like that.

Iron Cross went full time patrol member pretty much as soon as he was inducted into the patrol. He still made sure the hospital he worked at previously knew he was available to help if there was ever an emergency and they were short staffed. Doctor Hoof was very grateful for this. Iron Cross may be good at Battlefield Medicine, but he was also one of the best at assisting and even stabilizing patients and prepping them for surgery.

“Good Afternoon, Iron Cross,” Naruko started as she entered.

He turned and gave her a polite smile and bow of his head. “Good Afternoon, Captain Uzumaki,” he greeted. Naruko didn’t bother correcting him. Iron Cross was very much formal with everypony. He wasn’t stern or anything like that, but he insisted on using titles for the ranking officers in the Patrol. He even referred to Trixie as Captain Lulamoon. “Supplies are looking good and everything is far from expiration. I even found a way to make some room for the ingredients I use for making my own medicines,” he said in update as he wrote something down on the clipboard he was holding in his magic.

“I see you also got Trixie to expand the med bay as needed to include a proper sanitation area. Did you cordon off a separate area for making your medicines?” she asked. He nodded and pointed to what looked like a new door leading to a small room that could almost pass as a storage closet.

“The area is small, but it will work just fine for my needs and prevent accidental contamination,” he replied.

“I have to admit I’m impressed with how you’ve improved our med-bay since you joined a little while ago. It will be nice to have a proper medic pony in our ranks. Princess Luna and I have even been discussing setting up some form of training for other contingents and to at the very least have a Lead First Aid pony. We will be using some of the enhancements you have made here as a basis for the other HQs when they are created and needed,” Naruko said looking around the area.

Iron Cross actually grinned and looked to the ground trying to hide it. “Thanks, Ma’am… That means a lot to me. You have no idea,” he said.

“You’re Welcome. In the Ever-Free Patrol, we aren’t opposed to ideas that will improve our set up. Feel free to mention anything else you think will improve things,” Naruko said before she left the med-bay. Iron Cross smiled to himself and continued doing what he was doing.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko had one more stop she wished to make today at HQ. She made her way to the workshop building. As she neared it, she could hear the obvious sounds of tinkering going on inside the building. The last new recruit for today was a mare Naruko remembered overhearing talking to her friends when she visited HQ after Discord. The earth pony mare had a light gold coat and light brown mane and tail. Her cutie mark had an electrified wrench and the mare’s name was Electra Wrench. She was a pony who was good at tinkering and creating gadgets and such.

Electra Wrench worked as a toy repair pony in one of the local Ponyville shops. She was going to do both for as long as she could, but it was clear the mare preferred her time as a patroller. When Naruko asked her about this, the pony replied, “Well I usually just worked the cashier at the store. Sometimes I would repair a filly’s or colt’s toy, but most times they just moved on to a new toy instead.”

She also admitted the main reason she kept doing the job at the toy store was because she loved seeing little ponies smile on the rare occasion they came to get a toy repaired. She had a few toys she made herself on special occasions, but it was never really satisfying to her in a way. She got her cutie mark when she tinkered around with some of her dad’s old junk he wouldn’t throw out. That being the case she found herself right at home in the patrol’s workshop.

Naruko blinked and ran in when she heard a loud clank sound as if something just fell. “Dang it!” Electra shouted just as Naruko entered. Something heavy did just fall, luckily it didn’t land on the tinker pony. It seemed like nothing was broken either.

“Are we going to need to reinforce the protective runes in here?” Naruko asked with a bit of a chuckle.

“Oh! B-b-boss!” Electra jumped in surprise. She then gave a nervous giggle, “Ummmm… Sorry about that. I’ll be more careful in the future. I should have stored it better.”

Naruko nodded to her, but mentally decided to improve the runes anyways. Maybe that new soft impact runeseal she and Twilight created would be a good idea. Naruko made her way over to Electra and looked at what she was doing. “So, what are you working on?” Naruko asked.

“Well you mentioned Fluttershy’s armor she wore for that mission you won’t go into detail about. She let me look at it not too long ago. I’ve been working on ways to make something like that for the patrol but a lot less… seemingly put together… and a lot more practical,” Electra said.

“That’s a good idea. It is something I wanted to look into myself, but well… it gets kind of busy being the Grand Captain,” Naruko said with a smile as she looked over the design. There was a lot of technical parts to it, but she got the idea of it. It was looking good in her eyes.

“I’m not saying it will stop the jaws of a timberwolf, though maybe it will eventually with the proper iterations, but it should really help out a lot with most things we will face,” she said in thought as an idea came to her mind and she scribbled something down.

“I would like to see some more once you have a better idea about it. Who knows. Maybe we can end up adding some runes that will improve it,” Naruko said.

Electra nodded to that. “I will see later. But probably much later in the design,” she said.

“Agreed. Runes should be seen as additional improvements and the base of the armor should be strong even without them,” Naruko said.

Electra smiled to that. “Usually unicorns would just rely solely on the magic of the runes. I’m glad you aren’t that way, Boss Naruko.”

“I’m different in many ways. Besides… This is the Ever-Free Patrol. A unicorn who only utilizes their magic and nothing else is very unlikely to make it for long if at all. Both Trixie and Lyra are very proficient without their magic by this point. Iron Cross already set up his own approved training regime to fix his shortcomings in such ways as well,” Naruko said.

She mentally added, “Twilight would probably be the only unicorn I can think of that could rely just on her magic alone.”

Naruko looked around the workshop some more as Electra Wrench got back to her work. The pony wasn’t scheduled for any patrols for today, but she considered herself still on duty. When Naruko finished looking around, she turned and said, “I’ll leave you to it. It’s nice seeing the Workshop being put to good use already. Do be careful and come to either Derpy or me if you need anything else or have ideas on materials you need for your project.”

“Will do Boss,” Electra said with a smile and wave as Naruko headed to her office for some work.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko gave a hum in thought after she’d been working for a while and came up with an idea. She decided she needed to speak with Derpy about this and get her second in command’s opinion on the matter. Naruko knocked on the First Lieutenant’s office. “Come in!” Derpy replied as she just finished setting up the schedule for next week. Naruko had been busy with other paper work regarding things like funds and such so the pegasus pitched in to help with assignments.

“Boss!” Derpy said cheerfully with a pleasant smile as she hovered above her desk.

“Everything going well in here?” Naruko asked.

“Sure is! Did you need anything?” she asked.

“Yes. I was looking at some less well known and encountered creatures again. I really think we need to find a way to better to train for Changelings. I know they haven’t been seen here for hundreds of years. I still think we need to be ready for creatures that can so easily infiltrate, even if we never run into them,” Naruko said.

Derpy nodded to that. “Any ideas on how to train for them? Being able to detect them and reveal them would probably be the best. I believe there is a reveal spell and us pegasi can feel the magic they use if we hone our senses enough.”

“I was hoping there was a way for pegasus ponies to also reveal or at least detect. I was thinking we could get Feather Wing to help teach our pegasi if there was. I think he’ll agree, especially if we tell him why we’re doing it,” Naruko said.

Derpy’s eyes were a little starry as she said, “I still can’t believe we managed to get the Wonderbolts trainer to help us! He even quickly agreed to help teach us winged patrollers. It’s an honor learning from him every time we train together.”

“Yeah. I think Luna could have easily gotten him to join us via a direct order, but she told me he was extremely eager when she mentioned it before getting to the point of making it an order. I guess he isn’t kidding when he says he feels the Wonderbolts are now an aerial stunt team pretending to be military instead of actually a part of the guard, like they were in the past,” Naruko admitted.

“That takes care of us. What about the unicorns and earth ponies?” Derpy asked.

“I’m a little stuck on how to best handle training earth ponies in this regard. The obvious answer is for them to learn more about changelings and to just be as aware of their surroundings and fellow ponies as they can be. Changelings can look and sound like other ponies, but personality wise and a pony’s history is a different story,” Naruko said in thought.

“That can help… Unless there is more to earth pony magic than we know currently," Derpy thought out loud. "What’s your plan for teaching unicorns?” Derpy asked.

“Well the reveal spell works on illusion disguises in general,” Naruko said.

“Oooo! That means you can use that… what was it called… Oh yeah the Henge, right?” Derpy said cheerfully. She liked it when she connected ninja Naruko to pony Naruko abilities. Naruko was just relieved Derpy and her hubby already knew that about her because they had, during their own adventures, visited the ninja world briefly.

“That’s what I’m thinking. I can even teach other unicorns that spell to help with training if they have the power. I know Lyra and Trixie should be able to use it. That will help give Trixie something else to help when it comes to training Hooffington Contingent once she gets it started,” Naruko said.

“This sounds like a good plan. It’s no surprise Boss already put a lot of thought into it,” Derpy said with a grin.

“I wasn’t sure what pegasus ponies could do that would help with this. I wish we had a better idea for earth ponies, but if we can train both pegasi and unicorns in this then odds are the earth ponies can at least hold out until somepony who can reveal changelings appears,” Naruko said as Derpy nodded in agreement.

“I’ll run this across Princess Luna and get the official okay on our plan. Running the plan by you and getting your support will help with that,” Naruko said.

“Glad to help, Boss!” Derpy said with a playful salute and a smile. Naruko rolled her eyes and playfully returned the salute.

{-} {-} {-}

Naruko and Twilight just finished breakfast when Spike handed over a letter. Twilight opened it and read it to herself first. Her purple eyes sparkled as she grinned and tried her hardest not to clap her hooves together while jumping around.

“What’s up, Twi?” Spike asked. He only read the letters if Twilight told him to read them.

“The princesses want Naruko, Apple Jack and me to meet them regarding a mission to a new temple! I get to finally go along!” Twilight shouted for joy and preformed what Spike and Naruko dubbed her ‘Yes’ dance.

Naruko used her magic to get the letter from Twilight. She believed Twilight, but the unicorn was very excited and Naruko had a feeling she wouldn’t really be able to focus enough for details. The note told them to gather their friend and wait by the Apple Family farm’s entrance gate for their chariot and what time to expect it.

“I’m glad you’re coming along this time Twilight, but we do need to get going. We have to get Apple Jack,” Naruko said as she hurriedly cleared her spot on the table.

“Oh… Yes… Of course!” Twilight said as she did the same with her own plate. “Spike. Watch over the library while we’re gone,” she said to the baby dragon.

“Yes, Ma’am!” Spike said with a salute.

{-} {-} {-}

The two unicorns made their way to Apple Jack’s farm, but Twilight really couldn’t contain herself very well. She was skipping and more or less doing her ‘yes’ dance the whole way. Naruko couldn’t help but giggle at Twilight’s antics. She was still prepared to reel her friend in if needed on their way to the palace though.

They met AJ on their way to the Apple family’s home. “Well howdy there you two. What brings ya’ll here today?” she greeted them. She then noticed Twilight’s dance and repeated use of the word ‘Yes’. “And why is she so darn excited?” she added in question.

“We have a rather important meeting we need to attend in Canterlot and you’re supposed to come with us,” Naruko said.

AJ grew serious. “I’ll tell my folks and we can get going. How are we gonna get there?” she asked.

“There will be a chariot waiting for us by the gate,” Naruko said. AJ nodded and quickly told her family the news and joined her friends at the gate.

As the three ponies greeted the chariot flyers and Twilight calmed down, they climbed into the back. “We’ll need to use disguises. I don’t have the teleport runeseal fully setup for traveling to my Canterlot office yet,” Naruko explained.

“I’ll be using a spell to change your hat, AJ. It will wear off soon enough so don’t worry. Naruko will be using a spell to change your looks as well. None of it will be permanent so don’t worry about that,” Twilight further explained as she was now calmed down.

“Well geez… Ah’m guessing this is one of them missions like the one you went on with Fluttershy then ain’t it?” AJ asked. Naruko and Twilight both nodded in reply as their horns started to glow.

“Any idea how long this here mission will take?” AJ asked.

“Not sure. It could take a while like the one with Fluttershy. It could also take just a couple of days like the mission with Vinyl and Octavia. It could even take longer. The princesses will tell us at the meeting,” Naruko explained.

“Ah hope it don’t take too long,” AJ admitted.

“Same here. Missions can get really draining if they end up being long ones,” Naruko said in agreement. Twilight didn’t say anything, but there was a part of her that hoped it took a while. She wanted them to do a lot of exploring wherever it was they ended up going.

“Well Little Missy Sunshine. Here we are. I hope you and your friends enjoy the stay,” one of the chariot guards said.

“Thanks again! I really wish there was a better way for me to visit,” Naruko in disguise said. She then took on a demure look as she hung her head a little. “I hate inconveniencing you guards like this.”

“No worries. Enjoy your day,” the guards said as they took off again.

AJ wanted to ask what that was about, but decided against it as they approached the palace. The trio entered the place through a side entrance AJ didn’t even know existed. It wasn’t long until they were inside the palace proper and made their way to the meeting room. Once inside, Naruko and Twilight dispelled all of their disguises.

“What was that Little Missy Sunshine business all about?” AJ finally asked.

“It’s the disguise I wear. It may be overly cautious, but hey… Ninja… remember,” Naruko said with a smile.

Before AJ could respond, the doors to the meeting room opened and the princesses walked inside. “It is good to see you all three could make it,” Princess Celestia said in greeting.

“Well, when both princesses ask for ya. You answer,” AJ said with a smile.

“Nevertheless, it is still good,” Princess Luna added as they sat down and motioned for the others to get comfortable. “We’ve found a new artifact hiding place.”

“Oooo! Where is it this time?” Twilight asked, her excitement showing.

“Ponlantis,” Princess Celestia said casually trying to hide a snicker.

Twilight’s jaw dropped open. She had of course come across it and even gave them the information they probably used to figure out an artifact was there, but still it was a rather mythical and amazing place.

“Well Ah’ll be…” AJ said in shock.

“This sounds like it might be a long one,” Naruko said keeping rather calm despite her friends’ reactions. She was actually excited as well, but her training allowed her to stay calm and attentive.

“Indeed, it will be. We did not send anypony in as part of an expeditionary force because we felt it would be best if you three went in first,” Princess Luna said.

“I see…” Twilight said. Inside her head she was screaming in joy, “We’ll get to be the first ponies to set hoof inside Ponlantis in eons!”

“Isn’t Ponlantis where Sea ponies come from?” AJ asked.

“We are not sure about Apple Jack. While it is underwater, it is actually an ancient earth pony city. We do not know everything about it, but we do know it has magic protecting it,” Princess Celestia said.

“The first part of your mission will be to determine if it is in fact safe to head inside after finding a way. If it isn’t, then we will have to try a different approach. Legends say it is safe to breath inside the city and it is dry due to the magic protecting it. We do not know for sure if this is the case,” Princess Luna said.

“This sounds like it will be a real longin’ of a trip,” AJ said with a slight frown.

“Which is why you three will have a full week to take care of any matters that first need your attention,” Princess Celestia assured them. She had a feeling she knew why Apple Jack was worried about such a long trip.

“I want to go right now!” Twilight whined for a moment. She then chuckled and said, “But I understand. Such a trip… No… Journey! Needs plenty of preparation.”

“What are our travel arrangements?” Naruko asked.

“You will all three be taking an express train to Horseshoe Sands. There you’ll meet with a pony named Aqua Life. She will take you to a supply ship we’ve been using for the base camp on Pony Rock Island. After a night’s sleep and you learn what they know so far, the first part of your mission will begin,” Princess Luna said.

“Pony Rock Island… That’s tha place with them fancy statues ain’t it? The one they tell us all about in school,” AJ asked.

“It is,” Princess Celestia said.

“That is so cool! Who would have thought it really was part of Ponlantis?” Twilight asked with a giddy laugh.

“What can you tell us about Aqua Life?” Naruko asked. It seemed she would have to be the pony that kept them on task at the moment.

Princess Celestia gave them each a picture of the mare. “She’s one of the first ponies to actually discover Ponlantis. She’s also one of the best Ocean Research ponies in modern times and she’s certified to instruct ponies on scuba diving. Which you will need to get to Ponlantis,” she explained.

“Aqua Life… I read a few of her academic papers… She didn’t exactly have the best grammar. I hope she wasn’t hurt by my complaints about such in the past,” Twilight said with a frown.

Twilight loved reading academic papers and such and she even sometimes criticized or corrected the papers. Some ponies just either blew her off or thanked her for the help. Sometimes she could come off rather harsh to say the least and that could really ruffle a pony’s coat. The worst part was she didn’t realize this for a long while and was actually surprised how far her influence in academia went at times. She really hoped she hadn’t caused Aqua Life any problems and the pony wouldn’t hold a grudge.

“She is already expecting you three. She didn’t mention any concerns about you going on this mission, Twilight. I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Princess Celestia said.

“Let’s hope not,” Twilight sighed. She soon returned to her happy self as they discussed more details of the mission.

{-} {-} {-}

“So, we’re looking for an artifact called Ocean’s Heart?” AJ clarified as the three were discussing things themselves a little before they headed back to Ponyville.

“Yep. It’s supposedly a really pretty enclosed vase with a window showing the contents,” Naruko said.

“A Jewel of sapphire blue that is said to glisten as the ocean waves under moonlight. I have to say these artifacts tend to be really beautiful,” Twilight said as she happened to look into Naruko’s blue eyes that reminded her of a deep blue ocean under a clear sunny sky at times.

“Do you think you’ll be able to get everything taken care of in advance, AJ?” Naruko asked.

“Ah hope so, but it really ain’t helping we don’t know how long the trip will take. Cider Season is coming up real quick like. It’s a big deal for our family and the farm,” AJ said.

“I’ve heard some rumors about Cider Season. I’ve heard there’s never enough for everypony to have their fill,” Twilight said to her friend.

AJ gave a deep sigh to that. “We’ve tried a lot to help with that, but not even limiting sales helps. There’s a reason cider sales only run a few days. We try as much as we can, but Ponies really like cider and we can never really seem to make enough in time even though Granny, Apple Bloom, Big Mac and I all pitch in,” she said.

“What about the rest of your family? I remember there were a lot of them when we first came to Ponyville,” Twilight said remembering her first encounter with the Apple family.

“They came from all over cuz of the Summer Sun Festival. The only other time we get that many Apples in one place is when we have our family reunion. A whole lot of them got their own cider season ta worry about. Though, and I ain’t being too partial here, ours is the best of the cider,” AJ said a hint of pride coming through at the end when she smiled.

“Will you be able to get something arranged?” Naruko asked.

“Ah don’t like it, but I sure well. Can’t rightly say no to such an important mission. Hopefully we’ll all get back before then, but Ah ain’t taking the chance of leaving the others too under hoofed. Apple Bloom ain’t big enough to handle my part of the job. She usually takes and servers orders while accepting the payments,” AJ said as she started thinking of what she could do.

“Well, we should probably get back,” Naruko started. She gave a smile and said, “If we wait too much longer, we’ll have to crash here for the night. As much fun as a sleepover could be, I don’t want to have to rush back tomorrow morning.” Twilight and Apple Jack nodded in agreement as they took on their disguises again and left to get their chariot back to Ponyville.

Author's Notes:

I decided to end the chapter here. Otherwise it would have been too big of a monster chapter. Hell, many people would probably say this one was too long as it was. I didn’t want to put off the start of the next artifact search any longer, so I should have the next chapter up about the same time as this one. I already had it written out. I just decided to split this into two chapters.

I feel like I’ve been dragging my feet when it comes to the action and adventure again. That should change from here on for a while. I’m not sure how much season two stuff I’ll write about. I do kind of have plans to get all of the mane six on at least one artifact hunt mission and progressed further on their Element of Harmony powers before we get to the Canterlot Wedding arc. I have a lot of that already written and I am really excited about it, but I am also heavily biased . I won’t go into too much detail about what happens there yet. Though I feel I should probably mention it was planned and worked on long before certain events in the show happened. The ramifications of the wedding will be very different here.

Adventures Under the Sea

“I’m really sorry about asking you to do this on such short notice, Amethyst Star. I would leave it all to Spike, but he isn’t quite old enough to watch the library completely on his own,” Twilight said to a pony with a pale pink coat and a violet and purple mane.

“Don’t mention it!” Amethyst said with a grin. She was really excited about having an actual part time job where she could also watch her younger sister as well when needed. “In case you don’t return in time… Am I allowed to close up for Cider season?”

“Yes! I hope we’re back before then, but this mission could take a long time. We would be closed during that time even if we are here, so no worries. I really want to experience Cider Season in Ponyville, but the mission is important,” Twilight said with a nod as she adjusted the straps on her enchanted saddlebags.

“Sorry about the wait. I’m ready to go now,” Naruko said as she came down from her room. She turned to Amethyst Star and smiled to her and said, “Thanks again for this.”

“Remember. If you need anything Spike can really help out,” Twilight said as she opened the door. Naruko thought about saying Kyuubi could help out too, but he needed to be ready in case of an emergency to help them out. He was staying in the Ponyville area unless Naruko summoned him.

“I’ve got it! Be safe you two,” Amethyst Star said as the door shut and she leaned back to read a book while paying attention. The library didn’t really get a lot of business usually, but sometimes it did and she was ready to help if needed.

It wasn’t long until Naruko and Twilight met Apple Jack at the train station. “Did you get everything set up?” Twilight asked after greeting their friend.

“Yep. It was much easier than I thought. As soon as we got back, I knew the solution. Our cousin Caramel was more than willing to help. He don’t have his own farm, even if he has a couple of trees in his backyard. He’s been thinking about starting his own farm someday so he’s always willing to help and learn about the ways we Apples farm,” she said with a smile.

“Good to hear!” Twilight said with a grin.

“Hopefully we’ll all be back in time, but good to have something set up just in case. I was really looking forward to Ponyville Cider Season though,” Naruko said.

“Well Ah sure hope the same. I wish ya’ll the best in getting some when we do get back in time,” she said happily. She then looked around and gave a puzzled look. “Ah kinda thought you’d bring Kyuubi with ya,” she said.

“We don’t know much about the place yet. I can summon him with ease if he is needed,” Naruko answered just as they heard the train whistle blow and they got on board.

“Ooooo Weeee. I ain’t never been on the express train before,” AJ said as they found their compartment for the trip.

{-} {-} {-}

It took some time, but it was still fast as far as trains went. AJ decided that it might be a bit too fast for her liking, but it sure got the job done. As soon as they exited the train, Aqua Life found them. “Hello! I’ve been waiting for you three. Aqua Life,” she said as she extended a hoof in greeting.

“Ah’m Apple Jack,” AJ said as she gave a firm hoof shake.

“I’m Naruko Uzumaki,” the blonde unicorn greeted.

“I’m… ummm… Twilight Sparkle,” the purple pony greeted hesitantly.

“I recognize you. You kept getting on my case about the grammar in my papers a while back. I appreciated the help at first, but then you started getting all nitpicky about it,” Aqua Life said with a slight frown.

“Sorry… I wasn’t exactly the friendliest pony back then… I mean your discoveries were so amazing! I couldn't get how the grammar wasn't back then,” Twilight said.

“It’s alright. I’ve always preferred field work to paper writing. I usually just settle for passing when it comes to grammar. I’ve gotten better at least,” she said.

“That’s good to hear,” Twilight said in relief. “I was afraid you’d hold it against me or something.”

“I might have if we met back then, but after everything since then, including the reason you’re here… Such things seem needlessly petty. Anyways. Let’s get you all to my house for the night. The ship leaves early tomorrow. I’m sorry we don’t really have time for me to give you three the grand tour of Horseshoe Sands. It really is a lovely area,” Aqua said as she led the way.

{-} {-} {-}

“That ship is huge!” Naruko said once they were on the docks waiting to board the ship.

“It has to be. It takes a lot of cargo across the sea. It isn’t easy supplying such an operation and as a cover it is a cargo ship. Not everything can be taken by train everywhere, and airships can only take smaller amounts of cargo,” Aqua Life explained.

“I hope the weather holds,” Twilight said as she looked into the clouds in the sky.

“The ship can take a beating and they have a dedicated Pegasus weather crew in case any problematic weather comes our way,” Aqua further explained as they started to walk the gangway.

“Ah hope I ain’t the type of pony to get seasick,” AJ said with worry.

“Usually on a larger ship it is less of an issue. We have medicine if you need it though,” Aqua Life said.

“Ah’ll take yer word for it,” AJ said as she smiled and looked at the ocean waters. “The water sure is beautiful and blue though ain’t it,” she added.

“It’s even better when you get to actually scuba dive. I love being able to get so close to all of the fish in the sea,” Aqua said with a bright smile. “The lighting is also nice in the shallower parts of the water. Seeing the aquatic life including corals is even more amazing in that case. That’s one of the reasons I love what I do.”

“It sure is good to love what ya do. Ain’t it?” AJ asked with a smile as the two ponies nodded to each other in agreement.

{-} {-} {-}

The ship’s journey took some time, but it was rather uneventful. The Pegasus team did have to handle some storm clouds, but nothing was too bad. AJ did feel the ship rocking at times, but she managed to hold herself together and not get motion sickness. Nevertheless, she was happy to get hooves back on the ground.

“This here is what us Apples need. Ground beneath our hooves,” she said as she stepped off the ship.

“Hopefully Ponlantis won’t be a problem in that regard,” Naruko said half joking.

“It is an ancient earth pony city so I’m sure it meets earth pony standards in that aspect,” Twilight said. She then did a mini ‘yes’ dance as she said, “I still can’t believe we get to actually step foot in such a mythical place!”

She then blushed and cleared her throat as she noticed some nearby guards looking to her with raised eyebrows. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m totally focused on the mission. No problems here at all... But it is exciting!” she said with a beaming smile.

“There wasn’t any doubt you were focused,” Aqua Life said teasing Twilight a little.

“Anyways…” Twilight started. “Who will be debriefing us on current findings?” she asked as a means to establish she was focused.

“I believe Commander SkyHeart is the officer in charge. A lot of the other officers left after the initial discovery and the guards stationed here changed recently. It took a lot of work until we finally found it so the original guards are getting some much-needed leave. SkyHeart will be in charge of the full brief of the area. I’ll see you all tomorrow for our approach,” Aqua Life said as she seemed to almost skip over to the camp’s club for all ponies. She enjoyed sharing a couple of drinks with the royal guards. They were very enjoyable company.

Their meeting with Commander SkyHeart wasn’t too exciting. The most exciting part was seeing the Commander himself. He was a very muscular pegasus pony. He had slightly bigger wings as well which made quiet the impression on others. Aqua Life had filled them in on most of what they needed to know already. This meeting was more or less to check off the list and file the paperwork. It took time though, so the three mares were more than happy to find their tent after the trip this morning.

{-} {-} {-}

The next morning the group put on their gear and made their way to Ponlantis. Fortunately, it wasn’t too much of a hassle, even for AJ, to swim her way over to the site. She had the instruction from Aqua Life and assistance from both Naruko and Twilight when it came to the suit. The main problem they had was not getting too distracted by the beauty of the sea under the waves. “Ah might hafta come back here sometime and try this scuba thang again, but for the purpose of looking around,” AJ said to the others. Twilight used magic before they started which allowed them to talk to each other like normal, even while underwater.

“The ocean is the most beautiful place on our planet, especially under the waves!” Aqua said with happiness. She gave a giggle and added, “Though I might be bit biased in my opinion.” The others chuckled as they followed her including the rather stoic guard. He was with them so Aqua wouldn’t be alone after their drop off when she returned to the island camp.

“This one is clear. It seems you were right these magic constructs were ancient markers for the city or something. They don’t have any ill-intentioned magic. The only protective magics they have keep them from being destroyed,” Twilight said as she examined another one.

“They don’t even have full on preservation runes. They are well preserved, but as you pointed out they still allow algae to grow and other small aquatic plants,” Naruko said as she looked over a different one nearby.

“That don’t seem all that secretive,” AJ said.

“We figure only the residents of Ponlantis knew what they all meant and stood for. We couldn’t even really figure out much of what they mean. Maybe once you three finish your mission and we can actually examine the area, we will figure something out,” Aqua said. The guard nodded in agreement since he knew that was the prevalent theory.

AJ nodded to that. “Ah guess given it is underwater, they probably didn’t have to worry too much about intruders and such. Unless… Ya’ll don’t think there were other civilizations like it do ya’ll?”

“It could be possible, but there aren’t even obscure records of such. Ponlantis was considered little more than myth or a foal’s tale until recently though,” Aqua said in thought as both Naruko and Twilight finished their examinations of the rock markers.

Aqua noticed the two unicorns were finished and gave an update, “We’re getting close to where we first came across Ponlantis now. I really hope your mission is a success without too much damage to the place. If it wasn’t for Royal Decree, I might have still led an expedition into the city itself. The main reason such a decree didn’t upset me further is because I was promised to be part of the research and discovery team afterwards.”

Twilight approached her with a friendly smile and said, “Understandable! I’m actually a little envious of you, Aqua. I have to leave with AJ and Naruko after the mission is complete instead of staying around to study the city.”

“Why is it you aren’t staying around afterwards? I figured with you being not only very intelligent, but also Celestia’s personal student. You would be on the short list for researchers on such a project,” Aqua asked.

“I have a long-term assignment for studying the magic of friendship, the elements, and providing more information on finding other places such as this. It is fun and enjoyable as well as intellectually stimulating in its own right at least,” Twilight said.

“I can see that. If I wasn’t the kind of pony who enjoys field work, I’d be envious of such a long-term assignment,” Aqua said as the five pony divers continued.

{-} {-} {-}

“We’re here!” Aqua said as she looked down in front of her from ahead. “I really wish I could go in with you three,” she said with more than a hint of longing. She knew her job though. She would be waiting outside until they give her the all clear. Then she would make her way back with the guard. A team would come by every few hours in case something happened and the trio might need assistance. She herself would be making one of those trips out every day with a team.

Twilight, Naruko and AJ swam quicker to get over next to Aqua. Three sets of pony eyes looked down before them in awe. The underwater city had a certain beauty to it from this vantage point alone.

It was immediately obvious the city was ancient. The stone was covered in aquatic plants, coral, and algae. There were hints here and there to the color of the actual stone, which was an aged dark yellow in color. Twilight was excited about this coloration. It could very well be a sign the city itself had a lot of preservation magic work put into it, since it wasn’t dark or almost brown or black in color. The angles weren’t too smoothed out and worn away either on the stone work from what they could tell.

“Well Ah’ll be… Ain’t that a sight ta behold,” AJ said from next to her. She was looking over some of the sunken statues along what seemed to be the main entrance to the city. The statues seemed to depict ancient looking ponies with what looked like staves or other curious implements. The statues also seemed to be of different ages and of different ponies. AJ guessed these statues were of ponies revered by the inhabitants of Ponlantis.

It was a bit of a mystery the place wasn’t already well known with how well it was preserved and impressive it looked, but then again it could be protected by magic that kept curious ponies away. It could be they just happened to figure out how to bypass that magic unintentionally. It also could be maybe the magics protecting it were starting to wane. There was a very mystical thought that maybe the city’s magic itself knew what was happening in the world and it was time for the place to be discovered once again.

The group slowly approached the city. The statues were even larger than they first thought as they swam closer. “I can’t believe this city is even larger than it looked from back up there,” Naruko said.

“We never got this close…” Aqua said as she eyed the statues. She was part wary of them and part curious. Either way she had to admit the entrance was something to behold.

“Why not?” Naruko asked seemingly at ease despite keeping aware of her surroundings.

Aqua Life stared at one of the statues a little more curiously as she said, “By the time we actually found the place, we were low enough on air we couldn’t have really looked around much. Inspector BlackHoof was also leading the search that time. He’s very-“

Naruko and Twilight chuckled interrupting her as they both said, “strictly business like.”

Aqua nodded and smiled, “I’m guessing you two have worked with him before?”

The two unicorns nodded and Twilight said, “He wanted us to join him at the agency, but we already had our own work to do and assignments from Princess Celestia.”

“The fact he wanted to hoof pick you for working with him is just more proof of what I said earlier. I would have been surprised if you weren’t on the top of the short list for ponies to study this city,” Aqua said as they came closer to the walls.

“Ah suppose ya’ll can see the giant dome looking thing around the city too?” AJ asked as they stared in front of them.

It seemed the city was encased in a giant bubble that was still somehow solid looking. The ponies weren’t sure what to do. They knew to try to find a way inside. They weren’t sure how to go about doing so.

AJ decided to take matters into her own hooves. She swam up to it and touched the surface with her hoof. It felt solid but also like a bubble, if that was possible. “Well how are we supposed to get in?” she asked aloud.

“Maybe intent has something to do with it?” Naruko suggested.

“Worth a try,” AJ said. She concentrated on wanting to enter the dome.

It didn’t make a difference.

She hummed in thought. “Maybe ya can only enter in a certain place?” she asked the others.

Naruko and Twilight started looking over the dome bubble. The two unicorns used magic scans hoping to pick something up. It wasn’t working. They could however sense the magic of the city. It was impressive and something Twilight really wished she could study further.

Aqua looked at the statues again and voiced her thought, “Maybe… We just need to find the middle if you were approaching between the statues?” It seemed simple, but this looked like it was supposed to be the main public entrance. Maybe they were overthinking it and simple was the answer.

“Worth a try,” Twilight said. She swam back a bit and judged what she thought might be the middle or close enough to it. AJ and Naruko came up on either side of her and followed her a little behind. The three ponies moved forward and surprisingly made it through.

“It worked!” Twilight shouted with glee right before she fell to the ground and Naruko and AJ did as well, landing in a heap on top of her. “Oof… Okay yeah… Maybe we should have been more aware of that being a possibility. They came in a little high, since they were swimming. Once they were inside the bubble dome, they promptly fell prey to gravity’s full force.

They eventually managed to all stand up properly and motion to Aqua they were fine. They didn’t know yet if sound traveled through the dome. The three looked around for a moment and both Twilight and Naruko used magic to scan the area.

“The magic scan says the air should be breathable… Who wants to try first?” Twilight asked giving her friends a nervous smile.

“Ah will!” AJ courageously volunteered. She took in one last breath before removing her helmet. The farm mare let out her breath and took in a new one while standing close to the other two in case she needed assistance.

When she took in a new breath…

Her eyes shot wide open in surprise. She then took in another breath and let it out before taking another one. “Tha air’s just fine down here,” she said to her watching friends.

They both waited a little longer as AJ kept breathing in and out. “In fact. Ah’d say it’s some of the freshest air Ah’ve breathed!” she exclaimed. She felt oddly energetic as well. It was as if her earth pony side was rejoicing or something.

Naruko and Twilight looked to each other cautiously and nodded. They both promptly removed their own helmets and took in a breath of air.

It was just as AJ said! The air felt cleaner and fresher despite being inside a bubble dome sitting there for eons on the ocean floor.

“They must use something to purify it,” Twilight theorized.

“That’s pretty cool. I wonder how they did it,” Naruko questioned. It would be nice to have something that could purify the air for a large area like this city.

AJ was prancing about with a broad smile. “Oooo whee! Let me tell ya’ll! This here place feels amazing and fantastic!” she said.

The two unicorns looked to her a bit concerned. “It is cool being inside a city in the ocean, but I don’t know about it feeling good enough to prance about,” Naruko said.

AJ stopped and looked to them a little confused. “Ya’ll don’t feel that? In the very air around, us?” she asked.

“It is clean and fresh, but I don’t feel anything. It is odd… With all of the magic in this place to have that bubble dome we should feel something. I mean we can sense it when doing a magic scan… But that’s all,” Twilight said placing a hoof on her chin in thought.

“What are you feeling exactly, AJ?” Naruko asked.

“Ah don’t know quite how to describe it, but I feel extra energized! Heh heh, I don’t want to guess how Pinkie would be feeling here. She’d probably be bouncing around at least ten times more than usual,” she said with a laugh that Naruko matched.

“Hmmm… Maybe there is some kind of Earth Pony magic here,” Twilight voiced as she looked around with a discerning eye.

“Could be. That’d explain why I feel it and ya’ll don’t. It feels like it is a part of me. Like it is flowing through me and into the air,” AJ said.

“That is oddly similar to how unicorn magic is first described to foals,” Twilight said in more thought.

“Geez… If it feels like this for ya’ll usually, I can see why you felt so off in that maze,” AJ said. She loved how it felt and it felt so natural to her.

“You mean when Discord took away my horn?” Twilight asked in confirmation.

“I already feel like this here… whatever it is… is a part of me,” AJ said while nodding in answer to Twilight’s question.

“Look at this!” Naruko said suddenly gaining their attention. She looked around a little while AJ and Twilight contemplated what the farm mare was feeling. She pointed a hoof to a pillar where the wall first started on the side of the entrance area.

Twilight and AJ came over. “You see it?!” Naruko asked excitedly to her fellow unicorn.

Twilight nodded just as excitedly as Naruko asked.

AJ turned her head to the side a little and squinted. “Ah just see something that looks like a strange drawing,” AJ said.

“This is a rune! It is similar to one I’ve seen before,” Naruko said. She then turned to Twilight and asked, “You know what this means?”

“Yeah… Ponies somehow accidentally recreated an ancient long-lost rune… Maybe… Since it looks different. It might work a little differently. There’s also the fact its carved into the stone…” Twilight said her voice in awe.

“Is that different?” AJ asked.

“Yes. It most certainly is!” Twilight said as she started looking around with renewed eagerness in her purple eyes.

AJ looked to Naruko for a further explanation. “Usually runes aren’t exactly permanently visible. They’re usually drawn with magic or in some cases paper. You can weave a rune into an object with magic and that is how enchanted items are made. Carving it into stone… You would have to be extra careful. Also, it is really interesting it is such a similar looking rune to one discovered and thought to have been created a couple of decades back,” she said.

“Ah’ll be…” AJ said as she placed a hoof on it. Naruko’s eyes widened as did AJ’s when it lit up!

“What did Ah do, Naruko?!” AJ asked in panic.

Before Naruko could answer, a different voice did. “Ah! I can hear you now!” Aqua said from nearby on the other side of the bubble dome.

“Ya can?” AJ asked her hoof still on the glowing rune.

“Yep! Loud and clear. I guess you can hear me too. Out here it sounds… not necessarily booming... but for sure coming from all directions,” Aqua said. “How about mine?” she then asked with a bright smile.

“It sounds louder… But still directional,” AJ answered.

Naruko was looking at the rune and AJ in pure awe. She had thought it would be possible for other ponies to use runes or maybe runeseals, but mostly just in theory. She was seeing it now for real. To activate a rune, seal or runeseal, you needed to actively channel magic, or as a ninja, chakra into it. She was pretty sure pegasus ponies could do it since they channeled their own magic when dealing with weather and such. She didn’t think it would be possible for earth ponies since they mostly channeled magic passively and in a small amount. That was part of the reason they could grow plants so easily and quickly. A group of earth ponies working together could raise up a full grown and ready to produce orchard in no time.

Twilight came over just as mystified and eager, but the scientist in her was working full force. She said, “AJ take your hoof the rune and try speaking to her again.”

AJ removed her hoof and the glow quickly faded. “Can ya hear me now?” she asked. She even raised her voice a bit just to be sure. Aqua tried to say something and then just shrugged instead.

Twilight nodded to AJ and the farm pony placed her hoof on the rune again. It once more lit up and AJ spoke again, “Can ya hear me now?”

“Yeah! I couldn’t earlier,” Aqua Life said.

“They created a Push-to-talk rune!” Twilight shouted in glee as she clapped her hooves together.

“Is that extra important?” AJ asked confused but catching Twilight’s excitement.

“It is! We have a talk rune that lets you talk long distances, but it requires an activation rune as well and even then, technology is more efficient. A rune like this though… That really is something and would be a breakthrough in a way. Usually runes require you to actively channel magic to work. Earth ponies could theoretically do that, but it would be really tough and take a lot of work and even then, it is just theoretical and has never been tested. Are you channel that energy you feel in here?” Twilight asked.

AJ thought for a moment and shook her head. “Ah’m just touching it. There ain’t no energy passing through me into it,” AJ said.

“Could it be the energy is stored in the rune itself? Is that some kind of side effect of carving it into the stone?” Twilight asked out loud.

“Haven’t one of ya’ll unicorns done that before?” AJ asked curiously.

Naruko answered now that she had mentally rejoined them. “Nope. Ponies tried but never successfully. You would have to carve it the right way. This is essentially a three-dimensional rune… That was something thought impossible. You can apply a standard 2-D rune to an object, but it isn’t the same,” she explained.

Twilight took over on AJ’s crash course in runes. “Storing the magic energy into the rune isn’t really something we do either. It is possible, but it would deteriorate. Magic and runes are kind of like giving commands to the object… It gets a lot more complicated than that. We have channeling spells such as levitation, but not really stored magic energy that doesn’t deteriorate and can be turned on and off with a simple touch,” she said.

Aqua frowned as she looked at her air gauge and the guard silently showed her his not wanting to disturb the others. She frowned deeply. She was able to overhear their discussion since AJ was still touching the rune. It sounded so interesting and she had so many ideas and theories in her head now she wanted to explore.

She let out a loud sigh causing the three ponies on the other side of the bubble dome to look to her a bit sheepishly. “I really want to study all of this with you all…” she said her voice filled with longing. “Sadly, we need to head back since you three are safe. If we stay here any longer, we might not have enough air to make it back this trip,” she said.

“Ahhh… shucks Aqua… We didn’t mean no harm to yer feelings. Sorry we held ya’ll up,” AJ said with sorrow in her voice.

“I’m so sorry too…” Twilight started with a frown. She then gave a slight smile and said, “I’m sure once we leave here and you start studying the place. You will discover plenty of amazing things.”

Naruko gave a slight bow and said, “Thanks for showing us the way and keeping an eye on us. Have a safe trip back.” AJ gave a nod in agreement.

Twilight smiled as she said, “Part of me can’t wait until we finish here so you and the other researchers can come in and do your thing. I look forward to any papers you write about your findings.”

Aqua Life gave a giggle. “Are you that eager to correct my grammar again?” she asked with mirth in her voice. Twilight gave an exaggerated pout to that. Aqua smiled to her in a friendly manner. “Make sure you all finish safely. That way I can write to you all about it and brag about my long-term studies of the place.”

“Keep up that cheek and I might decide to go all Language Teacher on you and be extra harsh on your grammar,” Twilight said jokingly as the group laughed. Aqua Life gave the three of them a final wave as she and the Royal Guard left to head back to the island camp. Leaving the group to their mission.

“What do you two reckon we do first?” AJ asked.

Twilight looked to Naruko who looked around the area. “There seems to be a lot of buildings right here. We need to carefully search this area and make sure it is safe. Then we pick a good-sized building or open area and set up our base camp,” Naruko said.

The other two ponies looked around the area. AJ pointed a hoof and said, “Well that there seems to be a good ending point to our space. Maybe we can block it off and secure the area?”

“That’s a good idea,” Twilight started. “I can create an alarm and distraction rune. It won’t really protect us from something, but it will delay anything that might come our way and warn us in advance,” she said.

Naruko let out a sigh, “Sadly, a really good barrier would require sustaining magic. I don’t know enough about the area to use this energy you’re feeling to accomplish that, AJ.”

“Well then let’s get ta work! How we gonna do this?” she asked.

Naruko created four of her more advanced shadow clones. They needed to be careful here, so flooding the area with regular shadow clones wouldn’t work. “Two of you go with each of my friends and we can start combing through the area carefully,” she ordered. The clones nodded and split up into their groups.

Naruko looked to AJ and said, “It will speed up our work and if I’m needed one my clones can just burst and I’ll get the message. They’re more solid and can withstand some punishment, so they won’t accidentally dismiss themselves and can help if you need them,” she explained.

“These here clones are mighty useful,” AJ said as the ponies and clones split up into their groups and moved out.

{-} {-} {-}

“Find anything?” Naruko asked as Twilight returned with a frustrated sigh.

“Yes! Plenty!” Twilight said as her clone guards disappeared. She then sighed again, “Regarding our mission? No…”

“I find that kind of weird and a bit unnerving myself,” Naruko said.

“There are smaller artifacts, but it is mostly empty. It is as if everything just disappeared. I suppose it has been a long time and that is a possibility. There is preservation magic, but it seems more focused on the structures and stone itself,” Twilight said.

“Ah guess that means ya’ll didn’t really find much either,” AJ said as she returned and her two clone escorts dismissed themselves. “At least on the plus side tha means we can make our base camp without worry,” she said and sat down next to Twilight.

Naruko was finishing making a fire and she was cooking their meal. “When did ya have time ta start on some grub?” AJ asked.

Naruko gave a smirk as she teasingly said, “Ninja…”

Twilight gave a playful sigh as she said, “It sure makes things handy, doesn’t it?”

Naruko nodded.

“Ah ain’t complaining. Starving after all of today, especially with that diving. Aqua Life sure wasn’t kidding when she said it really racks up your hunger,” AJ said as she took in a deep inhale of the scents coming from the pot Naruko was using to cook.

Twilight did the same and asked, “What are you cooking?”

“For most of this mission we will have to be careful and ration out what we eat, but given all we did today. I figured it would be nice to have something really good tonight. I’m making a nice and hearty vegetable stew. We have rolls for the side and some steamed carrots and squash along with baked zucchini,” Naruko said as Twilight and AJ smacked their lips in hunger.

“It will be really tasty even if it isn’t ramen, but that’s for after the mission! You have to come for that as well, AJ,” Naruko said with a smile.

Twilight blushed a little. “Can we try not to get as carried away as last time? I don’t want to get the crazy idea to try and teleport while drunk again,” she said with a groan at the memory.

Naruko gave a chuckle to that. “I wouldn’t worry about that this time, Twi. I wouldn’t want to hold up AJ any longer, but Victory Ramen is a must!” she said.

AJ gave a laugh and said, “I reckon Ah don’t have much choice in the matter.” She wanted to get back as soon as possible, but she was thinking a bit of rest would be good once they finished. She was experienced enough in hard work ta know this trip would require some rest to recover and she wasn’t about to try and run herself down ever again. That would just cause more problems than it would fix.

It wasn’t long until Naruko finished cooking and they were enjoying their food. Soon after, they were going to get ready for bed for the night. There was a good-sized building nearby their little campfire area they could all three use as their sleeping quarters. The three ponies had each yawned a couple of times while they ate. Diving had taken a lot more energy than they thought it would, even after Aqua’s warnings.

While they were resting a bit to digest before going to bed, AJ couldn’t help but notice Naruko was drawing on some paper. “What are ya doing?” she asked.

Naruko looked up and smiled. “Making a map. Well a map runeseal more specifically. This place is huge! I think it would be good to have something as a reference. This isn’t a temple like it was with Fluttershy or Octavia and Vinyl. This is an entire city!”

“Oooo… How does it work?” Twilight asked.

“Ah was wondering the same thing,” AJ said. She was really finding these runes and runeseals mighty interesting, even if she couldn’t really use most of them herself.

“It is actually a series of Runeseals working together. The paper will expand to a bigger size but should still be able to fold to something more manageable. Because of all of the energy and magic in the area, I can use that as a way to send out a magic pulse. It will be kind of like taking a snapshot of the city. I may not be able to feel the energy in the way you can, AJ, but I won’t need to for this,” Naruko said.

She concentrated for a moment before continuing to explain. AJ could already tell it was best to not interrupt the process unnecessarily. “Once it has the snapshot, it will be copied on to this paper. I even made it so we can zoom in and out on the map. I also modified it to display us on the map. It won’t pick up other magic signatures though, so I can’t use it to sort of cheat and see if we truly are alone here or not. I did add a traveling rune to the array though so it will keep up with us as we move. It will always have north towards the top like other maps,” Naruko said.

“How are you able to contain the pulse though…” Twilight asked in thought. She looked up and her eyes widened a little after a second.

“That’s right, Twilight. The bubble dome will be containing the pulse,” Naruko said.

“Are you going to be able to make a copy of it? Will each of us be able to have one?” AJ asked.

Naruko was in thought for a moment. “I’ll make one copy. I don’t think I would be able to have it retain any of the extra features apart from zooming in and out along with panning around the map. It wouldn’t follow us or have the markers. I suppose I could make you two each a personal copy as well, but you would have to figure out where you are on the map on your own,” she said in thought.

“That’d be good in an emergency. In case we all get split up or something,” AJ said. She didn’t like the idea of having to figure out where on the map she was on her own, but it was better than just being completely lost.

“I guess the first copy you make will be a map to stay here at the base camp?” Twilight asked. Naruko nodded in reply.

{-} {-} {-}

It took a little time due to all she had to put into it, but Naruko finally got the soon to be master map ready. “Alright! That should do it,” she said in triumph causing a lightly dozing Twilight and AJ to wake up. They both wanted to watch as she activated the runeseal. “Ready?” Naruko asked. The ponies eagerly nodded in answer.

Naruko focused on her horn. She lit it up and charged it further. This map making runeseal would require a good bit of power. She could further analyze it later to make it more efficient, but they didn’t have the time for that now. “Let us hope it works. This is a trial run,” she said as AJ swallowed nervously and Twilight’s purple eyes seemed to glow with excitement.

Naruko pointed her horn at the piece of paper and shot the magic at the center of the runeseal.

The paper glowed bright blue. A pulse of magic shot up from it and hit the bubble dome and it raced across the underwater sky. Naruko winced a little as she hoped it wouldn’t alert anything to them. She wasn’t even thinking about needing to make it subtler at this stage. That was a goal for the future.

“Woah!” AJ said. She really felt that charge in the energy around them. It didn’t last long and soon dissipated but she felt it. She had never really truly felt magic in that way before today. It really was something else.

“I really hope that didn’t just announce our presence…” Naruko said with a frown. AJ then narrowed her eyes seriously and looked around the area and towards the edge of their base camp area.

“I suppose we should wait a little bit ta be sure,” AJ said.

Naruko couldn’t help but grin to that. “Ninja…” she said as she made a couple of clones again.

AJ and Twilight let out laughs as AJ said, “I should've figured. You really know how to utilize them clones. Don’tcha?”

Naruko gave a chuckle to that. “I might know a thing or two regarding them,” she answered with a grin. The trio chuckled again and made their way to what would be their bunkhouse for the mission. Twilight set up a magical alarm clock to wake them up in the morning. They would have some breakfast and get to work looking around the city.

{-} {-} {-}

After some quick breakfast, the three ponies were gathered around the base camp map. “So, what is the plan for today?” AJ asked as she sipped some coffee Naruko made. She kind of liked it once she added some cream and sugar. It was nice and warm as well. Morning in Ponlantis was a tad bit nippy.

“I was thinking we should start with the areas closest to our base camp and maybe get a better idea of if we are alone or not. It may seem like we are now, but there were some rather vacant parts to the Life Temple and then there were some parts crowded with baddies we had to fight through,” Naruko said.

“Are we going to split up or stay together? I’m kind of hoping we stay together even if it isn’t as efficient,” Twilight said.

“Ah agree ya there, Twi. We don’t know what awaits us and while we have those clones it might be harder for us to get help if we need it with them this time,” AJ said adding in her own thoughts.

“I think the same. I could try teleporting around the place via shushin or replacement, but I don’t know the place well enough and I don’t want to tempt fate regarding this energy you feel that we don’t, AJ,” Naruko said.

She then gave a slight chuckle and added, “Besides if we didn’t stay together no pony would be able to keep Twilight on task.”

Twilight blushed a little but chuckled as well. “I won’t deny that could be a problem,” she said with a smile.

Naruko then pointed out which places nearby she was most curious about on the map. “We can fill in some of the blanks as we figure things out. The map runeseal can’t really say which building is what,” she said. “Oh, and here are the maps I promised,” she then added as she passed out the extra emergency maps to her friends.

“Ah guess we should get started then,” AJ said as she gulped down the rest of her coffee and stood up feeling more awake and energized than ever. She also felt nice and warm inside as well. The group gathered up supplies and started their mission.

As the group looked around the area near their camp, they decided that it was mostly a residential area. The buildings were designed like homes and weren’t as large as a store would be. They still had to try hard to keep on task. There was a lot to see and it wasn’t just Twilight who was extra curious. Naruko had to actually call on her ninja training to help stay on task a couple of times.

“Come on Twilight,” she said with a sigh as AJ chuckled. The two of them were taking turns every half hour or so. Twilight was the easiest distracted of them, even if she kept a good bit to the mission.

“But… Ponlantis art!” Twilight whined to her marefriend.

“As much as I love it when you gush about such things, we are on a mission. It is hard enough to keep myself from wanting to explore everything in the area. You’re making it even harder,” Naruko said.

“AJ! You agree with me, right?” Twilight said looking to her farm pony friend for help.

“Don’t go and drag me into your arguments,” AJ said.

“Fine…” Twilight relented with a pout.

The purple unicorn looked around some more in the area. She picked up a book in her hooves. She had seen several copies of it. She recognized the cover and the old letters written in the ancient language. “We’ve seen this book several times…” she said in thought.

“Are you wanting to take one and see if you can translate it?” Naruko asked.

“I’d like to that. I’d only work on it some when we’re back at camp for the evening before we go to bed,” she said.

“That sounds like a really good idea. I hope it works. It would be nice to have a better idea what these letters say,” Naruko said in agreement to her plan.

“Ah still think it impressive they actually seem ta have some kind of day and night cycle here. Ya’d think it being in the ocean and all it would be darker and mostly the same until night time,” AJ said as she looked up to the bubble dome again. They were surprised when they woke up that morning it seemed as if Sunlight from above really came through into the city. They had also seen a fair amount of overgrown vegetation and such as well once they got further away from the main city entrance, which was further proof of the sunlight they were seeing.

{-} {-} {-}

The three ponies made their way back that evening feeling a bit tired. They had explored nearby areas a lot, but still no clues to help them with their mission. They did find a few buildings that really stood out and would make for great landmarks, but not much else other than the book Twilight hoped to use as a way to translate the language. They did pay attention to some of the paintings they found. They were of something that looked like a really important event right outside of an equally important looking building.

“So how is this here translation going to work?” AJ asked Twilight as she sat near her friend.

Naruko was busy updating their main map. She had to do so manually. Their emergency maps were updated as they found each landmark manually. They got lucky in that they could center the map on their location easily. It just didn’t display them on it.

“Hard to say,” Twilight started as she flipped through the book. There were some pictures in it of important places. She actually looked through their bunk house and found an extra copy just in case her attempts didn’t work and harmed the book. “If it was a regular book, that wouldn’t be a problem. If it was written in old Equestrian, that wouldn’t be a problem. I will have to hope an older and less efficient method will work,” she said.

“What is it?” AJ continued to ask.

“I might be able to have a word imprint it’s meaning on me. I could then use an equivalent word in our language. This isn’t a perfect method but it will work better, even if it will take a lot longer than my other methods and the translation spell I created to help with my work for these missions,” Twilight explained.

“If you learned enough words, could ya then use them as like a base for the rest?” AJ asked.

“That is a good idea, but would only work if I am sure I have the words right. Another method I could use would take longer and require attempting an ancient ritual numerous times. I could use it to translate a single letter at a time. That will only truly work if this language has the same number of letters as ours though,” Twilight said.

“Too bad their ain’t some fancy rune or runeseal yah could use to translate instead,” AJ said.

Twilight was in thought for a moment. “There is a seal… possibly… But seals can be dangerous. I could ask Naruko about it if the other method doesn’t work. She’s the expert on seals,” she said.

“What exactly is the difference between a rune, a runeseal, and a seal?” AJ asked.

“Runes are an ancient art form that uses glyphs and rune designs to achieve a goal. Runes can be drawn using ink or just magic before channeling the energy into it. Seals are similar, but they’re from Naruko’s world. So, she and Kyuubi are the only ones who really know how to use them properly. I’m learning, but it is taking time. Naruko’s native language is very complicated and vast when it comes to writing. Seals require you to know it a good bit. It also requires paper or a surface you can write on with ink. It is more precise, since the tiniest mistake can change the meaning of the seal or make it less stable and more volatile,” Twilight said.

“Wow! That sounds dangerous,” AJ said as Twilight nodded in agreement. “And you’re learning that?” Apple Jack asked.

“Yep. It may be dangerous and take a lot of time to learn, but seals are so very much more versatile than even runes!” Twilight said her purple eyes lighting up in excitement.

“And runeseals?” AJ asked to get back on topic.

“It is a branch of magic Naruko created and is still creating. It combines both runes and seals together in a way to make even more use of the arts. It is really exciting talking to her about it from time to time. I’ve never actually experienced the birth of a new field of study and magic! We’re the only ones who know about apart from the princesses. I don’t even know if the patrol members know about it yet. So please try to keep it between us,” Twilight said.

“Will do,” AJ said with a smile. She then sighed, “I feel mighty left behind… Ya’ll are creating fancy new magic and such and I’m just doing the same thing over and over again mostly.”

“Running a successful family busy and farm takes a lot of work and time. It is impressive in its own right,” Twilight said to her friend.

“I know… I just wish I could do something more. Ya know,” AJ said.

“Well… You can…” Twilight started. AJ looked for her to continue. “Learning more about your element and what it can do,” Twilight said.

“I get ya there. I just don’t know about this balance business… What exactly is the balance to honesty?” AJ asked. “Ah really don’t see how lying is.”

“I’m not sure…” Twilight admitted. “I wish I could help more, but I don’t know too much. I mean I’m the element of magic… What is the opposite and balance of Magic?” she asked.

“Maybe it is something different for each of us. Maybe… It’s something more personal than we first thought,” AJ thought with a hoof under her chin.

“Maybe… We’ll have to both work on it more once we finish this mission,” Twilight said in though.

AJ nodded and stood up. “Well enough thinking hard and all for me today. I’ll take the cooking tonight. Yer busy with this translation business and Naruko is working with the map,” she said before making her way over to their food storage. Naruko used one of them fancy scrolls to bring a good amount of food with them. She unsealed it last night and pointed out how there were runes and seals protecting the food and keeping it fresh for them.

AJ looked through the ingredients and decided on Cheese Soup with cornbread and apple slices for the side. It wouldn’t use too much of their supply and it would be filling. Plus, they still needed a bit more than usual until they got used to wondering around Ponlantis.

{-} {-} {-}

Over the next few days, the group explored more of the area around them and filled in more of their map. Twilight made a little progress, but not much on translating the language. Naruko pointed out eventually they would have to make it more of a priority as a means of finding more clues for their goal. Until then though, there was still plenty to explore and they weren’t to a point they could just leave Twilight alone a couple of days while she and AJ did the exploring.

Naruko was also reluctant to use Twilight’s seal idea for translating the letters and words. She insisted they would need more knowledge about it first and even then, she wasn’t sure if the seal would work on such a language. She feared it would be too alien. She had mentioned the seal to Twilight mostly for study purposes. The seal was mostly used on languages that already had a solid and common base to work from. It was mostly used for translating codes and such.

It took a little time after that for AJ to convince Naruko not to update as much on the map when they got back as well. “We don’t need ta fill in the whole thing. We just need key locations and landmarks. The ones that really stand out,” AJ said to her.

Naruko sighed to that. “Perhaps my overly cautious Ninja self is too obsessed with gathering intel. It would work better if we were all ninjas, but I’m the only one,” she said. If she was with a group of ninjas, they could help with getting the right intel and transcribing it on to the main map. She used her clones to help, but there was only so many she could use before they got in each other’s way. She also was quick with writing seals, but not so much regular writing.

“You could teach me to be a ninja pony, you know. I've been wanting to learn from the start,” Twilight said in a not so subtle hinting manner.

“I couldn’t in time to make a difference on this mission. You also haven’t even been taking the exercise regime I gave you all that time ago as seriously either,” Naruko turned her down in an equally unsubtle manner.

Twilight might have rebuked but AJ put a stop to that. “Ah agree with Naruko here. Sorry Twi, but she is right. There is also the matter of your translating work. That there is far more important like,” she said.

“I understand. Do you think we are finally to a point that I could spend more time on that? I will still help with getting the lay of the city, but maybe every couple of days I can focus on translating alone,” Twilight said.

Naruko was in thought for a moment. “I think we can. It is safe to say nothing will come after us unless we wake something up first. How about every time it is your turn on dinner duty?” she asked.

“That will work. I can take a break once you two get back on those days to cook supper. Otherwise I might get a headache from spending so much time on translating,” she admitted.

“And that will give us plenty o’ time to discuss anything we need your input on and ta catch you up,” AJ said. Twilight nodded to that.

“Alright. It’s decided then. We’ll start with this plan tomorrow,” Naruko said.

{-} {-} {-}

The next day Naruko and AJ scoured through Ponlantis without Twilight. For the most part, it was more of the same from before. It was getting later in the day when AJ suddenly said, “Look!” while pointing a hoof forward. “That there’s the building we’ve seen in those paintings,” she said.

“It is! Let’s give it a good look over,” Naruko said.

The two ponies started to look it over. It looked kind of like it was a government building. It had a lot of fancy columns around it seemingly holding up the roof. The ponies noticed there was a set of giant doors with all kinds of designs on it. As they approached, AJ got a little nervous and asked, “Those aren’t any of them runes, are they?”

“They are…” Naruko started as she got closer to inspect them.

The blonde unicorn looked them over. She could see runes they were similar too in the current time, but she wasn’t so sure how close they were in meaning. She scanned them with magic. She couldn’t really tell what they would do. “Can you sense anything about them, AJ?” Naruko asked.

AJ got closer and looked them over. She couldn’t make them out. She didn’t know what runes did and meant. She would ask to learn some about them when they got back just for her own curiosity’s sake. “Ah don’t know nothing about no runes. Ah’ve been asking you two about them, but I still don’t know much,” she admitted.

Naruko looked at them closely in thought. She got an idea. “Try focusing on that energy you’ve been feeling since we got here,” she said.

“I can try that,” AJ said. She tried squinting her eyes at the runes. She was hoping somehow, they would tell her what they did. She hummed in thought. She couldn’t really see magic like she did when Naruko used that runeseal to make the maps.

“Try to feel…” AJ thought to herself in answer. She didn’t really know where it came from, but it seemed right. AJ took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She seemed to sense something. It was the energy, but it was different. It was being molded into something.

She then figured it out!

She let out a chuckle and pressed a hoof to the door. It lit up and she was able to push the large doors open with ease. “They’re just being fancy like. Keeping these here doors from needing ta be maintained and making them easy ta open,” she said.

Naruko blinked to that. “How did you figure that out?” she asked.

“Ah just did. It kind of makes sense when ya think about it though. These here doors are ancient and they ain’t tarnishing. Not even in the slightest bit. Also looking at the size of these doors, even an earth pony with strength would have problems opening them. This here ain’t a city with plenty of unicorn guards to use magic to open doors and such,” she said.

There was more to it than that, but she couldn’t really explain it. What she told Naruko was true, but she could also feel the runes did what she said. She could also tell the runes did something more, but it required some kind of activation.

“Still good to be careful even if it does seem more obvious now,” Naruko explained.

“Ah weren’t knocking ya. Ah just found it a might funny is all,” AJ said with a grin. She then turned a bit more serious and said, “You’re right though.”

The two entered the building and it was impressive in size and space. It even seemed bigger on the inside than it did on the outside. Naruko wouldn’t be surprised if it was. There was a lot you could do with runes.

“This looks like some kind of council or court room,” Naruko said. There were plenty of sitting areas around the room. It even had a balcony area that looked like it was for ponies watching the proceedings. In the middle, there was a giant multi-leveled podium area.

AJ was examining the podium area with interest. She could sense runes as the energy twisted around it when she was focusing on the place in general. She looked under and saw what looked like buttons. She looked at one carefully. “Restrain…” she thought for some reason.

“Naruko. Could you step to the side?” she asked as the blonde unicorn did so. AJ pressed the button. A sitting platform seemed to form out of the floor and restraints of some kind formed around what would be a pony.

“So, it is a court room,” Naruko stated.

“Ah think it actually has more than one purpose,” AJ said. She pressed that button again and the platform disappeared. Naruko came over to stand next to her and see what she was doing.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to press buttons like that?” she asked her friend.

“Probably not,” AJ answered easily. “But… it is hard to say… I can hear or maybe feel what they do for the most part. Ah ain’t about to press the ones I have no idea on.”

“There’s got to be a lot more to that energy than you mentioned when we first came here,” Naruko said in wonder.

AJ looked at another of the buttons. “Picture…” she thought to herself. She gave a nod. “Ah’m pressing another one,” she warned Naruko.

As she pressed it, the room changed a lot in front of them. “Woah… This is… Amazing,” Naruko said in awe.

“It sure is,” AJ said as the room settled and now there were ancient paintings all over the walls that popped up. It was like the hieroglyphics you see in places like Somnambula or Saddle Arabia.

“Look at all of this,” AJ said as she looked around with Naruko.

The pictures were very interesting. They showed earth ponies doing all kinds of amazing things. There was one that showed an earth pony bucking what looked like a giant boulder that popped up from the ground. There was another one that showed a pony surrounded by vines that looked like they were stopping rocks being thrown at them. There was another one that showed an earth pony with a staff of some kind covered in runes and glowing.

“Ah’ve never seen anything like this…” AJ said in awe.

Naruko was in thought as she looked at the pictures of the boulder pony and the vine pony. She rubbed her chin in thought with a hoof. “I have seen something similar… But not from ponies…” she said.

“What do ya mean?” AJ asked.

“I haven’t seen these things in particular, but similar stuff when I was human and a ninja. Before I came to this world,” Naruko said.

She took a breath, “In the world I came from… Advanced ninjas could use elemental attacks. The main elements were lightening, water, fire, wind and earth. I can use fire partly because of my connection with Kyuubi and all of the training I put into it. I can also use wind. Almost every ninja has an element they have an affinity for. Mine was wind. We could learn others, but it was difficult training to do so.”

“What about vines though? Was that part of earth?” AJ asked.

“I’m not sure. There are more advanced forms of elemental jutsus. That’s what we called our version of spells I guess you could say. They usually required some kind of special property inside your blood. Perhaps the vines thing is similar. Whatever the case… This is huge…” Naruko said.

“Yer telling me. I ain’t never heard of earth ponies being able to do such things like that,” AJ said as she looked at the pictures again.

“This is only part of it…” her thoughts were telling her. AJ really didn’t get it.

“We need ta come back here tomorrow with Twilight,” she said instead.

“You’re right. It is getting late and we need to start heading back. I want to look even more, but we need our rest. Perhaps this will help her with the translation stuff or something,” Naruko said as she looked at some of the titles for each of the pictures.

“Ah can’t help but get the feeling there was more to yer words when you said how amazing it was,” AJ said as they made their way back.

“There is,” Naruko admitted. “That room transformation stuff, is amazing! It would take a lot of rune work and such to pull it off. Not to mention the buttons moved as well with the second version of that room!” She felt giddy as they walked back.

“We can use runes to change through pictures in a picture frame at this point, but that was a recent breakthrough. Or I guess re-breakthrough. You can even use magic to re-shape or add a room to something, but it would permanent and is usually tricky. Full room transformation like that with the press of a button. And too that level… Along with all of the preservation work! That is something we haven’t tried to do yet. No pony even dared to think that possibly,” Naruko said.

“Ah knew this place was amazing as soon we got here. But this impressive… That really is something,” AJ said as the two talked more and made their way back to the camp.

“You will never believe what we found today, Twilight!” Naruko said eagerly as soon as they entered the camp. She was off explaining everything with AJ filling in parts where needed.

“That sounds amazing!” Twilight pretty much shouted. “We are totally spending most of tomorrow looking through it. A place like that might have clues about where we will find the Ocean’s Heart. It could help with my translation process too!” she said as she made sure to not ruin their dinner in her excitement.

{-} {-} {-}

Right after they woke up that morning, they grabbed a quick breakfast and made their way to the building. All three were really excited about today. There was just so much possibility with the building. AJ was really excited to learn more about the ponies of Ponlantis. Twilight wanted to learn all about that as well as study the magic. Naruko wanted to see if she could discover if maybe there was a further link between pony magic and chakra after seeing just some of those pictures.

The building was left the same as it was when AJ and Naruko left the evening before. Each of the trio were partly relieved by this despite their excitement. They had all been fearing maybe they weren’t alone like they thought.

The ponies were each working separately in the room. Each was learning a lot while trying to find clues. AJ kept finding herself fascinated by the pictures of the earth ponies doing impressive and seemingly impossible things. She kept looking closer at each picture. She also kept hearing that thought and it was getting louder with each study of the pictures. “There is so much more…” it kept saying. AJ just didn’t have much idea what that was about.

AJ came back again to the picture of the earth pony with the glowing staff. She wanted to learn what it meant. She wanted to be able to do more for her friends and Equestria and to fight that cosmic darkness Twilight and Naruko mentioned briefly. She wanted to be more than just strong and good with her lasso rope.

She wanted to figure out about her element’s powers.

She wanted to find her balance.

Apple Jack was sure the key to starting this road was in figuring out these pictures and how the ponies did what they did.

The blonde farm pony barely noticed as the room went still. AJ looked around a bit in a panic. She closed her eyes and calmed down. She felt the energy again. She felt stronger than ever before!

“You are indeed worthy of my lessons!” a voice sounding ancient, powerful and wise said out loud.

Apple Jack opened her eyes and saw an ancient pony figure before her as the room was obviously frozen in time. The figure was both the most ancient pony she had ever seen and also one of the most powerful and strong. It was semi-transparent as well.

“What in tarnation!” She said exclaimed but stood still.

“Like I said. You are worthy of my lessons. You will learn them! And pass them on. You are our protégé. You are part of our legacy now,” the ancient pony said with a smile.

Apple Jack wasn’t sure what to do. She felt like she didn’t have a choice in the matter anyways. The farm pony was both eager to learn and apprehensive of this pony at the same time. Yet oddly enough… she wasn’t really scared of him or worried about her friends. She knew they were safe. “Ah guess… We best get started then,” she said as the pony figured smiled brighter at her.

“It won’t be easy… But you are ready,” it said to her.

"Ah ain't never been a pony to shy from hard work," AJ said with a grin. She was ready for this. Whatever this was.