> Naruto: Apples and Cinnamon
>  by Karasu87
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Naruto: Apples and Cinnamon




“AH!!” Was the scream that was heard all over Ponyville. A pink Earth Pony strolled through the streets. Her usual puffed up mane and tail, now lay flat. “Ah… so bored.”

All her friends were to busy to play or party. Rainbow Dash busy practicing her flying, Twilight studying some new magic, A.J. working on the farm, and Rarity busy designing. She sighed. There was Fluttershy. But, she just came from there. Her shy friend was too busy playing around in her ‘Jungle’ of a backyard.


Chapter 1: A Spiral Among The Elements


Elsewhere, a young earth pony leapt into a stack of hay. He had an orange fur. A yellow mane. Blue eyes that held a hint of mischievousness. His head peeked out from the haystack just as a pop and a yell were heard. He took a quick glance behind him, and saw a yellow pony, now turned purple.

With a smirk on his muzzle, he took off from his hiding spot. The young pony ducked around a corner and slowly peeked out. Not seeing anyone following, he vanished from his spot, and appeared next to a wagon filled with apples.

Pinkie passed by the newly purple pony. She held in a giggle, but then realized. 'That wasn’t me.' She glanced around, and saw everypony starring in her direction. She gave a nervous chuckle and vanished from sight. Everypony just shook their heads at the normal recurrence.

“That’s the third time this week!” She whispered to herself as peaked around the corner of a building. She turned around and leaned against the wall. “Someone’s framing me! But who?” A thought bubble appeared above her head. Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash appeared in a police lineup. But the thought bubble popped as her eyes caught a glimpse of somepony. Somepony… she has never seen before.

Orange fur. Yellow mane. Blue eyes. An apple was in his mouth. She tried to wrack her brain for information, but kept coming up blank. She saw the pony hug the wall, and stealthily made his way past a couple of Applejack’s relatives. As he turned a corner, she saw his Cutie Mark. It was a red spiral. Something clicked in her head. Somepony new. Somepony she has never befriended!

She blinked, and then vanished from her spot. And just like the earth pony, she hugged the wall, and followed behind him. She was a pony on a mission. She quickly rounded the corner, and saw the young pony dive behind a vegetable stand. She saw him place a hoof over his muzzle to stifle a chuckle. And not a second later, a pop was heard followed by a scream.

The young pony grabbed a few vegetables during the distraction, but his eyes met Pinkie’s for a brief second. Then with a wink, he vanished once again. Pinkie quickly ran to the vegetable stand. She huffed, then spotted a trail of dust that was near Rarity’s shop, Carousel Boutique. Behind her, she missed the sight of thousands of bubbles assaulting the ponies.

Rarity entered her store with her eyes closed, and a smile on her muzzle. Sure, she was curious about all that ruckus outside. But she just passed it off as one of Pinkie’s harmless pranks. Nothing could bring her down at the moment. Nothing.

And that all came crashing down as she tripped and found herself stuck. Dare she open her eyes? She slowly opened one eye, only to be frozen in shock. Gum. Gum everywhere. She tried to move, and slowly stood on wobbly legs. But the gum quickly pulled her back down. Her eye’s moved towards her purple hair, only for them to widen.

“Pinkie!!” 

Pinkie quickly tiptoed pass the store. She whispered, “Sorry.” She saw the young pony just ahead of her. The vegetables were gone, but he now had a piece of green cloth in his mouth. He tilted his head, and met her eyes. Cerulean met cerulean. He winked at her, then vanished. Despite a strange warm feeling creeping up her cheek, she quickly hurried after the young stallion. As she rounded the corner, she didn’t see any sign of him, only the shouts of her name. She sighed, then scanned the area. A smile lit up her face as she saw the person of interest strolling down the road.

She snuck up behind the young stallion. But before she got too close, a poof of smoke enveloped her target. She coughed, then quickly covered her muzzle. Once the smoke cleared, she saw her target once again. This time, he didn’t have anything in his mouth. She ignored that, and crept closer. His yellow tail swished back and forth in a happy manner. She could’ve sword the tail glowed a faint blue, but she passed it off as a trick of the eye.

The young stallion paused in his step, and quickly turned around. Only to see nothing. His eyes scanned the area behind him. With a shrug he turned, and resumed his walking. He paused. Pinkie stood behind him, and as soon as he turned his head to the right, she leapt to the left. He quickly looked to the left. Pinkie appeared right behind him, with a smile.

And as soon as the young stallion turned around, he found himself face to face with his pursuer. “Ah!” The pony screamed as he fell on his backside.

“Hiya! I’m Pinky Pie! That was a very bad thing to do back there. They think I did that! But… it was kinda funny!” She giggled. The young pony tried to sneak away, but she spoke again. “So, what’s your name? Are you new? I never seen you around. And I remember everypony!”

“Um… Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki.” The pony greeted. He regained his smirk. He already knew four people, um, ponies. And this makes five. “New? Sorta. Been here at least a couple of weeks.”

Pinkie’s eyes shot open wide. “A couple of weeks! How? But… but I know everypony in ponyville!” Naruto raised a brow as she got in his face screaming to the heavens. “EVERYPONY!”

“Look at the time!” Naruto said as he spared a glance to the overhead sun. Around noon. “I’d better head back.”

“Wait! I have to throw you a party!” Pinkie grew a large smile. “It’ll be a blast! You can meet my friends! We can meet your family! I think you’ll like Dashie! And maybe A.J., but you did steal her apples… but anyway! So much to plan!”

Naruto grew a sad smile. As the pink pony babbled on, he took his leave. Pinkie paused mid-sentence as a poof of smoke enveloped them both. But as the smoke began to clear, she found no evidence of Naruto. She looked around confused, but her eyes lit up. She vowed to find him, and throw him a party.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


A small cave could be seen just on the outskirts of Ponyville. The cave sat on a hill, and was surrounded by forest. There was evidence on the ground that a fire was recently put out.

Naruto walked up to the cave. He smiled that he made a new friend. Several poofs appeared in front of him, and out of the smoke, were several clones of Naruto.

“Home sweet home.” Naruto whispered to himself. One clone placed several vegetables into a basket. Another one dropped several spices and a small bag of flour on the ground. And one placed a small green piece of cloth in front of the real Naruto. Using his hooves, he tried to tie it around his head. Only for the cloth to glow, then get snatched from his hoof. It floated in front of him, then began to tie itself around his head.

“Have fun?” A voice echoed around the clearing. Then slowly, a familiar figure landed in front of him. She had white fur. A pair of wings. A colorful mane and tail. And a horn. She towered over him. With the cloth tied around Naruto’s head, the glow vanished. “I told you, you could stay in my palace. You are a guest after all.”

Naruto nodded. “I know but…”

“It’s alright. I would ask how you enjoyed Ponyville…” She glanced to his clones that were trying to hide the items. “…but it seems like you do.” Celestia shook her head. “I told you to make more friends. You may not like this situation, but believe me… it’s for the best.”

Naruto nodded again. What she said was true. This new body sure took a while to get used to. He glanced to his backside. “By the way, what does this mean?” Celestia looked to where he indicated. His Spiral mark. “It just appeared a week ago. I just got done pranking Ponyville, and as I was visiting Zecora, it just appeared. And all she did was smile!”

Celestia smiled. She expected as much, but she didn’t expect it this soon. She smiled as he mumbled how he wished he was a fox instead. “Now, now.” She looked his mark over. “Hmm. It means you’re unpredictable.” She giggled. “That prank showcased your talent of this world and your world. Combined, your cutie mark appeared.”

“Could be worse, I guess.” Naruto sighed.

“True.” Celestia giggled. “At least it wasn’t a picture of ramen that appeared.”


XXXXXXXXXXXX


“Pinkie!” Was the yell from one, Rarity, as she walked up to her friend. Her purple hair now stuck with pink gum. She glared at her friend. “My hair is just… ruined!”

“Awesome hairstyle, Rarity!” Rainbow Dash laughed as she flew in and landed, just as the other girls and Spike joined them.

“What did Pinkie do this time?” Applejack said, but then got a look at Rarity. “Woah…”

“My thoughts exactly…” Rarity huffed. She felt something pull on her hair. Turning, she saw Spike and Twilight examining it.

“The elements in the gum…” Twilight watched as Spike gently plucked on the gum, but he kept getting distracted and started to brush Rarity’s head.

“Do you mind?” Rarity asked. She used her magic to pick up Spike.

“Heh, heh… sorry.” Spike sheepishly replied.

“As I was saying…” Twilight eyed the gum carefully. “There is a strange element in this gum. A dissolvent.” She smiled. “I believe some water will dissolve it.”

“Thank, Celestia!” Rarity cried.

Pinkie frowned. “It wasn’t me!” Everypony stared at her. “It was this new Pony! He pranked all of Ponyville and blamed it on me! Me! Why would somepony do that?”

“Well, somepony has been stealing apples.” Applejack stated. Her family has been complaining about apples just going missing, and she was itching to find out who.

“Apples. Pranks. Stuff going missing.” Twilight mumbled. She glanced to Pinkie who was not her usual bubbly self right now. She smiled. “And Pinkie being framed.” A lightbulb went off above her head. “To the Library!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Twilight, that’s your answer for everything.”

“I vote we chase down the ruckus causing vermin!” Applejack stomped her hoof. “Besides, they’ve been stealing mah apples!”

“Shall we take a vote, then?” Rarity twitched her head. Her purple gummed filled hair bobbed a little. “My vote is obvious.” She is met with a determined nod from Rainbow Dash.

“Nopony messes with mah apples!” Applejack stated.

“He may be back again. I say we wait, and plan how to catch him.” Twilight said. 

“I… I agree.” Fluttershy replied. She did agree that Twilight was right. It is best to wait for him to appear, than to get lost trying to find him.

“You guys can wait, but we’re going after that pony.” Applejack stated. “Let’s go.”

Twilight frowned as her friends rushed off. Her plan was simple. She figured he would sneak back through Ponyville sooner or later. And it’s best to keep their eyes peeled. For all they knew, he was already in town.

“Those girls…” Twilight sighed. She turned to Fluttershy who ‘eep’ed’. “Let’s go look around town for anything suspicious.”

Fluttershy paused as a ‘pop’ was heard nearby. She turned, and saw a small plume of smoke.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


Naruto frowned. He had spent all morning trying to make himself some ramen. He knew he should’ve taken Celestia’s advice. Which was to march into Ponyville, and politely ask if somepony would make it for him. He was distracted from his thoughts as a clone yelled to him.

“Hey, boss!” A clone yelled out. “Looks like we have company.”

Naruto blinked as the memories came to him. How come the clones seem to get it first? He shook his head. He knew he would have to run into somebody sooner or later. He loved having friends, but being here for a few weeks. The only friends he had were Luna, Celestia, Zecora, some strange guy named Discord he only met once and a pink pony. Part of him feared they wouldn’t like him, but the other part…

“Let’s have a little fun.” He spoke with a grin.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


Rarity shook her head. It was wet And the bubblegum now long gone. They made a little stop by a river. Using her magic, she brushed her hair with her trusty brush. Rainbow Dash took to the sky to be their eyes. Applejack was in front of her, with her eyes scanning around for any signs of their target. And Pinkie. Rarity’s eyes glanced to the side.

Pinkie peeked out from behind a tree, then suddenly, Rarity saw her peeking out from another tree, Rarity shook her head and turned to her right, only to gasp at the sight of Pinkie in her face.

“Pinkie!” Rarity started to yell, but ended up whispering.

“Oooh!” Pinkie quickly jumped up and down. “I forgot to mention something.  He introduced  himself to me!” Pinkie smiled. “So, I guess that makes us friends!” She paused in mid-air. “I think.”

Applejack paused, and turned to Pinkie. “Say what now? You befriended him?”

“Then what’s the name of this pony?” Rarity asked. She wanted to know the name of her victim.

“Naruto. He’s new. And I haven’t thrown a party yet!” Pinkie seemed to hyperventilate. “So much to plan! So little time!”

“Naruto? What kinda name is that suppose to be?” Rainbow Dash landed next to Applejack. “I didn’t see a single thing up there.”

“Applejack. Are you sure he’s even in this forest?” Rarity asked. “He could be any—“ She quickly leapt to the side as she came close to falling in a small puddle. Which is weird. It hasn’t rained in awhile. And that is the only wet spot that she noticed. “As I was saying, he could be anywhere. Even in Ponyville.”

As the girls kept walking, a pair of eyes watched from the shadows. 


XXXXXXXXXXXX


Twilight took off down the road. A few minutes ago, she spotted the culprit as he rigged a flour bag to explode. And explode it did. Behind her, many ponies were now white as a sheet. Her brief glance behind her cost her, as the pony vanished.

“Where…” She started, but then pony reappeared directly in front of her. Her eyes saw a rope nearby. Her horn glowed. The rope flew towards her target. With a knowing smile, she forced the rope to wrap around his feet. But what she didn’t expect was for the pony to explode into a plume of smoke once he fell on his face. “What…”

She glanced around for any signs of the pony. Then her eyes caught sight of him. He was running towards her at full speed. He had a smile, and his tongue was hanging out the side of his mouth. With a wink, the pony leapt over her. But before she could react or pursue him, a light yellow blur struck her.

Twilight blinked. Everything was blurry, then slowly started to clear. And when it did, she jumped up as she saw Fluttershy in her face.

“I’m so, so sorry! I-I didn’t mean it!” Fluttersly spewed out apology after apology. “I s-saw a strange pony a few minutes ago, and, um, I flew after him.”

“A few minutes ago…” Twilight whispered. “But I was chasing him too.” She looked up, only to see three identical ponies. “What…” She shook her head. “At least they aren’t clones of Pinkie…” Fluttershy just nodded. “A changeling, perhaps?” Twilight quickly shook that thought. They usually took the forms of somepony they new.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


Meanwhile in the forest, the four girls continue their search. Pinkie was jumping around, while telling the girls of the party she was planning. Applejack shared a glance with Rainbow Dash, who was combing the forest from the air. And Rarity, was starting to become paranoid. It seems everywhere she stepped, a muddy puddle awaits.

Applejack suddenly paused, which caused Pinkie to bump into her. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a shimmer. Squinting her eyes to the spot, she saw a shadowy figure.

“Aha! I gotcha now!” Applejack yelled, then charged through the forest. As she approached the figure, she dove. Only for the figure to vanish in a poof of smoke. She landed, then slid on the dirt.

“Did you get him?” Rarity asked as she and the others came up on the scene. But all they saw was their friend covered in dirt.

Applejack stood up on wobbly legs. “He got lucky.” She spat out a glob of dirt. “He ain’t getting away a second time!”

“There!” Both girls looked up, and saw RD pointing towards something, then she swooped down. Rainbow Dash grinned as she bore down on the running figure. “Oh, no you don’t!” With one last flap of her wings, she struck her target. As they rolled to a stop, RD gripped the figure to make sure he didn’t escape. “Haha! I got you!”

Rarity and Applejack rushed to where RD was, only to see her sitting on a figure. Her hooves wrapped against the pony. The figure was clouded in the shadow of the trees. Rarity smiled at finally capturing the fugitive. That is, until RD moved and the figure hit the light. She gasped, while Applejack slapped her face with a hoof.

RD’s smile faded once she opened her eyes and saw the figure. “How…?”

“Hiya!” Pinkie exclaimed. RD let her up, but the confusion was still evident.

“Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash said as she looked towards her friends, then back to Pinkie. “But I saw yellow hair, not pink.”

“Well, I was just walking around looking for my new friend, then POOF!” Pinkie giggled. “Next thing I know, you flew into me! It was awesome! I felt this pull on my body, and it felt like I was flying!” She bounced up and down. “I can’t wait to do that again!”

“I’m startin’ to think Pinkie was the culprit all along.” Applejack said. But as she looked around, she spotted a figure in the distance. But just like that, the figure vanished. She could see yellow hair. With a burst of speed, she pursued the figure.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


“Get him!” Twilight’s horn glowed, and a beam shot out. It wrapped around the figure, but like before, he vanished in a poof of smoke. Nearby, she saw Fluttershy gasping for breath. She looked around, and saw one of the figures running towards the forest.


XXXXXXXXXXXX



“Got ya!” Applejack stated as the figure stopped in his tracks. She now had him trapped against a wall of tightly knitted trees. She stalked forward, but paused. The figure stepped out of the shadows. “Dash?” She blinked, then looked behind her as her friends caught up.

“What?” RD paused as she saw herself standing before herself. “But I’m right here.”

“Whoa…” The group turned towards the voice. Only to see another RD. But this one flew around them, then landed. “Am I seeing things?”

“Oh, my. I don’t know what’s worse…” Rarity said. “…the Pinkie Pie clones, or two more Rainbow Dash’s.”

The RD next to Applejack smirked, then vanished along with the RD in front of them. The remaining RD spoke up after a moment. “Changelings?”

“I don’t believe so.” Rarity spoke. “These have a… calmer feel than the Changelings. It must be our ‘friend’.”

“How do we know you’re the real Dash?” Applejack asked.

RD smiled, then took off into the air. “Let’s see a fake…” She zoomed straight to a nearby cloud, then swirled around it. “…do this!” After a few moments, she zipped back to her friends. In the sky, was a cloud that had RD’s likeness sculpted on it.

“You’re Rainbow Dash, alright.” Applejack looked around. Only to realize they were missing somepony. “Where’s Pinkie?” Rarity and RD looked around. A.J’s ears twitched as she picked up a few tree branches breaking.

Somewhere nearby, Twilight and Fluttershy were in hot pursuit. The figure ran into the forest. She kept trying to zap him with her magic, but he was as fast as Rainbow Dash was in the air. The pony leapt up, bounced off a tree and vanished into the woods. She shared a glance with Fluttershy.

But before anything can be said, an orange figure tackled Twilight, while a rainbow blur flew into Fluttershy.

“Ain’t getting away a third time!” Applejack pinned Twilight to the ground. Next to them, Dash had Fluttershy pinned.

“Twilight? Fluttershy?” Rarity said once she entered the scene. She carefully stepped over another puddle. “What are you two doing here?”

“You’re that darn pony in disguise again!” A.J. got into Twilight’s face. “Ain’t ya?!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Twilight’s horn glowed, then gently, A.J. was lifted off of her. “We saw him in town, and chased him into the woods.”

“Oh, yeah? We saw him too!” Rainbow Dash growled. Only to find herself being lifted off of Fluttershy. “Fine! We know you’re you! But how do we know Fluttershy is Fluttershy?” Dash got into the said girl’s face, only to get an ‘eep’.

“Happy now?” Twilight asked. Her eyes caught somepony peeking from a nearby tree. Recognizing him, she fired a bolt from her horn, only for the pony to run out his hiding place.

“After ‘em!” Applejack took off after the figure. Her friends right on her tail.

“Where’s Pinkie?” Twilight asked Rarity.

“No idea. Probably got lost… again.” Rarity replied. But something flew past her, and she finally stepped in a muddy puddle. “Ah!” She waved the hoof back and forth. Mud slung everywhere. Several splotches of mud splashed on Twilight’s face.

“It’s just mud, Rarity.” Applejack told her, but paused as Fluttershy leapt in front of her.

“Wait!” Fluttershy screamed. Then, quickly clamped her mouth shut. The mysterious pony stopped, and slowly turned around. They finally got a full look of him. He had on a smirk. And a green cloth around his head. “You need to come back to Ponyville and apologize for what you did!” She seemed to blush. “Um, maybe… if that’s okay…”

“Yes, you ruffian!” Rarity yelled out. She waved a muddy hoof at the pony. “You mussed up my hair! And I just got it the way I like it. My clothing too!”

“When I get my hoof on you, I’m gonna buck you into next week!” Applejack started to stalk forward. 

“Woah…” They heard the figure speak. He had a lopsided smirk on his face. And they noticed that his Cutie Mark looked similar to Zecora’s. “Talk about deja vu…” His lopsided smirk seemed to get larger. “Let me guess. You’re Applejack? Really nice to meet a cute pony such as yourself.”

Applejack paused at the cute comment, then shook her head. She knew he was just trying to get under her skin. He was almost like a mix of a changeling and a creature of Darkness. Confusing them. Playing them against each other. Toying with them. But, what if he meant what he said.

“Cretin!” Rarity marched forward.  “You will pay off what you did to my store… and hair! And what have you done with Pinkie?”

“Relax. Don’t get your pretty little hindquarters in a twist.” The figure winked. But Rarity only raised her head higher. “As for your pink friend, she’s right behind me.”

The girls heard a ‘SQUEE!’ nearby. Each of the girls grew worried. Thoughts of what could be happening entered their minds.

“The poor dear. Pinkie must be getting tortured!” Rarity grew a dramatic look, which only made the girls even more worried. Her eyes got all big and watery. Naruto gained a large sweatdrop. “Or even worse…”

“W-worse…?” Fluttershy whispered.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t mean anypony any harm. The gum dissolves in water. And your pink friend is safe and sound. And… and… and you’re not listening…” He sighed. He heard the girls mention all kinds of stuff. Pinkie being ticked to death. Fed to a Chupacabre or a Giant Mutant Cockatrice. Being fed with goodies to fatten her up, so he could eat her. “What kind of world did I get trapped in?”

He sweat-dropped when they turned to him, then charged. Or flew as Rainbow Dash just did. He braced himself for the impact.


XXXXXXXXXXXX



Bursting through the foliage, the five girls entered a clearing. They lay sprawled in a pony-pile. No sign of that other pony. Twilight was the first to get up, followed by Applejack. But as they got a good look around, they came to an unusual sight. Several clones of that pony were doing all kinds of stuff. From practicing bucking, to some trying to run up trees.

“Look…” Fluttershy whispered. And when they got a look at what Fluttershy saw, their eyes widened. Fluttershy covered a nearby bunnies eyes.

Near the cave, Pinkie Pie and Naruto lay down on a blanket. Pies and more pies were scattered everywhere. Naruto took a bite of it with a smile. How long had it been since he last had a piece of dessert?

“So, then Dash was like, ‘Bring it on!’.” They heard Pinkie yell in a Rainbow Dash voice. Nearby, Dash frowned. “Ooh, maybe I should tell you some of my stories of Applejack!”

“Yes, we would love to hear them.” Applejack stepped forward. Naruto sweated as the memory of the clone came to him. “And you… you have some explaining to do.”

None of them noticed that a pair of eyes watched from the shadows with a smile.

Naruto stood up with a stretch. But his eyes secretly scanned the area for an escape route. “Sorry about my clone. Some of them tend to… develop their own personalities.”

“Not that! You been stealin’ mah apples!” Applejack stepped forward, but Twilight brushed past her. “We of the Apple family do not take too kinda to that.”

“Hey!” Pinkie jumped up from her spot. “He’s been living here alone… with no one to throw him a party.”

“It’s alright, Pinkie, I’m kinda use to that.” Naruto spoke. “I’m used to isolation, but I did feel the urge to enter Ponyville. Only that, my old urge to prank returned.”

“So, all by yourself? No family, or friends?” Rarity spoke as she got a better look at the person. For a brief moment, she forgot about that gum prank. “That explains your coat. It’s plain ghastly. And your mane…”

Naruto gave a nervous chuckle. “There is a lake near…”

“So, your clone was right? You didn’t mean any harm?” Fluttershy spoke, then quickly looked down.

“From what Pinkie told me, we use the same stuff in our pranks. So nothing is harmed.” Pinkie quickly nodded her head.

“And the clones?” Twilight asked. While the others were talking to the pony, she had started examining the clones. “How did you do this without a horn?”

Naruto’s tail twitched, then glowed. After a moment, a small twister burst to life. The twister was small, but as it swept over Pinkie, it lifted her up. She smiled as it twirled her around. The girls watched as a smile lit up both Pinkie's and Naruto's faces.

“Magic without a horn?” Dash whispered. She watched as Pinkie flew higher and higher, and then the twister vanished. As Pinkie fell, a sudden updraft slowed Pinkie’s descent.

“Amazing…” Rarity whispered. “But, my dear, your clones changed their appearance as well.”

Naruto’s tail glowed. And instead of a burst of wind, or a clone. His orange fur turned light grayish raspberry. His yellow hair turned raspberry pink. Even his Cutie Mark changed. They gasped as a perfect Pinkie Pie clone stood before them. The Pinkie clone bobbed around them like a rabbit. And the real Pinkie Pie quickly joined in.

“Woah…” was the only thing to escape Twilight.

“Glad we found him, and not some evildoer.” Dash turned to Rarity. “Can you imagine what would happen?”

“Alright, alright. That’s all swell and dandy, but it ain’t helping what I came here for.” Applejack said as both Pinkie’s bobbed around her.

“And please…” Dash hoof-slapped her face. “…never disguise yourself as Pinkie again..”

Both Pinkie’s paused in mid-air. “Why?” Both asked at the same time, followed by a giggle.

“You’re going to pay for everything you stole.” Rarity started. The Pinkie’s froze once again. “And we have an idea about that.”


XXXXXXXXXXXX


Naruto’s eyes widened. Apple tree upon apple tree lay before him. Near him stood the big brother of Applejack. Big McIntosh. He became somewhat friends with him, even if they just met a few minutes ago. He oddly reminded him of someone from back home. But who?

“That’s a lot of apples.” He turned to Big McIntosh. He looked to the 20 baskets next to them. They were sitting on a wagon, so it was easier to move. “I-I have to fill up all of these.”

“Eeyup.” Was Big McIntosh’s simple response. “Don’t worry. It’s a lot easier than it sounds. Guess Applejack likes you.” Big Mac looked up at the clouds. “It could’ve been a hundred baskets.”

Naruto sweated. Big Mac decided to stay and watch. Naruto walked to the nearest tree. He turned around, then bucked. He glanced back, only to see the apples haven’t moved any.

Applejack walked up the hill towards her big brother. It had big over ten minutes, and she wanted to see his progress. “Still on the first tree?”

“Eeyup.”

Naruto bucked again. Nothing happened, then an apple struck his head. Despite the growing bump, he smiled at his progress. Then he looked upwards, only to see at least 20 other apples, each swinging back and forth. His eyes grew wide as gravity pulled each down.

Applejack giggled. She was surprised he hadn’t used his clones to help. But, she guessed he really did feel bad and wanted to truly make up for it. She did fear what Rarity had in store for him, but it couldn’t be that bad.

Naruto lay under a pile of apples. He peeked his head out, and spat out an apple. He saw that the tree was now void of apples. “Take that you darn dirty tree!”

“He is kinda funny.” Applejack said. She and Big Mac watched as Naruto quickly rushed to the next tree, and bucked.

“Eeyup.”

A few hours of bucking later, Naruto found himself in Rarity’s store. The Carousel Boutique. He had been wondering what he would do to pay back what he did to Rarity, and about what he stole. But, he never though this of all things would happen.

Naruto frowned. His eyes set in a deadpan look. His orange fur literally had sparkles with how clean it was. His yellow mane was brushed back, but still held his natural spikes. But, he now had on a white saddle with rubies on the edge.

Rarity walked over to Naruto. She had on her glasses. Naruto saw that she was sewing something. And then he felt a hat being placed on his head. At least it isn’t dresses. Ino already put me through enough of that. Naruto thought with an internal groan.

“Now… time for the special dresses I designed for the girls.” Naruto groaned, but kept his ears open as Rarity told the story about the time she was captured by dark creatures from the moon, and turned into a nightmarish queen. It sounded farfetched, but he believed it. After all, he’s been through farfetched scenarios more times than he could count.

> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Naruto: Apples and Cinnamon

Chapter 2: Pinkapalooza (Part 1)


Zecora made her way through the Everfree forest. She had her familiar hood on, and in her mouth, she chewed on an apple. Despite the events earlier, she was in a good mood. It was an adventure everyday with those ponies around.

As her left hoof crushed a fallen branch, her ear twitched under the hood. She stopped her trek, and tilted her head. It was weird. She hadn't heard nor seen any animals during her walk from town. Through the opening in the trees above, the sun shone brightly. She kept walking until the foliage opened up and she entered a clearing that wasn't very far from her home.

And then she felt it. A presence, no, a disturbance. Her turquoise eyes grew wide. A second later, a sonic boom followed. It sounded as if Rainbow Dash was practicing her Sonic Rainboom. But this was different. She didn't even realize that her feet were frozen. She noticed that she had bitten almost all the way through the apple. Deciding it was probably nothing, she continued to munch on the fruit.

And just as she swallowed the rest of her apple, she felt it again, The grass around her moved as if a torrent of wind swirled around her, but the trees were unaffected. It was strange, and felt as if something was pressing against her. The ground beneath her hooves began to crack. Sweat dripped down her face, and her teeth grounded together. She even felt the apple threatening to come back up.

She tried to managed the strength to look around. Her neck popped, but she managed it. The grass, which was green and lush, was now gone and barren. With a grunt, she managed to look up. Her hood flipped off, and her eyes grew wider.

"Ah!" She yelled as she mustered a final show of strength and leapt to the side. She slid, just as a small abject flew by her head. Just before the object struck down the ground, she saw orange. She sucked in some air to get her breath back. "Meteorite?

Her nerves went wild, and she couldn't find a rhyme in her throat.

The sun was still high above. She briefly wondered if Celestia was on her way. The clearing was now filled with smoke, and the smell that entered her nose had a strange scent. Almost like a mix of copper, burnt fur, and maybe, flesh? She didn't know, and she doubted anypony in Ponyville heard or even saw the disturbance. But surely some ponies in Canterlot saw the object. But the feeling she had earlier, before the object appeared. It lasted barely a second. It was as if something summoned the object. Called it.

"Uh..."

Her eyes immediately went to the small crater. Smoke still rose from it. Her hooves clacked against the ground as she made her way closer. The smoke stung her eyes and caused it to water. She coughed. The smoke was think, but luckily it was flowing upwards. Dipping her head, she saw into the crater. It wasn't real deep, but deep enough for a pony to stand in and have their head visible. She hated to see such a scar in the land.

The moan was heard once again, and when she finally managed to see the source, she gasped.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


Blue eyes slowly opened, only for them to squeeze close again. The sunlight entered through the only window like a laser beam. Their target? His eyes. He took a breath and was actually about to drift back off to dreamland. In his dream, he could remember several little things. Something about ramen, pink hair and a bikini. Ramen juice dripped down the bikini, going into every crevice as it...

Clack...

Or was it a click? Another one followed, then another in a steady rhythm. His right eye opened in annoyance. He blinked a few times in confusion. He thought he would be in his own bed, or at least, the hospital. But from what he saw, it had to be a hut. It looked like a single room. But who in Konoha had a hut?

He tried to reach out in an attempt to get up from the bed, but instead, he froze in shock. "H-hooves...?" Because of his shock, he made a quick movement that shook his bed. Which was a hammock, and then, gravity did the rest. He yelped as he struck a shelf that was under the bed, then another on his way down. He landed flat on his belly with a groan, "...ow..."

From his downed position, he stared in shock at his flank, which was high in the air. But that wasn't the surprising part, what made his shock grow was the waving appendage attached to it.

He was in complete shock, that he didn't realize that he actually thought of the term flank instead of another word. Many thoughts and possibilities flowed in his mind, but one stuck out above the rest. 'Did Kyuubi do something?'

He had always been afraid that the demon within him would do something like this. Sure, they learned to trust each other after all they been through, but Kurama was still THE Nine-tailed Fox Demon. But...

...was that a bed? Why the hell was he in a hammock above all those shelves?

Anyway, he figured he would be turned into a fox. Not a... horse? Hooves? Oh, yeah. Tail? He shuddered at that one. His eyes watching it wave back and forth in a similar rhythm as that clacking. And then, he crossed his eyes. A long snout greeted him.

"Not the average pony, I see." The voice cut his shock short. His eyes snapped towards the voice, and stared. It was a zebra, but not a normal zebra. This one stood on its hind legs and stirred a stick in a large cauldron. His thoughts went from Kyuubi, to an old story Kakashi told him about a witch in the woods. How she lured young kids to her hut in the forest, and...

He gulped.

The zebra turned towards him, and he could see her eyes. Cyan. And the voice was feminine. "Come, have a talk with me." He gulped again, but strangely, he felt himself slowly starting to stand.

"Hmmm... so good," Juice ran down his muzzle as Naruto bit into an apple. Laying on his back, under a nearby apple tree, he watched as the clouds drifted by. "Shikamaru sure knew how to live."

He was so into his relaxation that he didn't see a small shadow creep up behind him.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Startled, Naruto bit deep into his apple, only for it to get stuck in his throat. He coughed and sputtered, until he spit it onto the ground. He gulped, and slowly looked up into the yellow eyes of his boss' little sister. Apple Bloom. She tilted her head as if to repeat the question.

"Um, working." The apple rolled away as if to escape the scene. The little filly, looked at the apple, then back to Naruto, who quickly shot to his feet. "What? It was dirty! It might have contaminated the others!" Her eyes stared, as if peering into his soul.

If he didn't know better, he would say she was trying very hard not to laugh.

She looked to the side, and her eyes lit up. "Hey, Applejack!"

That got his attention. Around him were at least ten apple cores. She'll kill me! It was rare for him to be scared, but over the years, he learned that women, er, mares, were scary. Especially ones that buck apple trees all day without breaking a sweat. Perhaps Zecora has a remedy she could give to AJ to erase her memory.

Apples swung freely in the tree he was sleeping under, as if mocking him. And without wasting another second, he turned around and took a quick breath. He kicked his hind legs a few times. Bucking was one heck of a workout. If they had that in the ninja world, he could only imagine the training.

The filly grew a wide smile. Am I really that funny? He blinked, ever since he met her, she had been a pony version of Konohamaru and his friends. With Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle thrown in, the resemblance was almost uncanny. It was always, 'Whatcha doin'? But in a way, it was a breath of fresh air. She was cute, curious, and had a positive air about her.

He continued to kick his hind legs a few more times. Dust and dirt flew up with each hit. Deciding he stretched enough, he kicked. Or at least tried too. His foot slipped, and he landed on his stomach with the air vanishing from his lungs.

"I think you're doing it wrong," Apple Bloom stated, but he could see the mirth in those eyes. The filly let loose a giggle, which she was quick to cover up.

One of the swinging apples gave one last swing, before breaking from the tree.

"Ow..." Naruto moaned as the apple struck home. But the stallion was quick to shake off the stars, which strangely resembled Pinkie Pie. He shook that off as well, and repeated the whole bucking process. But after the fifteenth or so buck, he noticed there was a lack of something. "Where's your sister?"

She knew she couldn't hold it in for very long. "Oops." She looked around, then, laughter exploded from her. Naruto's eye twitched when she rolled onto the ground with laughter.

Naruto shook his head, but smirked. "Alright. You got me with the spider one yesterday, don't push it." Yesterday, he was hard at work, well, more like training but making it look like apple bucking. Then the little demon walked over, yelled spider, then ran away. Of course, he learned from Twilight before that about how big spiders can get, so he promptly tripped over a bucket of freshly picked apples.

Applejack didn't take too kindly to having her apples all over the ground.

He didn't know why he had to buck apples. From what he learned, Applebuck Season is when they actually harvest the fruits. Perhaps she just loved to see him suffer.

Like sister, like sister. Naruto groaned as he looked at the laughing filly. As she laughed, he nudged his basket closer to the tree, then bucked. He watched in satisfaction as the apples landed safely into the basket. Inwardly, he thought back to what if Konoha had applebuckers. He laughed. Both at the sound of that, and the fact if Kakashi knew of it back during his first mission, that would've been intense.

He briefly had a depressing thought. Were they even missing him? Looking for him? One of them could even be in this world, and he would never know.

"Will ya show me, now?" He was shaken from his thoughts. Looking down, he saw the filly staring up at him. Her laughter completely forgotten, and a serious expression on her face.

He took a glance around. "I don't know..."

"Please?" Her eyes grew wide, and he immediately pictured the three kids back in his world. "It'll be our little secret!"

"Please, boss! Teach us!"

Could be worst, at least this time she didn't have her two friends with her. "Fine." Of course, she wanted to see his abilities. He didn't know why people, er, ponies made such a big deal. But so far, he did only see Celestia, Rarity and Twilight using magic.

Horns. He didn't have one. Celestia did mention that he was special in that regard. In a way, it felt as if his tail was a magic wand. A blue glow slowly covered his tail, then, he flicked it.

"Eeyup." Big McIntosh stood nearby overlooking Naruto's progress. In his mouth was a piece of grass. He rolled it around, then spoke to the mare next to him. "I think he earned his keep."

"I still don't think he learned his lesson," Applejack said. "Maybe we should have him make some apple cider. Season opens pretty soon."

"Don't ya think you're being a little harsh?" her brother asked. They both watched as at least ten Naruto's appeared around their little sister, who only laughed. "He was hungry and-"

"I know, I know. Twi has been telling me and telling me, but he won't learn if he doesn't work like part of the Apple family."

"Eeyup," Big Mac nodded, but he rolled around the piece of grass with a smile, since he caught the way she worded it.

Applejack ignored his smile, and focused on all the Naruto's cleaning up the scattered apple cores. "Besides, Pinkie is plannin' something, and she asked us to get any information on that stallion."


XXXXXXXXXXXX


"Pinkie, dear, what in Celestia's name are you doing?" Rarity asked. Pieces of cloth flew by her head. Here she was, minding her own business, and trying to design a dress for a client, then Pinkie barged in

With a piece of felt in her mouth, and a long piece of silk on her head, she addressed her friend. "Naruto's party."

That didn't surprise her. But didn't Pinkie have her own stash of material? "What kind of party, if you don't mind me asking?" Rarity flinched when Pinkie pulled out a bunch of cloth and threw it on the floor.

But the question made Pinkie pause in her search for the perfect fabric. What was the party for? A new friend? A party to welcome him to Ponyville? A party to celebrate making Rarity and AJ angry?

Birthday? But, when is his birthday?

The fabric dropped from her mouth as an awesomerific idea struck her like a mouth full of sweets. "Pinkapalooza!"

"What-" Rarity sighed. "That doesn't exactly make sense, dear."

"Doesn't have too! It's a paaarty!" Pinke had managed to get into Rarity's face. "So... what have you found out about Naruto?"

Rarity slowly backed away, then composed herself. "Afraid not too much. He doesn't like to talk about himself." Using her magic, she picked up several of her poor materials.

"I must know his birthday! Then, I can decide the theme of... Pinkapalooza!"

Rarity shook her head. As her horn glowed, she began to clean the mess Pinkie made. "I thought this was Naruto's party."

"Huh? But Narutopalooza doesn't have the same ring to it."


XXXXXXXXXXXX


Deception. A ninja's greatest weapon. Well, deception and stealth. No, wasn't seduction in there too? He was great at all three, not that he would ever mention the latter. But one question kept bothering him.

How did it end up like this?

At least eight foals surrounded him as if he was a circus clown. One minute, Apple Bloom was laughing her flank off as several clones dispersed themselves by having apples fall on their heads, then the next, Scootaloo popped up saying she had to get Sweetie Belle, and then, a whole class appeared.

Trying to calm the wild demons, er, foals was a mare with three flowers as her cutie mark. Her mane was some type of purple, almost cherry-like. Her two-tone mane was rose and gray. And when she smiled his way, he was surprised by his blush, which was almost the color of her coat.

Next to him, two annoying colts stood. Snips and Snail. Every move he made, they mimicked.

Could be worst, he thought. The filly, Diamond Tiara, just settled for a glare. He didn't like the fact she made fun of Apple Bloom, but he ignored it, for now at least. He still wasn't sure why she was glaring his way. Maybe his sexiness made her jealous.

"Awesome!" Scootaloo yelled as she was tossed in the air. Back in his world, using a jutsu like that one is frowned upon. But it all started one day when he was trying to recreate his favorite jutsu, the Rasengan. And for some reason, a twister appeared. He found he could also change the density of it. But he didn't have the guts to see what it could really do. No telling how dangerous it can be, especially since he found he could actually control wind at will.

For all he knew, he could fly without wings.

I'd rather be wearing a dress, Naruto thought. He wondered how much torture Rarity could induce on him today. Because of his small prank, she still hasn't let up on him. But talking to her was nice, and much better than talking to himself. Although Zecora and Celestia visited him often...

"Sorry about all this," Cheerilee said. She made her way past the foals. "They all heard about you. 'The stallion with hornless magic'." She laughed. "They couldn't be stopped."

"Oh, really?" Naruto mumbled sheepishly. He tried his best to scratch the back of his head with his hoof. Snips and Snails followed his movement in hopes of copying his magic.

"I didn't get your name. I'm Cheerilee."

Scootaloo screamed in the background, both glanced at the filly, only to see her flying in the air again. "Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

"Strange name..." Cheerliee said. "But I've heard stranger." Naruto saw her glance at the two colts near him who were swishing their tails.

Pinkie Pie poked her head up from a haystack. Her face, and coat, had green camouflage stripes on it. Two black lines were under each eye. She watched Naruto in the distance.

Pulling out a piece of paper, she looked at a list of items. I already know his name, duh. Naruto was talking animatedly to Cheerilee. "Interesting."

"Pinkie?" AJ's voice startled her, and almost gave away her position. "What in Equestria are you doin'?"

"Shhh!" Pinkie clamped her hoof over Applejack's mouth.

"That didn't answer anything!" AJ mumbled as best she could. She resisted the temptation to clamp down on the appendage in her mouth.

"One word: Par---ty!" Pinkie smiled, ducking her head into the haystack, taking AJ with her. "Or is that two words? Who cares! I need to know what he likes, doesn't like, and apparently, he likes Cheerilee! Hehehe!"

Applejack just sighed as she was dragged into one of Pinkie's plans. She knew Pinkie had something planned. Naruto was a new stallion in town, friendship status wasn't exactly set yet and aside from his abilities, not much was known about him. She was actually surprised Pinkie didn't bring out her party cannon and surprise the stallion on the spot.

If somepony were to see the haystack, they would see a pink tail and a yellow tail hanging out along with two sets of eyes watching from the dark recess of hay. And also, it can make for a pretty spooky sight. Which was why a few young foals screamed when they wondered near it.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


Pinkie had been following the stallion for a little over an hour now. What she learned so far; Naruto liked Cheerilee, is annoyed by Applejack, especially after she jumped out of the hay stack for, well, she wasn't sure of the reason. And once he left Sweet Apple Acres, he started to whistle a strange song.

Sherlock Pinkie is what she would've called herself. Everywhere he went, she was there. In the shadows like a ninja.

"Naruto?"

Naruto paused in his whistling and managed a small, "Huh?" He saw a familiar face looking up at him from a nearby apple cart. Spike. He first met the young dragon a few days ago, and well, that meeting was a tad strange.

"Ah! It talked!" Naruto yelled when Twilight showed him her place, and then, the dragon she introduced as 'Spike' spoke.

"Um, Naruto, you do know you're being followed, right?" Spike pointed to the haystack that was in the middle of the road. Several ponies were forced to walk around it. A pink tail swished back and forth in the back.

"I haven't noticed." Naruto smirked. He had several clones still at Sweet Apple Acres, so when a moving stack of hay left the farm, a clone dispersed.

"What are you doing out here? Doesn't Applejack have you harvesting apples? I hate to see what she has plans for Cider Season."

Naruto frowned. Cider season? "I thought I'd check around Ponyville-" Spike glanced up. "Without pranking." Well, ones that are not worth mentioning. "Kinda restless, ya know? Especially for what comes up in a few days."

Spike wracked his brain, but couldn't think of anything. "What's that?"

"Yes! What?" Came a yell from the stack of hay, which once again, startled everypony nearby. "Oops. Um, tweet, tweet..."

Naruto ignored that and continued, "The day I was born."

"What?"

"It comes up in a few days. The tenth. I have some extra bits for helping Rarity. Might buy myself something."

Spike was surprised the stallion wasn't more excited. He would be ecstatic, and waiting for Twilight to give him some presents. Especially a present from Rarity. A lovely costume made by Rarity herself.

Spike coughed as his thoughts got away from him. But Naruto didn't seem to notice. He glanced back to the stack of hay, only to see it scattered all over the road. Some were still in the air.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Naruto: Apples and Cinnamon



Chapter 3: Pinkapalooza (Part 2)


Oh, how she loved the feeling. The adventure, the danger, the romance! Well, maybe not the latter, but definitely the danger and adventure. She also loved the feeling of the wind whipping through her gray mane. Her wings flapped a mile a minute. With a smirk, she zoomed down below and narrowly missed several tree branches. She held onto her helmet as she flew back up, then did a quick dive.

As she flew back up, she smirked. She couldn't resist. But the fun was over now. She had work to do. Her eyes scanned the treetops. There was a legend about this area. A legend that tells of titanic beasts that rise from the ground. According to what she read, they were guardians of a jewel encrusted crown. Five colors: Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Purple.

She wasn't exactly sure if the colors matched the elements, or if they represented the titans.

"If I was a very old object... where would I be?" She asked herself. After a moment of looking, a glint down below caught her eye, and she immediately dove down. Her eyes soaked up every detail as she flew above the forest. And as her hooves met the ground, she galloped. Dust kicked upwards with each kick. And her eyes shone with determination and excitement. She was Daring Do!

She adjusted her helmet as she came to where she believed the glint originated from. She slowed down, and proceeded with caution. In her adventures, she learned to be wary. You never know if a rival relic hunter, a wild animal or even a trap is close by. Some may say use logic, but sometimes, that could steer you wrong. Always use your gut. At least, that's what she believed, and so far, it hardly ever failed.

And there it was. Beautiful. Five jewels shone brightly as if they were five suns. The crown itself as golden. She stepped closer, refusing the urge to run to it. She couldn't tell if that was logic, or her gut that told her that, but something didn't sit right with this. No pun intended.

It sat upon a throne made of vines and thorns. How could anyone even sit there? It had to hurt! She shook her head. No time for that now. There was no telling if Ahuizotl was hot on her flank, or worst, already here. Watching from the trees.

Slowly, she brought her hoof forward and placed it gently onto the ground. It held. She kept that up until she could see her own reflection in the crown. She smiled. Her reflection was in each jewel, a different color.

I really look good in green, she thought as she raised her hooves. She didn't see anything really connected to the crown. It was actually hanging onto a lengthy thorn, as if waiting for someone to place it on. She was tempted, but she fought that. She loved her helmet.

Slowly, she lifted the crown from the thorn. She held a breath, expecting to actually see the thorn retract into the vine, and then, some type of trap shall followed. She waited with bated breath, but nothing happened.

She placed the object under her helmet, and was prepared to take flight. She hoped she didn't accidentally place it on, as tempting as it was, the power of a god was not something she wanted right now. Then she heard it. It started as a creak, then grew into a muffled rumble. But it wasn't coming from the throne.

Behind her, the ground exploded. It looked like a geyser erupted. Instead of water, it was rocks. It lasted for a quick few seconds, before the ground itself slowly began to sink into it. Hearing another sound, her eyes shot towards the trees. It almost looked like they were moving. Under her helmet, a green light leaked out, and bathed her face in green. The sea of trees grew. Grew higher into the sky. She knew that flying would be next to impossible if that kept up. And that's when something else happened.

Something shot from the forest. A large crack. And it was headed straight for her!

She knew she had two choices: Deal with a ground that would be gone in at least a minute, or deal with the trees, that have gained massive height.

The trees had stopped growing, and now looked way different. They had merged, and several trees were even pulled straight from the ground! With roots showing! With no other option, and the crevice about to reach her, she flapped.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


"That. Was. Awesome!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She was upside down with her eyes glued to the book in her hooves. The new Daring Do book came out that morning, and she patiently waited in line. As soon as the door was opened, she quickly rushed in, and bought TWO copies. Daring Do and the Crown of Titans. A.K. Yearling's newest hit!

She laughed, then quickly flipped to the next page. She needed to know what happened next! "Once in the air, Daring Do was forced to dodge to the left as-"

"Alright, alright, I have to ask. Why here?" Twilight asked. Pinkie had strung up banners all around the library. She didn't see why they didn't just have it at Sugarcube Corner, or at the very least, Sweet Apple Acres. And where was Spike?

"The real question, silly, is..." Using her teeth, she pulled on the rope which made the 'Pinkapalooza' sign go higher. "...why not?

"Darling, who exactly are you inviting to this party?" Rarity asked as she lifted a sign with her magic.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash yelled without looking up from her book, then she looked around at everypony. "He said he didn't have any family."

"Surely he must have some friends." Rarity mumbled. They talked probably more than he did with anypony else. But she didn't really learn anything new. He stayed in the Everfree forest, was a complete mess and...

"He likes Cheerilee. So, she has to come!" Pinkie said as she admired her banner. But while thinking of who else to invite, A.J. appeared in her mind. "A.J.?" Well, of course their friend was coming, but lately, she hasn't been her usual self.

Rarity thought about that. That was an explosion waiting to happen, but A.J. was the element of honesty. She was bound to come around soon. Naruto wasn't that bad.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


"Applejack?" Applebloom said as she peeked through the door to her sister's room. Her sister was suppose to be getting supplies and stuff ready for the party. Luckily, she decided to do it instead, in case her sister forgot. She called again, but received no answer. "You in here? Hello?" She stepped further in, while calling again. But this time, she received a small response.

"Na-to..." Applejack mumbled. Apple Bloom saw her sister tossing and turning under the covers mumbling the same thing over and over. She even thought her sister said, "Stop it..."

Nightmare? Apple Bloom thought. She kept getting closer, until...

Creak

Her hoof hovered over that blasted loose floorboard. When was Applejack gonna get that fixed? It became eerily quiet, and just when she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Applejack's head slowly rotated to face her. Red eyes watched from under the covers. It was like something out of that horror movie she saw the other night. 'The Mooing'

Apple Bloom screamed.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


"Woah! Don't tell me you went to a party without me!" Pinkie practically yelled. "Ohmigosh! Who else has been going to parties without me?"

Applejack yawned, knocking her hat off. Her eyes were slightly red. Hair was disheveled. She looked like she was in the middle of a stampede. "Don't ask."

After being woken up by all the ruckus produced by her sister, she had decided to finally wake up, had some breakfast, which she fell asleep in, and made her way towards the place she was suppose to meet her friends. The Library.

"What happened?" Rarity asked, only to hear a groan in response. "Applejack?" Instead of where she was standing, Applejack was fast asleep in Twilight's bed. She wasn't even near there!

"Let's let her be for now." Twilight said. And everypony agreed to let their friend sleep. The party wasn't for a few hours anyway. They just needed some more ponies to invite, but who? She was starting to sound like Pinkie. With a shudder, Twilight thought back to their first meeting with the stallion. He lived alone in the Everfree forest. But it just now occurred to her. He wasn't too far from somepony they knew. "Zecora."

"Zecora?" Rarity asked. Her and Naruto talked a lot, but he kept quiet about himself.

"Perhaps he knows her. Doesn't hurt to ask." Twilight smiled. She wished that Applejack would perk up soon.

Pinkie quickly pulled out a long list. Her eyes scanned each name, each a resident of Ponyville. "Oooh, how about... no, Naruto crashed into his cart. Maybe... no, no, that one involved paint and feathers. Was pretty funny though. Mayor Mare! No... Mayor Mare already wants to play some pranks thanks to him." Pinkie crossed off name after name, but she did circle Zecora. "He really needs friends. And I am the perfect pony for the job!"

"Naruto..."

Rainbow lowered her book, and looked at the three other mares. "You guys say something?" It was just getting to the good part too! Daring Do had almost escaped the titan, when all of a sudden, her hat gets knocked off her head, with the crown!

In her sleep, A.J. grabbed a nearby pillow. Twilight's pillow, and squeezed it tightly. Several inaudible words came out of her mouth.

"Maybe we should wake her," Twilight said as she and Rarity walked over, while Rainbow Dash hovered above. My pillow...

Moan.

After a moment of listening to A.J., realization lit up Rarity's eyes. She turned to Twilight, "Were you gonna check Zecora? I'll maintain the balance here and make sure the preparations are handled."

Twilight nodded. She hoped Zecora did know Naruto. Any information on the pony, the better. If she did know him, why didn't she mention anything?


XXXXXXXXXXXX


"Funny, clumsy, and lazy." Zecora said. Twilight came in and asked her if she knew Naruto, and of course, she told her the truth. "But his heart is strong, and never hazy."

Has she been watching? Twilight thought.

"Young Applejack will come around. Naruto is charming, and you will see, he'll astound."

"Don't you mean dumbfound?" It just slipped out, but Twilight did smirk, which was matched by Zecora. "Um, about the party?"

Zecora looked at the hammock that hung above several shelves. An image of Naruto falling off it apepared in her mind, which caused her to laugh. Twilight was confused, but Zecora turned to her and gave her answer.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


"Really nice to meet a cute pony such as yourself."

Applejack shot awake. Her eyes wide, and her mane covered in sweat. She glanced left, right and left again. What is happening to me? Glancing around again, she was confused as to why she was in the library instead of her room. Last thing she remembered was...

"Wakey, wakey!" Pinkie got right in her face. "Did you get enough sleep? You were suppose to bring some stuff, silly. Apple Cider too! Wait! Did you drink it all? That explains a lo--" Rarity gently pushed Pinkie away.

"Pinkie, dear, your sign came undone." Rarity said. And indeed, one of Pinkie's signs had came undone, and was just hanging there, lopsided.

"Oh, no you don't!" Pinkie vanished from her spot before anypony could blink. Rarity only smiled as she turned towards A.J., who appeared to finally be awake. Although, she did keep the whole cider idea open.

"Oh, my, my, my." Rarity said with a smile. Using her magic, she placed a hat onto the country gal's head. "I think I have figured out your problem."

"I don't have a problem," A.J. mumbled.

"Sounds like somepony has problems of the male variety."

If she was drinking something, this was where should would spit it all over Rarity's face. "What are ya'll on about?"

He really has a way to get under your skin, Rarity thought. She decided not to mention the fact that A.J. may have a crush on somepony without realizing it. Oh, how she loved playing matchmaker. "Why don't you go out and find Naruto. We'll handle the other stuff." Pinkie did say Naruto needed new friends, after all.

"By we, I assume you mean me?" Rainbow Dash lowered her book, and peaked down at Rarity and A.J.. Fluttershy was busy doing, um, well, she wasn't sure what Fluttershy was doing. Either checking around Ponyville for somepony who knew Naruto, or finding bunnies to invite to the party.


XXXXXXXXXXXX


"I think I have figured out your problem," Applejack said in her best Rarity impression. Ha. I don't have a problem. But she did wonder what Rarity meant by male variety. She felt better now than she did earlier, but those thoughts kept plaguing her. Male variety... male variety... what could that mean?

She shook her head, she was suppose to find the birthday stallion. "Now, if I were a stallion bent on destruction, where would I be?"

She didn't have to look far, the sounds of a scream erupted from nearby. With renewed vigor, she galloped to the rescue. But as she rounded the corner, she expected everyone to be painted pink, or worst, and angry mob chasing after the very pony she was searching for.

Naruto laughed as he played with three fillies. The Cutie Mark Crusaders. Apple Bloom was in awe of the stallion. That wasn't anything new, but she wondered what her little sister saw in him. The pranks, the jokes, the laziness? She didn't know.

"Head's up!"

Before she could come to her senses, something struck her right in the face! Red dripped down her muzzle, and poured at her feet. Her eyes were swirls. Shaking off the stars, she licked. It tasted like berries.

"Uh... sorry." Naruto said, but a chuckle escaped his throat. He, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were covered in the same stuff. Different kinds of pies. Sweetie Belle meanwhile, well, was completely clean. Her mane and coat sparkled.

Her hat tilted down from the hit, and caused it to block her eyes from view. Naruto and Apple Bloom gulped. Slowly, applejack grabbed a hoof-full of pie from her muzzle, and looked at it.

This is like the time I accidentally splashed mud on Ino and Sakura. At the same time! Naruto gulped loudly, but then grew confused when A.J. laughed. Looking at Apple Bloom, she shrugged, just as confused as he was. And then, with a smirk, Applejack flicked her hoof.

Naruto barely registered the hit. It wasn't as powerful as it would've been if Tsunade threw it, but since it was A.J., it was close. She could probably put somepony in a coma with a thrown apple. Nopony knew what happened next, there was a stack of fresh pies, each a different kind. And they each grabbed one. Scootaloo quickly threw one, which exploded in Sweetie Belle's face. And before the filly could reload, Apple Bloom struck her with a sneak attack.

Naruto debated if he should throw one. But he was the leap before thinking type. A rasengan into your gut as you're giving a monologue type. Girls beating Jiraiya before asking his reason for peeping type. He shook his head at that one, and before he knew it, Applejack was laughing as a pie struck her face.

The war went on for ten more minutes. The group were sticky, but to many of the ponies near them, smelled good enough to eat. Luckily, Mrs. Cake was kind enough to spray them with a water hose, despite watching all the sweets going to waste.

Naruto shook his head, sending water at Applejack, who looked away with a smile as it splashed her.

"That was... actually fun," laughed Naruto. He still felt a tad sticky.

"Sure was," Applejack shared his laugh, which surprised the stallion, and even more so, herself.

"That actually made it one of the best birthdays I've had," he looked down, then to her. "I thought you hated me."

"It ain't like that," Applejack nodded to Naruto to follow her back to the library. The fillies left after getting cleaned up. "I wanted you to work for those pranks you pulled. To feel what it's like for us everyday at the farm. Guess I overdid it, huh?"

Naruto smiled. "Nah. Back when I was younger, I pulled a massive prank. Painting silly faces on the stone statues of the leaders of my village." Applejack stayed silent. Both were unaware of a pink shadow tailing them. "My teacher forced me to clean the entire thing. So, working on the farm did bring back some memories."

Before she could reply, a voice made itself known. "This is indeed the trouble I was talking about."

Wha--, she looked around for the voice, only frown as she saw Rarity. Floating in a circle around her head. Don't start that again! I don't even know him that well!

"So? Start." A hoof went through Rarity, causing her to poof away.

"Hello?" Naruto waved his hoof in front of her. "Spaced out there?"

"Oh, I-it's nothing." She smiled at him. Maybe I was a little harsh. Maybe it was time to start learning more about him.

Naruto nodded. He couldn't even count the times he spaced out. In school, during team training, in school...

"Anyway, about that cute comment..." Applejack giggled as he nearly tripped over his hooves.

"Um, well," He coughed. "You kinda... are..." A small, unnoticeable blush lit up her face.

Pinkie watched with a smile. That was so totally her idea to have them make up. Well, maybe Rarity helped. Applejack began running with a smile, while Naruto sputtered, but then ran to catch up. She pulled out her list again, and made a check near Applejack. And that wasn't her party attendee list...


XXXXXXXXXXXX


Back at the library, the lights were off. Aside from some excited chattering, and giggling, one would think nopony was home.

"Shhh! I hear them!" A voice whispered in the darkness. Rarity. And indeed, the sounds of hooves stomping the ground was heard, getting closer and closer, until a figure with a hat crashed through the door with a laugh, followed by another figure.

Naruto was breathing hard when he entered. Once he got his breath back, he looked around the darkened room for A.J. "Applejack?"

Instead of an answer, the lights flicked on, followed by a collective scream of, "Surprise!!"

"S-surprise!" Fluttershy yelled, but it came out as a whisper.

"Huh?" Was all that came out once his vision returned.

Around the room were familiar faces. Each with a smile. Big McIntosh, Cheerilee, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and with her hoof around Applejack, Pinkie Pie. He blinked several times at another face.

"Zecora?" Hearing her name, said zebra walked up to him. "Did you tell..."

"I can't deny, that was all Pinkie Pie." Naruto looked at said pony, who was chatting away with A.J.

She must've overheard me and Spike, He thought. He wasn't upset or anything, actually, he was quite honored. Last birthday he had, Sakura bought him some ramen. Speaking of ramen...

There were several steamy bowls on a table filled with food. It took hours, but he managed to explain to some cooks in Ponyville about the deliciousness of ramen. Of course, he left out details of meat or anything that could make ponies disgusted. Zecora already explained all that to him. And so they designed many different kinds of ramen. Mainly as a test, such as vegetable ramen, some with apples mixed in. He wasn't complaining. He wondered what type was waiting for him on the table.

Twilight walked around the library. Her library. She hoped nopony spilled something on or damaged any of her books. Owlowiscious looked kinda annoyed over there in the corner. She made a mental note to check on him later, right now, she was worried about any damage. She saw Spike over by the presents. She hoped he was organizing them and not shaking them. And that's when she caught a glance of something. A flank to be exact. Naruto and Zecora's. They resembled one another's.

"Hey, why are there five cakes?" Naruto asked, still salivating at all the food. Then he noticed five cakes.

"You'll see." Pinkie piped up from beside him. She could be the perfect ninja in his world.

Naruto was confused by that, but Pinkie only winked and sauntered off. Women, er, mares, still confuse me.

"Happy birthday." Cheerilee said, appearing behind him. With everyone sneaking up on him, a part of him believed that he has neglected his ninja training.

"Oh, um, Ms. Cheerilee..." Naruto greeted, albeit awkwardly.

"Just Cheerilee." There he goes, blushing again. He shook his head to get rid of it.

Applejack frowned for some reason when she saw him and Cheerilee together. Just standing there, chatting away. She couldn't explain it. It was almost as if she was-

"Jealous?"

A.J. sighed. "Go away thought bubble Rarity." She waved her hoof in an attempt to disperse it, only to get an "Ouch!" in response.

"I beg your pardon?" Rarity rubbed her head, then proceeded to join A.J. in watching the two ponies talk. "Somepony is feeling better."

Applejack shrugged. "Guess I just needed some sleep."

"Sure, sure." Rarity smiled, then looked back at Naruto, only to see Pinkie gently push Cheerilee out of the way.

"I MUST know! Why did you keep your birthday a secret?! Something this big should never be kept hidden!" During her yell, she had managed to grab Naruto and started shaking him.

"Um, well... surprise?" Naruto mumbled, but Rarity saw the look in his eye. She glanced to a present nearby, which was wrapped in purple. She looked to Applejack, an idea forming.

Using her magic, she placed the present before Applejack. "What is-"

"Say it's from you, dear," Rarity said with a smile.

"But I-"

"No buts," Rarity insisted.

"But..." Applejack silenced herself, and lifted the present by the bow with her teeth. No use arguing with Rarity. The Element of Generosity. And so, without another word, she marched right up to Naruto, and kissed him right on the mouth. Well, in Rarity's mind at least, in reality, Applejack placed the present down on the floor and waited for Naruto to open it.

"For me?" Naruto asked. Pinkie looked at it and recognized it as Rarity's, but she kept quiet.

"Y-yeah..." Did she just stutter? Taking a breath, she tried to clear her mind. Before, she was having fun with Naruto, but with all the attention thrown their way, she was nervous. She coughed. "It's from me... and, um, Rarity."

Pulling on the string that held the present together, it opened, and Naruto's eyes widened. Slowly, he pulled out his old headband, only, it was cleaned, and stitched with newer cloth. The metal was also shined. Applejack was surprised by that, and thought Rarity pulled a fast one on her, until she saw his face. He was smiling.

"I remember that! You had it when we first met!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"It ripped while I was at Rarity's." While getting placed in another dress, the headband was accidentally yanked off, and forgotten at the Carousel Boutique. But when Rarity found it, instead of telling Naruto, she had decided to fix it up. The smell was terrible, and the cloth was barely hanging together. And when she heard about his birthday, she decided to kill two birds with one stone.

"What's with the headband?" Rarity asked as Naruto stood as still as a statue.

"It's the... only thing I have left of my home," Naruto replied. The headband looked terrible, but Rarity understood what it meant, so she changed the subject.

The rest of the party went by without much happening. Rarity used her magic to tie the headband to Naruto's head. And Naruto managed to open the rest of the presents. Zecora gave him some recipes that would be perfect for pranks. Rainbow Dash gave him her extra copy of the latest Daring Do book. After receiving several more presents, he finally took notice of the signs.

"Pinkapalooza?" Naruto asked, but instead of an answer, they laughed. And then he found out the reason for five cakes. Applejack proved that she could out eat him in anything, but how would she handle stack upon stack of ramen?

And of course, Naruto failed to out eat the country mare. Cakes and ramen, she stuffed her gut full. It looked like Naruto had indeed neglected his training. He made a mental note to practice eating at least twenty bowls a day, do tree running exercises, play some hide 'n' seek, battle those blasted Timberwolves in the Everfree forest and well, maybe buck some more apple trees.

By the time everypony started to leave, it was already dark out. He was kinda upset that he didn't get to talk with Big McIntosh more, or even get to know Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash better. But for the latter, perhaps Daring Do would help them bond. That was another vow he made. To make more lasting bonds.

Sure, he wondered if his friends in his own world even miss him, but he believed in his bonds. They can carrying on into a whole different world. That was something the old man once told him, almost like it was a premonition. But when he arrived in this new world, he was afraid to make any. Afraid of rejection.

"What are my favorite ponies up too? Nice party by the way." The voice made him freeze. He was still in the library. The girls were on the other side cleaning up the place. On a wall behind him, a small figure appeared. A Draconequus, which to his understanding, had a head of a pony and the body of, well, all kinds of creepy things. Reminded him of Orochimaru in a way. It looked like he was a painting on the library wall. "What? You didn't think I would miss this joyous occasion, did you?"

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, the statue of Discord was... gone. No sign it was even there.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Naruto: Apples and Cinnamon
Chapter 4: A Nightmare in Ponyville



The orange hue of the sky reflected in her light magenta eyes. The sight was beautiful to her, it was also the moment that her eyelids became heavy, and she knew it was almost time for her sister to raise the moon. She needed her beauty sleep.

The stars were beginning to become visible, but as she continued to stare, she noticed something strange. The stars weren't natural. There was magic in the air, faint, but there. They were appearing in the sky faster than she ever saw before.

She thought it was strange. Like the sky was painting a mural. She knew many creatures in the world that could pull such a thing, so it was possible. From her position, she could see all of Ponyville. She could practically feel the happiness radiating from her subjects. But it seemed like the stars could also feel it. They moved, unnaturally. Six stars shone brightly. Together, they formed a larger star.

Then it happened.

All six shot off. She was prepared to defend her subjects when she saw one headed towards Ponyville. Her horn glowed as she prepared to erect a shield. She felt something from the star. A type of calmness,  and no sign of malice.

“Discord,” she whispered. She couldn't explain it, but that name just popped out. There was no malice from Discord either, and there was the other thing...

His statue was missing. Not a sign it was even there. Well, there was a sign. Somepony took the remaining chunks of stone and made a strange statue. It looked like some type of wolf or fox. But, sensing no malice or hatred, she decided there was no use worrying anypony.

Smoke and dust flew up as the object struck somewhere in the Everfree forest.


XXXXXXXXXXX


She ran as if Nightmare Moon was on her flank. Her small wings flapped, but she still couldn't fly. Not even with fear coursing through her veins, could she fly. At this rate, she wouldn't be surprised if a cutie mark appeared. Would it be a skull? A chicken? With her heartbeat beating loudly in her ears, she was forced to ditch those thoughts in favor of the present.

Scootaloo leapt over a fallen tree. Like she would fall for that one twice. The darkness that surrounded her was as thick as a fog. She could barely see her own hoof, let alone anything else. But in that darkness, crimson eyes glowed. She passed it off as her wild and vivid imagination playing tricks on her. But, then how could she explain the hollow laugh?

Her coat turned white. The two red eyes soon became six. Then, hooves were heard. Pounding and pounding on the ground. She knew that whatever it was, was gaining on her. How many were they? Eight?

Twelve?

Sixteen?

Her pale coat was stained with grass and splashes of mud. Breaking from the thick foliage, she noticed that she was near the edge of the Everfree forest. No sign of her friends, anywhere. Or anypony else. The growl that came next sent a shiver down her spine. Like many foals in Ponyville, she was told stories of what lurks in the forest. Although, perhaps Rainbow Dash exaggerated some stuff. Right?

Please don't eat me! Please don't eat me!, became her mantra. And like anypony would do in her position. She high tailed it out of there! But as she ran, she made the mistake of closing her eyes, and failed to see another fallen tree trunk.

She gasped. Her face splashed down into a puddle of mud. She hoped it was mud. The sound of hooves slowed. She was afraid to even turn that way, but she did. And what she saw made her freeze. The figure was cloaked in shadows. It had several tails that swayed back and forth in a hypnotic fashion.

And as the creature launched at her, the world began to swirl.

“Poke. Poke.” She recognized that voice... Apple Bloom. “Pokity poke.'

And as she came back to the waking world, she found herself in the CMC clubhouse.

“Hey, Naruto, what was that present Zecora gave you?” Sweetie Belle asked. Looking around, Scootaloo took notice that Naruto was on his back, looking up at the ceiling. Ever since his birthday, Apple Bloom had a tendency to drag him to their clubhouse. She didn't know why. If she had to guess, it was to either annoy him... or save him from her sister.

“That? S-e-c-r-e-t.” Naruto laughed. In reality, Zecora gave him a set of recipes. Including a recipe for a stink bomb that would even make the Princesses faint.

Sweetie Belle only huffed in response. Scootaloo held in a laugh. It seemed like Naruto liked to get under everypony's skin. Apple Bloom was still next to her, gently prodding her with her hoof. Wide smile on her face.

“How long was I out?” she managed to ask.

“Ten minutes,” Apple Bloom replied. “...you screamed my name.”

She turned away with a slight blush. The dream felt more real than any that she had before. Even more real than the one she had where she and Rainbow Dash entered a flying competition. She was so close to winning, only for somepony to poke her awake.

“So,” she tried to change the subject, before they could ask about her dream. “It's almost Nightmare Night. What are you guys going as? I might go as Darth Saber!”

The girls laughed at that. Apple Bloom placed her hooves on Scootaloo's head as she threw her answer out there. “A Ninja! No, Samurai! A Ninjamurai!” Naruto smiled at that. Maybe he should regale her with some more tales. “What about you, Naruto? Something scary?”

A Timber Wolf? A werepony?” Scootaloo said. As the girls kept throwing out several suggestions, they got closer and closer to him.

“Something handsome?” Sweetie Belle quickly waved her hooves when that slipped out.

“Maybe Princess Celestia? Oooh, dress as Pinkie!” he had no idea why Apple Bloom said that. Did she see him use Sexy Jutsu? Or did Zecora say something?

“Definitely something perverted.” Scootaloo said. Her lips curved into a grin.

He raised a brow at that. It wasn't actually far from the truth. “My old teacher.”

“Who was he?” Apple Bloom asked. Naruto mentioned several teachers before, but he never actually went into detail about them, not even when he was telling one of his stories.

“Somepony perverted,” he replied. He smiled at their looks, which widened as Scootaloo laughed loudly.

“I knew it!”


XXXXXXXXXXX


Dreams. They are a way to convey our deepest feelings while we sleep. From love, to fear, to eating all the sweets and candy in the world! No, the universe!

“I don't understand it. How can you get a toothache from a dream?” Twilight said in disbelief. Using her magic, she hovered a book on dreams in front of her.

“I'm not sure,” Pinkie said. “It started with Naruto inviting me to his place, which was actually the Princesses castle, only orange. Then he offered me some Cake. Pumpkin with a hint of apple and some cinnamon. Next thing I know, I ate thirty of them!”

Pumpkin-apple cake? She wrinkled her nose, wonder what that would taste like. Similar to my dream. A book on magic. I've never seen it before, and inside was detailed. Once she woke up, she looked all over her library for it. But there was no sign of it. And that wasn't the only book she read. Maybe Princess Celestia knows.

She made a mental note to send a message to her. The book was called Doorway. What did that mean? She hadn't the foggiest idea. Inside was a mess, but it contained details on stuff she never knew about. There was a spell that could make a gravity field appear around the user. But the main spell that was in there, was something about a doorway to other worlds.

Unlike most dreams, every detail was still fresh in her mind. From the smell of flowers wafting in from the open window, to her coughing from blowing the dust off an old book. Perhaps the book was a memory of something she read as a foal and her subconscious was just now bringing it up.

Could this be what happened with Applejack? The reason why she was so exhausted? Well, she had an idea about that though, which involved a certain stallion. It was Nightmare Night, and Princess Luna would be arriving soon. Luna's duty involved guarding dreams. She thought it might be her doing, but she doubted Luna had any involvement. Her mind drifted back to the other book she read in her dream.

Gypsy Nina?

No, Gutsy Ninja. And the strange thing was that the main character was named Naruto. The book didn't have anything to do with magic, but she felt drawn to it. There was no pony. Instead, it was filled with strange creatures.

“Hello? Equestria to Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed. Her hoof moved rapidly before Twilight's eyes.

“Huh? Oh, Pinkie,” she returned the book to its place on the bookshelf. “It's probably nothing.” 

“Come on!” Pinkie yelled, heading for the door. “Let's see what Naruto and Applejack are up too.”

“Aren't they preparing for the festivities tonight?”


XXXXXXXXXXX


When Pinkie and Twilight walked into her domain, Applejack smiled. She was actually just about to wake Naruto, then go finishing up an Apple Bobbing stand they set up. Naruto also decided to set up his own stand, not that she had any idea what it was. The stallion was up early, with his clones, helping out. But in order to stay awake into the night, he took a nap while his clones kept on working.

Speaking of Naruto, she was starting to feel a lot better around him. She was wrong about him. He wasn't the ruffian she thought he was. Well, she did still have urges to tie him to a tree and leave him there. Kinda like that dream she had last night. Naruto was tied to a tree with sap poured all over his fur, making him sticky. Then she took a lick...

Her eyes widened when memories of the dream flooded her mind. Luckily, she was saved by Pinkie.

“Another nightmare? Or, something else?” Okay, maybe saved wasn't the right word. And what was up with that wink?

“Worse,” she whispered, but was careful not to reveal her blush. And upon looking at Pinkie, she gulped. Pinkie licked a caramel apple. Oh, Celestia...

“Say, where's Naruto? Wasn't he suppose to be helping you?” Twilight asked. There was no sign of him anywhere, and Ponyville wasn't on fire. That was a good sign, right?

“In the barn,” she answered, with a nod in the direction of said barn.

“Why there?” Twilight asked, but not expecting the answer she received.

“He likes it. He refused to stay at any other vacant room. Not even Rarity's place.” She honestly felt, how to put it, weird when Rarity offered. She released a sigh of relief when Naruto politely turned her down. When asked why, he told Rarity that it just didn't feel like... home. But A.J. knew the truth, he was afraid one day, he would wake up wearing a dress.

“Maybe if Cheerilee offered,” Twilight joked, but the blush on Applejack's face confirmed her original suspicions. She may not be experienced in that department, which was Rarity's, but with all the books she read, she had a good grasp on it.

It was actually midday, and the sun was blazing overhead. They wondered why Naruto would be asleep at this time. He was usually up and about, and annoying everypony. But with everypony preparing for the festivities, Twilight guessed he was up all morning helping, or maybe he was up all night with excitement.

As they continued to talk, the conversation drifted into Pinkie asking if she and Naruto had a sleepover, much to Applejack's embarrassment. It was an innocent question, but A.J. and Twilight took it a different way. She was confused at the blush A.J. sported.

Once they reached the barn, strange voices were heard. And the door was cracked, so somepony could be in there. Or maybe Naruto summoned his clones like usual.

“He was alone a few minutes ago,” Applejack said, then slowly turned to Twilight. “N-not like I was in there, or anything!”

“If only Rarity were here,” Twilight teased. She didn't know why she did it, but it felt fun.

“Huh? Sleepover!” Pinkie sprung into action. She bounced a few times, then was about to launch through the cracked door.

“Whoa, there!” Applejack was quick to grab Pinkie and yanked her backwards. “Ever hear of privacy?

Despite her saying that, the three leaned closer to the door. But what they heard next sent chills down their spines and blushes grew.

“Oh, yeah. So... good! D-don't stop...” Naruto moaned. Applejack's eye twitched. “S-slow down... I'm not even sure it'll fit.” Twilight gulped, while A.J. blushed. Pinkie meanwhile, had a thoughtful expression attached to her face. “More...”

After what seemed like five minutes, a beat red Applejack had enough. She exploded through the barn door, both hooves spread wide on each door. "Naruto!" She froze when she saw who he was with.

“...ramen,” Naruto drooled, then rolled over in his sleep. “Tastes so good.” One eye slowly blinked open, which took in the three figures. “Um... yo?


XXXXXXXXXXX


Fluttershy was in a panic. No, not just a panic. An intense fear that burned more brightly than the sun! It was Nightmare Night, and she just knew that Twilight would come and drag her away from the warmth of her home. She couldn't have that! That was worse than... than...

...the monsters that might show up asking for a treat. Or else they might give her a trick instead!

She was borderline hyperventilating now. Breathing in, breathing out, in, out. Her pet bunny, Angel, stared at her, as if he was watching some drama on TV. All he needed was some popcorn.

“Oh, my,” she mumbled. She was running around her place on a mission.  To find a good costume for Nightmare Night. She never really dressed up before. In a costume, that is. What would be good to wear? But what if Luna showed up? What if she was left alone with Luna? Or worse, Naruto? Those thoughts and more plagued her, until she went back to hyperventilating.

Angel continued to watch. Overthinking, Angel didn't have to say it, it was written all over his face. She was very in-tuned to all of her animal friends, especially Angel. He was a special case. It wasn't accurate all the time, but it was close. 

“You're right,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. And when she met Angel's eyes, she saw it. Cute ears, fluffy tail. The answer was right in front of her the entire time.


XXXXXXXXXXX


Applejack looked slightly relieved. They had managed to drag Naruto out of his makeshift bed of hay, and were now walking through town.
Naruto tried to avoid eye contact with Applejack. He didn't want to say anything, but in his dream, it was actually the country mare that was serving him ramen. It was kinda strange, normally it was Sakura Haruno that plagued his dreams. Something pink.

He took a look at Pinkie, who was walking a few feet ahead of him. He caught himself staring, then quickly distracted himself by looking at the scenery around him. Everypony was chattering happily and working together to set up stalls, games and other activities. He chuckled when he caught sight of Mayor Mare in a witches outfit, shouting out orders. He hadn't had too much contact with her, but she does give him a kind smile every now and then.

His mind flashed to his village, Konoha. Seeing everyone, everypony, working together, he couldn't help but wonder about his old home. His mind flipped through pictures of his old friends, then they stopped on Discord. He didn't know why.

“I also brought you a little something,” he told the young stallion slash ninja. Discord bounded around on the wall, looking like a 2D painting. “You'd have to wait a few days though. It'll be a delight.”

It's been days, and yet, no present.

Naruto sighed. “I hope it's a way home. Not that I don't like it here,” he watched the girls clean up the place. “I love it. But I-” He didn't know what he felt. It was as if he was torn in two.

“Only Celestia could send you back, probably. No one really knows for sure.” Discord told him, but something deep in his gut told him there was something else behind those yellow eyes. “There are many worlds out there. Maybe you were brought here for a special reason. What that reason is, who knows?”

Reason, Naruto thought. He even asked Zecora about finding a way home, but she didn't have the answers.

“So, I may not be able to go home?” he asked her. 

“For a way home, do not fret. Something turning up is a strong bet.” was her reply. But to him, it sounded more like, “Don't be sad. Just go with the flow."

"Naruto, what in Celestia's name is that?” Coming back to the present, he saw what surprised her. Right next to the apple bobbing stand, stood another. Several paper objects stood, scattered all over a blue background. Each object had a bullseye on them. Near the logo which said, Nagareboshi, was a strange looking star.

Naruto suddenly appeared before the girls, a sheepish expression flashed across his face before a grin grew.

“I present to you, a Ninja Simulation!” He smiled, extending both arms in a presenting way. He had more than enough material left over from the apple stand, including some paint that just happened to be laying nearby. The apple bobbing stand was pretty much just a large bucket of water with a few apples floating in it. He just now took notice that the stand had a lopsided banner, and hoped that A.J. wouldn't spot it.

“How does this work exactly? What's the objective?” Twilight asked, spotting the five wooden star-like objects.

“That's easy!” He had to hold his tongue for a brief second, he was about to explain the concept of apple bobbing. He had that in his world, and no one could ever best Chouji at it. He plucked one of the objects from the stand. It felt strange holding it in his hoof, but for some unknown reason, he could actually grab things.

Was physics even the same in this world?

He did put a lot of thought into that question, but decided to throw it out the window. Pinkie defied gravity every single day. With a smile, he threw the object. And smiled in satisfaction as it clipped one of the targets, hit the wooden beam in the back, then landed on the ground near his hoof. It wasn't perfect, and he reminded himself that he needed to practice other stuff than chakra related ones.

Using her magic, Twilight lifted the fallen star. “What does Na... gare... boshi mean?” He smiled as she tried to pronounce it.

“Shooting star,” he said with a beaming smile.

I should've guessed, Twilight thought to herself. With a smile, she threw the star with all her might. With magic residue trailing behind it, it actually did look like a shooting star. Her smile widened as it ripped through the target and struck blue background, where it stayed.

“Wow. Actually pretty... meritorious.” Twilight said.

The word, quite literally, flew over Naruto's head. Turning to Applejack, she answered his unspoken question with a lopsided smile, which actually matched the one on the stand.

“She means neat,” she answered. She decided to play the game, and quickly picked up one of the stars. Nearby, Twilight looked on. She knew that look on A.J.'s face. A look that meant she had already won the game.


XXXXXXXXXXX


Her walk was with purpose. Every step was elegant. She wasn't proud, nor arrogant. Well, perhaps a little, she thought. Who wouldn't when you have a day named after you?

The ponies didn't look at her with fear anymore, but her sensitive ears did catch a few telling those usual stories. How she came out of the darkness to feed on their fear. That was a new one, and technically, not a real stretch from the truth. She didn't feed on fear, no, she fought it. When a pony, or any other creature, a certain dragon and rabbit included, had a bad dream, she helped conquer them.

But lately, she felt something strange over Ponyville. She couldn't quite put her hoof on it.

“Fill up her belly with a treat or two. So she won't return to come eat you.” Princess Luna smiled as she heard the last bit of Zecora's tale of Nightmare Moon. The foals were piled around the zebra, each wore a different disguise. She even saw one in a Nightmare Moon costume.

That caused her to frown a little. But she understood the need to dress in a scary costume. She froze in place when an idea came to her. It was demented, well, demented by her standards. She silently made her way behind the foals. Zecora saw her, but continued to answer the questions they threw at her. Some ranged from 'Where is she now?' to 'Does she have a stallion-friend?'

That made Luna nearly trip over herself, but she kept her composure. Her sister, Celestia, even asked that in the most teasing voice she had ever heard. The look in her eyes when she asked that had a tint of evil in them. Or it could've been her imagination.

Once she got into position behind the one called Apple Bloom, who was dressed in a black outfit, she smiled to herself. Then, in her perfect Royal Canterlot Voice, she whispered a simple little word.

“Boo.”

It wasn't loud, nor was it quiet. She smiled as everything froze mid question. Then, the foals screamed and completely vanished from sight. All that was left was pieces of their costumes, and a trail of dust.

Zecora only smiled. She knew why she did that. Even she thought of doing that more than on a few occasions. It seemed like her friend was infecting the populace.

Luna walked away, beaming with mischief. She shared a smile with Zecora before continuing on with her stroll. Perhaps there was another group of foals that needed a good scaring.


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Just like he told the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Naruto was dressed like his old mentor. His headband covered his left eye, a mask covering the lower half of his face, and a bored and lazy expression on his face. In his jacket pocket was an orange book. It appeared to be painted in, or stitched on, but upon closer inspection, it's real.

Despite growing closer to everypony, he still felt out of place. Not like he doesn't belong, but more like intruding.

All of his new friends were gathered around him, each in a costume. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were absent. He saw them running away like they had just seen a ghost. He didn't ask. He was kinda upset he didn't get a chance to scare them. He had it all planned out. He would sneak up behind them. Getting closer, and closer, then, he would whisper 'boo' into their ears.

“Argh!” Pinkie growled. In her hoof was a sword, which she pressed against Naruto's flank. Instead of stabbing him, the sword bent. She wore a pirate hat, complete with a skull, pony or something else, he didn't know. Like him, she also had something covering her left eye. An eyepatch.

She looked fierce with that sword, and strangely cute with that wacky smirk. She was like the opposite of Applejack, who was wrapped head to hoof in bandages. She was either a nurse, a wounded soldier, or a mummy. He was leaning to the latter. She looked oddly cute in the costume, and very fierce with that smirk. When he first saw her, she wore an uncomfortable and nervous expression, but with everypony now gathered around, he saw that she was her usual self.

“Walk the plank! Argh!” Pinkie poked again. He knew a bruise would be forming soon.

Cute, he thought, meeting A.J.'s eyes. His mind flashed back to their little pie fight.

Poke.

He figured Pinkie was probably upset she wasn't really involved with it. He made a mental note to throw a pie at her face the next chance he got.

Rainbow Dash was dressed like a Wonderbolt. She did a few poses and aerial maneuvers when she first arrived. He didn't know much about the Wonderbolts, but from Dash's exclamations and admiration of them, he was curious to see them in action.

Rarity on the other hoof was in a simple costume. A light purple dress that shone in the moonlight. She was some type of Princess, he thought with a shrug. Could be her own design, something new. At least he wasn't the model for that one.

Twilight’s costume came as a surprise. He expected her to be dressed as a magician or even a Princess. Instead, she resembled the covers of that Daring Do book. He didn't realize Twilight was a fan. The helmet was slightly different than in the book though. It looked more regal, almost like a crown.

Holding in a laugh, he examined the small dragon. Or should he say, Dragpire. He shook his head, that didn't sound right. Drag-Fire? Count Dragonshire? Indeed, the small dragon was dressed like a vampire. Well, he had the fake fangs in his mouth and a cloak on at least. He figured Spike would be dressed like a Royal Guard. Royal Guard Spike. He did have that dopey look glued to his face when he looked to Rarity.

“I still say he'd look better with sparkles,” Rarity said.

“Come on, Rarity. Real vampires don't sparkle.” Rainbow argued. He would say he agreed with her, but he didn't want Rarity to force him to model again. He liked talking to her, but sometimes she got a tad carried away with her designs.

A Princess and her non-sparkling vampire dragon. Would make a nice book, if he'd say so himself.

And then there was a certain shy little pony. She was still slightly nervous around him, so much so, he was starting to have deja vu. Her costume was a tad too... simple.

Ears? He had thought when she first arrived. She seemed kinda scared and nervous, like something was about to eat her.  Two bunny ears flopped down on her head. The light pink color of them almost matched her mane.

He smiled, it was also kinda cute. If Sakura, or worse, Ino were in Ponyville, he could only imagine all the glomping and screams of 'So cute!'

Music suddenly erupted throughout town, nearly scaring him to death. But a smile graced his face, despite his rapidly beating heart. Means the festivities had just began. From what he heard, the music was actually being handled by a DJ from Canterlot. He had no idea what a DJ was, but thankfully, he had Pinkie Pie to explain it, after a few more pokes.

“They are the key to a peeerfeeect par—tay! Once you hear the beat, you can't help but to shake it!”

Shake it? He thought, but then, saw her moving her flank back and forth. He even felt his own hoof hit the ground with each beat.

Vinyl Scratch, also known as DJ Pon-3. He hadn't really met her, but he was hoping too. Pebbles on the road vibrated from the bass. He was never a big music guy, but back in his world, music wasn't like that. Taking another glance to Pinkie, he saw her prancing towards where the music originated from.

He wanted to do like her. To make friends with everybody, everypony. A smile lit up his face when he saw people trying out his Nagareboshi game. He was about to show them how a true professional threw, when a bandaged suddenly wrapped around his head, and yanked.

“Come on!” Applejack said with a smile. Naruto shook the bandage from his body and decided to join her. His game could wait a few. The music got louder and louder. His ears were sensitive to it, but he managed to fight it.

“I don't know about this,” Naruto mumbled. He didn't even get a chance to go door to door for candy. He never really danced before. No one really showed him. The perverted teacher didn't count. Sakura once tried, but he accidentally touched a tad too low, and well, it didn't end good.

He flinched at the memory. And now, he was in a new body, that he still hasn't broken in yet. And there was something else, something felt off. He couldn't describe it, but it felt like a genjutsu. The thought was wiped from his mind when Applejack began to dance to the beat. Nearby, Pinkie Pie had her party canon, and firing confetti in the air.

His thoughts came to a halt when he felt his mask being lowered, followed by a pair of lips crashing into his.


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Luna yawned, which was very unlike her. She never yawned! And where were her favorite ponies? She hadn't seen them since she arrived. And that wasn't all, Ponyville had a different atmosphere around it. Like walls closing in on her.

Something is off, her thoughts trailed. Rainbow hair entered her vision. It was weird, Rainbow Dash wasn't flying or pranking, but walking. She stopped in her steps, letting the Rainbow maned Pegasus walk by her. She was dressed in a Wonderbolt costume, so, was it really that off?

Hearing music, she turned towards the dance floor. Most of the ponies she knew were there. Including Naruto. She knew him, and was sort of friends with him. She didn't realize he finally decided to enter Ponyville. Then she saw Applejack lean forward, and lock lips with him. It was kind of funny, with him wide eyed and shocked. It looked like he fainted, upright, with his eyes opened.

Her eyes narrowed when she felt it. It was like a constant pulse. She recognized it. Magic. It was like a tidal wave. Once she knew what it was, she felt resistance in her limbs. She could hardly move.

Her horn glowed. She knew what she had to do. And with a grunt, she lifted up a hoof. The magic coating her horn glowed even more brightly, almost blinding. Then with some struggle, she slammed her hoof down.

A Shockwave of magic shot out. Her vision was enveloped in a white light.


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Naruto shot up from his makeshift bed of hay. He was covered in sweat. And he knew he probably smelled bad, very bad. He licked his lips, and grew a face. It tasted like apples. He gulped, and slowly looked next to him. If he saw blonde hair, apples or even pink, he was prepared to freak out.

He didn't know whether to feel sad or relieved. There was nothing but a pile of hay there.

“Naruto,” Applejack yelled, entering the barn. “You awake yet? I need help with my costume.” He blushed, if only slightly, when he met her eyes. The bandages on her costume was loose, and dragging the ground. At least it would look authentic that way.

A mummy with a country accent. He found that cute. He immediately had to shake away the oncoming blush before A.J. saw.

“Rarity is busy with Spike at the moment. And I can't find Big Mac or Apple Bloom.”

It wasn't deja vu, but it felt close.

“I also brought you a little something. You'd have to wait a few days though. It'll be a delight.” He remembered Discord telling him. A late birthday present.

Discord is such a bastard, he thought, shaking his head. He got up, and decided to help his friend with her costume. Grabbing the nearest bandage with his mouth, he wondered how the whole night would play out. And what was Discord's role?