Shinobi of Equestria

by Fan of Fanfics

Rating: teen
Tags: Random, Adventure, Pinkie Pie, Crossover, Sex, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Comedy
Length: 50500

The worlds of Ponies and Ninja collide in a show of Friendship and Mahem

After a mishap with a spell lands Twilight Sparkle and friends in the village of Konoha, Tsunade and Jiraiya turn the accident into a plan to shield Naruto from Akatsuki...whether he knows it or not. Now living in Ponyville, Naruto must adjust to being a pony, but with his assistant and the Mane 6 to keep him company, that might be easier than he thinks. Crossover with Naruto. Originally posted on Fanfiction.net

Published 2013-07-24 13:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-06-06 09:22:04 UTC

Chapter 1

So, after getting into the Friendship is Magic series, decided to try my hand at making a decent MLP crossover, Fan of Fanfics style (and please don't make any Gangnam Style jokes, I got enough of that song while I was on my trip to South Korea in Sep.). Sorry about the quality of thechapter, my computer is shot right now, so I've had to resort to doing my typing COMPLETELY on my phone.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own MLP

"Could ya run that by me again, Twilight? This time in words I actually know?" The unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, continued to flip through her latest obsession. A dusty old tome hidden in a secret compartment of the library shelves, concealed from view.

"It's simple, really," Twilight replied, turning to her friend, Applejack. "According to this book, there are potentially infinite other worlds completely unlike Equestria. And this book details how to travel between them."

"Ooooh," the Earth Pony said, seemingly in understanding, before returning to her confused tone. "Still don't make a lick of sense. Why would anyone wanna try to go anywhere else? If ya ask me, sounds like more trouble than it's worth."

"Are you kidding?" Twilight asked, incredulously. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Think of all the things I could learn from just ONE of these other worlds."

"I don't know, Twilight," Applejack replied. "Don't this seem a might dangerous? What happens if you get to one-a-them 'other worlds' and get stuck? Or if the things livin' over there think you look mighty tasty?"

"I think I know what I'm doing here AJ," Twilight replied. "The book doesn't mention anything about that, so I doubt it's that big of a problem." Getting up close to Twilight, face-to-face, her eyes wide, Applejack issued her rebuttal.

"Well, maybe it don't say nuthin' because everypony who's tried it ain't ever come back? That book was hidden, and probably for a good reason too. I don't like this."

"Oh, Applejack, you worry too much," Twilight said, dismissing her friend's distress at the situation as her horn began to glow, surrounded by a purple aura. "There is nothing to worry about. Just need to stay focussed."

As her horn continued to glow, a strange looking mist seemed to appear in the air, before condensing in a strange, vortex-like shape, large enough for two ponies to pass through side by side. "Come on. Come on!" Twilight repeated through grit teeth, physically straining to keep up her effort.

A sudden crash and a blur completely destroyed the Unicorn's concentration, the two ponies' friend Rainbow Dash making a rather disruptive entrance as she crashed head-first into a book case. "Ok, I think my new trick needs a bit of work," she said. The blue pegasus pony stood, but like her friends, became awe-struck by the swirling vortex, now spiraling out of control. As it expanded, the ponies weren't lucky enough to escape, all three pulled into the portal, before it closed behind them.

The first thing that could be heard were birds chirping. A noise that quickly began to annoy Twilight, her head feeling as though it had been used by Applejack for applebucking practice. Opening her eyes, she was at least glad to see the sunshine. Wherever they had landed, it was warm and sunny. Turning her head, she noticed a small pond, and slowly crawled towards it. As she leaned down to get a drink, she caught a glimpse of her reflection, and she screamed. Looking herself over, she noticed her entire body had changed. Gone was her purple coat, replaced with some form of purple sweater, loose enough that the opening which her head was through also had room for her shoulders, which stuck out but managed to hold up the top, and beneath that, nothing but fleshy, pink skin. Her tail had vanished, but her mane had remained, albeit changing slightly, with it growing out much longer, to near what was now the small of her back. She also wore a skirt that was a darker shade of purple than the sweater. But the thing that shocked and frightened her the most, was the loss of the horn at the top of her head. She reached out with her new hands, feeling where it had been. Feeling only the hair in its place, she let out another scream, but this time she wasn't alone, and she could make out the frightened yell of Rainbow Dash not far from her. Feeling somewhat awkward on her hands and knees now, Twilight stood and shakily made her way in the direction of her friend.

As she entered a more forested area, she was able to grip the trees to support her balance. She nearly tripped and fell on a root, but managed to catch herself. "Twilight!" turning her attention to her left, she saw the new form of who could only be Applejack. The earth pony looked remarkably similar in body-type to Twilight, though her skin seemed a bit more tanned, and she seemed a bit more curvy. She managed to keep her hat, and her mane was still tied in a pony-tail. Rather than clothing like Twilight's, Applejack wore what appeared to be a pair of jean-shorts, with a plaid shirt, the sleeves rolled up. On her feet were a pair of work boots.

"AJ, are you alright?" Twilight asked, worry evident in her voice.

"I'm fine, 'cept for the fact I ain't a pony anymore," she replied. "I told you not to mess with that 'other worlds' stuff. Where's Dashie?"

"I don't know," replied Twilight, looking down with guilt. "I heard her scream, and came looking-" She was cut off as the subject of the conversation decide to make herself heard.

"Hey! Where is everypony!" she yelled, prompting her two friends to start movie in the direction her voice came from. Eventually finding her, the two easily saw the distressed look in Rainbow Dash's eyes.

"M-my wings..." she said, still reeling from shock. "My wings are gone...what happened? Why do we look like this?" Rainbow Dash looked just the same as the other too, body-type wise. She wore a bright-blue sleeveless shirt, which was short enough to allow her midriff to be seen, to take the place of her absent coat. She wore a pair of loose fitting pants and a pair of sandals to go with.

"I'll tell you why," Applejack replied, leaning against the tree trunk. "SOMEpony found a book, and had to go sticking her nose in places it didn't belong."

"Hey, I'm sorry," Twilight said, looking at her feet. "You don't need to try to make me feel worse," Applejack's eyes softened a bit and she wrapped her arm around Twilight's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Sugar Cube," she replied. "I'm just a might on-edge, is all, what with everything that's happening. So, got a plan to get home?"

"Actually, I do," the former unicorn replied. "My guess is that when you go from one world to another, you take the form of whatever species lives there. But just because I've been turned into...whatever we are now, doesn't mean I can't still use magic." Rainbow Dash widened her eyes.

"Then what are you waiting for?" she asked. "Take us home and fix us." Before anypony could say anything else, a clearing of a throat was heard, coming from above them. The three former ponies began to sweat as they saw the figure standing upside-down on a limb above them. Looking down on them with his one visible eyes, the rest of his face covered by a combination of a face mask and some fort of headband.

"Sorry, couldn't help overhearing," the obviously male figure announced. "But I watched Rainbow-head here appear out of nowhere, and figured I'd see what was going on," he said, running his hand through his long, silvery hair. "If you wouldn't mind coming with me, we can get this whole situation figured out."

The ponies didn't know whether to be relieved or frightened, unsure of the meaning behind his words. As he dropped to the ground, he motioned for the three to follow, and with a scared glance at one another, they did, hesitantly.

As they walked, albeit still a bit slowly, Twilight attempted to explain herself. "Listen," she said. "I know what you heard must be hard to believe, but we really are ponies. We just want to go home."

"Oh I know," Kakashi replied, not looking at the three. "And your problem is actually very believable. However, you still appeared within the walls of our village, and as such, need to be taken to the Hokage to decided the best course of action." The ponies all looked at each other oddly.

"So, you believe us?" Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, though your story will have to be verified," Kakashi announced, before beginning to make strange gestures with his hands. "This is why I find your story somewhat believable." Crouching, he slammed his hand into the ground, and a plume of smoke erupted from the point of contact. As it cleared, the three ponies were shocked to find a small Pug, wearing a blue vest and a headband that matched Kakashi's.

"Kakashi, what's going on?" the dog asked, once more shocking Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, more from the gruff, deep voice of the tiny pug than the fact that it could actually talk.

"Pakkun, these young ladies claim to have come here from 'another world.' Think you can verify the story?" Pakkun gave the girls a look for a moment, before speaking again.

"Another world, huh?" he asked, and the ponies-turned-humans nodded.

"That's right," Applejack replied. "We're really ponies." Pakkun raised an eyebrow, before adopting a thoughtful look. It took te pug a monent or two, but you could practically see the lightbulb appear atop his head.

"That would mean that you're from Equestria, right?" he asked, and the three let out a sigh of relief, nodding again. Kakashi looked at his summon curiously for a moment.

"You're able to reference their world by name?" he asked, with Pakkun nodding the affirmative.

"The summon clans aren't limited to this world," he announced. "Our services are contracted out to countless different planes of existence. As such, the summons need to have a basic knowledge of these other worlds. As it happens, Equestria is the only one inhabited mainly by ponies."

"Would you mind hanging around for a while and explain that to the Hokage?" Kakashi asked, and his summon nodded. Turning to the ponies, he once again motioned for them to follow. "Ladies, your case has just improved."

"Run that by me again?" Tsunade asked, rubbing her temples. Twilight looked at the blonde woman, finding it somewhat difficult to comprehend what was going on. Arriving at the Tower in the village center, they had wasted no time in going to meet with this 'Hokage' who apparently was the leader of their village, interrupting a conversation between her and a man with long, white hair. Something about banning him from the hot-springs or something, Twilight didn't really catch the whole of what they were saying.

Before Kakashi could speak, he was cut off by Pakkun, who leapt onto her desk. "It's all true," the small pug announced. I can tell just by looking at them. They're ponies from Equestria alright, and your Toad and Slug summons will tell you both the same." Tsunade and Jiraiya both gave each other a strange look, mirroring the one being shared between the three friends.

"Well, for a second I thought maybe I had a bit too much to drink and simply misheard you," Tsunade replied. Giving a nod to Kakashi, while using sign language, Kakashi got the message and turned to his summon.

"Pakkun, mind taking these young ladies out into the hall to wait for us?" Taking the hint, Pakkun nodded, leading the still confused ponies out of the room. The minute the door was closed, Tsunade laced her fingers in front of her face.

"Any ideas?" she asked, and a serious look crossed Jiraiya's face. It was Kakashi that spoke first.

"They certainly aren't warriors, I'll say that much. Given that, and based on their own conversation, it seems they came here by accident," he said, and Tsunade nodded.

"If they know a way to get home, maybe we should just let them go and wash our hands of the whole affair," she replied, prompting Jiraiya to speak.

"We should let them go home, but definitely not just forget the whole thing. This could be our answer," he said, prompting a raised eyebrow from the hokage.

"The answer to what?" she asked. "What are you thinking about, you old pervert?"

"Our answer to the problem with Akatsuki. If we send Naruto to this 'Equestria' place, he'd be more than safe, and it would ruin whatever plan they have regarding the Jinchuriki," he replied, and both of the others in the room widened their eyes.

"You both know as well as I that Naruto would never agree to something like that, even under a direct order," Kakashi said, trying to be rational.

"He would if he didn't know the real reason. Set it up as a mission, such as to learn about Equestria, and have him send reports by using the toads. Make it all really official. Adventure, importance, the kind of thing he craves," Tsunade announced, catching on to Jiraiya's idea. "We'd have to make it an official fact-finding mission, get permission from the Equestrian leader, but it can be done. We can even send an assistant, to make it feel as though we're not just trying to hide him somewhere."

"What about Konohamaru?" Kakashi suggested with a sigh, accepting the fact that the two were actually considering this. "He's fresh from the academy, and pretty close to Naruto."

"We'll debate on that, but it isn't a bad idea," replied Tsunade.

During their discussion, the ponies sat in three chairs, Pakkun in Dash's lap, outside the office. "So..." the Pug said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence. "Celestia still in charge of the Ponies?"

"Yeah," Twilight replied, a bit preoccupied with worry over what was being talked about by the three adults. After a few seconds, Pakkun spoke again.

"And she's pretty much the Goddess of the Sun to you guys, right?" he asked.

"Yup," Applejack replied, in much the same way Twilight had spoken. Silence once more overtook them. Clearing his throat, Pakkun tried once again.

"So, specifically, what type of ponies are you?" he asked. "I would assume one of you would have to be a Unicorn, seeing how their the only ones that could use magic to get here."

"I'm a unicorn," Twilight replied, the question starting to take her mind off the potentially awful things that could happen to her and her friends. Unfortunately, the question put Rainbow Dash into even more of a funk as she crossed her arms over her chest. A little awkwardly considering she wasn't used to having a pair of human breasts

"I'm a pegasus," she said, before grumbling about wanting her wings back.

"An' I'm just a regular ol' Earth Pony," Applejack said, tipping her hat.

"Quite the variety," Pakkun said. "One each of the three main Pony Types." Before he could say more, the door opened and they were asked to once more come inside. As the door closed behind them, the Ponies took notice of the slight smirks on the faces of Tsunade and Jiraiya, though Kakashi was absent.

"Are you ready to hear what we've decided?" Tsunade asked, getting nods in the affirmative from all three. "We've come to the decision...that you may go home." The ponies breathed a collective sigh of relief, before Tsunade continued. "However," she said, catching their attention, "We're curious about your world, Equestria. We would like for two of our shinobi to accompany you back home, and also request a meeting with the current leader of your home. This is non-negotiable for now. I need your word that you will do this." Twilight let out another sigh of relief, fearing something much worse than what was being requested.

"I'm not sure Princess Celestia will agree to the meeting, but I'll try my hardest to convince her," she said, and Tsunade nodded.

"For now, I suppose, that trying your best will have to do." A puff of smoke interrupted the Hokage, as Kakashi appeared with a young Blonde boy, roughly the same age as the what the Ponies appeared to be, and another, even younger boy.

"Hey, Granny, Kakashi-sensei filled us in, I'm all packed and read-" Naruto was cut off by the uppercut that sent his head crashing through the ceiling, sticking their as the boy began to flail about trying to get down. The ponies backed away now, frightened at the intense strength Tsunade possessed, knowing now just why she was the leader of the village.

"You little brat," Tsunade said, her fist still clenched. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that!"

"And I thought I told you that I'll stop saying it when you stop denying it!" Naruto shouted, finally pulling his head free and dropping back to the floor. Tsunade just groaned and palmed her face.

"Ms. Sparkle, please do whatever it is you do and get this brat out of my sight," she said. She was a bit aggrivated at Konohamaru's laughing at the antics, but now she just wanted them gone, and a fresh bottle of booze.

"Ummm," Twilight said. "These are the two you want me to bring with?" Tsunade nodded.

"That's right," she said. "And don't forget our deal. I'll expect Naruto to send a message through his toad summons about when the Princess is free to come and meet us." As it was partially aimed at Naruto, the blonde nodded.

"Yes Ma'am" the unicorn replied. "Stand back and let me focus.". As she said that, she knew she couldn't focus her magic through her absent horn, so she instead laced her fingers and tried focussing it through her hands instead. For a moment, nothing happened, before the same glow that normally would cover her horn, enveloped her hands instead, and a mist formed within the room, condensing into a vortex much like the one she had conjured earlier. Straining to keep it up, Twilight's eyes began to glow brightly as well, and the portal began to glow as well, showing the Ponyville library on the other side.

"Get through!" Twilight said through grit teeth, physically straining at trying to hold open the gateway. Getting the message, Rainbow Dash and Applejack leapt in. Naruto and Konohamaru shared a look before diving in as well. With one last burst of will power, Twilight crouched and jumped into the portal, and with the source of magic gone, the vortex dissipated into nothing, as though it were never there.

Staring blankly at the spot for a moment, Tsunade turned and opened the drawer of her desk. "I need a drink," she announced, pulling out a bottle of sake.

Author's Note

Chapter End

Hopefully it wasn't too bad for being completely written on iPhone. For those of you wondering, I'm undecided on the pairing for right now, as I'm more worried about establishing Naruto and his new assistant in Ponyville. I'm really sorry, I'm horrible at describing clothing. For anyone curious as to why Spike wasn't involved in anything, at the time, he was just giving a 'friendly' hand to Rarity while she worked.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or MLP.
Secondary Disclaimer: I'm really not the best MLP writer. I've got the brony dictionary to go by, but not really the best with terminology.

Spike had driven himself into a panic attack. After giving his assistance to Rarity, who needed help on her latest fashion endeavor (which usually ended with the small, purple dragon digging up gemstones), Spike and the unicorn made their way back to the library. As they opened the door, the two were shocked at the disaster. Books piled up on the floor, papers scattered everywhere, overturned desks and tables. It was sheer chaos.

Spike and Rarity had attempted to find Twilight, but the purple unicorn was nowhere to be found. They had searched the whole town, recruiting their friends Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in the process. But as they continued on their search, the three ponies and dragon were alarmed to find that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were missing as well.

Spike paced the floor of the library, a letter to Princess Celestia waiting in the event their friends were not found. The first one to show was Rarity, who based on her downtrodden look did not come bearing good news. "I checked in every shop in Ponyville, and nopony has seen Twilight, Applejack, or Rainbow Dash all day," she announced, feeling truly worried for her friends. Next to arrive was Fluttershy, who flew in through the already broken window.

"None of the animals have seen them today," she said, in the quiet way she nearly ways spoke "And none of the Pegasus Ponies have seen Rainbow Dash. I really hope nothing bad happened to them."

"Nothing bad?" asked Spike. "Who knows WHAT happened to them. They could have been pony-napped..." Fluttershy's eyes widened in panic. "They might be getting tortured!" She began shaking now as Spike continued on his rant, picturing horrible fates befalling her three friends. Before Spike could continue, The library door was kicked in by Pinkie, a crazed and panicked look in her usually cheer-filled eyes. She was practically bouncing off the walls as she spoke.

"I got absolutely NOTHING!" she shouted, running in circles. "I checked everywhere I could THINK of! The lake, Sweet Apple Acres, Sugarcube Corner, under every rock and in every ditch. I even went to Zecora's and even SHE doesn't know what happened." Fluttershy suddenly looked up, the only one to notice a mist begin to condense in the air.

"Um..." she said quietly, not managing to get the attention of the group. "Excuse me," she tried again, a bit louder this time, but not enough to bring the focus to the mist, which was beginning to swirl in a single location, near the ceiling. "HEY!" This time, her shout managed to get the group's attention, and she pointed her hoof towards the vortex.

Frightened by what was happening, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike backed away, while the more curious Pinkie Pie moved directly under the swirling mist, which glowed slightly. Her eyes widened slightly as her tail began to twitch, and she managed to duck out of the way just in time to avoid a pony pile-up. When the dust settled, relief washed over the search party as they saw the three ponies they had been searching for, along with two others who they didn't recognize.

As the group all stood, albeit shakily in the case of the two newcomers, the Ponies were able to get a good look at them. The first was a Stallion, looking not much older than they themselves. He had a bright orange coat with a Sunny-yellow mane and tail. As he opened his eyes, they got a peak at how deep blue they were, contrasting his coat's color fantastically. He wore a headband with a strange, stylized leaf carved into it, and on his flank, the ponies noticed a bright-red spiral.

The other was a colt, a bit younger than the stallion, with a pale green coat and a brown mane and tail. He also wore the same headband as the stallion, and his eyes were simple black, giving him an almost plain, but by no means unappealing appearance. His flank also had a cutie mark, a silver, stylized leaf that perfectly matched the design carved into the headband.

As Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood, they were suddenly enveloped in a crushing hug from their Pink friend. "We were so worried about you girls. We thought something TERRIBLE happened to you," she said, squeezing her friends ever tighter. Gasping for air, Twilight tried to talk to her friend.

"Gah...Pinkie Pie," she wheezed as her face began turning red. "Can't...Breathe." Pinkie Pie looked a bit sheepish as she released the three.

"Whoopsie," she said. "Sorry girls." Turning to the two newcomers, her eyes widened and she dashed up to the Stallion and colt. "Hi!" she said, and Naruto was astounded by the seemingly boundless energy the simple word conveyed. "I'm Pinkie Pie. You must be new around here, because I've never seen either of you before, and I know everypony in Ponyville, and I mean everypony." Before Naruto and Konohamaru could become overwhelmed by the pink force of nature, Applejack spoke up.

"These two ain't from around here, Pinkie," she said. "This is, uh...actually, I don't think we ever learned y'alls names."

"Applejack's right," Twilight continued, stepping up next to Pinkie Pie. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Twilight Sparkle. You've met Pinkie Pie already."

"That's me!" shouted the pink pony, before Twilight spoke again.

"We have Rarity over there," she said, pointing toward Ponyville's resident fashonista, who nodded at the two newcomers. "Applejack."

"Pleased to meet'cha," the earth pony added. Nodding to the purple dragon who had climbed onto her back, Twilight began yet again.

"Here we have my assistant, Spike," she said, and the dragon just gave a wave of recognition and welcome, as Twilight kept speaking. "The pegasus pony over there...talking to her wings...is Rainbow Dash. She's not usually that crazy, but not having her wings while in your world must have hit her a little harder than I thought." Sure enough, Dash was flying around the room, seemingly reassuring her wings that she'd never lose them again. Her friends just shook their heads, though Twilight couldn't help but feel similar about her horn, though she wasn't quite so vocal about it.

"And this," the unicorn finished, indicating a yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail. Once the eyes was upon her though, she began to inch away, hiding herself behind her own mane. "Is Fluttershy."

"It looks like she's afraid of us," Konohamaru said, and Twilight sighed.

"She's like this whenever she meets new Ponies. Just be nice, and take things slow and she should warm up to you," she said. Deciding it was his turn to speak, Naruto cleared his throat.

"Well, it's nice to meet all of you," he announced. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm a shinobi of Konoha. And this," he continued, indicating his assistant. "Is Konohamaru, also a shinobi, and he'll be assisting me on this mission."

"You don't seem really bothered by the fact you're a pony now," Rainbow Dash said, finally managing to get a grip and join the conversation. "I'd be freaking out if I were you."

"We all know you would, RD," Applejack said with a bit of a snicker, causing the blue pegasus to glare at the earth pony. Naruto just looked at his new hooves.

"It's going to be an adjustment," he replied. "To tell you the truth, I'm no stranger to transformations or walking on all fours. I think the big problem...is performing jutsu without my hands. Mainly the summoning jutsu."

"You mean like when that silver-haired guy made that dog appear out of nowhere," Twilight asked, and Naruto nodded.

"Technically, my summons are Toads, but yes, basically the same thing," he replied. Twilight nodded.

"Don't worry," she announced, reassuringly. "If I can use magic without my horn, you can use 'jutsu' without hands.

"Could somebody please explain what is going on here?" asked Rarity, getting thoroughly confused by the conversation. The two shinobi shared a look between the three ponies who actually had a semblance of a clue what had happened.

"This could take a while," Twilight sighed, before beginning to tell the others what had happened during their little romp in the world of the Ninja. It took a while for the fact to sink in, but once it did, both Rarity and Fluttershy voiced their feelings, though the later was much quieter. Neither seemed too thrilled at the prospect of losing a horn or wings, though oddly enough, the one who seemed the most affected was Pinkie Pie.

"Wait a minute..." she said. "You ponies got to travel to an entirely different world, and I wasn't invited!" The three ponies who had gone were flabbergasted. The fact that Pinkie was freaking out that she didn't have to be turned human was something they couldn't seem to get their heads around.

"We're...sorry?" Rainbow Dash replied, but Pinkie didn't even notice, her mood doing a complete 180.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Since the two of you are new around here, we should have a 'Welcome' party!" Naruto and Konohamaru just shared a look.

"You really don't have to go to any trouble," Naruto said, but Pinkie Pie was already out the door. The other ponies just laughed at the looks on the two shinobi's faces.

"Word to the wise," Twilight announced. "When Pinkie decides to throw a party, she's going to throw a party. Trust us." The rest of the group just nodded in agreement, before Pinkie popped her head back into the door.

"Are you ponies coming?!" she asked, before disappearing again. Naruto and Konohamaru merely shared another look, before slowly following the pink pony out the door, the rest of them following as well.

"Come on," Applejack said. "While Pinkie Pie is gettin' everything for the party, we'll give ya a tour of Ponyville."

"Come on then," Naruto said.

"Yeah," Konohamaru continued. "I wanna know where things are around here. We'll need to find a place to stay too if we're going to be here for a while."

"You could stay at the library with Spike and I," offered Twilight. "We have plenty of room, and you're supposed to be learning about Equestria for your mission."

"She has a point, Konohamaru," replied Naruto. "Offer accepted." Smiling, Naruto continued to walk with the group of ponies. Or at least he tried to. The moment he took a step, he was smashed into from the side, causing a chain reaction which caused the collective collapse of Naruto, Konohamaru, and Spike. Looking up a bit, the purple dragon weighing his head down, Naruto caught sight of three young ponies that had crashed into the main group.

"It looks like this world is just as dangerous as mine," he announced, standing and shaking the stars from his eyes. "Man, what a tackle."

"We're so sorry, everypony," one of the fillies said, the three putting their heads down. The fillies had been on their latest mission through Ponyville to find their Cutie Marks. And unfortunately, the Crusaders hadn't had any luck. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom had been racing toward their next attempt, and hadn't exactly been looking out towards their surroundings, and when the large group entered their path, they were completely unprepared, causing the pile-up.

"Man, I'm never gonna get used to the 'pony' thing," Konohamaru said, trying to crack his neck. The huge crunch was all the sign that the other ponies needed to know he succeeded. Looking up at the newcomers, both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had to force their mouths closed again as they caught sight of the young colt. Applejack and Rarity both shared a knowing look, easily seeing the signs of the crush their sisters had from first sight of the slightly older Pony. And they weren't the only ones. Naruto filed away that information for later to torture his young friend with.

Scootaloo however was more interested in talking to Rainbow Dash, so she at least wasn't going ga-ga over Konohamaru, but the other two couldn't take their eyes off of him. "Hi, I'm Apple Bloom," the young filly said, moving closer to the new colt, but her lavender-maned friend cut in front of her.

"And I'm Sweetie Belle," she exclaimed excitedly. "What's your name?"

"Uh...Konohamaru," the shinobi-pony replied. Rarity shook her head as she and Applejack stepped forward, taking spots next to the younger ponies.

"Konohamaru," she said, "These two are both of our younger sisters." Konohamaru, not quite comfortable with the way the fillies were staring at him, managed to nod.

"N-nice to meet you," he replied a bit shakily. Before more thorough introductions could be made, Pinkie Pie suddenly seemed to pop out of nowhere to appear between the shinobi and the ponies.

"Come on, everypony!" she shouted. "We do have a party to set up!" Zipping ahead at high speeds, Konohamaru just let out a sigh of relief as he began to move toward his partner, the group beginning to follow Pinkie Pie once more, the Cutie Mark Crusaders now following as well. Falling back to the three fillies, Naruto leaned in close, whispering in their ears. Rarity and Applejack, who were close enough to hear, had to suppress their laughter at what he was telling their sisters. If nothing else, Konohamaru was going to have a very interesting time in Ponyville.

Author's Note

Chapter End

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own MLP

"No! No, I won't do it! You can't make me!" Wings bound by Applejack's lasso, Rainbow Dash had resorted to clawing at the ground, getting dragged along by the Earth Pony. "Come on, this isn't fair," she continued, trying to fight back against the strength of Applejack. "Why do we have to go back to that horrible place!"

"Because Princess Celestia wants us there," Twilight replied. "Not only am I her student, but we're all the representatives of the Elements of Harmony. If we're making some sort of treaty of peace, it's only right we should be present."

"That and you want to learn more about those 'Jutsus,' or whatever it is Naruto calls 'em," Applejack announced, causing the purple unicorn to look away, as though her hoof had been caught in the cookie-jar.

"Hey," she retorted. "If we get to learn about an entirely new culture, who am I to argue?" Spike, who was riding on Twilight's back at the moment, only rolled his eyes. As the library came into view, they all could see their three friends, as well as the two shinobi-turned-ponies, were already there and waiting for them. Pinkie Pie in particular waiting with a lack of patience that surprised even those who knew her. The pink pony was practically going into overload at the prospect of traveling to the same world Naruto and Konohamaru had come from. Speaking of those two...

"Those three didn't come with, did they?" Konohamaru asked, peaking out from around the corner. Rarity and Applejack didn't even bother to hide their laughter as they knew exactly what he meant. Over the past week, the poor colt had been unable to turn a corner without Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom waiting for him. Scootaloo wasn't too bad, as she was more interested in idolizing Rainbow Dash, and wasn't about to admit she had any form of crush on Konohamaru, but even she couldn't exactly keep that hidden for long. Now he had three crushing Cutie Mark Crusaders to deal with.

"Nah, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are hangin' out at their clubhouse," Applejack replied, finding it hilarious that the three little fillies had gotten someone who was supposed to be a warrior-in-training so flustered. Rarity, while also finding it funny, found it to be absolutely adorable, seeing the Crusaders, particularly her little sister, practically swooning over a colt that was technically human. It was like some cheesy love story written by a hack writer and guilty though it made her, she loved it.

"Everyone here?" Naruto asked, doing a quick head count. "Just waiting for the Princess?"

"Princesses," Twilight corrected. "Princess Luna will be coming too. She's still royal, after all."

"Right, right, sorry," the blonde-maned stallion replied. With all that was going on, he barely had the ability to remember even large details. It took him the better part of two days just to get the Summoning Jutsu to work properly so that he could set up the meeting between the Royals and Tsunade. The rest of his time was spent having shadow clones read from the Ponyville library, and helping make sure the Cutie Mark Crusaders were always one step ahead of Konohamaru when it came to hiding places. It may not be the nicest thing to do, but Naruto had a love of playing tricks on others, be they right or not.

Rainbow Dash had for a moment thought that she could crawl away while the others were distracted, but was stopped by Naruto, or more specifically, one of his clones, who pulled the Pegasus pony back to the group. Right on time, it seemed, as that was the moment, the royal chariots of both Princesses arrived, the twin sisters of sun and moon looking ever majestic as they descended down on Ponyville. Before anything else, Celestia moved to Naruto, who stiffened under her scrutinizing gaze. Letting out a small laugh, Celestia just shook her head. "Relax," she announced. "I just wanted to get a good look at you."

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight said, excited to once more stand beside her mentor. Celestia looked down at her pupil with a knowing look.

"Twilight Sparkle," she said, and the unicorn began to already look sheepish. Princess Celestia only use that tone when Twilight did something foolish, though it was never really a reprimanding one. "One of these days, your curiosity is going to get you in serious trouble, my little pony..." Smiling brighter, she continued. "That being said, don't you ever lose it." Twilight smiled back at her teacher, vaguely seeing Luna giving Naruto the same scrutinizing look Celestia had, though her tired look made Naruto far more uncomfortable.

"Hmm, quite the handsome stallion," she announced after a moment, getting the attention of the others. "To whom shall he be married?" Naruto nearly choked on air at the word marry, while the others gave her a look that told her they clearly thought she was insane. "I was told there was to be some form of treaty," Luna explained, quite innocently. "Are political marriages no longer performed?"

"Not for a very long time, Sister," Celestia replied, shaking her head. Being trapped in the moon for a thousand years had caused Princess Luna to miss out on a great many changes to the world, and since returning to Equestria, her sister hadn't really been too concerned with catching up with the times.

"Oh," Luna said, for a moment a bit of embarrassment shining through before she shook it off and regained her normal, regal demeanor.

"It doesn't...hurt...to turn human, does it?" Fluttershy asked nervously, and Twilight shook her head, giving her friend a reassuring smile, as her horn began to glow. She increased her focus, causing the mist to condense within the air yet again, which swirled into a vortex the size of a doorway. Celestia smiled, impressed with her student's magical ability. Both princesses stepped through first, followed by Naruto and Konohamaru. Rarity moved through, followed closely by Spike, with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie coming in next. The next to enter was Applejack, who dragged the still protesting Rainbow Dash into the portal before Twilight stepped through, and the portal closed behind her.

"This...is...so...COOL!" Pinkie Pie shouted, examining her human body, her new fingers twitching in excitement. Naruto sent a toad ahead to inform Tsunade that they were on their way. He could see the village gates just not far off, while Rainbow Dash, who was practically in tears, turned to her friend.

"Speak for yourself," she managed to choke out. All of the ponies who hadn't been to the Elemental nations once before spent the next few minutes taking a look at their human selves. While Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow dash looked no different than their first trip, even they spent a bit of time trying to readjust.

Pinkie Pie of all the girls had the largest amount of hair, and it was thick and fluffy. She wore a light pink sleeveless t-shirt that matched her coat-color and had her Cutie Mark branded across the front. For the lower half of her body, she wore a darker-pink skirt to match her hair color, and a pair of flip-flops.

Rarity, brushed a bit of dust of her elegant white dress. Her skin was slightly pale, but it was unblemished in any way. Her ears were adorned with diamond earrings, and her dress, near her left hip, bore her own Cutie Mark. Unfortunately, as though the ponies didn't have enough trouble standing on two legs, Rarity's heels made it even worse for her, the poor girl stumbling over to a tree to try and catch her balance. "How do you humans walk like this, Naruto?" she asked, and the blonde shrugged.

"It's just how we walk, though if you're having so much trouble, I'd go barefoot," he replied. Spotting Fluttershy still attempting to stand, he reached out his hand and took hers, pulling the pony-girl up to her feet. Fluttershy brushed her hair from her eyes to take a look down at herself. A simple yellow sundress made up her attire, the only point of interest being her cutie mark over her heart.

"This is a tad problematic." Turning to get a good look at the speaker, Princess Luna, the transformed ponies got a good look at both her and her older sister. Luna's gown looked like the midnight sky, an flowed behind her for quite a ways as she tripped and stumbled forward, nearly falling over entirely. Her arms were wrapped in gloves that moved up almost to her shoulders. Her skin was horribly pale, as though she didn't go out in the sunlight much.

Celestia wore a gown and gloves of near identical design, but they were almost shining white. Unlike Luna, Celestia's skin was a healthy tan. Both sisters had their horns become tiaras, and each had their hair flow down past their shapely rears. Unfortunately, even Celestia, who was normally always composed, was becoming frustrated at her difficulty walking.

While admiring the two princesses, Naruto caught the sound of wretching, and looked down at a young boy with spiky green hair, purple shorts, a green t-shirt, and a purple jacket. Spike looked to be about Academy age by shinobi standards. He also looked as though he hadn't taken too well to transitioning between worlds, based on the pool of vomit on the ground. Spike held his stomach as Twilight moved in to try to comfort her assistant.

"What's wrong Spike?" she asked, the dragon-turned-human, who still looked a tad green. Vomiting again, a small, partially digested gemstone was brought up, and Twilight understood. "Oh, Spike, probably not a good idea of you to have such a large meal. Humans don't have Gemstone tolerance." Spike just cringed as he held his stomach, but he was done puking at least. Naruto just shook his head.

"Come on," he announced, getting everyone's attention. "The village is this way. I sent a toad on ahead to make sure Old Lady Tsunade know we're coming." Twilight quirked an eyebrow as they began making their way...slowly...to the gate.

"Old? She didn't look that old when we got here last time?" she asked, and Naruto almost collapsed, laughing, wiping a tear from is eye at the thought.

"She may not look it, but that's because she uses a jutsu to hide her age," he replied, and Konohamaru paled.

"Uh, boss, it probably wouldn't be a good thing if the Hokage finds out you told anyone that," he announced as the group passed through the village gates. "This is the woman who knocked you half way across the village with one punch on numerous occasions for calling her old." Naruto just laughe and shrugged.

"What can I say, she'd never do anything to really hurt me," he replied, and the ponies and dragon shared an incredulous look. Unfortunately, looking to each other caused them to cease watching where their new feet were going. Rarity, still in heels, tripped and collided with Applejack, who in turn fell into Luna, and all three fell to the ground, closing their eyes to wait for the impact. But it was much softer than they thought it should be. Opening her eyes, Luna was shocked to see moving sand holding the three of them up, helping them back to their feet.

"What in the world?" Rarity exclaimed as she regained her balance on the heels. Naruto had her answer, as he looked around for a moment.

"Gaara, what are you doing here?" he asked, excited to see his friend, who did not disappoint. The sand swirled wildly and Gaara appeared within the sandy whirlwind. The Equestrians gaped at the entrance with wide eyes and mouths as Gaara forced the sand to return to the gourd on his back.

"Seeing as Suna is currently allied with Konoha, it is only fitting I, as the Kazekage, should be here to greet the Leaders of Equestria," Gaara said, his mono-toned voice making him sound almost bored. "Though I'm sure there is an alternative reason that Master Jiraiya informed me of the meeting." Naruto looked confused at the words.

"Alternative reason? What are you talking about?" Gaara shook his head, before walking up to Celestia and Luna.

"Am I to assume, based on your attire, that you both are the rulers of your world?" he asked, and the Princesses nodded, prompting Gaara to bow respectfully. "I am honored to make your acquaintance, and as Kazekage, welcome you to the Elemental Nations." Both sisters were rather surprised by the reaction of red-head. Blushing a bit, Luna was the first to speak.

"We thank thee for intervening in our predicament," she announced, and Celestia shook her head at her sister using the 'Royal We.' They had been working on it a bit, but Luna seemed to be a bit flustered, reverting back to her old-fashioned ways. "It was quite chivalrous."

"Chivalry has nothing to do with it," Gaara replied. "Someone once taught me that when you put others ahead of yourself. You were falling, I caught you." As he spoke, he turned and began walking towards the Hokage's tower.

"They sound very smart," Celestia announced, and Naruto just smiled.

"Thank you, Princess," he replied. "Coming from you, that means quite a bit." Turning towards his assistant, he rubbed his empty belly. "Tell the old hag I'll be there in little bit. I might not be back in the village for a while after this, so I need to get me some Ichiraku's."

"What's that?" asked Pinkie Pie, popping up in his face, when he was sure she had been behind him a moment before. Strangely, the pony-girl seemed to have no trouble getting the hang of walking.

"Only the greatest food in the whole world," he replied, eliciting a gasp from the already excited girl.

"The greatest food in the whole world?!" she cried, at this point bouncing on her feet, her eyes lit up and shining brightly. "I NEED to try some of that!" Behind them all, Celestia let loose a small laugh. Looking to their rulers, all the ponies and Spike watched her shakily follow Gaara along with Luna.

"Why don't you all go with Naruto?" she announced, rounding the corner. "Not only can he tell you a bit more about the Elemental Nations, but you can all get something to eat." Spike's eyes lit up at the mention of food as much as Pinkie's did.

"Good, because I'm starving," he announced, and Twilight looked at her assistant as if he were crazy.

"How can you think of food after having been vomiting just a couple minutes ago?" she asked, and Spike shrugged.

"Just made room for more," he said, patting his stomach, and Twilight shook her head, smiling. Naruto pumped his fist in the air.

"Alright, time to get some Ramen!" she shouted, Pinkie Pie and Spike mirroring his pose.

Author's Note

Chapter End.

Had a bit of inspiration for this, so this is what came from that. Next chapter is going to cover a few Pony misadventures in Konoha, so look forward to some crazy situations. Not sure if I should have Pinkie Pie meet Guy and Lee though. Their collective energy might shatter reality as we know it.

And I know some people can already tell that I plan to have Gaara be in the story, and before you bitch and moan, it's classic rule of three. Besides, I want a Gaara/Luna pairing, so I'm going to have a Gaara Luna Pairing. After all, I'm writing for me, not you...there's my ego again, sorry, but true.

Peace to all my fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own MLP

Sitting down at Ichiraku's ramen stand, much to the pleasure of the ponies, who still were getting down walking human-style, Naruto ordered a bowl of Vegetable Ramen for each of them. He wasn't big on veggies, but as long as it was ramen, there was no way he was going to complain. He also didn't want to make the girls feel sick if he got beef or pork. He knew the Ponies weren't big on meat. It took a minute for the girls and even Spike to get a hang of the utensils, chopsticks requiring more finger movement than the formerly hoofed ponies could currently muster. But a little coaching from the blonde saw them get at least something of a grasp. The first to take a bite was Pinkie Pie, and her friends each watched with curiosity, seeing what she had to say. She seemed to like it...because within a second of her first bite, her eyes widened and she began scarfing the noodles down at a speed Naruto found impressive. Spike seemed to have taken a similar liking to the ramen, his cheeks stuffed with his food.

Sharing a look, each of the other ponies took a bite, and while they didn't eat at the same speed as Pinkie, Naruto, and Spike, their eyes lit with delight at the flavor of the ramen. Even Rainbow Dash seemed to lose the gloom of not having her wings. As they ate, Twilight turned to Naruto. "So, do you think we could go to the village library after lunch?" she asked, hopefully. Looking to the unicorn-turned-human, he slurped up the noodles still hanging from his mouth, stroking his chin.

"Well," he said. "I suppose we could hit the general library, if you want," he replied. "But the shinobi library is off limits to civilians unless they're accompanied by a Jonin...unfortunately, I'm still technically a genin, so I can't get you in." Twilight nodded, feeling a little depressed about not getting into the shinobi library, but nodded. At least she would be able to learn something about human culture through the normal library. Rainbow Dash wasn't quite as enthusiastic.

"The library?" she groaned. "Can't we go somewhere else? You told me last week that Shinobi were warriors. I wanna see some in action." Naruto sighed as the girls began to bicker with each other, before an idea popped into his head.

"Well, if you all want to go do different things, I could always make some clones to escort you all around the village," he said, and the excited looks he got from his pony (and dragon) friends was enough to tell him his solution was more than adequate. "It's settled than," he continued. "I'll send a clone to the meeting so they know what our plans are for the day, and you'll all get the grand tour from me." He was met with pleased faces as well as a pumped fist and cheer from Pinkie Pie, before they went back to their ramen.

The lunch nearly cleared out Naruto's wallet. While Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash had settled for one bowl each, Spike had eaten three, Pinkie ate seven, while Naruto beat them all with a whopping total of ten bowls of Ramen. The single-bowl eaters gawked at the blonde ninja, wondering where he put it all. They had long since given up trying to answer that question when it came to Pinkie. As they waited for one of Naruto's clones to grab some more money from his account, Naruto also sent a clone to the meeting of their leaders. And once they had all settled on who was going where, and seeing what, the group split.

At the meeting of the leaders, much more was being discussed than merely a treaty of peace and the sharing of knowledge. Both Tsunade and Jiraiya thought it better to be frank with the Equestrian royals just why Naruto was chosen to be the shinobi living within the Pony-dominated world. It was just as Gaara had expected. Due to them being Jinchuriki, he and Naruto were both under the threat of capture from the Akatsuki. Since becoming Kazekage only a few months prior, he had been expecting the terrorist organization would make a move against himself. Fortunately, as of yet, it hadn't happened. Once Celestia and Luna were brought up to speed on what exactly a Jinchuriki was, the Princess of the Sun decided to voice a few concerns. Luckily, they had Konohamaru out. No need to blow everything because the young boy decided to blab what they were doing.

"If these Bijuu are so powerful, what is to stop them from breaking through their seals?" she asked with a serious look on her face. Jiraiya, both being a seal master and a spy, already expected such a question. He merely crossed his arms and adopted a rather thoughtful look.

"You have nothing to worry about, Princess," he announced, the certainty of his statement evident in his voice. "Naruto's seal is one of the most complex ever created, and is linked to his will power and emotions. Basically, if he's kept happy, he won't use any of the Kyuubi's power. Given what you've told us about these bearers of the 'Elements of Harmony' that Naruto has been hanging around, I doubt he'll be subject to much in the way of negative emotions." Celestia nodded, finding the answer satisfactory. At least she knew that the safety of her subjects wouldn't likely be compromised. Luna turned to the young Kazekage now.

"So you are one of these 'Jinchuriki' as well?" she asked, the Sand user merely nodding in conformation, but he didn't actually turn to look at her. "And what of the seal holding back your demon? Is it of the same caliber?" This time, Gaara shook his head.

"My seal is incomplete," he announced. "I find myself unable to sleep...If I were to fall asleep, the demon within would take over, both going on a rampage in the physical world, and consuming my soul from the inside. Fortunately, I can sustain myself through strict mental disciplines and meditation." Jiraiya frowned, looking at the red-head.

"Be that as it may, I highly suggest that if they allow it, you follow to Equestria, and put someone you trust in control of Suna." Glaring a bit at the Sannin, Gaara scowled in disgust.

"You would have me relinquish my position and leave my people?" he asked, and Jiraiya could see just how much the boy had changed since he fought with Naruto those years ago. Gone was the psychopath murderer who cared for nothing and no one aside from himself and his next kill. Naruto had ignited a spark within the Suna boy, and that spark was now a roaring flame. He had grown much, and Jiraiya was proud that his student had inspired the change. He shook his head.

"We all know the outcome of a battle with the Akatsuki. Not only would you lose, but the village you strive to protect would likely be devastated in the process. What I ask is not for you to leave your people. I ask you to leave for them." For a moment, Gaara went silent, contemplating the Toad-sage's words. He turned to the Equestrian Royals, his face devoid of emotion, but his eyes telling of the raging conflict within.

"How long will you be here before returning home?" he asked, the sisters Night and Day sharing a look with one-another before turning back to the leader of Suna.

"After the meeting, we will be touring the village, so we shall be here until at least the end of the day," Celestia replied, prompting the red-head to nod.

"Then if it is alright with the both of you, I will consider Master Jiraiya's words until then. For now, please excuse me." In a swirl of sand, the boy was gone, leaving the two Sannin and two princesses to their devices. A knocking on the door brought their attention to Naruto, who peaked his head into the room.

"I hate to intrude," he said, trying to at least be somewhat respectful. "But we've finished our meal, and the boss and us clones are going to be escorting the others around the village." Tsunade nodded to show she had heard and understood. Turning to the blonde, Celestia spoke.

"Very well," she announced, also nodding, mirroring the Hokage. "We'll be joining you all once our business here has been finished." Smiling at the announcement, the shadow clone dispelled itself in a cloud of smoke.

With Naruto and Twilight, Naruto blinked a few times, receiving the information. "It seems the Princesses will be meeting up with us shortly," he announced, the unicorn-girl giving him a quizzical look.

"How do you know that?" she asked, and Naruto just rubbed the back of his head.

"My clone dispelled. When they do that, anything they know or have learned gets transferred directly to my mind. It's a handy trick. I can learn more in one day than most can in a month." Had he known just what he had said would do to Twilight Sparkle, he would have kept it a secret. He noticed too late the stars in the unicorn's very wide eyes.

"Teach me!" she cried, tackling the surprised blonde to the ground. "Please teach me how to use Shadow Clones! Please! Please! Pleeeeaaaassseeeee!" Naruto was unsure of what to say or do, just sputtering incoherently at the Pony's pleading. Though more for the fact her chest was pressing into his.

"I don't know," he said, pulling himself out from beneath the Unicorn. "You don't even know how to use Chakra. Trying to teach you to use Shadow Clones would be like trying to teach a legless person how to run..." Seeing the crestfallen look upon Twilight's face, he sighed. "But maybe I can teach you about Chakra, and we can see what happens." He found himself back on the ground, trapped in a bear-hug from the Pony-girl. He really needed to keep his mouth shut.

"Thank you, Naruto!" Twilight exclaimed, fantasizing already all the studying she could do with a technique like shadow clones. Standing carefully, so-as not to just outright lose her balance again, Twilight waited for Naruto to stand and brush himself off. "Now, let's hit the library, please." Naruto just sighed and shook his head, motioning for the girl to follow.

Once they reached the Library, the blonde found a table for Twilight, while he went to the shinobi-section to find scrolls on the basics of chakra, and a few more advanced technique scrolls for himself, mainly on advanced sealing theory. On his trip with Jiraiya, he had learned about seals, but it was always nice to keep refreshed. He made sure to collect several scrolls on different jutsu as well. No sense in letting his skills slip just because he wasn't technically on active duty.

Twilight blew a strand of hair from her face, reading the scrolls on village history only halfheartedly, wishing she could follow Naruto into the shinobi-only area. She stopped, glancing around the room. The Library was nearly empty, and there was nobody around. Sliding out of her seat, quietly, the Unicorn-girl took one last glance around before slipping as quickly as she could into the shinobi-section. She didn't spot, however, the figure who had not only seen her, but decided to follow.

Pinkie Pie looked around excitedly, asking what everything and every place was, while Naruto, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all just looked embarrassed for the pony-girl, who was being stared at by nearly everyone they passed. The three decided to form one group, as both Applejack and Rainbow Dash wanted to see shinobi in action, while Pinkie just wanted to see everything. As they neared the training ground, Pinkie gasped at seeing the team there, taking off at a run, surprising RD and Applejack, who at this point had only just gotten used to walking.

"I hope she doesn't do that all day," Naruto groaned. "The last thing we need is for Pinkie Pie to get lost in a Ninja Village." Rainbow Dash just laughed.

"She won't get lost," she insisted. "All we'll need to do is follow the destruction." Thinking about just the people he knew around the village, the Blonde only nodded in agreement. It was as they got closer to the training area, that the shinobi began to pale, and both ponies took note of that. Looking to their tour guide, the Pegasus and Earth ponies shared a look.

"You ok?" Applejack asked, and Naruto shook his head. Of all the people in Konoha he didn't want to meet, these two were the top of the list. Lee and Guy, the sensei and look-a-like student pair in Team 9. He could already hear the two enthusiastically shouting about Pinkie's 'Youthfulness' and energy, and Pinkie, being the pony she was, actually went along with it. Both Tenten and Neji had stopped their spar, choosing instead to watch in shame as the spectacle unfolded. But when the green clad duo began to hug, they couldn't manage to continue, turning away just as the beach and sunset shimmered into view.

As the two ponies and their guide neared, Naruto too saw the ungodly images begin to manifest behind the hugging duo. It was too late to save Pinkie, but the girl seemed too enthralled by it all to even care about the potential destructive powers of it all. He did, however, manage to grab Applejack and Rainbow Dash and turn them around. The curious ponies attempted to see what the fuss was all about, but their heads were held firmly in place. After a few moments, when he was assured that Lee and Guy were finished with their embrace, he carefully took a glance over his shoulder and his jaw dropped. The spandex-clad duo had vanished from the training field, and Pinkie Pie with them, all gone in a trail of dust. Dashing over to the other members of the team, he motioned toward the dissipating trail.

"Please tell me you know where those three are running off too!" he exclaimed, frantically. As if the idea of losing Pinkie, or any of the ponies, somewhere in Konoha wasn't bad enough, but to have Equestria's Number-One party-pony running around with Guy and Lee...he could only imagine and shudder at the thought. It was then Tenten and Neji took notice of the three.

"Oh, Naruto," Tenten said. "I had heard you were going to be taking on a diplomatic mission, long-term. I thought you'd already left." He only fixed his exasperated gaze ever firmer on her and she suddenly registered that he asked them a question. It was Neji who gave the answer, his Byakugan active, staring in the direction of the now disappeared trio.

"It would appear that a young lady with a...peculiar chakra signature...has joined Lee and Guy-Sensei for their daily run," he announced, at this point long-since used to the antics of both his sensei and enthusiastic teammate. "Much like these young ladies here. She's with you, I take it." Naruto could only nod, palming his face at the problems arising for him. He only hoped the other groups were faring better.

"Oh, sorry...excuse me...pardon me...oh my..." Fluttershy was nearing a panic attack. Rarity had decided, being the fashionista that she was, to go clothing shopping. While Naruto thought it was a ridiculous idea to buy clothes she wouldn't be wearing, especially since the clothing would be paid for with his money. But Rarity wanted to see and get her hooves-turned-hands on anything remotely fashionable. If they looked good on a human, she had assured herself she could rework them to look absolutely fabulous on Ponies. A few personal touches here or there. Or she could even scrap all of them and incorporate the style into completely original designs. The possibilities were endless. But the crowded stores were proving to be too much for the pegasus pony, as she could barely take three steps without running into someone, or having someone run into her.

"Well, I think that should be plenty of items I can use for inspiration..." Naruto and Spike, both of whom were stuck carrying the numerous bags, each let out a sigh of relief. But before any of the group could blink, she had already vanished and left an outline of dust where she once stood. Apparently she had gotten a grasp of her heels. Naruto blinked, wondering where she had gone, but at that moment, the pile of bags shifted in his arms. "This won't end well."

Her eyes sparkled even more than the jewelry she wore. And like a predator, her eyes scanned everything around her. They soon paused on a purple shirt that JUST had her name on it. She rushed towards the item, and grabbed it. Only to be met with a resistance. Rarity turned to see what happened, only to be met with a glare from a blonde haired girl. Her hand gripped to the other sleeve. Rarity glared back, and gave a pull.

"Ino Yamanaka. And you?" Ino greeted as she pulled, her teeth grit in frustration, even as she tried to sound sweet and civil.

Rarity lurched forward, but held strong. A crash was heard elsewhere in the store, but both girls ignored it. "Rarity. And I believe…" She pulled. Both were unaware of a rip. "…I saw this first…" Pulling back, Ino glared daggers at the transformed Unicorn.

"I'm afraid you must be mistaken," she growled. The fabric was beginning to stretch, which Fluttershy, Spike, and Naruto, the latter two covered in assorted garments, noticed when they finally found the unicorn.

"Definitely not gonna end well," he groaned palming his face.

Author's Note

Chapter End

Well, looks like our favorite Ponies are getting lost and in trouble. It would be a shame if I were to...wait till next chapter...to tell what happens xD

Peace to all my fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own MLP.

Twilight peaked out from behind a bookcase, looking around carefully to make sure she wasn't spotted, before ducking back and grabbing a few scrolls, before moving on to the next shelf. Picking one of the scrolls at random, she jumped at the sound of footsteps, quickly ducking around the corner. When she was sure the newcomer was gone, she again grabbed more scrolls and moved on herself. On the one hand, she utterly despised herself for what she was doing. Princess Celestia had already told her to mind her curiosity...but then, she also told her not to lose her curiosity, and the unicorn really wanted to learn about shinobi.

Peaking out from behind the shelf, she noticed Naruto giving some money to what appeared to be the librarian, who in turn handed the blonde what looked like a few ordinary sheets of paper. Turning back, she jumped and yelped as she came face to face with the very first person she had met when first arriving in the elemental nations. Kakashi sighed behind his mask and he quickly picked up several of the scrolls Twilight had dropped upon being startled by him.

"I'm going to assume Naruto already made you aware you need a jonin to accompany you in here, correct?" he asked, putting away the scrolls. Twilight blushed, looking quite sheepish.

"He may have mentioned something along those lines," she admitted, and again, Kakashi sighed.

"You know, Twilight, you're lucky it was me that caught you, and not somebody else, or this would have been a horrible mess," he announced, crossing his arms over his chest. "However, since I do know you, and we are sharing select information between Equestria and Konoha, I see no harm in finding a few simple chakra and jutsu scrolls. But had you grabbed the wrong scroll, you could have grabbed more sensitive information to the workings of the village, the structure of our shinobi system...I'm sure you wouldn't be willing to risk causing an interdimentional, international incident." The unicorn-turned girl blushed even more and looked down at her feet.

"Come on," motioned Kakashi, and the girl slowly followed the Jonin up to the librarian. "Excuse me," he said, getting her attention. "This young lady is here with an envoy here to negotiate a treaty. Might we be able to get some scrolls for an aspiring young Kunoichi?" The librarian smiled brightly to both Kakashi and Twilight, before moving toward a shelf, grabbing a bag and beginning to fill it.

"Of course," she said as she worked. "Just give me a moment or two and I'll have a nice collection set up for you."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Twilight said gratefully, and the old librarian just gave her a knowing look and a smile.

"I was your age once too, young lady," she said. "I recognize that look in your eyes. Let me guess. The rest of your envoy is off doing something else, but you decided to come here because you just love learning so much." Twilight's eyes widened at how the librarian seemed able to look through her, know what she was thinking.

"Yes!" she replied. "I quite literally live in the library back home. I run it." The librarian's face brightened even further.

"Hearing someone so young say that makes me feel a little better about your generation," she laughed, before handing the bag of scrolls to the girl. Placing his hand on her shoulder, Kakashi led the unicorn girl back to the general library, where Naruto was waiting.

"I've been looking all over for you, Twilight," he said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry," she replied sheepishly. "Kakashi got me into the Shinobi section and we got some more scrolls," she lied, and Naruto raised his brow.

"Ok," he announced, pulling out the scrolls he had collected, as well as the papers she had seen him purchase. It was Kakashi's turn to take notice.

"Chakra Paper? Twilight hasn't even used chakra before and you're planning on finding out her affinity?" he asked, thoroughly confusing the young mare. Naruto shook his head.

"I'll need it later," he replied, as though it was obvious. "Chances are this will be my last time in Konoha for a while, so I figured I'd stock up on supplies besides jutsu scrolls. As it happened, the library keeps Chakra paper in stock for shinobi that want to know elemental jutsu, but don't know what their element is. Got it on the cheaper side hear than I would anywhere else." Kakashi gave Naruto a smile and ruffled his golden hair, much to the blonde's annoyance.

"Who'd have thought you'd become such a bargain hunter," he joked, and Naruto swatted the hand away, a large tick mark beginning to show on his forehead. Throwing all the items he himself had collected into his bag, he took Twilight by the hand and began quickly leading her out of the library, the girl beginning to take a look through them. She had scrolls detailing what chakra was, how to access and use it, chakra control exercises, as well as the basic academy jutsu. She also had scrolls on using kunai and shuriken, trap-making, wilderness survival, seduction...wait.

"Seduction?" she asked, a little confused and mildly disgusted. "Why would I get a scroll on Seduction? Who would possibly use anything in here?" Naruto just looked at the human-pony and shrugged, though he soon found his attention turned to a shouting voice.

"PINKIE PIE!" came the shout of Applejack, she, Rainbow Dash and his clone creating a chorus of cries. They hadn't seen the girl since she ran off with Guy and Lee, and the clone Naruto was starting to lose it. Rainbow Dash merely grumbled between shouts. Naruto and Twilight shared a look before heading over to unite with the other group.

"What happened?" Naruto asked. "Where is Pinkie?" His clone just looked sheepish, before flashing the peace sign and vanishing in a cloud of smoke. As the real Naruto received the memories, all he could do is move to the nearest building and begin slamming his head into the wall hard enough to actually start forming spider-web cracks at the point of impact.

"I can't," *Bam "Believe," *Bam "She ran off with," *Bam "Those two!" He turned around and the girls all looked at his very red forehead. Again, placing his hands in the cross shaped seal, twenty new clones popped into existence. "I don't know why my clone didn't already do this, but whatever. All of you, fan out. I want Pinkie Pie found as soon as possible."

"Right!" Shouted his clones in unison, before taking to the rooftops and scattering across the village. Naruto palmed his face. "By the time this day is over, I'm going to need an aspirin, or at the very least some Sake-spiked ramen. Come on. We should meet up with Spike, Rarity, and Fluttershy and regroup. Hopefully we'll find her before the Princesses decide to come join us."

"We'd find her a lot faster if I could fly," Rainbow Dash sulked, which gave Naruto an idea. It wasn't a very sound idea, but it was worth a shot.

"But Twilight can use magic without her horn," he said. "Why should you need your wings to fly here?" Rainbow Dash shook her head.

"Come on, Naruto, that's ridiculous. I can't fly without wings, right Twilight?" She was waiting for confirmation, but instead...

"Well...Naruto does raise a valid point," the unicorn said. "Back in Equestria, You need a horn to use magic. You need to be a Unicorn, or an Alicorn. But here, the same rules don't seem to apply. I can use my magic just fine, by focusing through my hands instead. It stands to reason you might be able to have some other way to make you fly. Try making yourself feel like you normally do, flying with the wind at your wings." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and let it out.

"Ok girls...and guy... stand back." Closing her eyes, she tried her best to picture looking down at Ponyville from above, gliding through the air at high speeds. The others had to take an actual step back, as the air around the pegasus pony began to swirl and blow, and the three, as well as the others in the area that had stopped to check out the display, looked on in shock as Dash began to be picked up off the ground. Cracking one eye open just a tad, Rainbow Dash looked down to see she had managed to pull up almost three feet.

"Hey!" She exclaimed. "I'm doing it! I'm actually doing-" Her cheering didn't last, as she suddenly rocketed to the side, slamming into a wall, causing the others to cringe, before she pushed herself off, only forcing herself to zip across the road and collide head first into the library, sliding down and landing on her ass. Naruto and the girls rushed to her side, but Rainbow Dash had already shaken off the crash, being used to them by this point, and forced them back.

"I'm fine, she said. "You just worry about meeting up with the others. I'll find Pinkie." With a burst of wind, she left the three choking in a cloud of dust as the human-pegasus climbed higher and higher for a better view of the village. Once she got the hang of it, she found that it wasn't any more difficult than moving through the air back home. Though it wasn't quite as effortless, Rainbow Dash already starting to feel a bit winded. From her position in the air, she took a look around, her eyes managing to catch a moving dust cloud, circling the perimeter of the village. She just hoped Pinkie was still with the two nut jobs as she reversed her ascent and began to fly down and cut them off.

Rarity was still locked in a heated battle for the ability to buy the shirt, though luckily they had eased off on the stretching, Naruto having pointed it out to the two, and trying to play mediator between the Ninja and the Designer. Spike stood behind Fluttershy, who was trying not to watch the fight between her friend and the new girl.

"Naruto," growled Ino. "Tell the new girl to let go." Turning to Rarity, Naruto saw her give him a look that promised pain and suffering if he even opened his mouth. Turning back to Ino, the blonde boy just shrugged.

"Sorry Ino, but after today, I'll only be seeing one of you two on a regular basis, so..." Creating two more clones, the first clone had the new two remove Ino's hands from the sleeve of the shirt, allowing Rarity to take hold of the shirt fully. Deciding to be childish for a moment, the human-unicorn stuck her tongue out, infuriating Ino. Turning around, the group began to leave Ino, but not before the girl got in a few choice words.

"Fine, take it. You'll look hideous in in anyway." Rarity faltered for a moment, but refused to look back at the platinum blonde. However, Ino saw the quick flinch from the designer, and decided to press on. "But that's no surprise. Wearing that dress for shopping? On a day like today? You have no sense of fashion, do you?" That did it. Rarity froze and Naruto saw every muscle on her clench with her fists, and her right eye began to twitch.

"I knew this wasn't going to end well," sighed Naruto as Rarity snapped around, the fires of hell blazing in her eyes.

"How DARE you make such a claim!" she practically screeched. She got right in Ino's face and the girl began to sweat. "I'll have you know, I know more about fashion then you could ever imagine. Though trying to pass off those rags you're wearing as clothing would take quite the imagination." Now her hands began to glow with magic, much like Twilight's when she used magic as a human.

"Let's see if we can't improve your wardrobe." Fabric and ribbons began flying from all over the store, quickly wrapping around Ino tightly, engulfing her whole body, constricting her. Fluttershy let out a small 'eep' and ducked behind the Naruto clone, who didn't blame the pegasus-girl in the slightest. He began to back away because the unicorn-turned-human was actually starting to scare him.

"MMMMMMMmmm!" Ino tried to scream, but the fabric tightly wrapped around her mouth let only muffled sounds escape. Rarity looked over her work and adopted a mock thinking-pose.

"Oh dear, you're right," she said. "It doesn't go with your eyes at all. I guess we'll just have to cover those up." Ino's eyes widened as more fabric began moving around her head, wrapping the rest of her, aside from the nose. Rarity wasn't that cruel. When she was finished, Ino looked like a squirming mummy, wrapped in the finest fabrics and ribbons. "There," Rarity smiled sickeningly sweetly. "You look absolutely fabulous." Turning, she walked away with her head held high.

"That...was creepy," Naruto said as they left the store, having paid for the Rarity's 'inspiration.' Blushing, but not truly shaken, Rarity let out a little 'Hmph.'

"Serves her right, insulting my Fashion Sense," she said, though her face did begin to soften. "Though perhaps I did go overboard just a tad."

"A tad?" Naruto asked, giving Rarity a questioning look. He was prevented from saying more when he looked up to see several more clones leaping over buildings, and a multi-colored streak going across the sky. "Is Rainbow Dash flying without wings?" Spike and the girls, who also watched the pegasus-girl shoot overhead, nodded dumbly. "We should probably go find the others and find out what's going on."

Ino felt someone unwrapping her head. When her eyes readjusted to the light, she saw her pineapple-haired Nara teammate. "Shikamaru, good, get me out of here," she demanded, the Nara giving her a once over, knowing she couldn't have done this to herself.

"And what will you do if I do?" he asked, bored.

"We'll find the bitch that did this to me and kick her ass!" Shrieked the blonde. Shikamaru sighed, knowing she'd drag him into all of this. Standing up, he began to walk away. "What the hell are you doing, you Lazy-ass!?" Shouted Ino. "Get back here and untie me!" Shikamaru just whistled as he walked away, pretending not to have heard the still-bound girl. "SHIKAMARU NARA!"

"Well, it sounds like you all have had quite the day," Celestia said, having hearing the stories of the four ponies that were actually around. After meeting up with the Princesses at the Hokage Tower, and retrieving Konohamaru, group made their way up to the top of the Hokage Monument, looking out over the village as the sun began to set. It was a bit surreal to the royal sisters that it wasn't them controlling the shift from Day to Night. Really, the only thing that truly acted on its own in Equestria was the Everfree Forest.

The Ponies and Spike all nodded, while Naruto just sat on the ground, an ice-pack on his head, nursing the massive headache the day had been. That wasn't to say it hadn't been fun. He enjoyed the company of the ponies. They were almost always rather uplifting to be around. It was actually a rather enjoyable experience rooming at the library. Twilight was more often than not out with the other ponies, leaving the place plenty quiet for he and his clones to read. Besides that, he got to explore the town, hang out more with the girls. In particular, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack, who more often than not helped him sic the Cutie Mark Crusaders after Konohamaru. But the day had just been one mess after another, and combined with his clones, his head was pounding.

"I hope Dash and Pinkie get back here soon, so we can go back to Equestria and I can just go to bed," he said. No sooner did the words leave his mouth than an eruption of sand swirled behind them, drawing there attention, revealing Gaara, as well as the two missing pony girls.

"Woo Hoo!" shouted Pinkie Pie. "Again! Again!" Gaara rubbed his temples.

"I swear, Uzumaki, this one is related to you." Naruto would have responded, but he and the ponies were too preoccupied with gawking at the pink-haired pony-girl. Or more specifically, what she was wearing. Applejack looked at Rarity, watching the now slightly green girl swallow with some difficulty.

"Uh, Rarity? You Ok?" she asked.

"Fine," squeaked Rarity. "I just...I just threw up in my mouth a little bit..." Gone were the clothes that Pinkie Pie had been wearing, now replaced with the ungodly horror of a green spandex body-suit identical to Lee and Guy's.

"Pinkie Pie, what are you wearing?" asked Twilight asked, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous Pinkie looked. She didn't seem to notice as she smiled an tugged at the material hugging her skin.

"Neat, huh? I got it from Lee and Guy. It's my Super Awesome Ninja Suit." When she announced that, a trumpet fanfare seemed to play from nowhere and confetti dropped. Naruto's head zipped all around, trying to find the source of the sound effects and paper shreds, but could find nothing.

"As your friend, Pinkie, please take that hideous outfit off," Rarity said, and Pinkie, instead of arguing, just nodded her head.

"Okie Dokie Lokie!" she replied, giving her friend a mock salute and pulling off the spandex. But this left a different problem in it's wake. The fact that the girl was wearing absolutely nothing beneath...no clothes, no bra, no panties. While the ponies were for the most part indifferent, only wearing clothes on certain occasions, Naruto had a much larger reaction. He quickly covered Konohamaru's eyes, but couldn't stop himself from staring, his nose bleeding a bit. Pinkie noticed this and grew concerned. "Hey, Naruto, are you ok?" Shaking his head, Naruto took his gaze a way quickly, forcing himself not to stare at Pinkie's...oddly sexy human form, her perky breasts bouncing more than she normally did.

"I'm fine, Kinky-I mean...Pinkie," he replied, slipping on his own words. "Just please, put something on. I don't care if it's the spandex or what, but please." Pinkie looked confused, before reaching behind her back and pulling out the clothes she had arrived in. At this point, Naruto stopped questioning it. If Twilight and Rarity could use magic...if Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could fly...why couldn't Pinkie Pie defy the laws of reality here too. "So Gaara, you gonna come with us?" he asked as a way to change the subject. The Kazekage was silent for a moment before replying.

"Yes," he replied simply in his monotone. Celestia smiled at how delighted her sister looked at the declaration.

"You can stay at the palace with us," the Princess of the Sun announced. "Having one of you in Canterlot and one in Ponyville will better allow Luna and I to learn more about the Nations and your politics." Gaara nodded, seeing the reason behind both the lie and the telling of the lie. She lied so Naruto wouldn't become aware that he was being shipped off to protect him. But the lie itself was actually a very sound idea. Suna/Konoha and Equestria were allies now, and the sharing of information was part of the treaty.

"Can we get going already?" asked Naruto, rubbing his temples. Celestia had to stifle a laugh at the boy, who hadn't quite gotten used to the antics of her student and her friends.

"Twilight, if you would..." she said, and Twilight nodded, clasping her hands together, calling upon her magic to summon the portal home. A mist condensed in the air, beginning to swirl into the vortex between the Nations and Equestria. The princesses were the first to pass through, followed by Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Applejack and Spike were next, followed by Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Naruto and Konohamaru went through, before finally Twilight leapt through, closing the door behind her.

"Ah, Horn...Hooves...bags of clothes...all is right with the world," sighed Rarity, fixing her mane just a bit. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and both Princesses gave their wings a few flaps, apparently agreeing with the unicorn's sentiment. Applejack yawned slightly, before beginning to walk away.

"Well, ah had a mighty good time today, but ah think it's time fer me tah hit the hay," she said, tipping her hat to the Princesses, who nodded.

"I should go home as well," said Rarity. "I need to get these clothes home. I have an idea for a brand new line of clothing."

"How you holding up, Gaara?" asked Naruto, now looking over the newly transformed Unicorn. The Kaekage had a tan coat to match the color of his sand, and a red messy mane and tail, the kanji for 'Wind' on his flank, his status as Kazekage apparently recognized as his Cutie Mark. Beneath his mop of a mane, a horn sprung up, displacing the hair enough so that the 'love' tattoo adorning his forehead. Though he couldn't see it, a blush was quick to adorn the face of Princess Luna as she and her sister examined the new unicorn.

"It's going to be an adjustment, but I'll manage," he replied.

"Perhaps we should leave for the palace, sister," Luna suggested. "Allow Gaara the chance to settle in." Celestia smiled and nodded, getting in her chariot.

"I'll be waiting for your next report, Twilight," she said, as her chariot took off, Twilight waving.

"Bye Princess!" she shouted.

"I hope to see you around, Uzumaki." Gaara announced, joining Luna in her chariot, much to the Moon Princess's enjoyment.

"You know it," Naruto replied, as the two took off after Celestia. Saying goodbye to each other, the rest of the ponies decided to call it a day. By the time they got back to the Library, Spike was ready to sleep, plopping down in his basket. Konohamaru followed suit by sliding into his sleeping bag. But Twilight wasn't ready to sleep just yet. She pulled out her scrolls and began reading. She was determined to learn shadow clones, and here was her start. Naruto had no idea what he was getting into making Twilight Sparkle his unofficial student.

Author's Note

Chapter End

Hope you all enjoyed. And in case people were still wondering about the pairing, the official pairing is Naruto/Pinkie/Applejack.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or My Little Pony

Naruto's ear twitched as the sleeping shinobi-pony heard the sound of small hooves across the floor. Opening his eyes, he watched, still in a sleepy stupor, as Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom flew seemingly in slow motion, coming in for a landing on his stomach, knocking the wind out of the earth pony.

"Hey, Naruto, is Konohamaru around?" Scootaloo asked hopefully.

"Yeah!" continued Sweetie Belle. "We wanna see if he'll come with us and help us get our Cutie Marks." Naruto sighed and shook his head, before springing out of bed, causing the three fillies to be sent to the ceiling, screaming, before coming down for a far more graceful landing on Naruto's back, the pony now standing and carrying them down the library stairs.

"Well, considering I've been sleeping, I haven't actually seen Konohamaru, however, I believe Fluttershy managed to convince him to help oversee her animals while she helps Angel recover from his broken foot," he said, yawning.

Flashback

Naruto, Konohamaru, Twilight, and Spike had all gathered at Fluttershy's cottage for lunch as they tried to explain why the Everfree Forest was so terrifying. He wasn't impressed.

"Alright, the monsters in the forest, I could see you being afraid of. The whole 'nature working on its own' thing, not so much," Naruto said, his assistant nodding in agreement.

"Well, yes, but in our defense, nature works on its own...well, naturally in your world," Twilight responded. "It's not like that in Equestria. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are responsible for raising the sun and moon. The Pegasus ponies are responsible for making weather, and the earth ponies are the ones who grow things." Nobody noticed the pair of rabbit ears pop up behind the table, rather close to Spike's sandwich.

"Still, isn't nature, by definition, supposed to be natural?" Naruto questioned. Twilight was about to retort, but she then quirked an eyebrow, seeming to think about it for a second before shaking those thoughts from her head. As Naruto smirked and the unicorn glared, Spike reached for his sandwich at the exact same time as a tiny rabbit's paw. None of the four ponies paid this any mind.

"So, um, Naruto..." said Fluttershy, tripping over her words. "'d love to know more about the summon animals. They sound fascinating." Naruto laughed.

"They usually are, unless they're trying to eat you," he replied, getting a quirked eyebrow. Deciding to elaborate, still not noticing the dragon and bunny beginning to form an almost cartoonish big ball of violence, he continued. "My teacher once purposely used a technique to trap us in the mouth, throat, and stomach of the giant mountain toad. Then there was that time I actually was eaten by a snake summon, but I got out of that by cloning myself so many times in its stomach that it burst." Twilight looked ready to puke while Fluttershy gasped in horror. Trying to diffuse a situation before it began, he added "The snake summon lived, it just had to return to the summon realm to heal." Sure it was a lie, but he had already learned that if there was one thing that made Fluttershy angry, it was harm coming to animals...any animals. He relaxed when Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief, though he could still tell she was miffed.

"Ugh, and I thought Snakes were scary before. I'd hate to meet one of those giant snake summons," Twilight said with a shiver.

"I'm sure they can't be that bad," Fluttershy countered, but she was met with a deadpan look from both Naruto and Twilight.

"The Boss Snake, Manda, demands sacrifices...not just blood, but living sacrifices, to summon him, and some high ranked members of the snake clan do as well," Naruto said. "I hate to break it to you Fluttershy, but some animals are mean. Some are downright demons." The ladies and Konohamaru saw his eye twitch and he rubbed his temples with his hooves.

"You ok?" asked Twilight, and Naruto nodded.

"Just a headache...a very big headache." A crash was heard, finally drawing attention to the escalating fight between Angel and Spike.

"Angel!/Spike!" shouted Fluttershy and Twilight respectively, rushing in to separate the two, but not before the bunny put his foot across Spike's rear so hard they could hear a sickening crunch, and the white rabbit winced as it now hopped on only one foot.

"That bunny just kicked a dragon's ass...figuratively and literally..." Konohamaru stated, mouth agape. Naruto just nodded dumbly.

"Nature is so fascinating," he said as Fluttershy rushed around her cottage to prepare her first-aid supplies.

Flashback End

"And as much as I'd love to help you girls wrangle up a colt-friend, I don't think Fluttershy would appreciate her help suddenly vanishing." The Crusaders looked a little down about that, but Apple Bloom suddenly smiled and climbed onto the stallion's head.

"Hey, do ya wanna help us find our cutie marks?" she asked sweetly. Naruto just shook his head. Such obsession with these markings. He looked at his own, the red spiral he knew was the symbol of the Uzumaki clan, his long dead family. He had found out about them in his travels with Jiraiya, who himself revered them as the greatest fuuinjutsu masters of their time. It made it all the more special to know he was from a great clan. He smiled a sad smile. It was only after learning about them, that he managed to grill the Pervy Sage enough to spill the beans on his parents.

"Yeah, come on, Big Bro," begged Scootaloo. The pegasus filly, after learning more about shinobi, no doubt Konohamaru's revenge for always sicking the girls on him, had begun looking up to the blonde almost like she did Rainbow Dash. He enjoyed her company. She was like he was, when he was younger. Always ready for action, to get the respect and admiration she craved. The first time he called her 'little sister' she was hooked. Being an only child, she never had what Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had.

"I'm not sure I'm the best person to help you three out with that," Naruto said, eliciting a few groans and 'awwwws' from the trio. "Besides, I have places to be."

"But Naruto, you an' Konohamaru already had your cutie marks when y'all came here. And Applejack said humans ain't got cutie marks o' their own, so you gotta know how to get one." Naruto sighed as he heard the reasoning behind the Crusaders' request, and their reasoning wasn't necessarily off. He had read up on the cutie marks, and while to him they didn't seem so important, to the ponies, it was quite possibly one of, if not the most important moment of their lives when they received their marks.

"And that's because Konohamaru, Gaara, and I, all know what exactly it is that make us special." The girls all scoffed. They knew from asking Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, that some form of sappy story was bound to come from this. Booorrrrriiiinnnnggg.

"Yeah, yeah, we know, we learned all about this in school. The Cutie Mark represents a pony's special talent. What we need is to figure out which talent is ours." Naruto rolled his eyes as the fillies leapt from his back and exited the library with him, heading into town so Naruto could get some breakfast before heading to Sweet Apple Acres. While he would apparently receive a monthly stipend of bits for acting as an ambassador to the Nations,and as a bonus would soon be getting his own place for he and Konohamaru to live, he found himself in need of spending money. After a week of boredom, he decided to get a job...but not knowing what he'd be good at, he decided to take any and all that came his way. He became something of a hired hand, doing odd jobs, just like the genin and chuunin do in the Hidden Villages, and he would work out a price for his services, always making sure never to over-charge.

Unfortunately for the Apple's, the harvest was going rather slowly, so Applejack decided as long as Naruto was willing to do the random jobs, she could afford to pay him a few bits to buck some trees to get them back on schedule. Naruto was against being paid for that particular job, seeing as he didn't want to be charging his friends, but the Pony was as stubborn as a mule, saying if he didn't accept the pay, she wouldn't accept the help. That stubborn pride reminded him of someone, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out who.

Stopping at Sugarcube Corner, Naruto smiled at the Pink Pony behind the counter. "Hey Pinkie Pie," he said with a slight wave of the hoof to the mare, excited as ever for her friend to stop in. "I'll just have a chocolate-chip muffin, please...you girls want anything?" He directed the last question at the crusaders.

"Chocolate Cupcake please!" Scootaloo said.

"Make it two," chimed in Sweetie Belle.

"Ah don't know," said Apple Bloom. "Applejack don't like it when ah eat sweets this early." Naruto scoffed.

"Applejack isn't here now, is she? And I won't tell if Pinkie won't," he said, and the pink earth pony let loose a giggle, snorting a bit with her laughter, while running her hoof over her mouth as a way to say her lips were sealed.

"The secret is safe with me, Ponies," she said, and Apple Bloom smiled.

"Then ya better make it three chocolate cupcakes," she said, bumping hooves with Naruto. Maybe a little sugar rush would make Applejack think twice before being so stubborn. As Pinkie handed them the treats and Naruto conversely handed her the payment, she stopped them from leaving just yet.

"Don't forget Naruto, you promised to come by tomorrow and taste the new recipes I've been working on," she said. Naruto turned and flashed her a grin.

"Wouldn't miss it, Pinkie," he said. "I never break a promise." The two ponies gave each other a mock salute, before breaking out into silly faces and laughing. After spending the last two weeks with the ponies, in particular the six mares representing the 'Elements of Harmony,' or whatever they were called, Naruto found himself being more and more upbeat and happy, and it showed.

"Anyway," he said as they continued to walk. "Gaara, because of being the Kazekage, the wind-shadow, leader of the Hidden Sand Village, has our symbol for 'Wind' as his cutie mark. His desire to help and protect the people of his village is what makes him special. Konohamaru's dream, similarly, is to become the Hokage, leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, like his grandfather. He wants to protect the village and live up to the legacy his grandfather left. His cutie mark is the symbol of the leaf village, Konoha, for which he was named." He really had the attention of the three fillies now. "What I'm trying to say, I guess, is that your cutie mark isn't necessarily about seeking out for what you can do. It's about who you are as an individual."

"Come on, bro," groaned Scootaloo. "You sound like everyone else." Naruto rolled his eyes and ruffled her mane, much to the pegasus' irritation.

"Did you ever think that the reason that we all sound the same is because we all know what we're talking about?" replied Naruto.

"But that's so boring!" Scootaloo pouted.

"Just be patient, my little pega-sis," said Naruto, chuckling at his little play on words. "When it happens, it happens. And someday, you'll be telling little blank-flanks the same thing we've all been telling you three."

"How'd you become an expert in two weeks, Naruto?" Sweetie Belle asked. Naruto just shrugged.

"I read...a lot..." It wasn't really a lie. It was mainly his clones doing the actual reading though. Being careful so that he wouldn't go comatose from information overload, he had still managed to read nearly a quarter of the Ponyville library, and it was making Twilight Sparkle all the more eager to learn about chakra so he could possibly teach her how to do the same.

"So what does your cutie mark mean?" Scootaloo asked, and once again, Naruto took a look at the red spiral on his flank.

"Well, that's complicated," he replied. "The Whirlpool Spiral could have multiple meanings, depending on who knows me. It could be a way to say I'm a little chaotic and random. Back home I was known as the Number one, hyper-active, knucklehead ninja." The three fillies giggled.

"Sounds like yer related to Pinkie Pie," Apple Bloom laughed, and Naruto sighed, grumbling a little bit about how the red-maned filly was the second one to say such a thing.

"Or..." he continued, trying to get back on topic. "It could have to do with my family, as the spiral is the symbol of my mother's family, and I've been trying to live up to them and my parents since I found out about them." The group arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, and the Crusaders left Naruto to his business. Moving into the orchard, Naruto found Applejack easily enough, and she was more than happy to see the stallion.

"Howdy there, Naruto," she greeted with a smile. "Am I glad to see you. But uh...ain't ya a little early?" The earth pony just chuckled.

"Yeah, I kinda had a Cutie Mark Crusader Wake-up call," he replied, and the apple farmer just laughed with him.

"Sorry 'bout that," she replied. "Those three can be a hoof-ful." Naruto nodded, reassuring her that he wasn't upset with her little sister. However, that was neither here, nor there, and since he had never actually done any apple-bucking, he had to have Applejack show him how it was done. She was quite impressed at how quickly he got it down. At first, he couldn't even cause the apples to sway, but with the application of chakra into his hind legs, he sent every apple falling. The Mare whistled, showing just how impressed she really was.

"Well, that's one down," she announced, before motioning with her front hooves the massive number of trees they had yet to go. "But we still got a lot to go if we're gonna get the harvest back on track."

"Well, how about I speed things along," he replied, channeling his chakra and clapping his hooves together, imagining in his mind the cross-shaped symbol used for the shadow clone jutsu. Applejack had to step back in shock and awe at the hundred clones now standing at a tree each.

"Ah...ah knew you could copy yourself...but ah didn't know y'all could make this many!" she exclaimed, and Naruto just chuckled with glee as he gave the mare a big smile.

"Please," he said "Don't go underestimating me. I can make at least ten times this many clones before I start to tire." The farm mare was flabbergasted. To say the work went quite a bit faster than Applejack expected was a severe understatement. She had never seen so much bucking get done in such a short period of time. At the rate they were working, the harvest was not only back on schedule, they would finish ahead of time. And less time in the orchard meant more time selling the product, which meant more money for the farm.

"Dang. Ah really should be paying you more," Applejack said, and Naruto groaned, bucking another tree as he did so.

"Come on, AJ, we've been through this. You're a friend, so I shouldn't even be charging you. All those friendship reports Twilight goes on about and you haven't learned that friends are supposed to help each other?"

"I know that, but you need help too. You need these bits until you start getting paid for being an ambassador. I know y'all ain't comfortable havin' Twilight payin' fer your food and such." Naruto growled. While he hated to admit it, the stubborn Mare did have a point.

"Well, then pay me what we agreed, and that'll be the end of it," he announced, but Applejack shook her head.

"With all the help you're givin' us? You deserve way more than that."

"But this is nothing. It's not a big effort to make this many clones, and it's not like I have to feed them," Naruto argued, but Applejack would hear nothing of it.

"But you're still gettin' the work done, and fast too," she rebuffed. "Ah feel like you're gettin' cheated, and as the Element of Honesty, ah ain't havin' none of that." The two were now quite literally butting heads.

"You'll pay me what we agreed upon, and no more," grunted Naruto, pressing harder to try and force the stubborn mare back, but she matched his strength.

"Ah'm payin' you what y'all earned!" she replied through grit teeth.

"I refuse to accept," Naruto growled.

"And ah refuse your refusal!" Applejack proclaimed, her voice starting to raise.

"Am I interrupting something?" The eyes of Stallion and Mare both looked to the side to see Konohamaru leaning against a tree, snickering at the two. Realizing why exactly the colt was chuckling, they pulled their faces apart, cheeks reddened. "Do you two wanna be alone so you can finish your lovers' spat?" As the younger shinobi laughed, he didn't take notice of the tick mark appearing on the face of his boss until said ninja wrapped a hoof around him.

"Excuse me for a second," he told Applejack, who like himself was thoroughly irritated with Konohamaru's teasing. In a swirl of wind, the two had vanished, leaving behind only a few drifting leaves.

The two appeared outside the clubhouse of the three Cutie Mark Crusaders. Konohamaru's eyes went wide and he frantically pleaded with Naruto. But it was all for naught as Naruto unleashed a mighty mule-kick sending the younger ninja flying inside, causing squeals of delight from the three fillies. The blonde snickered a bit, before using the shunshin to return to Applejack. Unfortunately, when he got back, two sacs of bits were thrown at him. Twisting and knocking them back over to Applejack, he glared.

"I told you, only what we agreed on. I'm not gonna charge a friend as much as anyone else," he said. Applejack shared his glare.

"And ah told you, you need the bits more 'n we do, least til y'all are settled in," she said, kicking the bags of bits back at the blonde, who caught the first, before adding only the amount the two had earlier discussed into his own wallet. He then promptly dropped the rest on the ground and began trotting away, prompting wide-eyes from the farm pony, before they narrowed again and she growled. "That stallion is as stubborn as a mule."

"Eeyup," a new voice agreed, her brother Big Macintosh, who had watched the whole scene. "'Course, he ain't the only pony. You ain't exactly a very easy pony to deal with either. Or did y'all forget about that, Ms. Ah-can-harvest-all-them-apples-by-myself?" Her brother rarely spoke more than a few words, but Applejack had to admit, when he did speak, he usually had a point. She had the decency to look sheepish, before grabbing the discarded bags of bits and taking off after the stallion.

Big Mac just shook his head, before trotting off in the opposite direction. "One o' these days I'm gonna have to have a looooooong talk with that Mare."

Author's Note

Chapter end

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 7

Hey everyone! FINALLY got a chapter out. It's short, but it at least resolves the deal with the bits from last chapter lol. Hope everyone enjoys.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own MLP:FIM

Princess Luna yawned as she rose from her bed, dashing the blankets from her body. She moved toward the window and looked out at the orange sunset. It was near time for the nightly raising of the moon. Making sure she looked perfect, as was befitting a royal, she groggily opened her door and stepped out into the halls of the palace. Her destination was the north tower, which was much taller than all the others, giving not only the closest location to the sky without flying, but also giving the best view.

Rounding a corner, she came to a halt as she nearly bumped into the human-turned-unicorn Gaara. “My apologies, Princess,” he announced in that same quiet monotone. “I should have been watching where I was going.” A blush adorned Luna's cheeks, though Gaara didn't seem to notice.

“No harm done, Lord Kazekage,” the Alicorn replied, trying to keep to formalities, but Gaara seemed disinterested.

“While I was Kazekage to my village, that title is meaningless here. I would prefer to be addressed by my name, if you would.” Luna just nodded, not able to will herself to speak. Gaara continued. “I take it you are going to raise the moon?” Again, Luna nodded, but this time found her courage.

“Would you care to join me?” she blurted out. “You have claimed that you dare not sleep, and I am quite lonely.” Her eyes widened as Gaara's eyebrow quirked and she realized exactly how that sounded. “That is to say, I could use a bit of company besides my night guard. Most of the ponies around here sleep at night, except sister on occasion.” The unicorn's expression was, as usual, unreadable, before he answered.

“Alright,” he replied, turning around to the direction the Princess was headed, falling in stride to walk next to the alicorn, whose face was practically glowing. Neither noticed the strange, black fog that seemed to manifest itself from the shadows, before drifting out a nearby window.

“So...Gaara,” Luna began, trying to make conversation. “Has your stay in the castle been pleasant thus far?”

“It is different, I admit,” he replied. “My villagers are a desert people. I am not used to Canterlot. Or Equestria in general.” Luna's smile faltered for a moment, before Gaara continued. “But I must also admit, I enjoy the more peaceful atmosphere of Equestria as compared to the Nations. Perhaps when this mess with Akatsuki is done and over with, I will keep my position as ambassador. I know first hand the things that my world can turn its people into. Insanity is sometimes our only escape...this place is paradise in comparison.” The Night Princess let loose a sigh of relief. So Gaara did indeed like it in Equestria. The Kazekage noticed this sigh and voiced what Luna believed was whatever form of concern he could manage.

“Is anything the matter?” he asked simply. Luna laughed nervously. Had Gaara known her better, he would have realized how uncharacteristic of her it seemed.

“I've just not fully woken yet,” she lied. “For most ponies, this is a time of preparation for sleep. For myself, however, it is instead time to awaken.” Gaara nodded, though he didn't fully comprehend the mechanics of sleep, due to his aversion to it. He however did recognize that there were some who simply were not 'morning people.' That is to say, those who were groggy and even irate after waking. He dealt with plenty of that from Temari, even more so when she realized he was unlikely to kill her for it. At least Luna cared enough about her appearance to do something about her bed-head.

They scaled the staircase to the top of the tower, stepping out into the open dusk. Gaara had never seen the moon-raising before, and had to admit he was legitimately interested. The forces of nature here were controlled by the ponies here, and that intrigued him, because that possibility in some ways showed that the ponies potentially had more power than shinobi. Control over the sun or moon were no laughing matter, and given that the ponies kept their abilities in the Nations and vice versa, if for some reason conflict would break out between worlds, the Princesses alone could potentially wipe out most humans in the world.

Luna eyed the unicorn and took a deep breath, hoping to impress Gaara with this. Flying to a spot above the tower, her eyes and horn glowed and her entire body was covered in an enchanting aura. Out on the horizon, Gaara watched amazed as the moon began to be pulled into the sky above. His horn began to glow as sand began to zip around his body. It wasn't Shukaku either.

As she descended back to the roof, she took note of the still emotionless Gaara and his sand. Blushing, the alicorn just smiled, sheepishly.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto had easily managed to give Applejack the slip. He didn't even need his clones. Just a few good leaps to the rooftops had him slipping around Ponyville with ease. It was ridiculous for him to have had to do that of course, and had Applejack not needed to be awake early, he was certain the mare would have continued the chase throughout the night. Element of Honesty his hoof. More like Element of Stubbornness.

He decided to play it safe and sleep outside that night. It didn't bother him, and he could just lay around on the roof he was on, stargazing. As his eyes began to slip closed, he didn't notice the lone, stray storm cloud inching closer and closer to the spot above his head. Nor did he notice the rainbow-maned mare peaking out from behind it, a practically evil grin plastered on her face.

The blonde sputtered as he was hit with what could only be described as a torrential downpour. And hit right in the face, at that. Looking skyward, he spied Rainbow Dash on top of the cloud, laying on her back and laughing up a storm. “HAHAHA!” she bellowed, wiping a stray tear. “Sorry Naruto,” she wheezed. “Applejack totally dared me. But the look on your face was just awesome!” She looked back down at the stallion and laughed even more at his soaked, deadpan stare. Because of her laughter, she didn't see the blank look become a twisted grin, and also missed the swirling blue mass appearing in his hoof. Channeling his chakra into his legs, he pounced. Dash made a severe mistake keeping her cloud lower to increase her accuracy.

Rainbow Dash suddenly stopped laughing as the cloud she was on began to shake, before starting to spin. Had she thought about it, she would have just flown off, but unfortunately for Dashie, she didn't think fast enough this time. “Woahoahoahoah!” she shouted. “I! Think! I'm! Gonna! Be! Sick!” As Naruto descended back to the roof, the cloud began to spin slower and slower, eventually resembling an ice-cream cone, with bits of rainbow mane sticking out like sprinkles.

The cloud poofed away as Dash shook herself, trying to regain her bearings. Her vision was still spinning, so she decided to move to ground level. Bad move. Naruto winced as his friend crashed into the roof, not five feet from him, still dizzy as ever. She stood up, a bit wobbly at first, shaking her head to try and throw off the shock and dizziness.

“So, Applejack dared you, huh?” Naruto said with a chuckle. “That stubborn mare will not learn, will she? I've told her, I'll only accept what we agreed upon, and no more.”

“Why don't you just take the bits?” Dash asked, finally achieving stability on her hooves. “She's the element of honesty. If she thinks you're not getting your fair share, she's not gonna stop until you do.” Naruto scoffed.

“She's got to give in eventually,” he reasoned, but Dash just snorted in reply.

“Trust me. She will not give up until those bits are in your hooves. You may be one tough stallion, but the only one I know that could out-stubborn a mule is AJ,” she said, staring blankly at shinobi as he gave her an incredulous look. Finally, the orange stallion shook his head with a sigh.

“Whatever. I'll deal with it tomorrow. But I need to be up to visit Pinkie Pie tomorrow. I promised her I'd come taste her new recipes. So if you wouldn't mind keeping the skies clear, so I can get some sleep?” Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly.

“Yeah, sorry...um, before you go to sleep, could you do one more thing for me?” Naruto raised an eyebrow as in a multicolored blur, Dash shot off and quickly returned with another small cloud, sitting on top with her wings outstretched, looking at Naruto hopefully. The stallion smiled, forming another Rasengan.

The late night crowd looked up to see the rainbow-maned pony flying in an arch overhead, shouting what sounded something like, “THISSSS ISSSSSS AWESOMEEEEEEE!”

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Morning had come even sooner than he thought, and the first thing he saw when he woke up? Was a hat, and a pair of green eyes. He didn't have time to think of how she found him, he pushed the bits back to the mare, and took off in a cloud of dust. He knew she was hot on his trail, well, if the yells of 'Get back here!' were any indication. As zipped around a corner, a light bulb lit up above his head.

Applejack slid to a stop. Her green eyes glanced around. She was near Carousel Boutique, and she saw her target fly by here. That stubborn stallion! If he would just pony up and take the bits, she wouldn't have to chase him all over Ponyville. Then her eyes caught a glimpse of movement, but before she could give chase, she saw Naruto leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

“Oh no ya don't!” She began to run, only for Naruto to leap over her head. She looked all around her, and saw several Naruto's doing various things. “...uh, did I get enough sleep?” She shook the thought from her head, remembering his ability to copy himself, and decided to give chase. One of them had to be the real one.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Inside Sugarcube Corner, Naruto watched as Applejack galloped by the window. He wiped the sweat from his face with a sigh. Didn't that stubborn mare ever give up? He quickly ducked his head as he saw Applejack run by again, and she was hot on the tail of one of his clones. That'll keep her busy...

“...looks like she's having fun.” A voice whispered in his ear, and he quickly paled. He slowly glanced back, only to see Pinkie right next to him. She quickly poked her head out of the window. “Come on, girl! Catch him!” Naruto paled even more, and quickly ducked back down as Applejack turned their way.

“Shh!!” Naruto shushed, then walked towards the counter. When it looked like Applejack wasn't gonna burst down the door to forcefully give him the bits, Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief. “So, what's this new recipe?”

Naruto looked back to Pinkie, only to see her missing. He quickly paled again as a voice entered his ear. “Let's see! I know it's around here... somewhere.”

“Ah!” Naruto leapt back, and saw Pinkie was already in the kitchen. “How do you...”

Pinkie placed several cakes onto the counter. It was faster than Naruto could keep up with. “Alright! First up is this gorgeous looking thing. Look at her shake her stuff!” Naruto looked at the cake, and indeed it was jiggling. He also wondered where Pinkie got that microphone. “Say 'ello to the.... marshmallow cake!” She indicated the pure white cake before him. He gulped. The cake had yellow icing covering the side. To him, it looked good. But it was Pinkie that made it...

With a sigh, he bit into the cake. Only for his eyes to widen. He pulled back, only for a marshmallow string to follow him. And before he could blink, he was whipped back into the cake.

“Hehehe.” Pinkie poked the white stuff that now covered Naruto, who found it hard to talk. “Hmmm! Yep. One too many marshmallows.” She placed a hoof to her chin, and whispered to herself. “Perhaps ten bags were a tad too much. Maybe more love next time... ooh, or maybe, just maybe... I should add a banana to it.”

“...” Naruto mumbled. He opened his mouth, but the marshmallows kept it glued closed. His eyes narrowed at Pinkie, but that smile... he sighed. He couldn't stay mad at her. But, he was currently stuck on the counter. Maybe Konohamaru would just happen to be walking by and notice his predicament? Nah, with what he pulled earlier, the young Sarutobi would leave him to his marshmallow-y death.

“Mmmmmhssminf,” he tried to say. Apparently that was mouth-full speak for, “Pinkie Pie, help me.” The Pink Mare just giggled, unable to understand him. She merely took it as him liking her new confectionery masterpiece. She was partly right. Naruto couldn't deny it was delicious. Though to be fair, he had more pressing matters to deal with, such as his inability to break away from the giant ball of marshmallow.

“Hey,” Pinkie said. “Save some for me!” Opening her mouth impossibly wide, she took a great bite of her invention. It wasn't until she tried to pull back that she realized Naruto's predicament. She tried her hardest to break free, but like a sling-shot, was rocketed forward into the stallion, sending them both flying into the back wall, crashing and falling to the floor as the pots and pans hanging from the rack on the wall collapsed onto them.

“Hmmmm,” Naruto groaned, mouth still glued shut. Opening his eyes, they shot open far wider and faster when he realized his mouth was now stuck to not only a hunk of cake, but to Pinkie Pie's mouth as well, their lips bound by the sticky treat. Despite being a pony, Naruto was still very much a male, but found it very uncomfortable kissing his pony friend. It was just so...awkward. Granted, not the most awkward kiss of his life, but definitely up there. Blushing, he tried to pull apart from Pinkie Pie, who was try to speak, though muffled by both the cake and his own mouth. Despite her pink coat, there was a very distinct blush upon the mare's cheeks as well.

Looking each other in the eyes, Naruto banged his hoof on the floor three times, to which Pinkie responded with a blink. It wasn't too hard to figure out what he was getting at. Again, he knocked on the floor, once, twice, and on the third time, each pulled themselves as far apart as possible, stretching the marshmallow until it threatened to finally come apart. Unfortunately, it couldn't back up those threats, as again, the cake snapped back, slamming the two's lips together and causing them to collapse on the floor, Pinkie on top of the now severely dazed Naruto. As he shook his head, and by extension Pinkie Pie's as well, he began to hear what sounded like suppressed giggling.

The two shifted their eyes to the door, where both Rarity and Applejack had entered, giggling like school-fillies at their predicament. “Well look what we got here,” the farm mare said, still laughing, despite a slight blush on her own face. “He went from a Shinobi, to a Pony, and now looks like he's a little love-bird.” Naruto's blush deepened and he tried to speak, but all that came out still was unrecognizable muffled noise.

“They do look rather...sweet together,” joked Rarity. First it was Konohamaru and her sister to poke fun at, and now this. She'd never let the shinobi live it down. Applejack leaned in closely to speak.

“I can get y'all out of this, but you'll have to take those bits I owe you.” Naruto growled, but begrudgingly nodded. He just wanted out of this situation as quickly as possible, despite the hit to his pride. Nodding to Rarity, Applejack moved behind Naruto, throwing a lasso around his waist. The fashionista on the other hand levitated Pinkie with her magic. “On the count of three,” Applejack announced. “One, two, THREE!” Pulling with all her might, as well as with help from Naruto, Applejack tried to free the stuck blonde from Pinkie Pie, who was being telekinetically forced back by Rarity. After what in mere seconds felt like eternity, the Marshmallow holding the two together finally came apart, flinging Naruto and Pinkie Pie across the room for the third time that morning. Luckily, at least this time, they were separate.

Unfortunately, the problem then became how to get rid of the marshmallows in their mouth, the bizarrely sticky thing keeping Naruto and Pinkie Pie's mouths stuck shut now, rather than too each other. Amazingly enough, Pinkie actually had the solution for that one. Naruto suddenly found his mouth wedged open by a funnel, watching as Pinkie Pie dumped...hot chocolate in his mouth? She poured in quite a bit before guzzling some herself. It did its job, easily melting the sticky mess and freeing their jaws. Gasping, they each collapsed on the floor.

“Oh yeah,” Pinkie said as Applejack dropped the bits in front of him before leaving, her mission finally accomplished. As long as she or Rarity kept this a secret from Konohamaru, Naruto would begrudgingly take them. “Definitely need to add a banana to that cake...Banana-Marshmallow goodness.” As she licked her lips, seemingly having forgotten the whole ordeal, Naruto just stared at her in a combination of confusion, and acceptance. Rolling his eyes, he dropped back to the floor.

Author's Note

Chapter end.

Yay, finally got this one out lol. Been pulling my hair out trying to figure it out, and I finally got it done.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or MLP

Night had fallen over Ponyville and many of the ponies had settled into their beds for the night. Naruto and Konohamaru were each in their brand new beds, in their brand new home, already snoring in synch, despite being in separate rooms. They had moved their things in that morning, and found it to be quite comfortable.

At the library, Spike was snuggled into the basket that served as his bed, out like a light, while Twilight was still up, looking over her scrolls. Dropping on her flank, she held her front hooves together, trying to imagine the hand-seal depicted. She shook in her deep focus, clenching her teeth and trying to reach deep down to tap into her chakra. It was far different than using her magic, and it was beginning to frustrate the unicorn. A slight blue glow began to exude from her body as she felt...something, expand inside of her. She breathed a sigh as she realized she had managed to tap into her chakra, before her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she fell onto the floor, on her back. Anyone watching might have been worried, until they heard the mare's soft breathing, indicating she had merely fallen asleep, exhausted.

Rarity, who had already closed up her shop for the night, dried herself as she headed for her room, having just gotten out of a hot bath. Sneaking a peak into her sister's room, she smiled as she noted Sweetie Belle was out cold, a bit of drool leaking from her mouth onto her pillow. Rarity silently giggled at the unicorn filly, before she again began her nightly bed-time ritual. A facial mask scrubbed onto her face, as well as a few cucumber slices over her eyes as she pulled her blankets over her body. Within moments, she was peacefully asleep.

Rainbow Dash had no such trouble. She was good and well asleep before her head hit the cloud that served as her bed...Not in her cloud mansion. Rather, she had settled in for a late afternoon nap on a stray cloud, and had yet to wake up. Her wings flapped absently in her dreams, and she mumbled a bit of incoherent babble.

Down below in Fluttershy's cottage, the mare had fallen softly asleep in her bed, tuckered out from a long day of caring for her animals, in particular, several that had recently been sick. Hopping into her bed, Angel pulled the blanket over the exhausted mare, before deciding to hit the sack himself. Leaping back off the bed, he maneuvered onto one foot, rubbing the other with a pained look. Hadn't quite finished healing yet after kicking Spike's can. But it was totally worth it.

But while the other ponies were busy dreaming of learning, clothing, animals, and cheering crowds, two were dreaming of something, or somepony, different. While her brother and sister were both sound asleep, Applejack was caught in a rather...bizarre dream. Trapped in a long corridor without doors or windows, the farm mare was forced to follow the tunnel towards a opening filled with light, and a delicious smell. She continued down, coming closer and closer until she entered...the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner? No wonder everything smelled so good.

“What the hay is goin' on around here?” she asked, not expecting an answer. But she got one, in the form of muffled shouts and groans. Turning, she was greeted to the sight of Pinkie Pie and Naruto once more trapped mouth to mouth by Pinkie's marshmallow confection. For some reason, looking at the two like that gave her a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Ah, for Celestia's sake...” she groaned. Looking around the room, she managed to find ten readily made cups of hot chocolate...it struck her as odd, but then she remembered that she was dealing with Pinkie Pie.

Using one of the cups, she forced the two apart as best as she could, before using the cocoa like acid, dissolving the marshmallow just as it had earlier. Before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, Applejack nudged Pinkie out of the way, moving right into Naruto's face. “My turn,” she announced, her face red and her voice almost commanding in tone, before pressing her own lips to Naruto's.

Combined with Pinkie Pie's confetti, which she could pull out of nowhere to begin with, her own moaning in pleasure was shocking enough to cause the mare to rocket up in her bed in shock, blushing like there was no tomorrow. There was no way. She didn't...she couldn't...She was not one of those silly mares who falls for a stallion at first sight. Maybe she was just going into heat. At least then she had an excuse for dreaming what she did. She just hoped that it would end soon. Not soon enough though. Applejack got no more sleep that night.

Across Ponyville, Pinkie Pie lay on her side in her own bed, her legs moving as though she were running from something. Deep inside a dream of her own, she too was going down a long, straight hallway, just like Applejack's, though she didn't know that. When she finally ran through into the next room, just as with the farm mare, she found herself in the Sugarcube kitchen. Her eyes widened at what she saw and she opened her mouth and let out a shrill scream.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!” She yelled, before lunging in and grabbing hold of the large, white blob in a hug. “Oh, my Marshmallow Cake...how delicious you are...” It jiggled slightly from her movements and she sighed, licking the icing. “Did you miss Mommy? Mommy missed you, yes she did...” Taking another lick, she savored the flavor, trying to figure out what she was tasting.

“Hey, this isn't my special icing,” she announced. “The texture is all weird...not bad though...it's kind of salty...”

“What...is that?” Turning, Pinkie saw Naruto had entered the kitchen and her ears perked up, before she bounced toward the stallion.

“Naruto, Naruto, I haven't seen you since you had the cake earlier!” She announced cheerfully. “You sure ran out of Sugarcube corner in a hurry.” Naruto blushed and giggled nervously.

“Yeah...about that...” He was interrupted by a giggle from the pink mare.

“What are you doing here, silly?” Pinkie giggled as she bounced around the young stallion.

Naruto's head started spinning as the mare circled him. “...where is 'here' exactly?”

Pinkie vanished from her spot, and appeared next to a large white blob on the floor, if one could call it that. It looked more like a waffle. And was that an angel she was making in the white stuff? “...ah! Paradise!”

“What exactly is going on here?” Naruto cried, exacerbated. “Why is the floor a waffle, why are you rolling around in...butter? And wh-” Pinkie's hoof covered his mouth quickly.

“Shhhhhh!” she whispered, almost harshly. “This is the best part!” Before he could even ask why, the two were suddenly doused with a torrent of Maple syrup. When the downpour ceased, a drenched and sticky Naruto just stared at the pink mare, right eye twitching. With a Giggle and a snort, Pinkie took a large bite off the floor.

“Boy, is this syrup sticky,” she giggled, before getting a little too close to Naruto's face for the stallion's comfort. “Does it remind you of anything?” Leaping onto the stallion, she locked lips with his, sticking them together once more. Back in the real world, Pinkie Pie giggle in her sleep, mumbling a few incoherent descriptions about the look on Naruto's face.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Luna looked slightly taken aback as she pulled out of Pinkie Pie's dream. She had somewhat anticipated Applejack's reaction, but Pinkie was far too unpredictable to properly judge. But in the end, she was just doing her job. Ensuring pleasant dreams for ponies. While Applejack seemed a little unhappy with hers, as she concluded from the Mare's abrupt awakening, it wasn't Luna's fault. When it came to things such as dreams of romance, Luna could only manipulate them so long as the ponies in question had at least some form of legitimate feelings for the other. Meaning no matter how she tried to deny it, Applejack did indeed feel something for the Shinobi-turned-Stallion.

Pinkie Pie obviously had them too, but seemed far more naïve about her own feelings. Perhaps she was simply oblivious, or perhaps she lacked the maturity to understand what she herself was feeling. She was dealing with thoughts that made her feel bizarre, but in a very good way, and being the element of laughter, she perhaps was less interested in the source of these new feelings, and instead just wanted more. Things were going to get very interesting for Naruto in the near future, she knew that. While two Mares expressing romantic interest would certainly be intimidating, having two emotionally confused mares doing so was even worse. All she could do was to keep up with their dreams and try to help them each understand what they had begun to feel for the Ninja. It was the least she could do for the ones who had freed her from her darkness, as well as the friend of the one who she could deny no longer had stolen her own heart.

Speaking of, the stallion in question was currently gazing at her moon, in a sort of trance. She had come to learn that his meditation was as close to sleep he could come without his demon coming to the surface. The two sat in the center of the palace garden-maze, merely star gazing in between Luna's quick jaunts into the Realm of Dreams. It would figure that she would go through the trouble of convincing Gaara to come out with her, and then spend her night working. But then, she had her duties, and they were important ones. Her sister had tried to make due in her thousand-year imprisonment, but as powerful as her sister was, she was never quite as skilled in dream-walking as Luna.

“Princess Luna...?” The voice of Gaara broke her from her thoughts. She thought he was in meditation.

“Oh, Kaz-, I mean, Gaara...” Luna smile sheepishly. But she nodded to Gaara to indicate that she was alright. Both turned towards the large moon that shone overhead. It was as if it was a bright halo that hung over the world. It was quite stunning, especially seeing how the light illuminated the stallion before her. “Beautiful mane... I mean, light, I meant night!”

Gaara nodded. Temari usually mixed up words when she got either frustrated, very tired, or hung around that lazy friend of Naruto's. “You should see the moon around Suna. When the light of the moon hits the dunes just right... you could look out over the desert, and it would look as if the sand was the ocean.”

Luna tore her eyes from her moon, and glanced to the pony beside her. “It sounds lovely."

Gaara nodded. “Yes... it is. Maybe when we have time, I could show you one day.” The stallion's ears twitched as he heard slight movement behind them, but every time he turned, all he saw was the dark shadows of the bushes. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Luna mumble to herself.

After a moment, the Princess turned to Gaara. “Care to eat me-I mean get! Get something to eat with me?” She tried to fight it, but the fierce blush still lit her cheeks, visible clearly in the moonlight. She already knew that the stallion had captured her heart, but if she didn't get a hold of herself, then the Stallion in question would know as well. But still, she felt like a young filly. As a Princess, she felt she was forced to mature much faster than other, normal ponies. She paused from her thoughts as a voice entered her ears. "What?"

Gaara raised a brow. The Princess sure had a tendency to lose herself in thought. “I said, it would be my pleasure.”

Luna smiled. “Fantastic! Perhaps if we are lucky, the Cook will be out and we can sneak straight to the kitchen. While snacking may be unbecoming of a Princess, I feel like an exception can be made.”

Gaara nodded his head, and the Princess took that as her cue to lead them. But once they left the spot, the shadows began to move. And slowly, a snake-like, shadowy figure slithered out from the shadows and into the moonlight. And just like that, it vanished into another dark corner.

Another figure, unseen by all, smiled a bit, before her horn glowed, forcing a chunk of ground to rise up, tripping Princess Luna. Surprised by this, the Moon Princess couldn't think fast enough to stop herself. Gaara, however, was far quicker, sending sand out to stop her fall. Using the sand, Gaara helped Luna back up to her hooves, the blushing alicorn unable to even look at the Kazekage. Gaara raised an eyebrow as he watched Luna's wings flare out suddenly. For some reason, she seemed to do that a lot around him. As they continued to make their way to the kitchen, an awkward silence floated between them.

From the bushes, a slow giggling broke the silence in the night air, before Celestia popped her head out. If her sister was going to play matchmaker with her student's friends, then she was going to play matchmaker with Luna and Gaara. Luna herself appeared smitten already, but Gaara was going to be a much tougher nut to crack. But if there were two things Princess Celestia had in spades, it was time, and patience...well, those and a very mischievous mind. A very, very bored, mischievous mind. A very, very bored, mischievous mind that loved wedding cake. In all seriousness, she was elated that her little sister had found someone. But as the big sister, it was one of her duties to give Luna as much crap about it as possible.

As she began to follow her sister and potential Brother-in-law (If she had her way, of course), she didn't see the shadowed figure once more slither out of the shadows and begin to follow as well. It had its eyes on Gaara for a completely different reason. And unfortunately for all, it was determined to see out its dark purpose.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Yawning, Applejack reared back before bucking another load of apples down from one of the trees. She hadn't gotten a single decent bit of sleep the night before, all because of that stupid dream. Speaking of, she once more had Naruto helping her out, but this time, he made sure to specify that all she would owe him was a future favor. Looking over at the blonde-maned stallion, she blushed furiously...the things she had dreamed about the night before went far beyond mere kissing...and unfortunately, she wasn't even in heat. So she couldn't even use that as an excuse for these new-found feelings. But she couldn't understand why she was having them then.

Tipping her hat down to shadow her red face, she again reared back. But she ended up missing the tree completely. Unable to correct herself, she ended up twisting around before planting her face down into the dirt.

“Whoa!” Naruto shouted, rushing over to help the farm mare. Applejack felt far too embarrassed to even move as Naruto approached. As he leaned down to help her up, snickering could be heard. From her spot on the ground, an even more red-faced Applejack and the Shinobi Stallion glared over at Konohamaru, who was nearly on the ground himself, in a fit of laughter.

“Wow. Face down, flank in the air...I've seen enough hentai to know where this is going...” he announced, causing Naruto to blush just as furiously as Applejack. Said Mare looked up at her friend with a tired, yet pleading look on her blushing face. Naruto got the message pretty easily...before he and Konohamaru vanished. As she picked herself up, she could hear Konohamaru begin to shout out apologies while Apple Bloom and her friends squealed in delight.”

Naruto reappeared in front of Applejack, who was dusting herself off. “You ok, AJ?” he asked, and the still blushing mare now turned away from him.

“I'm, ah...fine,” she said, but Naruto wasn't convinced, and she knew it. She just had to be the Element of Honesty...she couldn't lie worth a darn. “Ya know, I think we aught to call it a day, so why don't y'all head home,” she announced, before dashing as fast as she could toward the house. Naruto could only stare at her vanishing form in confusion. Apparently in this world, just like his, he would never understand the female mind...though to be fair, she wasn't acting quite as strange as Pinkie was that morning...and that was strange even for Pinkie. He shuddered, trying to get the image of Pinkie Pie waking in his bed, for some reason covered in Maple Syrup, out of his mind.

“What is up with these mares?!?!” he asked exasperated. Shaking his head, he decided to head back to the house. With any luck, Konohamaru had locked himself in, and the Crusaders would need his keys.

Chapter end

Author's Note

Hi guys. Got a few flames from someone who was 'less than thrilled' that I added Gaara to the story. A large portion of this chapter is dedicated Just...To...Them. Lol.Hope you all liked.

And to the flamer who said the story was crap for adding Gaara, Bite Me.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own MLP

“Thank you for the help Naruto,” Twilight said, smiling at the shinobi-turned-stallion. The blonde was giving her a hand in putting away a few new additions to the Ponyville library, simultaneously picking out a few to read himself. After all, it was his job. Twilight was doing the same, but her mind was elsewhere, thinking of the scrolls she had upstairs. She had managed to find some form of inner energy during her meditations, and she was excited when Naruto had told her it felt very similar, if not identical to Chakra. He couldn't be sure because he wasn't sure on the Nature of unicorn magic. Unfortunately, he was attempting to get her to work on using it before trying to teach her Shadow Clones. Twilight Sparkle wasn't really a 'walk before you run' type Mare. And while she loved learning in general, the waiting to learn Shadow Clones was driving her absolutely crazy.

“It's no problem,” replied the ninja pony. “At least you aren't trying to force me to accept bits for it.” Thinking about the farm mare made Naruto sigh in irritation. Between her stubbornness and Konohamaru's teasing, he had been avoiding the orchard. With his clones, the harvest was still going ahead of schedule, so it wasn't like he was leaving Applejack out in the cold. “Why such a rush? Don't you normally read all the books before you put them out?” Twilight blushed a bit in embarrassment, before regaining her composure.

“Normally yes, but the girls and I are going to meet up at Pinkie's for a party tonight.” Naruto quirked an eyebrow.

“What's the occasion?” he asked. Twilight giggled, rolling her eyes.

“Wednesday.” Naruto nodded at her answer. Bizarre, yes, but Pinkie Pie was both an amusingly and frighteningly bizarre pony. “You're welcome to come, you know,” she continued. “In fact, Pinkie Pie would probably insist. I'm surprised you didn't get the invite.” Naruto chuckled nervously rubbing the back of his head. Surprisingly, it was no longer feeling odd to do so with a hoof rather than a hand.

“Yeah, I've kind of been avoiding Pinkie lately,” he replied, getting a nod from the Unicorn.

“Because of the kiss?” she asked suggestively, giggling as she nearly made the ninja-pony choke on air. She outright laughed when he began sputtering incoherently.

“It was NOT a kiss!!!” he shouted. “It was-...” Stopping, he thought back to the morning about three days ago, when he awoke to find the pink mare in his bed, for some reason covered in Maple Syrup, and acting very...cuddly. Shaking his head, he changed his mind. “You know what, sure, let's go with that...” Twilight stopped laughing and looked at him funny, but decided not to ask. She was sure whatever it was involved Pinkie, and that itself was enough of an explanation. “But you are right, I guess. It's been pretty boring around here the last few days. I knew being an ambassador wasn't going to be too full of action, but I'm starting to get a little stir crazy.”

“Great!” Twilight announced with a smile, putting the last of the books into place with her magic. “We should probably head over.” As Spike hopped onto Twilight's back, and the three made their way out the door, Naruto couldn't help but ask...

“So, Wednesday, huh? What's so special about Wednesday...?”

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
o
“Woop WOOP!” Pinkie practically screamed, twisting to the music. “It's HUMP DAY, EVERYPONY!” Naruto just chuckled and shook his head.

“That mare could find any reason to throw a party, couldn't she?” he asked aloud, getting nods from the other mares, who were content to just stand back and watch as the pink party pony boogied through the crowd, mingling with her other invited guests. As he went to take a sip of his punch, he mused, “Can't wait to see what happens for a real occasion, like a holiday, or a birthday...”

Taking a sip, his eyes widened in disgust as he spat out a tuft of pink mane, dropping the glass in the process. And from the tiny little glass, Pinkie Pie's head appeared, decked out in goggles and a snorkel. Spitting out the breathing apparatus, she did what she did best --- besides throwing parties, that is --- and began speaking at a near unintelligible rate.

“Ohmygosh, how could I be so inconsiderate! We've been friends for weeks and I haven't even learned when your birthday is!” As she leapt from the glass, Naruto looked on amazed, wondering how she somehow fit into something so small. He didn't notice the pen in her teeth, or the calendar she was holding, until they were practically shoved into his face. “Come on, come on!” she yelled excitedly. “The sooner I find out, the sooner I can start planning! Maybe we can have my marshmallow cake! It'll be just like that time I made my marshmallow cake, and we each took a bite and went 'meeeh' and 'uuummmhh!” As she made her sound effects, she pantomimed having her mouth sealed shut, but of course, all Naruto could remember was having their lips sealed together. “And then we can drink some more hot chocolate! So come on! When is it! When IS IT!”

The pink mare had literally backed him into a corner, and the rest of the mares seemed equally as interested in when his birthday was to take place. It was actually kind of freaking him out. Just the way they stared at him. Not even Neji's Byakugan glare made him feel this uncomfortable. “Ok, ok, geez!” he said, backing further away and holding up his hooves defensively. “It's October tenth, alright?” The uncomfortable gazes shifted from him onto Pinkie Pie, whose jaw had gone slack and her already poofy hair looked a bit frazzled.

“But that's TOMORROW!” she finally shouted. Naruto just chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

“Umm, surprise?” he replied. Luckily, it seemed the Earth Pony was too busy devising plans for what sounded like a big, Birthday Blowout. “Um, Pinkie, when I said I wanted to see a Birthday Party, I wasn't talking about my own...” he deadpanned, but it fell on deaf ears. “Really, a simple bowl of ramen and some quiet time alone is all I'm looking for...” He realized the full capacity of his mistake when Pinkie Pie shot off like a rocket, creating a gust of wind in her wake. He sighed.

“Why don't you want a party, Naruto?” Spike asked, having been the only one to have heard Naruto over Pinkie's planner's rant. “Everyone loves a good Pinkie Pie party.” Naruto shook his head.

“Not really my thing. Normally I just get a few gifts from Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and then go get my free Birthday bowl of Ramen from old man Ichiraku. I never really saw much sense in having a big party to celebrate being alive a whole year longer...” he replied. Twilight's eyes widened in pseudo-realization at this announcement.

“Oh, because you're a shinobi, right? I guess ninjas don't have a lot of time for that kind of stuff.” Not wanting to tell her the real reason, he just nodded in confirmation. “Still,” she continued. “Pinkie is gonna throw you a party no matter what you tell her. In fact, I wouldn't even tell her that much, she might decide to do belated parties for every one you didn't have growing up.” Naruto blinked a few times, before sighing and shaking his head.

“Point taken. Could you keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't go overboard.” The girls giggled, and Applejack, who had been silent toward Naruto for most of the night for some reason, shook her head.

“Well, we can try, but no promises, Partner,” she said, as the girls went off after the Party Pony, leaving Naruto alone with Spike, who hopped onto his back.

“I'll say one thing, I definitely agree with you about the Ramen. Just wish we could get some here in Ponyville...” Spike announced, both he and Naruto's head filled with visions of the noodle goodness. “Maybe we could get Twilight to bring you to Konoha tomorrow for your birthday bowl. You know, and maybe bring a handsome young dragon along to, you know...” Despite himself, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle.

“Your bowl's on me,” the blonde said.

“It'll have to be. We don't have any Elemental Nation money.” Naruto quirked an eyebrow.

“Right, kind of forgot about that...” Looking around at all the guests, Naruto then noticed somepony missing. “Wonder where Konohamaru's been. I haven't seen him all day...” Spike just snickered.

“Probably hiding from his marefriends.” Naruto chuckled a bit. He didn't feel like that would ever get old. One of these days, he'd have to find out what kind of antics those three were putting his assistant through. Oh well, a story for another day. Deciding to call it a night, Naruto eased his way through the crowd, making sure to leave a tip for the town's resident DJ, Vinyl Scratch, aka DJ PON-3. The two had become acquainted at Pinkie's last big bash, and she seemed pretty intense, but definitely cool. But as cool and friendly as she was, Naruto could only hope she wouldn't be at his Birthday party. Pinkie Pie partied. DJ PON-3 partied HARD...Vinyl raised her shades and gave him and Spike a wink, before going back to her turntable.

“Speaking of Marefriends, I hear you and Pinkie Pie had an interesting time the other da-WHOA!” Spike couldn't say more as Naruto bucked, sending the baby dragon high into the air. Luckily, it was straight up, so as he came back down, he landed right back on Naruto, who continued on as though it hadn't happened.

“That answer your question?” he asked, getting a furious nod from Spike. The dragon made a mental note not to tease Naruto about it anymore...he'd tell Konohamaru about it and let the younger shinobi have a little revenge...It didn't take long for the two to reach the library, which was Spike's stop. It took only slightly longer to reach his own home, which was located at the edge of the town. As he made his way inside and up to his room, he made a mental note that back in his own world, he'd have actually gone to do some training, rather than to bed. It seemed odd to him, but it was no habit that couldn't be broken. It would probably do him good to get to training with his pony body. Sure, his jutsu worked and his chakra flowed normally, but it would likely be a while before he could factor in any type of taijutsu.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

“TWILIGHT!” The unicorn pony awoke to the loud shriek, leaping out of bed in shock and fright. Spike grumbled something about noisy ponies as he shoved his head under his own pillow, following Twilight Sparkle's ever-so-graceful faceplant into the floor. Sitting up and shaking the dizziness away, the unicorn came face to face with the only pony crazy enough to wake her in such a manner.

“Pinkie Pie? Do you have any idea what time it is?” she demanded.

“Sorry, Darling, we did try to stop her.” Quirking an eyebrow, Twilight peered past the pink party pony to see the rest of her friends, sans Naruto, also in her room.

“What is-”

“No time for chit chat!” announced Pinkie Pie, her voice and expression clearly marking her as a pony on a mission. “We need a Portal to Konoha, stat!”

“What? What for?” Twilight asked, still a bit groggy after her rude awakening.

“For Naruto's Birthday Party!” Pinkie replied, bouncing around Twilight. “I spent all night planning and planning, and eating, and planning some more. I got all the decorations, the sweets, the drinks, but then I felt like I forgot something, so I checked the guest list, and realized I haven't invited ANY of Naruto's Ninja friends. And we can't have a birthday party for a ninja and not have his own friends there!!!” Twilight opened her mouth to protest, remembering what Naruto had said, but stopped herself. Pinkie had a point this time. They could go get a bowl of Ramen for Naruto, bring some of his friends to Equestria, and that might make him feel a little better about how overboard he felt Pinkie was going.

“Alright,” she said, as her horn began to glow with its usual Aura. “But shouldn't at least one of us stay here, so he won't get suspicious?” Despite not looking forward to losing her wings, Rainbow Dash laughed.

“Don't worry about that. We've got the Crusaders to keep him distracted. They're going to have him 'escort' them to Zecora's. He knows nopony likes the Everfree forest, so there's no way he'll let three fillies go in there alone,” she announced, confidently. “And then Zecora will just 'happen' to be in need of some ingredients for one of her remedies and be in need of a nice, strong stallion to get them for her.” Dash almost couldn't say the last part with a straight face. If there was one thing Zecora didn't need, it was a stallion to help her in the Everfree. If anything, it was the other way around. But Naruto didn't have to know that.

Twilight giggled, knowing that fact just as well as Rainbow Dash and the other mares. As her magic flashed, that familiar mist condensed in the air into that swirling vortex, forming the portal between worlds. Leaping out of basket-bed, his exhaustion forgotten, Spike hopped onto Twilight's back. “Ramen, here we come!” Pinkie, determined to make Naruto's party a success, zipped in first, followed shortly by Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and finally Twilight and her dragon companion, sealing the portal behind them.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As it turned out, Twilight's aim was improving, and this time, the Equestria Girls and Spike landed directly outside the gates of the village. They made sure to sign in, the Guards having been informed of who they are and their new status of importance in the village, and set off toward the Hokage Tower. They just hoped they weren't too early to catch Lady Tsunade at the office, as the sun was only just beginning to rise. As it happened, the Hokage was just sitting down to her morning paperwork, and as such, could have kissed the ponies --- and dragon --- as they stepped into the office in their human forms. It was just the distraction she needed. Though she was ashamed of herself for forgetting Naruto's birthday, she agreed to travel with them to Equestria for his party. Anything to break the monotony of signing, stamping, and approving forms. She'd have to find out if Celestia or Luna ever had to deal with the crap she did on a regular basis. Shizune, her assistant, was likewise happy to join in on the festivities, and it was agreed that after they had gathered all their planned guests, to meet back in the office to open the portal to Ponyville. Before departing, a list was made, displaying the names and photos of others who would be good invites for the party.

Shikamaru Nara
Choji Akimichi
Ino Yamanaka (Rarity chuckled nervously as this one came up)
Hinata Hyuuga
Kiba Inuzuka
Shino Aburame
Rock Lee
Neji Hyuuga
Tenten
Jiraiya
Kakashi Hatake
Iruka Umino

“Come on, everypony!” Shouted Pinkie Pie, enthusiastically shoving the group out the door. “Operation Ninja Birthday Bash is go!”

“Why are you talking like that?” Rainbow asked, as the door to the office slammed shut, eliciting a chuckle from Tsunade. She absentmindedly wondered if there was any alcohol in Equestria, and made note to bring some saké for the party.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

“So, you must be this 'shinobi'...perhaps you can do a favor for me?” Naruto quirked a brow as the strange 'Zebra' the Crusaders had gone to meet spoke to him in rhyme. Naruto had heard of Zecora from Twilight and the girls before, but not enough to really get a gist of what she was like other than she was good at making remedies and antidotes to various ailments. He had yet to meet her until now. “Several flowers and herbs I seek. But against this forest, I feel somewhat weak.”

For a second, Naruto thought it odd. After all, if she lived here, why did she feel unprepared for dealing with the forest. It was explained to him that because there was a path directly to her hut, she usually never dealt with too much danger, but these ingredients she required were only obtainable by going deeper into the woods, off the beaten path. Which he supposed made sense. “If I supply you with the book, would you be kind enough to go and look?”

“What about these three?” he asked, motioning with his right hoof toward the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who for some reason seemed to be trying very hard not to laugh.

“My home always has plenty of room, for Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and little Apple Bloom.” Three Halos sprouted above the heads of the three fillies, and if they didn't do it so often, Naruto would have thought it a trick of the light, or some form of Genjutsu. “They will be safe with me here, so you have nothing to fear.”

Naruto seemed to think it over for a second, before nodding, and when Zecora brought him the proper book, the pages marked for easier finding, he took it readily. He sighed to himself, knowing he just couldn't say no. But hey, it was a mission, he thought. A D-rank, but a mission none the less. There was just one more thing to deal with then. “So, I mean no disrespect, but do you rhyme like that on purpose, or is it some kind of nervous tick?” The Zebra just laughed heartily, before giving him a sly look.

“I could stop without a second thought...but then again, perhaps not.”

“...Well played...” was Naruto's final response, as he left the hut. It took everything the crusaders had not to laugh their flanks off until the blonde actually left. Zecora chimed in with some chuckling all her own.

“This is awesome!” Scootaloo announced. “You think Bro suspects anything?”

“I did see a gleam in his eye. He knows that something is awry.” the rhyming zebra continued. “Hopefully his spirits rise, after Pinkie's Birthday surprise.”

“It's too bad we didn't get to go. I wanna see what Konoha is like,” Sweetie Belle lamented.

“Me too, but this is important. Somepony had to be a distraction,” Apple Bloom replied, before her eyes widened. “Hey! Maybe we can get distraction cutie marks!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, even Zecora looked at the youngest Apple strangely at that one.

Author's Note

YAY! Took a while, but I actually managed to get something new written and put out. Just got moved into my new place, and still haven't replaced my computer yet due to all available funds going toward rent and utilities, so I have to hijack the gf's computer now and then.With any luck, I should be able to get part two done BY October tenth or thereabouts.

PS: Working on a Naruto/Frozen crossover. Not sure when I'll get to finishing the first chapter though.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own MLP

The gathering of shinobi went fairly smoothly, with a few exception. Team Guy was more than happy to attend. Even Neji was glad to agree. It was a much needed break from missions and training. Not to mention, it got Guy and Lee off his back, as the two had decided that they could not attend a birthday party without bringing a gift, and immediately rushed off to find the perfect one, leaving he and Tenten alone with the Equestrians. It seemed Tenten found herself a fan in Rainbow Dash, who had stars in her eyes from hearing about the Weapon Mistress' skills. After informing the two where they were going to meet, they began the hunt for the rest of the guests.

Next up, Team 8. Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. They knew they would have to finish quickly to be able to find the rest of the guests. But fate rarely works well with one's desires. “PUPPY!” Kiba turned and was immediately knocked aside by the strange, pink-haired girl. Gaining his bearings, he raised an eyebrow as he noticed Akamaru on his back, tongue out with a dumb look on the canine's face. This was likely caused by the fact he was getting the best belly-rub of his life. “Aweeee, you're just a big sweetie-pie, aren't you? Yes you are. Yes you are!” Hinata glanced to the side to notice Shino's bugs going absolutely crazy.

“Shino, are you okay?” she whispered, the living hive nodding.

“My insects...they like her...” The way he said it confused his female teammate, until she noticed a few of Shino's bugs land on her outstretched hand and arm, and with a gentle grace she stroked their backs, whispering to them. While the more elegant-looking friend of hers looked ready to be sick, the girl with the yellow dress and pink hair seemed perfectly content. Before they could ponder what was going on, a pink blur shot by and whisked the new girl away, but not before placing hand-written notes in the hands of each ninja.

“A birthday party for Naruto, huh?” Kiba muttered, reading the invite which explained to meet in the Hokage's office for their transportation, whatever that meant...

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

“Damn it, Ino, would you calm down???” growled Shikamaru, as the blonde struggled to break free from the grasp of the shadow-user and their Akimichi companion. He sighed as Ino just continued to struggle. “Troublesome.” The moment she had seen the purple-haired girl again, Ino practically exploded. If there was one thing his teammate was good at, it was holding a grudge. And it looked like, after Ino made yet another comment regarding Rarity's fashion sense, the other girl wasn't much better.

“Rarity, it's over, you already dealt with her once!” Twilight tried to reason, using her magic to force the struggling fashionista to hold still. It wasn't going well.

“I'll rip every single hair out of that bleached mane of hers!” shrieked Rarity.

“BLEACHED!” screamed Ino, actually wrenching free for Shikamaru for a moment, and almost doing the same from Choji. It took a partial expansion from Choji and a Shadow Possession from Shikamru to once more root her in place. “Let go of me, so I can tear this bitch a new one!”

“Oh, it! Is! ON!!!” shouted Rarity, breaking free from Twilight's magic, surprising the other unicorn and Ino, who's eyes widened as Rarity leapt at her. Deciding it would be far less of a pain to just let the two fight it out, Shikamaru and Choji both decided to get the hell out of Dodge just seconds before a flying kick came crashing into her stomach. “Ha,” she laughed, before being tackled to the ground by the ninja-girl. The two were rolling and flailing, an almost cartoonish cloud of dust kicking up around them, obscuring all but a few random flailing limbs and the occasional curse.

“Oh my...” Fluttershy stated with a gasp. “I know Rarity had a large vocabulary...but I never realized how large...”

“I haven't heard her this angry since the spa changed the recipe for their facial masks...” Twilight agreed.

“Who cares?” asked Pinkie, looking somewhat annoyed. A strange look on her face if they had ever seen one. “We need to get moving so we can get back to Ponyville and set up the party.” With a look of determination on her face, she sprung into the air, before swan diving into the big ball of violence. And was promptly ejected, a dazed look on her face as she landed at the feet of her Pony friends. “I feel like I just drank an entire barrel of hard cider...” she elaborated, eliciting giggles from the others, despite everything.

Turning toward Shikamaru, Twilight cleared her throat. “Excuse me. Sorry about our friend here, but would you all mind coming to the Hokage's tower when this skirmish is finished, and bring them with you?”

“What's the occasion?” asked Choji, who upon mention of the word party had been imagining all sorts of great party snacks.

“Well, we're the delegation from Equestria, and we are looking for people who want to come to a birthday party for Naruto. The Hokage gave us your names and photos because she thought you might like to go.” Sighing, Shikamaru shrugged.

“Well, if it gets me away from missions and training for the rest of the day, I can't say no,” he announced, and Choji nodded as well. As the rest of the girls, and Spike, left to find the rest of their intended guest, Choji and Shikamaru sat next down next to a tree.

“Betcha 500 ryo Ino beats the new girl,” the Akimichi announced, pulling out a snack. Shikamaru shook his head.

“No way,” he replied. “You didn't see what this girl did to Ino the last time.” As he said this, he pulled out his wallet and reached in to grab his wagered cash, sitting it down between them as Choji did the same.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

“Hey Izumo...Kotetsu...good to be back.” The two gate guards looked up with a smile.

“Sakura,” they greeted, the pink-haired girl signing back in. “So how was your mission? Not too much trouble I take it?” Sakura just giggled.

“Not really. Just a couple thugs here and there trying to cheat or steal. A genin could have handled it. But I'm not complaining. The festival had great food, and plenty of fun games.” The Hokage's apprentice had been assigned guard duty for one of the more popular stands at a festival in one of the surrounding towns. Every year it seemed to get vandalized or robbed, so this year, the owner decided to hire a shinobi guard to keep an eye on everything.

Sakura made her way, leisurely, into the village. First thing first, head back to check in with Lady Tsunade, then maybe a trip to the Hot Springs...after ensuring that Jiraiya wasn't perving around the area...again. She sighed. Without Naruto around to pester the toad sage, the white-haired self-proclaimed Super-Pervert was free to spend all his time spying on the girls around the village.

“Hopefully that Ino girl doesn't rough up Rarity to badly.”

“Honestly, I'm more worried that Rarity might seriously hurt blondie.”

“Oh, they'll be fine. We just have a few more people to collect.”

“Ah just hope Naruto don't find out what we're doin.”

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she ducked behind a building. Peaking out from behind the sign, she noticed that this group were staring at several pictures and notes on her friends. And they were mentioning hurting Ino. And it had something to do with Naruto. But these girls, and the young boy with them...they didn't look anything like S-class criminals, like she had heard...But something wasn't right...Naruto was gone on long-term diplomatic mission, from what she had heard. Whoever these people were, they obviously didn't know if they were worried about him finding out. Time to find out what was going on.

“Find out about what?” she demanded, stepping out and catching the attention of the strangers.

“And you are?” Twilight inquired.

“As if you don't know,” Sakura scoffed. “Sakura Haruno. I used to be teammate to the blonde who you're hiding all of this from.” Suddenly, Sakura was caught off-guard by a mass of darker-pink hair shooting into view from beneath her field of vision.

“You're one of Naruto's friends? That's GREAT! You have to come with us.” As Sakura wrenched her grip from that of Pinkie Pie, rather surprised that she was snuck up on by someone who had been moments ago right in front of her, Twilight began looking through the list of photos.

“Sakura...Sakura...no, you aren't on our list. But if you are Naruto's teammate then you've got to come.” Sakura raised a brow.

“Not on your list? How did Ino make your list and I didn't?” It was then that the younger boy with them spoke up.

“Whoa, look at the size of her forehead...” he whispered to Twilight, not realizing that Sakura's trained ears could easily hear what he was saying. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike all began taking steps backward as the sour expression hit her face and her hands balled into fists, something Twilight's guide to human body-language pointed out was a sign of anger and aggression. Knowing she was in the middle of town was the only thing that kept Sakura from really letting the kid have it, but that didn't mean he wasn't about to get a piece of her mind.

Spike yelped in surprise as he was lifted off the ground quite unceremoniously by the pinket. “Listen, pipsqueak, you're on thin ice. Don't push me-ahhh!” Sakura was suddenly thrown to the side by Twilight, whose hands were glowing with magic and her eyes glowing like fire as she gently lowered her assistant to the ground, dropping low and putting her arms around him.

“Are you alright, Spike?” she asked, showing the same concern as an older sister, or a mother. Before the baby-dragon could respond, a chill ran down their spines as with horror they saw Sakura pick herself up, cracking her knuckles dangerously. Fluttershy let out a Squeak and ducked behind Rainbow Dash. Sakura suddenly slammed her fist into the ground. While it wasn't nearly as strong as she could potentially make it, the punch cracked and shook the ground as though an earthquake had hit.

“Easy there, Partner,” Applejack said, trying to diffuse a delicate situation. “They didn't mean anything by it...” Unfortunately, Sakura had no time to calm down, as Rainbow Dash took the quake as an immediate threatening gesture, an reacted the best way she knew how. She leapt at Sakura, trying to adapt what she knew about Karate for use in her human form. While it was sloppy, she was trying. Unfortunately, Sakura had trained with a Sannin the last few years, and it was only Rainbow's sheer speed which kept Sakura on the defensive. But all too soon, Sakura's temper wore thin, and she threw a powerful uppercut directly into the pegasus pony's stomach, forcing her to rocket backwards. Fluttershy an Pinkie Pie had to duck as Dash was sent shooting over their heads.

“Whoa, that filly packs a wallop!” Applejack whistled, before rushing in. Sakura blew a strand of hair from her face as the Farm mare raced toward her. Deciding that she'd had enough, Sakura brought her fist back and launched it forward. Her eyes widened in shock, however, as somehow, Applejack brought her hand up to block...and caught the punch, taking the full brunt of it with only the slightest show of discomfort. She was so surprised, in fact, that she didn't even bat an eye as she became surrounded by a glowing aura, as did Applejack. The two were immediately hoisted into the air by Twilight.

“Enough!” the unicorn mare shouted. “This whole thing is one big misunderstanding. And I'm sure if we all just calm down and talk about it, we can get everything sorted out. Pinkie? Let her have it.”

“Okie Dokey Lokie!” Pinkie replied, with a salute. Sakura braced herself for the hit, unable to dodge as she was being held in the air, completely immobile. Just as she prepared for the worst, all she received was a piece of paper being handed to her. Tentatively reaching out, she took it and began reading.

“You are cordially invited to Equestria to enjoy a birthday party for Naruto Uzumaki?” Sakura felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Oh, crap..You're the Equestrian Delegation!” Sighing, thankful that the girl at least understood, she lowered her to the ground.

“That's right. I'm Twilight Sparkle. This is Spike, that's Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. You'll meet Rarity later.”

“She doesn't have purple-hair and like to dress formally all the time, is she?” The Equestrians all looked between each other, before looking back to Sakura.

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“Ino's been an on-again, off-again friend and rival since we were little. She talked my ear off after you all were here last time,” she explained. “I'm not surprised she tried to start something...could you...please not tell Lady Tsunade about this?”

“Hey, secret's safe with us,” replied Dash, rubbing her ribs, taking note of her decent bust. “How do you humans deal with these lumps on your chest? Not very aerodynamic...and they make it really weird to move my arms.” Sakura just looked on with an awkward smile, not sure how to answer that question.

“Um...speaking of breasts, have you invited Master Jiraiya yet?” she asked.

“But Jiraiya is a male? Why would he have breasts? And no, we haven't found him yet,” Fluttershy said, at barely above a whisper. Sakura cracked her knuckles again, eliciting another squeak from the timid pegasus-turned-human.

“Is that so? Well, why don't you all finish up the rest of your list. I'll make sure he get's his invite...you can count on it.” Twilight sighed in relief.

“Thank you,” she announce. “We'll take all the help we can get. Come on, everypony. We just need Kakashi, an Iruka Umino, and a bowl of ramen to go, and we'll be all set to head home and set up the party.” Sakura smiled and waved, but in her head she was berating herself.

“Great, Sakura, just great. You attack a foreign delegation, you let a kid get the best of you, AND you forgot your own teammate's birthday. I'll have to make sure I stop and get him a something before I go nab the perv. Ugh, I was way better at controlling my temper before I started as Lady Tsunade's apprentice,” she thought, before with a sigh, she used the shunshin to disappear, heading for the shopping district. If what Tsunade told her was true, she couldn't exactly get him new clothes...so what could she buy for the blonde...

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

“Ok,” announced Twilight, her list at the ready. “We have Shikamaru, Choji, unconscious Ino (both Rarity and Shikamaru smirked at that), Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru, Shino, Guy, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Kakashi, Iruka, Shizune, and Lady Tsunade. We've got the Ramen. All that's left are-” Before she could finish, the door burst open, and Sakura walked in with a wrapped gift under one arm. The other was being used to drag Jiraiya, who was dazed and bruised, into the room by his hair. While the other Equestrians raised their brows at the Toad Sage's condition, all Twilight did was check him off her list. “Master Jiraiya and Sakura. Perfect timing.”

“Would have been here sooner, but I still had to find a gift for Naruto...hey, by the way, why wasn't I on the guest list, Lady Tsunade?” The Hokage quirked her brow at the question.

“To be honest, I hadn't expected you back in the village so quickly. I told you after your mission you were welcome to stay for the rest of the festival,” she elaborated. “The last thing I needed was the Ponies searching for someone they couldn't find. I was informed by Princess Celestia what a serious business a Pinkie Pie Party is, and had I added your name to the list, she probably would have torn down the village trying to find you...” Sakura just turned to her fellow Pinket, who just looked back with an ear-to-ear grin and waved.

“So, when we travel to Equestria, we'll all become Ponies, right?” Kakashi asked, getting odd looks from those who weren't previously privy to that information. “Will we all be one kind of pony, or will some of us be different. I heard Naruto sent a report saying Gaara is a unicorn?” Twilight shrugged, her hands beginning to glow with her magic. The spell was getting easier, as was using her magic in general. No longer did she need to lace her fingers and focus so hard. It was almost like she was beginning to adapt the more time she spent as a human.

“I can't be certain, we still haven't figured out who becomes what, and why, just yet.” With a flash, the portal opened, and the Ponies made sure to usher in all the party guests first, some of whom were no longer so sure about this, before following themselves. One thing was for certain. Even if Naruto wasn't surprised, the party was definitely going to be interesting.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto grumbled as he stalked through the mud, searching for a rare type of moss that Zecora needed for...actually, she didn't say what exactly she needed the ingredients for. Sighing, the orange pony pulled out the book, and rifled through to the proper page. And the warning.

Be extremely careful. Despite it's rareness and special qualities, the Cait Moss is extremely difficult to locate due to the fact that it is nearly identical to common moss.

Looking up from the page to the trees and rocks, he noticed that almost all of them had some form of moss growth on them. With a sour look, he tried to search the page for some way to distinguish the two species of moss from one another. “I can't believe I'm gonna say this...but this is a load of Horse-apples...”

Chapter end.

Author's Note

Alright, next is the final part of the Birthday Bash, as well as the end of the 'Getting Settled' arc, and the beginning of a new arc to take its place. Some of you already have an idea about what it entails, I am sure.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own MLP

“This is bizarre on so many levels.” The natural Ponies all giggled as the Shinobi attempted to get used to their new forms. All except for Akamaru, who remained in his canine form. True to Kakashi's inquiry, the ninja took a decent variety of Pegasus, Earth Pony, and Unicorn. “I knew that we'd change somehow, but I guess I never really thought about how much,” Sakura continued, shaking a bit more than Naruto did his first time. The pink-haired girl was now a pink-maned unicorn, her coat a darker-pink, almost red, and her Cutie Mark a Sakura blossom.

“You think you changed?” Still giggling, the Mane six and Spike turned toward Jiraiya, who had spoken, and their laughing ceased. Their jaws were on the floor. Standing before them were not two Earth ponies, not two unicorns, not two pegasi...but two Alicorns. One, a stallion, with a green coat and thick, long, white mane. You could still see the red lines that moved from his eyes, down his face. His Cutie Mark was what appeared to be a red toad, identifiable to the summoners of the group as Gamabunta.

Likewise, Tsunade too had taken on an Alicorn form, her white coat and blonde mane --- which was bound in two pigtails --- a bright point among the sea of colors. Still visible on her was her 'Strength of Hundred' seal, and like Jiraiya, her new Cutie Mark was a picture of her boss summon, Katsuyu. She raised her brow seeing the gobsmacked looks upon the faces of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. “Is something wrong?”

“You...You're a...You're a...!” Twilight stuttered, and it was Spike who eventually had to provide the statement the unicorn so desperately tried to throw out.

“You're both Alicorns!” the tiny dragon exclaimed, though it still didn't stop the sputtering from his unicorn companion.

“Is that good?” Shizune asked, the newly transformed Unicorn looking at her boss in confusion and curiosity.

“Alicorns are the most powerful ponies in Equestria. There aren't many, only three currently,” Twilight said, finally finding her voice. “They have the combined abilities of all Ponies, but amplified even further.”

“Not to mention, Alicorns are basically royalty by default,” Rarity chimed in, causing the two Sannin to look to each other in surprise.

“So Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are both Alicorns then...” Jiraiya said, more to himself than anyone else, getting a nod from the Ponies, most of whom were still getting over their shock...most of whom...

“Alright, everypony! We still need to get set up for the party, so chop chop!” Pinkie reached behind her back and pulled out a cannon.

“Whoa!” shouted Choji, who leapt out of the way as the cannon fired. The noise was so loud that all the new ponies flinched. When their eyes reopened, they opened wide. The entire library was now brightly lit, and completely decked out in for a party. The only things not there were the snacks, the music, and the birthday boy. At the stunned look of the ninja present, Pinkie let loose a giggle, snorting a bit.

“I see you all like my Party Cannon!” she laughed. “But we still need to get enough cake for everypony, we need some Ninja decorations...” As she rambled on, drawing nothing but the wonder and confusion of the shinobi-ponies, Twilight began to take note of who had become which type of Pony. Later on, they might actually figure out why some shinobi become one type of pony, while others become a different type of pony.

Jiraiya and Tsunade had taken Alicorn forms, meaning that they had to be incredibly powerful. Of the Earth Pony variety, they had Lee and Guy, Choji, Kiba, and Shino. Sakura, Shizune, Hinata, Ino, and Iruka had all become Unicorns, while Kakashi, Neji, Tenten and Shikamaru were each gifted a pair of Pegasus wings. It was a rather interesting conundrum for the scholarly unicorn. She would have to learn what she could about Naruto and his friends. Find out what each had in common in order to determine what traits cause humans to become specific types of ponies. And speaking of Naruto, she thought perhaps she could persuade Kakashi to help speed along her chakra training...

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Twilight grumbled. Kakashi and the rest of the new Pegusus Ponies had taken to asking Rainbow Dash how to use their wings. Ino, who had woken up --- and promptly fainted again for a short while at seeing her new form --- had never seen Shikamaru so motivated. Granted, he had been informed that Pegasus ponies could walk...and in Dash's case, nap, on the clouds, and thus was only motivated to be lazier. But still, it was a little intriguing and a little jarring at the same time. The only one really managing to get the hang of it besides the Shadow User was Neji, whose Byakugan allowed him to see how energy was directed as well as the proper muscle movements. Seeing this, Kakashi decided to use his Sharingan to merely mimic Dash's wing-beats. But unlike Neji, who got a much clearer picture of the wings, the Sharingan could only show him how to flap, with very minor following of energy. But at least he was pushing off the ground.

Likewise, the new Unicorns were eager, after briefly seeing Twilight levitate a few books knocked astray by the Party Cannon, to see if they were capable of using Unicorn magic. Like the Pegasi, most were failing. At best, Sakura could get a few basic objects to move a few inches. The only one with any real form of success was Iruka. Being a teacher, and knowing what he did about focus exercises and various methods of chakra control, he found it easy. All it took was to start from scratch and work his way up. Unfortunately Ino and Sakura's competitiveness got the better of them and made it next to impossible to teach them. And while Shizune and Hinata were trying, they seemed to be having vast difficulties for some reason.

The new Earth Ponies couldn't very well work with any new skills, as only their strength and durability had increased by a small margin, and so while Choji went with Pinkie to 'prepare' the snacks, all but Kiba decided to do a bit of reading. They were in a library after all. It was a rather comical sight. And it got all the better when a swirl of sand brought the attention of all to the center of the room, where Gaara had suddenly appeared. Following this, a bright flash indicated the arrival of Princesses Celestia and Luna. Why did this add to the comical happenings of the library? Because the moment Celestia and Luna laid eyes on the two new Alicorns, their reaction was no different than that of the Mane 6 a short while prior. Never had it crossed their mind that Tsunade or Jiraiya could have been the shinobi equivalent of themselves. It was kind of startling to them, really. Had they really been arrogant enough to believe that in an entire new world, nopony could match their strength?

Gaara was rather indifferent, knowing full well what the Sannin were capable of. And unlike the new unicorns, he had a decent grasp on telekinesis from studying his magic with Luna. It seemed that Equestria ran on magic, and all ponies were being constantly filled with it, even those ponies who weren't actually ponies. It was what allowed the shinobi-pegasi to fly, and the ninja-unicorns to use magic. And since their transformation had been magically induced, they naturally siphoned more natural magic from the plane of existence known as Equestria. He still hadn't figured out how Ponies managed to gain chakra. He'd been coming up with theories, but without having gone back to his world yet, he had no way to properly test them. That, and he had a feeling he was being not just watched, but stalked. Stalked by something he couldn't truly detect. He didn't like this feeling. Whatever was spying on him, it somehow made the red-head feel...vulnerable. But he couldn't explain why.

The door burst open to reveal Pinkie Pie and Choji, and also Konohamaru, followed closely by his admirers, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, bringing in the cake and other treats. “HEADS UP EVERYPONY!!!” the pinkett shouted. “NARUTO IS BACK IN PONYVILLE! HE'S HEADED THIS WAY!!! PLACES!!!

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

“...can't believe I did all that for some beauty products. Me and my need to help people -er, ponies.” Throwing the door to the library open, a dirty, tired stallion walked in. “Now I could have sworn that those fillies ran this way.” Suddenly, the lights flipped on, revealing the fillies in question, Konohamaru, Spike, and his Mane Mares. Everything was decorated for a party. Luckily, it looked like Twilight succeeded in reigning in Pinkie Pie. Before he could even thank the Purple unicorn, a huge smoke cloud erupted.

“Ah, whoops. Hang on,” announced Rainbow Dash. “We should have opened the windows.” Using her wings, the Pegasus caused all the smoke to vent out the door. When it did, Naruto gasped. They were all Ponies, but he could clearly tell his friends when he saw them. He barely heard the collective shout of 'Surprise!' He hadn't expected this. Nor did he really feel like Pinkie Pie had to or should have gone to all the trouble. But just the same, he was touched. But when he got over his shock...

“..phht...he...hahaHAHAHAHA! Do you all have any idea how ridiculous you loo-GAH!” His laughing tirade was stopped by the forehoof of Sakura, who with only a little effort had Naruto eating floor.

“Speak for yourself, idiot!!!” she shouted, causing all the shinobi, as well as the actual ponies, to snicker at the misfortune of the birthday stallion. Despite the rough start, Naruto actually enjoyed his birthday for once. Most of his friends were present, he got a good bowl of Ramen, the mood was upbeat. There was a bit of awkwardness between the princesses and Tsunade, as the Hokage kept attempting to get Celestia to try her Saké, despite the sun princess's insistence that very bad, but very non-specific things tended to happen when she tried any alcoholic drink.

<

“WOOOO!” Celestia shouted, a half empty bottle of Hard Apple Cider dropped to the ground. “Everypony look! I can juggle!” she slurred out, her cheeks flushed and her stare half-lidded. Her guards looked at their Princess a little worried. She just hadn't been the same since she had to banish her sister. Turns out they had good reason to be concerned.

“Wheeeeeee!” She cheered, as overhead, the sun and moon both appeared and began to cycle around each other. Indeed, it did look like they were being juggled. The Ponies who lived in coastal regions weren't impressed with the display, neither were the farm ponies, as the sun began to scorch their crops. Sure, they could be restored with magic, but still...One of the guards shook his head and walked up to his ruler to try and calm her down.

“Princess, you need to-mmmph” The Pegasus guards wings flared out as Celestia used her telekinetic powers to pull him to her face and smashed her lips into his. When the impromptu kiss ended, the guard was dropped to the ground unceremoniously, about five seconds before the Princess herself fell over, snoring contently.

<

She had Lee's sympathy. Luna on the other hand, despite her sister's warning, was quite...intrigued by the beverage. And unlike her sister, apparently held her liquor quite well. The most disruption she caused was that she temporarily began speaking in the Royal Canterlot voice.

For presents, Celestia had taken the liberty of adding paying for an addition to his already decently large home, allowing for him to construct a training area behind it for he and Konohamaru. Apparently, she could sense his growing boredom.

Lee and Guy, the lovely, lovely people, bought Naruto a year's supply of instant ramen. Granted, it was a year's supply calculated for a normal ramen consumer, but still, it would last Naruto at least two to three months.

Kakashi provided Naruto with a few jutsu scrolls, as did most of the other shinobi. They all knew how much Naruto enjoyed learning new jutsu. All were fairly simple jutsu, but there was really no reason to be teaching Naruto more high-ranked jutsu. He already used the Rasengan for nearly every combat situation. Teaching him more high ranked justu was just going to result in injury for Naruto and property damage for Ponyville. But they didn't tell Naruto that.

Twilight got the blonde-maned, orange pony the complete Daring Do book series, telling him he should read for pleasure too, not just work. He was on the fence, but for some reason, even Rainbow Dash gave the books her seal of approval, so Naruto figured he'd give them a shot.

Sakura's gift was by far the most meaningful to the blonde. When he tore the wrapping off, his breath caught in his throat as he looked on at that old picture of team seven, placed in a brand new, beautiful frame. That prompted a hug, and a lot of 'awe's from the natural-born ponies.

As the presents were handed out, and the cake was already cut, Pinkie decided it was time to really kick up the pace of the party. Reaching behind her back, she somehow pulled an entire turntable out from nowhere, and reaching beneath the turntable, she pulled out Vinyl Scratch. Crazily, DJ PON-3 didn't seem the least bit fazed or confused. With a jolt of realization, yet acceptance, Naruto shook his head, understanding that the pony DJ was probably just used to it. Turning away, Naruto went to get some punch. But he accidentally knocked right into somepony.

“Whoa, sorry...” he said, noticing that somepony happened to be the blushing Applejack.

“It ain't no big deal,” the farm mare announced. Crossing her forelegs nervously, she bit her lip. “Can we, uh, can we maybe go outside, so we can talk more private-like?” This confused Naruto, but he nodded, following the blonde mare out. Rounding around the back of the library, the two stopped. Naruto waited for Applejack to tell him what she apparently wanted to tell him, yet she couldn't so much as look him in the eye. And with her stutter, she sounded more like Hinata, or Fluttershy. It was weird coming from the normally confident Earth Pony.

“Come on, AJ,” he said, reassuringly. “Whatever it is you need to talk about, I guarantee I will understand-mmph” He suddenly found his lips touching those of the farm mare. “Mmmph...” he found himself relaxing, as did Applejack. His lips tasted just like she dreamed they did. As she pulled away, her heart fluttered when she noticed Naruto --- whether consciously or unconsciously --- attempting to follow.

“Ah was wondering if...you know, you might wanna...go out sometime?” Naruto's stunned expression almost caused the mare to flee, but despite everything...

“Um, sure...” he replied. Applejack could have squealed in delight, but reigned herself in, instead going to plant a kiss on Naruto's cheek before trotting off. Naruto was left standing, gobsmacked and immobile, unsure of where that just came from. Why did she kiss him? Why did she ask him out? Why did he agree? This was so absurd, but at the same time felt...good. Back home, no girl would give him the time of day. Now here was a girl...well, mare...who actually wanted to go out with him. This birthday kept getting better and better.

“...ruto? Naruto?!” He was snapped out of his musings by Pinkie Pie, who was waving her hooves in front of his face.

“Hmm?” he asked, still dazed.

“I asked you what you think of the party, silly?” Naruto just chuckled, hugging Pinkie Pie, not feeling her shiver and not seeing her pink coat darken with a blush on her cheeks.

“The party is great Pinkie Pie. Thank you,” he said. Suddenly, he felt yet another pair of lips caress his cheek. His eyes widened as the smiling Pink Pony leaned into him.

“That's great,” she said. “I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I knew this party had to be absolutely perfect...so I...”

“So you?” Naruto asked, trying to lead the mare to finish her thought. She did alright. And she sealed it with a kiss, right on his lips. As he broke away, sputtering, he noticed Pinkie's hair seem to deflate a bit.

“You don't like me like that, do you?” she asked, sounding depressed. “I was hoping that maybe you...might want to be my special somepony...” Now Naruto felt terrible.

“No, Pinkie, you're amazing. But, ugh, this is confusing. Applejack just asked me out, and-”

“Oh, is that all?” she asked, her hair poofing up again, and her voice gaining that excited tone once more. “So me and Applejack, huh?” She laughed. “We could be...your Apple Pie!”

“WHAT?!?!?” Naruto exclaimed, confused beyond belief.

“I think I can explain.” Naruto turned to see Princess Celestia trot out.

“Princess, what are you doing out here?” the ninja asked, and Celestia just blushed.

“Tsunade is hoof-wrestling Luna, and I figured now would be a good chance to slip out for some air that doesn't reek of saké.” Naruto snorted at that, before she continued. “Anyway, as I was saying, how many stallions have you seen around Ponyville?” Naruto was about to answer, before freezing to think about it.

“Not many,” he admitted finally, getting hugged much tighter by Pinkie Pie. “There are at least three mares for every stallion around here, if not more...” Celestia nodded.

“Very close. Equestria has a somewhat skewed gender ratio. Because of the higher number of females, it is actually fairly common for a single stallion to see two or three mares. Not all mares are interested in sharing, but to answer your unasked question, there is no real problem with seeing both Pinkie Pie and Applejack as long as they are both ok with it.”

“YAY!” Pinkie cheered, letting Naruto loose, as she needed to swing about her pompoms. Ones she didn't have seconds before. Naruto gulped. Pinkie was fairly determined to be his 'special somepony.' He just hoped Applejack would be ok with it. He couldn't take having a friendship go down the drain. Not just the one he and AJ shared. But the one AJ and Pinkie shared. He swallowed with a very audible gulp as Celestia gave him a very knowing smile.

“HA! Thou hast failed to press our hoof to the table! We are victorious!” Hearing Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice, the Ninja, the Party Planner, and the Princess, looked through the window to see Luna dancing to the music around a seething Tsunade. The three did the only thing they could think of. They laughed until they thought they would throw up.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Gaara sat in a meditative pose ---he had been for several hours after Naruto's party had ended --- trying to feel where in the gardens of Canterlot Castle this being was watching him from. It was maddening. It was as though this...thing, was some kind of ghost. He couldn't feel anyone physically there. A swooping sound came from the side and his eyes snapped open, firing sand to where the sound originated.

Another sound behind him and he spun, casting his spear of sand out toward the noise. He grunted. Now this enemy was toying with him. Creating a dome of sand around him, he pulsed it out, trying to hit just about anything he could. He needed this thing to go away. He heard the snap of a twig behind him and whipped around.

Eyes widening, he stumbled back in shock. Before him, untouched by any of his sand, hovered a smokey figure. It looked like a mutant pony made of a dark mist. It opened its icy-blue eyes, smiled a toothy grin of razor sharp teeth, and said only two words in a dark, demonic voice. “Good Night.” Despite Gaara raising his shield, the pony burst into mist, flying into Gaara's mouth and nose.

Stumbling, coughing, Gaara dropped to his knees. His vision was swimming, his mind becoming hazy as his sand began to act of its own accord. And all was black. Gaara's breathing slowed as he fell into a deep sleep. For a moment, all was peaceful, before the sand began whipping up into a sand-twister, as his body began leaking the dark mist from every pore of his body. Altering it for its own, diabolical ends...

Chapter end

Author's Note

Ok guys. This will probably be the last chapter for at least a few weeks. But it's done, and I think it was done fairly well. Hope you all like it.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or MLP

Naruto's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurry from his night of sleep. His birthday party had gone late into the night, because Pinkie couldn't just NOT go overboard on his birthday party, especially now that he knew the pink mare...liked him. He'd have liked for his fellow shinobi to have stayed longer, but they did have their duties. He perked up though, remembering his new jutsu scrolls. He could actually train in some new Jutsu! As he tried to hop out of bed, he was yanked back and squeezed in the grip of the slumbering Pinkie Pie.

"Where does she come from?" Naruto thought, thinking he had locked his door. Well, at least this time the party pony wasn't covered in syrup. The moment Pinkie managed to track down his other smitten friend, she rushed at Applejack, giddy to share her thoughts on sharing the shinobi-turned-stallion. A chill shot down his spine, seeing the two look at him, smiling and giggling. On the one hand, he at least didn't have to worry about the friendships forged among himself and the ponies falling apart. On the other, the idea of being the shared 'special somepony,' as Pinkie had called it, of two mares seemed daunting to him. He wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it.

He blushed as he realized the snuggling pony sleeping next to him had leaned in, kissing his cheek in her sleep. Still though, he smiled. He could get used to that. But he was getting hungry, and had to get up to go and eat something. But he wasn't going to get out of bed with the pink mare clinging to him. "Dear Kami," he muttered. "How to properly wake a sleeping Pinkie Pie..." For a moment, he thought about pulling a Sleeping Beauty approach and kissing her awake. Shrugging that off, he went with a different approach.

Pinkie's eyes shot open and laughter escaped her throat as her bed-mate began his vicious assault on all her ticklish spots on her body. "Naruto!" she cried, between bouts of giggles, gasping and snorting in laughter. "Ok, Ok, I'm awake!"

"I know," replied Naruto. "But now I'm having fun." Pinkie Pie couldn't speak anymore, laughing too hard to form coherent words. She tried to crawl away from the assault, but her opponent just followed. Neither realized in which direction they were moving, until Pinkie Pie managed to roll off the bed, pulling the blonde ninja over with her and landing on top of him. Now it was her turn. And as she smiled devilishly at the blonde, and he realized just what was gonna happen, he paled and shook his head.

"Pinkie Pie, don't. You. Da-" he was cut off by his own laughter as now Pinkie Pie began her counter attack. It payed to be the element of Laughter, as she had an innate sense of where to properly jab the stallion with her hooves to achieve the desired response. But maybe later she's have to check out some of Twilight's human scrolls. There might be tickle spots on humans that translated to his pony body. The last scroll she borrowed from Twilight, on 'seduction' had been alright, but it seemed like something she should save for later. She had asked Vinyl about it, and the DJ had given her a book that her roommate Octavia had instantly referred to as 'smut.' Naruto just referred to it as 'Pony Icha-Icha,' when she showed it to him. All Pinkie knew is that she'd definitely need to try some of the things in it.

Unlike what Luna theorized, Pinkie Pie was easily mature enough to understand the intimacies of a relationship. She could be serious when the situation required it, though it was serious in her own, bizarre way. But what was fun about being serious? Of course, now that she had somepony to be serious with, it might be a lot more fun.

Naruto was wheezing now, unable to speak and it making him unable to properly think. He needed somehow to get this to stop. He was still hungry after all, and besides his stomach growling, his sides were now hurting from laughing too hard. Acting on impulse, he gathered his strength and flipped over, once more climbing atop Pinkie Pie, but rather than the tickles, he touched his lips to hers, a gesture she returned with some force, stopping her struggling against her partner. She grinned as he pulled away, quite pleased with the way the morning was going. "Are you hungry?" Naruto asked the mare. Before she could answer, her own stomach rumbled.

"Tummy says yes," she replied with a giggle. Naruto shook his head and stood, helping the pink mare stand as well. The two moved downstairs to the kitchen, seeing Konohamaru groggily making breakfast himself, though keeping an eye on their other house-guest, Scootaloo, who Naruto had invited to stay with them after learning about her parents. Namely, that she didn't have any. From experience, he knew that living without your parents, whether it be in an orphanage or on your own, sucked. And it wasn't like he and Konohamaru needed that much room.

As Naruto began to prepare some of his instant ramen, "Thank you Guy and Lee!" and Pinkie Pie pulled leftover Birthday cake from his refrigerator, Konohamaru stared at the two with a smirk. "So that's why I heard all that noise upstairs...did you two...get it on?" Naruto nearly tripped, and Scootaloo raised her brow. Pinkie Pie, being Pinkie Pie, didn't seem at all bothered by the question.

"I heard a lot of noise too," the Pegasus filly said. "What do you mean by get it on?"

"I'll show you the scroll later," Pinkie replied, her mouth full of cake. Naruto's eye twitched and he began to shake his head frantically.

"No, No, No!" he shouted. "I swear, Pinkie Pie, you will not show her that scroll! She's way too young and impressionable!" When she began to open her mouth again, he cut her off "-and you may not show her Vinyl's book either!"

"Awwwww..." came the disappointed reply from both females, but Naruto wasn't relenting.

"Besides, when she's ready for 'the talk,' I'm gonna make Rainbow Dash give it to her," he did whisper in Pinkie's ear, causing her to begin choking on her cake in laughter. Naruto didn't want to for a number of reasons, most of which anypony else would share, but the biggest was because his own 'talk' was disastrous. A by-product of being given it by Jiraiya of all people. The Pervy-sage himself. The fact that the blonde was technically a virgin made him even less qualified. By that measure, so was Rainbow, but hey, he had to pass it off to somepony. Pinkie was out because...well, because she was Pinkie. AJ and Rarity had their own sisters that were gonna eventually be in the same boat. Fluttershy would like feint at the very thought of sex, and Twilight would likely get too technical. Thus, Rainbow was getting this thrown at her by default.

Naruto scarfed his ramen like he hadn't eaten it in forever, finishing it even before Pinkie Pie finished her cake. Normally an impressive feat, but then again, it was her marshmallow cake, so it took some time to chew and swallow. "Well ponies, I've gotta get to work," Pinkie Pie announced. "It's baking time!"

"And I gotta get over to Sweet Apple Acres," Naruto said. "What's on your agenda for today?" Konohamaru blanched.

"Ugh, helping Rarity and Spike hunt and dig for gems...Why do I get all crappy jobs. I'm your assistant, can't I just 'assist' you for once," he groaned. Naruto shook his head.

"Hey, there really isn't that much use for us these days. We're ambassadors, we need to spread some good-will. It may be boring, but this is an important mission. Besides, I figure if we wanna be Hokages one day, learning politics can't be a bad start." The begrudging way he said it told the three others that perhaps Naruto wasn't being too sincere, but once he and Konohamaru had a proper place to train, hopefully the two would be able to relieve some of their pent up energy.

Perking up, Scootaloo moved closer to the younger of the two ninja. "Ya know, if you're looking for something else to do, you could...walk me to school..." Konohamaru paled, looking toward the filly, her smile bright, and her eyes hopeful. His eye twitched a few times, before he sighed.

"Come on, we better get going," he relented, cringing at the cheer from his adoring housemate, and knew he'd likely be walking her and her friends to school for a long time. Damn them and their adorable, innocent cuteness...It was starting to grow on him. And so, parting ways, Naruto receiving a peck on the cheek from his Pink mare-friend, the four were off to their respective tasks. Despite the confusion and embarrassment from the morning, Naruto trotted with a little extra spring in his step. Regardless of how strange it felt, Naruto was very appreciative of the affection. And Pinkie and AJ were way better kissers than his first kiss. He shuddered as he entered the Orchard.

Making his way to the barn, he opened the door and took a step in side, immediately running into the farm mare, knocking the Stetson hat from her head, both blushing. Naruto picked the hat up off the ground, and after a quick dusting, placed it back on Applejack's head.

"Hey, Naru-" Applejack was unable to say more, turning beet red as her fellow blonde lightly kissed her cheek. "-to."

"Morning," Naruto replied, pulling back to see the gentle smile adorning the mare's blushing face.

"Well shoot, what's got you in such a good mood," she asked, after a moment. Naruto just shrugged.

"I had an interesting morning. Pinkie Pie slept over...without telling me." AJ's smile faltered a bit and she quirked an eyebrow.

"You and she didn't...you know...go all the way, did you?" Naruto's eyes widened and he shook his head defensively.

"Whoa, no, no, no, it was just cuddling and tickling." That made Applejack feel a bit easier. She might not have trouble sharing a stallion, but the idea of losing out to Pinkie...there...wasn't an idea that sat well with the farm mare.

"What does 'all the way' mean?" Both blondes turned to see Apple Bloom, staring up at them with those big eyes of hers.

"Uh, uh...Tarnation, Apple Bloom!" AJ said, recovering quickly. "You need to get on off to school. You'll be late!"

"Besides, Konohamaru is walking Scootaloo to school. If you hurry, you might catch them," continued Naruto, causing the little filly to gasp, yelling her thanks as she darted away in the direction of the schoolhouse. Naruto and Applejack just shared a look, before snickering, and then finally, bursting out laughing. Those fillies were hilarious, and sicking them on the younger ninja was cruel and unusual and equally hilarious.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After a morning of work, Applejack headed into town, to Rarity's shop. She groaned, really not wanting to do this, but in matters such as this, she couldn't deny Rarity was the expert. Stepping into Carousel Boutique, the bell rang, and she heard her friend from out in back. "Be with you in just a moment, Darling!" she called, and Applejack could hear the sounds of shuffling from Rarity's work room.

Before long, the unicorn herself came out, raising a brow as she telekinetically removed her sewing glasses. "Applejack? What brings you here, dear?" she asked, generally confused, and for good reason. Normally, AJ wouldn't set hoof in her store unless she really needed something. It was no secret that the farm pony had a severe aversion to anything she deemed too frilly or froufrou. Applejack just blushed. She hadn't told anypony but Pinkie Pie about Naruto. Seeing her blushing, something clicked and Rarity gave her friend a small smile.

"Seems like somepony is having thoughts of the 'male' variety, isn't she." Applejack gasped and sputtered.

"Now how in tarnation did you- I didn't even- Did Pinkie Pie tell you?" she demanded, getting even redder as the dressmaker giggled at Applejack's verbal distress.

"Your face did, Darling. You don't spend your life making dresses without seeing many a young mare, thoughts of love written across their face," she explained. "Tell me, though. Who is the stallion lucky enough that he's captivated you so?"

"It's Naruto..." Applejack muttered. Silence permeated the boutique. You could have heard a pin drop. Looking to the fashionista, Applejack quirked a brow seeing the strange look upon Rarity's face.

"...So that's what Pinkie meant by 'Apple Pie," she said after nearly a minute. "I didn't understand at first, but now it makes perfect sense! So you and Pinkie both with Naruto? Oh, this is so exciting!"

"Excitin'?" Applejack question, getting a furious nod from Rarity, who already had begun taking the farm mare's measurements...which seemed to happen every time she went into the shop. One of the numerous reasons she hated going there. "What the hay are you talkin' about?"

"Young Love, Applejack. Oh, the three of you will look so adorable together!"

"Ok...? Why are ya takin' my measurements...again?"

"I'll need to update my files on yourself and Pinkie Pie." Despite not wanting to know the answer, she couldn't help but to ask. And she was right, she didn't want the answer. "Why, for your wedding dresses, of course."

"Whoa!" AJ shouted, leaping away from the measuring tape. "Whoa Nellie! We are NOT gettin' married! We just asked him out for a date, that's all!" Rarity just shook her head incredulously.

"I'm well aware, Darling," she began. "But that is generally how marriages begin. And if this relationship does reach that point, I need to be ready. After all, if you both do marry him in the future, you'll both need dresses that not only complement yourselves, but dresses that complement each other. A multi-partner wedding is an important affair, you know." Applejack's jaw was literally agape. She wasn't aware what serious business this was. "Don't worry though, Dear. As I said, I just want to be prepared. Naruto is such a sweet stallion, and you, he, and Pinkie Pie fit so well together. You can't tell me you aren't hoping for long term..."

Applejack blushed. Of course she had thought about it. She'd done nothing but think about the stallion for weeks now. In both innocent and...erotic ways. Naruto was strong willed, great on the farm, sweet, considerate. He could be stubborn at times, but as she had been told...repeatedly...she was no stranger to stubbornness herself. He was also kinda...okay, very handsome. "Ok, so I was hopin' that maybe, things might get serious..."

"There, you see?" Rarity said. "Darling, it's obvious you like him. Even if you're not interested in marriage right now, whose to say you won't be later? Now then, I've got your current measurements. I assume you came her for more than to just share the good news. What is it you need of Moi?" Applejack tapped her hooves nervously, red in the face from nervousness an embarrassment.

"I was wonderin' if maybe you could..."

If maybe I could...what?" Rarity asked, now thoroughly intrigued. If Applejack of all ponies was this frazzled, it had to be good.

"If maybe you could...help me look pretty for my date tonight..." Rarity just smiled brightly, though to the farm mare, it seemed like the smirk of a psycho.

"I'd be happy to help," the fashionista replied, fully sincere. "What time are the two of you meeting tonight?"

"He'll be comin' over to the farm at eight."

"What are your plans? Formal, casual...?"

"Well, he's gonna take me out to eat, but nothin' real fancy."

Rarity looked deep in thought, before moving behind AJ and beginning to push her into the back. Despite having asked for help, Applejack couldn't help but make it difficult, protesting all the way. "Well, it's going to have to do. I can definitely get you presentable by then, Darling, but if you want a dress to wear, it will have to be a rush job, I apologize." The two disappeared into the back room for a moment, before Applejack burst out, now regretting her decision in asking for help. Unfortunately, the mare she was running from had her by the tail, and despite AJ's greater physical strength, she was actually losing ground, being slowly dragged back into Rarity's inner sanctum.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Walking up, Naruto rapped his hoof on the door of the farm-house a few times, hoping beyond hope that it would be Applejack who opened the door, and not Apple Bloom or Granny Smith. He really didn't want to deal with the family...Big Mac was ok. He was pretty laid back, and actually seemed to like the blonde. Hopefully he wouldn't go 'big brother' mode now that his little sister was dating. Apple Bloom and Granny Smith...he felt as though there would be lots and lots of teasing to come. Perhaps it was karma for all the crap he'd been pulling with Konohamaru, but it didn't mean he couldn't hope to avoid it.

What he was not expecting was for Rarity to open the door to the Apple Family residence. He raised an eyebrow, and so did Rarity. "Naruto, you're here." Peaking inside, she took note of the clock on the wall. The time showed 7:54 pm. "And you're early."

"Um, yeah...by like, five minutes," he replied.

"Six, Darling. And it's very rude for a Stallion caller to arrive early. What if Applejack wasn't ready yet?" she announced, receiving a deadpan stare in return.

"Is Applejack not ready?" he asked.

"As it happens, she is."

"Then what's the problem?" As he said this, Rarity just sighed, but stepped to the side.

"Stallions these days. Remind me to inform you about proper, civil etiquette, you're an ambassador, Darling, you need to know these things." Naruto just shook his head, but continued inside. For all of five seconds. That was when he caught sight of his date. This made him stop dead and stare, and made Rarity giggle.

While she hadn't managed to convince Applejack to put on a dress, but she still managed to make the farm mare look absolutely stunning. Rather than the Pony tail in which she usually bound her mane, it had been braided instead, and so was her tail. Her hooves had been manicured (it was far beyond time for it, in Rarity's view), and some simple application of blush and eye-shadow adorned her face. Outside the makeup, her coat had a bit more sheen to it than usual, indicating it had been thoroughly washed and brushed. She had her head down, draping her face beneath her bangs in a fashion reminiscent of Fluttershy, luckily hiding her natural blush, which threatened to outshine the makeup.

Naruto was absolutely speechless, but peaking up, Applejack saw the blush on his face, his mouth agape, and hoped that it was a good thing. "Wow..." the shinobi-stallion. "Just...wow...You look amazing, AJ." The farm-mare blushed even more. Yep, definitely a good thing. Moving along-side her, Naruto smiled, motioning for the door. "Shall we?" Naruto blushed now as Applejack smiled, wrapping her tail in his.

"Yeah," was her simple reply. "Let's get out of here before Rarity starts taking your measurements." Naruto looked to the other mare in the room, who was watching the scene, a knowing, and satisfied smile on her face.

"My measurements? For what?" he asked as he and his date trotted out the door.

"Trust me, partner. You don't wanna know," she replied, laughing. "So, what's the plan? Just dinner out?" Naruto smiled slightly, hearing the tone in her voice. Hopeful that perhaps their date would involve more than just eating.

"Well," Naruto said. "I was actually hoping that maybe we could head back to my place..."

"And do what?" Applejack asked, though fairly sure she knew what he was referring to. Naruto just smiled.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Ooooooh, Dear Sweet Celestia," moaned Applejack. It was all she could think to say, her whole body being assaulted by waves of pleasure.

"Jeez, you're really tight, you know that?" Naruto replied with a grunt, earning just another moan of pleasure from the farm-mare. Hearing this, the colt outside the door stopped. Konohamaru snickered, placing his ear to the door. Listening to what was going on inside.

A pained gasp from Applejack made Konohamaru blush, doubly so at what she said next. "Whoa nellie, you definitely popped it, Naruto!"

"You want me to keep going?" the shinobi asked.

"Don't you dare stop," demanded the mare. "I've seen you work the fields, you can definitely go harder." Konohamaru's blush was nearly luminescent at this point. From inside his boss's room, he heard a loud crunch, as well as a very loud moan from Applejack. That was the straw that broke the ponies back. The colt was sent rocketing down the stairs, propelled by the massive nose-bleed, fueled by the sounds from within and his own imagination.

Hearing the crashing, Naruto and Applejack's ears twitched, and they turned toward the door. "The hell was that?" Naruto asked.

"No clue," Applejack replied, before laying back down. "An' I don't really care. This has got to be the best massage I've ever had." It was true. Of course, she really didn't get massages to begin with. She had one once, having been roped into going to the spa with the girls, and it was great, but nothing like this. Naruto smiled and raised his fore-hooves.

"It's the chakra," he said. "It lets me get the deep muscles. One of the few worthwhile things the pervy-sage taught me on our trip." It was true. Jiraiya had taught it to Naruto as a way to soothe his own overworked muscles, but Naruto knew for a fact that the old pervert had another purpose for that Jutsu. And AJ's reactions to his touch were definitely proving his theory right. He shook his head. "Why do I always end up being taught by perverts?" he thought. "Iruka-sensei is totally susceptible to the Sexy Jutsu. Ebisu is such a closet perv. Kakashi-sensei reads smut non-stop, and the Pervy-sage...well, it's self explanatory." Still in his thoughts, he placed his hooves on her back, letting his chakra and its warmth flow into her spine. Pressing down, her back popped a few more times, earning another gasp, which morphed into yet another moan of pleasure.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Strolling through the castle, Luna prepared to retire to her room, as it was nearing time for Celestia to raise the sun, and thus, time for Luna to sleep for another day. As she moved through the halls, she began to notice that they were very...empty. In an eerie sort of way. The halls of the castle were usually fairly empty during the night reign, but there were always at least one or two members of the Night Guard walking the passages. But now, they were completely empty. Narrowing her eyes, Luna continued walking, feeling uneasy. Something was amiss. Hearing something behind her, she whipped around to find...nothing.

Hesitantly turning back to her path, she began to walk once more. But she knew she needed to be wary. Something was not right. Hearing more sounds behind her, she ignored them as she began to move faster. If there was going to be some sort of confrontation, it would not take place in a confined space like an interior hallway. The sound just grew louder and louder, and sounded...familiar. She had nearly reached her room when something grabbed her rear legs, tripping her and forcing her to the ground. Turning, her eyes widened, seeing the trail of sand inching its way toward her. Using her magic to force it back, she hesitantly stood. This made no sense. Why would he... "Gaara?" she asked.

"Not exactly." Luna froze. The voice was not Gaara. In fact, it sounded as two voices, neither of which belonged to the Kazekage, were speaking as one...and one of the voices was familiar and made her blood run cold as ice. Slowly turning, she saw a being who looked like somewhat like Gaara...but was decidedly not.

"You..." Luna whispered, eyes narrowed, as waves of sand crashed into her.

Chapter end

Author's Note

Shit just got real people. So now we have a new Bad-guy, and if you read the comics, you know who it is.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own MLP.

The sound of hooves falling hard on the stone palace floors echoed through the still empty halls. The owner of the hooves nearly fell just as hard onto the cold slab of rock, but managed to regain her balance. Falling against the wall, she forged on, one eye swollen shut, the other gazing half-lidded down the hall. She couldn't stop. She wouldn't. She had to warn everyone. She had to save them...save him.

Luna felt as though the very moon she brought forth into the night had fallen from the sky, right on top of her. Her muscles, resilient though they were, strained with each step forward. She panted, before closing her mouth for a moment, seeming to swish something about in her cheeks. Single eye looking in disgust, she spat the blood from her mouth. The taste was vile. Foreign to the Night Princess. Not even Celestia had injured her this badly during their own battle a millennia ago. She was only idly aware that she was leaving a trail of the precious liquid, along with several of the feathers from her now-incapacitated wings, along the wall she leaned on for support. Her normally beautiful coat and plumage were both stained with the alicorn's blood.

“Tia...” she weakly whispered. She had attempted to yell it, shout the name at the top of her lungs, but at the moment, she was lucky she could breathe, let alone speak. “Sister...please hear me...Celestia...” She had tried to use her magic to signal the Sun princess, or even to speak to her telepathically, but she did not even have the strength to use magic. This was not good. Had it been just Gaara's demon, she was certain she could have at the very least fended the fiend off. But unfortunately, the demon was now working together with another...her very own, at that.

<

"Not exactly." Luna froze. The voice was not Gaara. In fact, it sounded as two voices, neither of which belonged to the Kazekage, were speaking as one...and one of the voices was familiar and made her blood run cold as ice. Slowly turning, she saw a being who looked like somewhat like Gaara...but was decidedly not.

The stallion was shrouded in sand and shadow, but she could see exactly what was hiding beneath those evil, icy-blue eyes. Eyes she knew all too well. Eyes that she once possessed.

“You,” she whispered, glaring at the figure before her. His horn glowed, and before her eyes, she witnessed the opening of a very large wingspan as the sand began to whip wildly around him. Bracing herself, she tried to show nothing as the waves of sand slammed into her. She tried to hide it, but the wind was still knocked from her lungs. She attempted to open her wings to fly above the onslaught, but the sand actually gripped her feathers, pinning her magnificent wings to the wall.

Were it not for the sand that sealed her muzzle shut, she would have screamed in agony, as several of the sand tendrils formed themselves into thin spears, stabbing repeatedly into her wings. Once those fell limp, the sand formed a collar, throwing the Princess' head to the wall, pinning her by the throat to the stone. The sand spears then began to assault the rest of her body. While several began to puncture the flesh and muscle of her legs, the rest began to drill into the rest of her body. Not enough to fatally wound her, but enough for the pain to be excruciating. Mustering what focus she could, the blood dripping into her eyes, she sent an enormously powerful burst of magic outward from her horn, not only removing the sand from her form, but knocking back the possessed stallion as well.

“So what is this?” Luna asked, her breathing heavy and her vision beginning to swim. “You knew you would never sway me once more, so you instead went for the Kazekage?” The possessed stallion chuckled, eerily, as he looked at the form of the Night Princess, barely able to stand on her now mangled legs.

“In a sense,” he admitted, again, the cold voice of the Nightmare intermingled with the unidentified voice. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Luna. I want revenge on yourself and those ridiculous 'Elements of Harmony'...and the Shukaku wants to settle the score against a certain...Naruto Uzumaki...” Luna tried to blast the Dual-Possessed ninja once again, but his sand shot up to block, erupting in a blast of smoke and grains.

The Princess, using this as a distraction, used the last of her energy to teleport to another part of the castle. Using his wings to disperse the cloud of dust, the Nightmare Shukaku just smirked, before its form began to break away into grains of sand, blowing out the window. “Go ahead and run, Luna. Just know that when my plans for revenge come to fruition, your thousand year banishment shall look like paradise!”

<

Luna's blood-soaked mane had dulled. Before appearing as a shining field of the night sky, now a simple, plain, dark purple in color, looking no different from the manes of hundreds of regular ponies. Her vision through her one open eye was beginning to fade in and out, as even her determination could not overcome the blood-loss for long. But still, her destination was in sight. If she could make it to her big sister's room, before the older alicorn left to raise the sun and begin her daily duties, she still had a chance.

“...Luuuuna....” a voice called. Her own, distorted voice. The voice of Nightmare Moon, the result of her own possession by the nightmare forces. “Come now, Luna, you know what you have to do...” Luna shook her head an continued walking, trying to ignore the seductive power of her own subconscious. “Give in, Luna. If you once again take command of the Nightmare power, you can defeat Gaara...or perhaps...rule beside him. It's high time Equestria had a proper King and Queen, after all.”

“Silence!” the alicorn practically screamed in her mind. “I shall make it known to you as I did to that...impersonator. I will not be swayed again. I am in control.”

“Says the mare who is moments from passing out...probably moments from death, as well.” The voice again taunted her, but at least fell silent thereafter. Though whether or not it was a blessing or an omen, she couldn't say.

She no longer felt it odd for the Guards to be off their posts. It had to have been the Dual-possessed's doing. She just hoped that whatever fate had befallen them was not as bad as her own, current state...or at the very least, that if they were dead, they had died with less pain then she herself was in. She spat more blood from her mouth as she staggered round the corner. As she pushed away from the wall, her legs finally gave out, and she collapsed, dropping to the floor like so much dead-weight.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Groaning, Celestia cracked her eyes open. The princess smacked her lips a few times, before using her magic to bring a glass of water to her. Darn mouth breathing. Every morning she woke up with her mouth dry as a bone. Using her wings to strip the blanket from her body, she began to push herself up, before collapsing back on the bed. Why couldn't she have just given in and let Luna extend her night? She'd be more than willing to just hibernate during.

She sighed, knowing that she had to bring the day, and groggily moved over to her vanity. She looked at herself and grimaced. Of all the magic in all of Equestria, why was there not a spell or charm to prevent bed-head? Levitating her brush, she began to work the knots out of her mane. She bit her lip as her mane kept snagging in the brush, yanking at her scalp. Perhaps it was time for a new style. She hadn't changed her mane-cut in several hundred years, but sometimes you just need to make a change...

She finished the huge mass of hair on her head, before moving on to her flowing tail. The brush began to speed up as a low rumble resounded through the room, Celestia grateful nobody was in her room to hear her hungry stomach making its demands for sustenance. Celestia sighed once more. She really wished she had saved a few slices of Naruto's birthday cake. That beautiful, delicious Marshmallow cake. Sure, it stuck her mouth shut, but it was so good that the Sun Princess didn't even care. She'd have to come up with some occasion to get Pinkie Pie to make another.

Smiling to herself, she imaged just the scenario. One that involved her sister, the Kazekage, and a wedding dress. Sure, she could always wait for her niece's wedding, but that didn't make Celestia nosy. She knew in her heart that despite Luna's turn to evil, that she had still wronged her younger sister greatly. The only way to make it right was to give Luna a life, one even better than the one she had been cast out of in her banishment. And if that meant playing the nosy big sister, then so be it.

Folding her wings, making sure not a feather was out of place, she began humming the tune, 'Here Comes the Bride' as she opened the door into the hall. She immediately noticed that the Guards that were supposed to be posted outside her chambers were nowhere to be seen. She paid this no mind. Wrong or no, she had come to be fairly lax when it came to her own security, and thus was generally lenient when it came to her personal Guard detail.

As she took a single step from her room, she stopped her humming mid song, as her hoof touched down into something warm and wet. She looked to the floor but saw nothing but dry stone. Still though, perhaps there was more to it then that. Her horn glowed brightly, as the princess cast a spell to remove illusions and other trick spells that some prankster may have cast. Her magic pulsed outward, breaking the illusion and her breathing hitched. Her eyes widened in horrified alarm as she looked at what lay no more than a meter before her. She was vaguely aware that her guards were now at their post, looking on in horror. A multi-level illusion to trick each party into being incapable of seeing or hearing any of the other parties. Only an immensely powerful magical being could accomplish such a feat. But she was too alarmed to even consider that right now.

The guards raced to Luna's side, the unconscious princess breathing shallow and slow, as the elder princess shook in shock and terror. She couldn't move as she just stared in horror at her sister's mangled, bloody heap of a form. “Luna...” she whispered, tears beginning to fall, all thoughts of keeping up her regal appearance tossed aside. “Lulu...” She dropped to the floor, nuzzling her sister's battered muzzle with her own. Thankfully, this elicited at least a pained moan from the fallen Night Princess, letting her older sister know she was at least alive...for the moment. The guards prepared to move the princess, to get her to the hospital as quickly as possible, but stopped in their tracks as they saw Celestia's mane begin to change. It started as a black spot within the pastel rainbow of color, growing larger and larger, encompassing her entire mane and tail, aside from a deep, angry red outline around each. It looked as though her mane and tail were each experiencing their own solar eclipse. Levitating the injured Princess of the Night, they raced away as the air in the room began to get excessively hot, and the atmosphere became even more tense.

As her sister was raced to the hospital, Celestia, still kneeling in the blood of the younger alicorn, opened her eyes. No longer the regal magenta, each eye glowed brightly with the intensity of the sun itself. Her nostrils flared as she snorted, blowing smoke out through them as though her insides had been set ablaze. All the guards within the castle, as well as several of the citizens down in the city, had to cover their ears with their their hooves, as Celestia turned her head to the ceiling and let loose a blood-curdling howl, coupling it with her own 'Royal Canterlot Voice.' The sheer force of the soundwaves even began to crack the stone walls around her, but they could all come down on top of her as far as she was concerned.

Her eclipsed mane and tail whipping wildly in an invisible wind, she stood, beginning to walk, slowly, deliberately, after her sister. She assured herself that Luna would be alright. And she also assured herself that the moment her sister was awake and able to tell her who had done this to her, that Tartarus or the moon would be mercies if either was decided to be the punishment. Nopony approached the smoke-breathing princess as she strolled right down the middle of the street on the way to Canterlot Hospital. Nopony dared turn the Princess's ire toward themselves.

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Yawning, Twilight Sparkle stretched beneath her blankets as her eyes creaked open, her innate sense of time waking her. Roused from her slumber by this infallible clock within her brain, she let her hooves fall to the floor with a soft thud. First stop, the little mare's room. Curse her and her inability to resist Pinkie's Power-packed Party-time Pony Punch. It was delicious, but really made her have to pee the morning after. After relieving herself, she began preparing for her day. Brushed her mane and tail, followed by her teeth.

After morning hygiene was finished, she pulled out a clipboard, and with the zip of her pen telekinetically across the box, it was checked off her morning list. Next on the agenda, breakfast. Not feeling too hungry, she settled for a bowl of cereal. She normally didn't indulge, mainly keeping it for Spike and the occasional unscheduled Pinkie Pie Sleepover, she had to admit, the tiny marshmallows within were very tasty. Breakfast, check.

Books back on shelves, check. Library floor swept and ready for the daily influx of ponies, check. Only one thing to go. She moved back up-stairs, shaking her head at her assistant's snores from his basket bed. “Wake up, Spike,” she whispered, nudging the baby dragon a bit. As usual, this accomplished nothing. “Come on, Spike, it's time to get up,” she said, a bit louder. Spike groaned, but only pulled the blanket over him even further. Twilight sighed, but knew one sure fire way to get him up. It worked every day. She gripped the bedroom curtains in her magical aura, bracing for the purple-and-green dragon's hiss as the light from the sun cascaded into the room.

“Spike, you can't stay in bed forever,” she announced, with practiced ease. “Now come on. It's time you wake up, get out of that Basket, and come meet the beautiful Ponyville-” her words sharply cut out as she flung the curtains wide, only to gaze at the field of stars in the sky. The sun had not risen yet. “-Night?!?!”

All across Ponyville, the residents who also woke habitually early, like the Apple family and the Ninja ambassadors, also took notice of the lack of sun. Fluttershy shivered and were it not for Rainbow Dash's 'insistence', she never would have left her cottage. Naruto would find out why. Apparently, this wasn't the first time the sun hadn't come up in the morning. And it was NOT a good sign.

“For the last time, Nightmare Moon cannot be back,” Twilight said, her friends having all gathered in the library. “We all watched her get purged from Princess Luna ourselves. Maybe the Princess just decided to sleep in for a day. She does deserve it, after all.” Despite her attempt to sound sincere, Twilight was just as worried as her friends. What if Nightmare Moon really had found a way to return? What if something terrible had happened to Princess Celestia?

“We saw her turn back into Luna, but we didn't see her get destroyed,” Dash countered, causing the trembling Fluttershy to shake harder. “What if she possessed Luna again? I mean, if it happened once...” The rainbow-maned Pegasus left the implication hanging. Twilight bit her lip, before turning to Spike.

“Anything?” she asked, but the Baby dragon shook his head.

“No,” he said, worriedly. “We've sent three letters in the last ten minutes. You'd think she would have answered at least one.”

“I don't like it...” Naruto said, his eyes narrowing as he put his hoof down. “I don't know about the 'Nightmare Moon,' but it does make me feel nervous. If something did happen...why hasn't Gaara stepped in yet?” The question confused the blonde greatly. Did somepony manage to beat the Kazekage? Was his friend in trouble? Did he need help?

“I agree with Twilight,” Applejack relented after a moment. “Last time we let our fears get the best of us, we wrecked Zecora's place thinkin' she cursed us. There has to be some explanation.” Naruto quirked an eyebrow. And he thought HE had some interesting stories. He'd ask his Marefriends about it later.

Spike suddenly began to regurgitate, before belching out a cloud of smoke which condensed into a letter from the Princess. Despite her telekinesis, Twilight practically dove for the letter, eyes scanning it furiously, growing wider and wider. The rest of the ponies waited with bated breath as Twilight's legs began to tremble.

“Well?” Rarity asked. “What does it say, dear?” Twilight was too stunned to speak.

“Sugarcube?” AJ asked, as Dash and Pinkie both began waving their hooves in front of the Unicorn's eyes.

“Somepony...or something...attacked Princess Luna...she's in critical condition at Canterlot Hospital, and has yet to regain consciousness...” Twilight revealed, her voice quivering more than her legs. A chill ran up the spine of everypony in the room. Everyone understood now why the sun hadn't been raised. The Princess definitely had more important things to worry about.. While Dash, Spike, Fluttershy, and Konohamaru each grasped the severity of the situation, the others were hit even harder. Rarity and Applejack found their thoughts drifting to their little sisters, knowing that they would never function if something happened to one of them. Though they weren't related by blood, Naruto too grit his teeth, knowing he'd go to hell and back to beat the shit out of anypony who might do that to Scootaloo. Twilight felt likewise about Spike.

“What the hay could do something like that to one of the Princesses?” Rainbow shouted, and Twilight shook her head.

“I...I don't know,” she admitted. “But according to the letter, Princess Celestia wants all of us, Naruto included, in Canterlot as soon as possible.” Springing out from behind her, Pinkie Pie rapped lightly on Twilight's horn.

“Then what are we waiting for?” the Pink Earth Pony questioned. “Fire that thing up and let's move, Ponies!” Aside from Fluttershy, who was too frightened to verbalize a reply other than a timid squeak, the other Ponies agreed with Pinkie, and crowded around Twilight, as her horn began to glow, a determined look on her face. In a flash, the group of Ponies, plus one dragon, had vanished.

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Appearing, singed but otherwise fine, on a dark street of Canterlot, Twilight gained her bearings and immediately began racing toward the hospital, her friends in hot pursuit. The entire place was surrounded by Royal Guards, but upon realizing who was attempting to get in, they just waved them through, while letting them know which room Luna was in.

By the time they got to the room, they noticed Celestia just standing there, staring at the closed door intently. But this was not the Sun princess they were used to seeing. Sure, her coat and Cutie Mark were correctly colored, but her mane and tail were now pitch-black in color, with a bright outline, as if the sun were cloaked behind the mass of hair.

Hearing the hoofsteps, Celestia's neck twisted sharply, and she growled...actually growled...at the group, until they came into proper view. Upon seeing her loyal and faithful student, Celestia's anger began to fall, as did the tears. “Twilight...” she said, shakily, not trusting her own voice. Seeing her mentor so close to breaking down, Twilight rushed up to her, nuzzling her mentor, who did the same back to her. Despite her efforts, she felt the teardrops on the top of her head.

“Do we know anything about what happened?” Twilight asked, but the Princess shook her head.

“After she was attacked, she still managed to make it half-way across the castle, with no wings, no magic, and four legs that look like they had been used as a manticore's chew-toy,” Celestia said, sniffling, but regaining her composure. “If there was ever a testament to how tough my little sister is, that would be it. I found her unconscious outside my room.”

“Shouldn't the castle be crawling with Guards? How is it that none of them managed to find Princess Luna sooner, and help her?” Dash asked. Twilight had to step back from her mentor as she growled, her wings stretching to their full span and her eyes glowing a dangerous bright white.

“Somepony managed to cast a very, VERY powerful illusion spell. It affected the guards, even myself, and probably Luna as well. The guards were unable to see or hear us and vice versa,” she replied in anger. “I likely wouldn't have even found Luna until it was too late. I couldn't see or hear her either. It was only because I stepped...stepped in...” The princess couldn't finish, feeling too sickened to even say the words, but Naruto now began to notice the dried blood that caked her front hooves, as well as a few spots on her front limbs as well, though it appeared somepony had tried to clean them.

“What about Gaara? Where is he?” Naruto now asked, wanting to know what had become of his friend. Celestia took a breath, breathing out a bit of smoke once more and tried to calm down. Once her eyes returned to normal, she shook her head.

“Nobody has seen the Kazekage since we returned to Canterlot from your Birthday party...” Celestia replied. “Had he been around, undoubtedly the outcome of this attack would have been decidedly different.” The conversation was interrupted by the doctor, a unicorn with a dark brown coat, as he exited Luna's room.

“How is my sister?” Celestia demanded to know, slightly unnerving the doctor with her gaze.

“She'll be fine, though she's lucky your Guards got her here when they did. She's a tenacious, tough alicorn, and once her magic replenishes fully, she should begin to heal and be back on her hooves in no time,” he announced. The Ponies let out a collective sigh of relief as Celestia asked if they were allowed to see the Night Princess. The doctor agreed, but noted that Luna hadn't regained consciousness. Thanking the stallion, the group quietly entered the private room.

The injured alicorn lay in bed, her wings stretched out and locked in braces, and her entire body wrapped in fresh bandages. A mask had been placed over her muzzle, providing the Princess with more oxygen The only visible portion of Luna's body her single, uninjured eye. Upon seeing her like this, Celestia's anger began to bubble to the surface yet again, her black mane whipping dangerously. But this time, Twilight stayed close, her legs trembling. Dash's question once more came to the forefront of her mind. Just what the hay could do something like this to a pony as powerful as Luna?

Fluttershy, not knowing what to do, just backed into the corner of the room and tried her best to keep from crying. AJ pulled off her hat and bowed her head. Dash looked ready to be physically ill, as did Rarity. And Pinkie Pie? Just looking at the unconscious Night Princess caused her normally poofy mane and tail to deflate and go straight. Not really sure of how that happened, but certain of the why, Naruto inched closer to his marefriend, wrapping his tail in hers, trying to comfort her.

But the biggest reaction came from, surprisingly enough, something that was not a Pony. Within Naruto, the Kyuubi began to stir, and it began to connect to its jailor's senses further through his mind. “This isn't right. The lingering energy...it feels like Shukaku...and yet, at the same time...not...” He viewed the scene through Naruto's unknowing eyes, and his own narrowed. “Something else working with the One-tail...What kind of bargain have you struck, Brother...?”

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Feeling the hard rock beneath his hooves, the alicorn touched down before a massive cave, once a dragon's lair, unbeknownst to him, at the mountain's peak. As the red-maned pony smiled psychotically, he turned his sights to the small town below the mountain and some distance away...Ponyville. “Let's begin,” he said, the sand beginning to swirl about at high speeds, ripping into the stone beneath his hooves. He cackled with glee as his pupils changed from the slits of the nightmare, to the four-pointed stars of Shukaku.

Chapter End

Author's Note

Hi guys, sorry it took so long for me to do...well, anything, but still stuck using the GF's school computer. However, as it happens, I managed to pull this one off just in time for Christmas, so I hope you enjoy, and if you do, check out my other FIM crossover, Fox in Equestria : Revamped, that I have taken over with permission from the original author Raja-Ulat.

So, like it? Hate it? Unsure of what the hay is going on? Well, you'll just have to review and keep on reading.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own MLP.

Her blackened mane shrouded her face. Her once kind look, now replaced by something darker, more menacing. But there was a spark of kindness and love still in her eyes as she looked down at her fallen sister. As an Alicorn, Luna had remarkable healing abilities. So, why wasn't she awake yet? Luna was pretty much fully healed, minus a few spots on her coat and wings that had yet to grow back. She, and the doctor, thought that she would wake when her magic was restored. But it had been hours, and not even a twitch. Horn glowing golden with her own magic, she touched it to Luna's, trying to enter her sister's mind. Despite her determination, she sighed, and ceased her efforts. This had been the third attempt to commune with Luna, and like the other two had been utter failures. Something was blocking her from entering the dreams of her injured sister.

She needed to know what Luna knew, to see what she saw. But even her magic couldn't penetrate the barrier that had seemingly formed on its own, keeping the younger Princess' mind completely protected. And there were only two beings that she was aware of that were more powerful in terms of mental magic. One of them was lying unconscious before her, which she was trying not to dwell on. The other was frozen in stone in the Royal Garden, trapped in rock by the Royal Pony Sisters back when they themselves were bonded to the Elements, and again by the new Element bearers after his recent escape. And she couldn't just release Discord to break into her sister's mind...could she?

Eyes widening, Celestia shook her head, her black mane whipping wildly. What was she thinking? Under any other circumstances, the thought of releasing Discord for any reason would have never even come close to entering her mind. But seeing Luna laying silent before her, looking so helpless...All she wanted to do was find the piece of...piece of...Manticore shit that did this to her little sister.

She gently nuzzled Luna's muzzle. There was no reaction, not like she expected one. But a moan, or even a groan, would've been nice.

“I lost you once. I-I don't know If I can bear to loose you again. All those years, just staring at the moon. You can only imagine the pain of loneliness.” A hollow chuckled escaped her throat. “I bet you can. You must come back to us, to me. I promise you, I will save you.”

Once that whisper left her lips, she vanished in a bright light.

She reappeared in Canterlot castle, ignoring the many guards around her. Storming through the halls, passed the stained-glass windows, and right up to a very thick door. She hoped that her little Ponies would not need them. But with Luna being attacked, and viciously at that, she couldn't afford to let Twilight and her friends to go unprotected. Even with Naruto around, they needed to be careful. Whoever cast that illusion spell had to be insanely powerful, and they still didn't know who or what it was. So, while she would much rather leave the Elements of Harmony locked away, she knew it was a necessary precaution to make sure the bearers had the Elements with them at all times.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A scream ripped through her throat as she crashed into the black floor of her dreamscape. Despite not being in the physical world, her mental representation could still register pain. And her ribs cracking from the impact brought about a lot of pain. She was given no reprieve, as a cloud of blue smoke slammed into her, knocking her into the air, as though she had been hit by a solid object. As the Moon princess once more hit the floor with a thud, she grit her teeth and glared as the smoke solidified. Before her stood her darkest feelings. All of her inner darkness given form. Nightmare Moon. Not willing to give up, Luna shakily climbed back to her hooves.

“Why are you here? How!?” Nightmare Moon just laughed. It was a chilling laugh, one that held nothing but sadistic mirth and promised pain rather than joy.

“I never left. I've been here since long before the Nightmare Powers were so willingly invited into your heart,” the evil alicorn replied, smirking, baring her fang-like teeth. “I'm what haunts the dreams of the Dream-Guardian. I. Am. You. The essence of everything you wished to be, but were to afraid to be. Like it or not, Princess, you're looking into a mirror.”

“I'm nothing like you!” growled out Luna, telekinetically gripping her dark half and throwing her through a wall, leading outside of the palace that served as her dream. “And you didn't answer my question. The Elements of Harmony purged you from me, and-”

“The Elements of Harmony purged the Nightmare Force from you, Princess. But I am the representation of your innermost desire, given consciousness,” Nightmare Moon growled back, cutting the Moon Princess off as she appeared muzzle to muzzle with Luna. Both horns glowed, and created sparks. If somepony were to see them, it would be described as a majestic sight. “I was never purged. Only weakened by the reawakened goodness of your heart. Disgusting, but it matters little. You will never be rid of me. I will never leave. Especially with this...how did you put it? Impersonator? Yes, that was it. I will not rest until this Impersonator knows his place.”

“You will do nothing of the sort!” Luna announced, beginning to force back her darker half. “The Elements of Harmony purged me of the Nightmare Forces. They can do the same for the Kazekage.” Luna glared as Nightmare Moon simply laughed. It was cold, and if Luna was anypony else, she would have backed down just from hearing it. She was Princess Luna, she could never back down. Not now. Not with Gaara out there, forced under the control of not only his inner demon, but hers as well. The Wicked Mare of Darkness's horn began to glow again, and before she knew what hit her, Luna was blown back by a shockwave, twisting through the air in a tangled mass of limbs.

“You faith in the Elements, and their wielders, is misplaced. They will be utterly useless against Gaara.” The way she said his name was suggestive and mocking, taunting her. And it seemed to work, Luna's eyes beginning to glow a pure white as anger stirred within her.

“And what makes you so confident, Shadow-demon?” she demanded to know. “Twilight Sparkle and her friends bested you. What gives you any inclination to think they cannot defeat the Dual-Possessed Gaara?”

“Because the Nightmare Forces are not stupid,” scoffed her dark counterpart. “Even with the Shukaku's apparent grudge against Uzumaki, they would not have preyed on Gaara if they didn't believe he had an edge that rendered the Elements of Harmony unusable or ineffective. Gaara is lost forever if you leave things up to those little Sun-lovers who wield the Elements. But I can help you, Luna. Let me out, and we can live with Gaara...happily ever after, just like in those old pony-tales.”

Happily ever after. That kept repeating in her head, like it was stuck in a loop. She always dreamed of something like that. Something she read in the pony-tales of old, on those lonely nights as a filly. A prince to suddenly sweep her off her hooves, and make her feel like a Queen. The demon before her was everything she was, and knew everything about her. Especially how to get inside her own skin.

With a powerful roar, Luna leapt high in the air, then launched forward. She sliced through the air, spinning and creating a slight whirlwind around her. And as she slammed into the dark Alicorn like a magic drill, Nightmare Moon vanished into a cloud of blue smoke. Luna was exhausted, but she was just getting started. A ball of magical energy began forming at the tip of her horn. As she glanced around for her enemy, the ball grew bigger and bigger. From the size of an apple, to the size of a boulder. The sooner she could end this, the closer she would be to saving Gaara. She waited for the Mare in the Moon to reform, and when she did...

“Go Away!” Her shout was enough to send ripples hurling towards the mare, but that wasn't all. As soon as she yelled, the ball of energy launched forward. The explosion that followed nearly sent her flying back, but she held strong, and planted her hooves firmly on the ground. As the light dissipated, she watched with narrowed eyes as the smoke billowing from the crater turned blue. This was far from over.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The Elements of Harmony had been distributed to their bearers, Celestia's concerns stated outright to the six mares as well as the blonde shinobi with them. Every pony was on edge, even the normally brave and brash Rainbow Dash. Each worried that whatever had visited such a fate upon the Night Princess would attempt to deliver a similar thrashing to them all. And each were dealing with their individual unease in their own way.

Twilight, for her part, was scouring the Royal Archives, looking for anything, pony or creature, capable of bringing such harm to Luna. But despite her search, she was coming up empty-hooved at every turn. Fluttershy had gone and gotten as many flowers as she could, and began arranging them throughout Luna's room, attempting to brighten the dark situation. Rarity helped the pink-maned Pegasus arrange flowers, simultaneously working to design a gown for both Royal Pony Sisters. Personalized, complimentary garments to be worn when Luna finally awakened. It wasn't much, but it was all the fashionista could do to keep her mind off her dread.

Nopony knew where Rainbow had gone off too. They knew her well enough that she would not have gone outside Canterlot at a time like this. But the lack of clouds in the sky meant she likely trying to find the next highest place in the city in order to think over what had happened and calm down. Applejack, who normally worked out her frustrations in the fields, found herself beginning to grind her teeth nervously. She found herself wishing her coltfriend was still at the hospital, but the Princess wished to talk to him alone, and they had gone off somewhere. And since neither she nor Pinkie Pie wanted to be by themselves just then, she had convinced Pinkie to start planning a 'Glad you're out of the Hospital' Party, for after Luna was fully recovered. That at least put some poof back in Pinkie's mane.

Celestia stood with the blonde-maned shinobi at her side, gazing up at the stone form of the Spirit of Chaos, his arms outstretched and his face contorted in fear and surprise. The more she gazed upon it, the more the Sun Princess tried to steel herself. To exorcise the urges she felt to release Discord from his rocky slumber. Release him for the sole purpose of breaking into Luna's mind and retrieving the identity of the soon-to-be-deceased being responsible. Her blackened mane whipped wildly with aggression and shock. She was an Alicorn Princess. She was the ruler of an entire race...well, co-ruler. Her emotions should have been concealed, perfectly kept under her control. But even now, she felt as though they were about to boil over, consuming her and everything around her.

Fear. She hated that feeling. In her mind, she saw every possibility of releasing Discord into the world. That action could easily cost her the love of her people, and even her sister. But at the moment, all she could think about was her own fury, and it was frightening her. Was she being selfish? What would Luna say? She was seriously considering freeing the Spirit of Chaos for the sole purpose of breaking into her sister's mind. Would Luna understand? Would she hate her? She didn't know. For the first time since... since... the day she sealed her own sister into the moon, Celestia felt an overwhelming cloud of despair threaten to crush her very soul. Her black mane whipped around in frustration.

“Would everypony hate me?” she thought as she once more looked into the face of the statue...she frowned as she for a split second thought the fear of Discord had been replaced with a smirk. A blink and it had reverted to that look of terror.

“You have more experiences dealing with aggressive impulses, as a warrior, do you not? Better than I...” she said, her voice quivering slightly, barely belying her insatiable fury. “The desire to rend flesh is new to me...I'm not certain that I'm comfortable with it. And as you can see, it's affected more than just my mind.” Naruto nodded, unspeaking, as he stared at the Draconequus. Having acknowledged that she was at least being heard, Celestia continued. “But recently, I find myself consumed by an unrelenting anger...even possibly pure hatred...and it's directed at something which I cannot see. Something I know nothing about.”

She took a shaky breath, and continued. “The thought of revenge. Never before have I ever considered the possibility. Until now. I find myself contemplating the unthinkable. And I must ask if you've even done the same...” Naruto raised an eyebrow as Celestia gazed at him. Her eyes seeming to pierce his very being. “In all the anger you've undoubtedly felt in your life...have you ever contemplated releasing the demon within you, if only to direct it's power and rage at the object of your ire?” Without thinking, she fully faced him, and took a step forward. “Letting it take revenge on your behalf?” Eyes wide, Naruto began to step away from the Princess slowly. It was cold, and she couldn't believe she even said that. The rage afflicting her heart and soul slipped lose for a moment, letting her emotions to escape uninhibited. His eyes shone with fear, and he took a few more steps back.

“How did you know about that!” he frantically shouted. She knew he would react in that manner. The Kyuubi was suppose to be an absolute secret. One for him and him alone to reveal. And the fear that radiated off of him from her knowing was understandable, if not misplaced.

“Lady Tsunade made me aware. She trusts you completely, Naruto, but as she was making you Equestria's ambassador, she felt it was my right to know that there is a powerful, demonic entity bound to you.” Naruto narrowed his eyes, but at least he stopped trying to back away.

“Then you probably know about Gaara as well?” He questioned, getting a nod from the Sun Princess, who went back to staring at the statue of Discord. “To answer your question...every single day since learning of Kyuubi's existence, I've had thoughts of setting him loose upon the people who torment me and my friends. To set him free, then in a way, I could be free too...”

“What's stopped you?” asked Celestia, desperately seeking an answer. A way to put these thoughts of freeing the being before her from his stone state behind her. Freeing Discord was a last resort, one she didn't want to be forced to turn to.

“Bonds. I had friends. Freeing the fox demon could destroy all of that...And then, I may as well be the Kyuubi myself. Be the monster so many people already thought I was.” His answer shouldn't have startled her, but it did. She also had friends, bonds, with everypony. “Setting this Discord guy free might provide knowledge of who attacked your sister, but can you really live with knowing that you released him? Knowing that you released Discord on your subjects if he decides not to follow your orders?”

Celestia continued to stare at the statue for a moment, before sighing and dropping her head in shame. She was about to answer, but then, he laughed. “On the other hand, you managed to seal him once, and so did the girls, so I've heard. Could you do it again?” Could they? If the need arises, she was confident her little ponies could. Discord would not be able to break their friendship so easily a second time...but she would need a way to make the Elements secure. Unable for the Disharmonious One to get his claws on them, as he did last time. “I can't make your choice for you. You're the Princess after all. But if you do this, then you have me and the girls to back you up. I'll kick his sorry tail until he gives in! And that's a promise.” And despite herself...Celestia smiled.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The ground beneath his hooves shook and cracked as the sand dug into the rock, grinding it and breaking it down into even more sand, binding to both The Nightmare's Magic and Shukaku's chakra. Unfortunately, it was slow goings. The two weren't ready to reveal their machinations quite yet, and so as more and more of the mountain was ground into sand, the Shukaku forced a shell to remain outside. A giant mountain suddenly beginning to shrink would draw more attention than they needed. But soon, he would have enough sand to not only transform into his true form, but to blanket half of Equestria in desert. And by then, it would be far too late to stop them.

Ponyville, home to the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, would be the first to fall. And it would do so without so much as a fight from those Mares. Naruto might be an issue, but the Nightmare Forces assured the One-tailed demon that they wouldn't even try to use the Elements of Harmony. And a good smack-down delivered to the blonde human that had bested him some years prior would cement his invincibility in the minds of these ponies for years to come. He chuckled darkly. “Almost time for our rematch, kid.”

“While I am grateful for the hospitality, I must point out that while your little Ninja may not be a threat, and the Elements shall be useless, we still have Celestia to worry about. She is not somepony to take lightly...” Hissed the shadowy voice of Gaara's secondary possessor, who had been relegated to the back of the mind while Shukaku took care of creating their weaponized sand. The Tanuki just scoffed, uncaring for the Nightmare's warning.

“She couldn't even defeat your last host without the Elements of Harmony to aide her. What do WE have to fear from her?” The Nightmare Forces fell silent, but Shukaku knew enough that his partners were not going to let this drop. Within the mindscape, the smokey form of the Nightmare Leader drifted over the dunes, traveling to the center of the mind, its eyes glowing in malicious delight. A massive hourglass towered over the shadow, with sand slowly...very slowly...pouring from the top into the bottom. And in the bottom section, sitting with his knees pulled to his chest, sat a human Gaara. But unlike the powerful Kazekage he once was, this Gaara was but a child.

The boy wouldn't last long, the shadow-demon noted. Even with as slowly as he was being smothered and devoured by the sand, he would not be able to withstand the draining much longer. If this kept up, than Gaara would simply wither and die, and their trump card would be lost. He frowned. If Gaara died before they had taken out the Elements of Harmony, then this entire campaign for dominance was lost. Shukaku seemed to catch on to this vibe, and slowed his consumption of Gaara's soul even further.

“Tell me, Shukaku...just what is it about this Uzumaki that drives you so?” At his question, the sand before the Nightmare began to morph, forming the head of the tailed-beast.

“I don't take kindly to being beaten. Especially since Uzumaki is his Jinchuriki,” the Tanuki bellowed. “That damn fox. Always thinking he's better than the rest of us. Calling me- US, weaklings, all because he has more tails. Well, let's see if his power matches mine once I've assimilated and weaponized an entire mountain!” The Nightmare sweat dropped. He should have guessed as much. It seemed that Gaara wasn't the only one who had something in common with Luna...In the case of Shukaku, it was a fierce sibling rivalry with his Nine-tailed brother that intensified his hatred of Uzumaki. Well, that was fine. It sped up the process immensely, strengthening the semi-binding between the two.

“...Just hurry up...if the boy doesn't make it, and they figure that out, we have no defense against the Elements of Harmony. And I have no doubt that this Uzumaki, if not Celestia, will be able to tell if he's no longer alive,” the Nightmare said, coldly, getting a growl from Shukaku.

“Don't make the mistake of thinking you're better than me, either,” he announced, his face dissolving into sand as he went back out to continue eroding the mountain. The Nightmare went back to staring at the frail human child. There was no emotion on his face. But being connected to him, the Nightmare Force could feel the emotions rolling off in waves. Anger, fear, despair...each serving to make the Nightmare Force stronger.

Author's Note

The plot thickens. That's all I can say.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own MLP : FIM

Celestia, her new black mane whipping violently in an imaginary wind, glared at the statue of Discord. She swore, even frozen in stone, the Lord of Chaos was mocking her. “Are we really going to do this, Princess?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously. While the others weren't quite so bold as to question Celestia at that moment, they each agreed with the pegasus' sentiment. But Celestia had been adamant. After placing several enchantments on the Elements to hopefully prevent Discord from stealing them...again...Celestia had transported them all back to the statue, explaining the plan she and Naruto came up with.

Applejack leaned into Naruto, uncomfortable with the entire thing. Last time Discord had been freed, he'd reversed the personalities of herself and her friends, turning her into Equestria's biggest liar in the process. That was something she was unlikely to forget OR forgive any time soon. And while she and the girls had the Elements of Harmony to protect themselves this time, Naruto was left with no protection, which worried her.

“It's the only way to get into Luna's mind to wake her,” Celestia announced, the conviction in her voice leaving no room for argument as she mentally braced herself for the headache. “Do it.” By her command, the mares channeled their collective energies through the jeweled necklaces that represented each of the Elements, before a blast of rainbow-light shot from the six mares, straight at the statue. Naruto, who had never seen the Elements used before, actually took a step back to admire the beauty. But it was not to last, as before his eyes, he watched the stone seem to melt, reverting to flesh.

There was a massive flash of light, and Naruto had to look away. When he looked back, he noticed that the statue was gone. As he looked to-and-fro, he and the ponies became aware of playful laughter. Laughter Celestia and the Ponies knew all too well. “Oh, this is priceless! Never thought I'd be freed by you, of all ponies, Celestia. Love your new look, by the way.” Celestia's eyes glowed dangerously and her muzzle curled into a snarl.

“Show yourself, Draconequus!” the Princess demanded. The unseen creature just clicked his tongue in disdain.

“Don't get me wrong, my dear, I love our little 'get-togethers,” he announced, that same condescension as before. However, a trained ear could definitely hear a bit of resentment as well. “However, the last few times involved me getting turned into a statue, so you're not exactly making me want to do that. To be honest, it's been making me feel a bit unloved. Unwanted. And the pidgeons, Celestia. THE PIDGEONS!...What have we here?” The tone immediately shifted to a curious one.

“Hello,” Naruto nearly jumped at the arm around his neck, Discord having appeared right next to him. “Looks like a pony...” Sticking his face into Naruto's spikey, blonde mane, the Spirit of Disharmony took a deep whif. “Smells like a Pony...” Naruto managed to break out of his grip before Discord could lick him. “Well, I don't know what a pony tastes like, anyway. But you're definitely no pony, I can tell that much.”

“You know that just by looking at me?” Discord looked thoughtful for a moment, before breaking out into laughter.

“Actually, I was listening to your conversation with Celestia, earlier,” he admitted, ruffling Naruto's mane. Applejack had to suppress a growl, and Pinkie began to fidget as Discord toyed with their coltfriend. Shoving Naruto down, the ninja found himself in an easy chair, sitting across from Discord, who for some reason was wearing a suit and tie and sporting a bad comb-over.

“So tell me, Naruto, where exactly are you from?” Naruto didn't want to know where Discord pulled that microphone from, or why it was suddenly shoved in his face. “Your public wants to know.”

“ENOUGH!” shouted Celestia, her anger swelling within her as Discord was paying attention to Naruto, but not Luna. She took a deep breath, trying to reign in her fury. “I did not free you so you could lounge about having fun! I did it, because I need your help.” This made Discord smile. Oh, how Celestia hated that smile.

“Really?” he asked with a smirk. “So that would make me your Godzilla Threshold then? Oh, Celestia, I didn't think you viewed me in such high regard.” Eyes glowing white, and horn glowing, Discord simply yawned, uninterested. Until the color of each changed, with the eyes of the Alicorn becoming bright green, and her horn's normally golden glow replaced by a purple, hazy one. Now Discord was paying attention. “Ah, ah, ah tsk tsk” he chastised, half-heartedly, shaking a claw at the Princess in a mock-scolding manner. “Celestia, Celestia, how could you. Resorting to dark-” Suddenly, Discord's neck began to squeeze in, as though being crushed in an imaginary grip. “-...magic” he finished, wheezing out the final word as he began to turn red.

The girls gasped as the draconequus continued to change colors in Celestia's magical grip. First red, then purple, before full on blue. Twilight prepared to interfere, afraid of what her teacher was doing, though she understood the reasons, but realized that Discord was just messing with them. It became apparent that was the case when Discord proceeded to turn orange, yellow, white, tie-die, polka-dotted, and finally, began flashing glowing, neon-green, as his lengthy body twisted to read what seemed to say 'Eat at Joe's'. Now even angrier, Celestia slammed the Disharmonious One into the ground and stepped on him. In her mind, she knew it would never hold him, but she didn't care. She might have found the first thing Discord would ever be good for. She could work out her frustrations on him without having to worry about harming him.

“You. Will. Help. Me.” she growled out, punctuating each word with a little more pressure on Discord's throat. Disappearing from underhoof, Discord appeared in front of the distraught Princess.

“Hmmmmm...Ok.” Celestia had not been expecting that. Granted, it was Discord, the master of the unexpected, but the princess was so shocked, her mane actually regained color for a few seconds as she stared owlishly at the spirit of chaos, blinking like a deer in the headlights. To be fair to her, Twilight, AJ, Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow, and Fluttershy each wore similar expressions. It wasn't to last. Luckily, the prepared Draconequus he was, Discord quickly pulled out a camera, capturing their expressions to film, where they would live on, forever. Celestia finally shook off her shock, the returned color receding back into darkness.

“Did you just say...you'll help us?” Twilight asked, as if afraid he'd now say no. She hoped beyond hope that this was not some joke to get on Celestia's nerves. Not now. But Discord just nodded, before plucking a strand of pitch black hair from the princess' mane, making her snarl and growl once more.

“Oh yes,” he replied.

“Um...if it's not too much trouble...can I ask why?” Fluttershy asked, but ducked behind Applejack as Discord turned his gaze to her. He just held up the black hair.

“Curiosity, mostly. I just want to see what exactly could have turned dear, sweet, boring, Princess Celestia-” His face suddenly warped into the smiling face of the princess, complete with pastel, rainbow mane. Twilight and Celestia looked unnerved seeing that face on the Draconequus' body. “-into dark, broody, unpredictable Celestia.” Luckily, he didn't try to imitate that, but at this point, Celestia wasn't thrilled with looking at Discord's actual face either. Suddenly, like Naruto before her, Celestia found herself lying on a cushioned couch, with Discord in a chair beside her, scratching some notes onto a small notepad, like some form of therapist. “Now, what exactly seems to be the problem.”

Celesia began to feel that rage welling up inside her yet again, but worried for both her sister, and that Discord might change his mind. “Luna was attacked. Whatever did it was powerful enough to beat her within an inch of her life, and still have enough power to cast an illusion over the entire Canterlot castle.” Discord jotted something down on his notepad, before nodding, and motioning for Celestia to continue.

“I won't lie and say you haven't caught my interest,” he announced, before pausing as Pinkie Pie leapt up behind him, whispering in his ear. With a sigh, and a snap of his fingers, a rain-cloud made of cotton candy manifested itself inches above Pinkie Pie's head. “However, I don't see how that requires my help. Obviously, whatever did this didn't stick around, and you still have you and the elements...” From her position on the couch, Celestia caught a glimpse Discords 'notes' and scowled. Ripping the notepad from his hand, Celestia allowed the others to see the huge, random scribble mark.

“Finding me boring, Discord?” she growled, her eye beginning to twitch. The Draconequus snatched it back.

“DON'T TOUCH THAT!” he screeched, before calming. “It's my lunch.” He puckered his lips and began to suck in as though slurping through a straw. The line of ink clung to the page with all its might, but was no match for Discord's vacuum face. Eventually, is was sucked into the mouth of the mix-and-match magical maniac like a long, black noodle. The group watched with a strange mix of fascination and disgust as he ate foot-after-foot of ink-noodle. He soon pulled the last of his 'lunch' from the page, before dabbing his mouth with the note-pad.

Naruto thought it was over, but Discord apparently wanted dessert, because he tossed the note-pad into the air, chomping his lips closed over it and swallowing it whole. His clawed hand curled into a fist, and he whacked what Naruto assumed would be his chest, before letting out an incredible belch, punctuated by dozens upon dozens of live paper birds fluttered out of his mouth. “Ugh,” blanched Rarity. “Could you be any more disgusting?” she demanded.

“Hey, give him a break!” shouted Pinkie, easy to forgive the Chaos Bringer now that she had...well, now it was about a quarter of a cotton candy cloud. Pulling out a glass, she grabbed to pink glob, ringing it out like a rag, squeezing out a cup-full of chocolate milk. Naruto cleared his throat, once more drawing Discord's attention to the non-pony pony.

“Maybe we should, I don't know, go help Luna now?” he asked, getting a nod from all but Discord. “Besides, the sooner we find out what attacked her, the sooner we can track it down and kick its ass.” Raising a brow, Discord chuckled, once more ruffling Naruto's mane.

“Human. Definitely human,” he muttered, before snapping his fingers. In an instant, the entire group had been transported into Princess Luna's private hospital room. “Now then, you never did answer me, Celestia. What precisely do you need me to do here that you couldn't do yourself?”

“I've been blocked out of my sister's mind,” she replied after a moment. “I can't get her to wake up. I fear that something far worse is happening then just the attack on Luna, but I can't determine what precisely that is without her help.”

“So you want me to go in there, break her out of her mind, and find out exactly what tried to kill her...” he replied, cracking his knuckles, before stroking his beard in thought. “Although...”

“Discord!” Celestia growled threateningly, horn and eyes beginning to glow once more. The girls all huddled together, the Elements beginning to glow.

“Oh, I'll still do it,” Discord said, brushing off the thinly veiled threat like it was nothing. “However, I think, given the circumstances, I deserve a little...remuneration.” Celestia sighed, but realized she was in no position to deny Discord without destroying her chance to save Luna.

“Your price?” she demanded, and Discord just laughed

“Oh, nothing much. I want a bit of insurance, that's all.” Holding his hand up while the other mimed the act of crossing his heart, he continued. “I rather dislike being a statue. However, I would assume you have no plans involving leaving me to my devices. And so, in exchange, I want to bind myself to the new guy.”

“WHAT!?” Shouted Naruto, Celestia, and Twilight. Naruto for being involved in whatever plan the Spirit of Chaos was cooking up, and the two ponies because they knew just what a magical binding would do.

“You heard me,” Discord said, and unlike before, he actually seemed menacing about it. “He'll be my insurance. What happens to one of us happens to the other. For example, if he were to go home to his world, I too would gain the ability to travel there. Or if I, say, was turned to stone again. He would too.”

“You can't do that!” shouted Applejack, who was met by uproarious approval from the ponies present. “Why, I have half a mind to-”

“Deal.” AJ was cut off as her coltfriend, despite obviously knowing what a horrible idea it was, accepted Discord's offer.

“Hold on,” she shouted, giving the sternest glare she could muster as Naruto was embraced by Pinkie Pie, who was clinging to him as though her life depended on it. “What are you doing?” she whispered through grit teeth. “You can't just give in to him like that.” She blushed as Naruto kissed her cheek.

“Don't worry,” he said. “I know what I'm doing.” For some reason the way he gave her a wink as he said that, made her feel a bit more at ease. But not much. Even less when the being of Chaos teleported the ninja into the air, inches from his face, giving him a scrutinizing glare as he stroked his beard.

“You're planning something. You and your...partner. Something devious...Good. About time things got interesting.” Naruto resisted the urge to swallow nervously. Discord knew about the Kyuubi? But how? Was he really listening to his conversation with Celestia earlier? Or was that just the product of his chaos power at work? Either way, it unnerved the blonde greatly. However, just because Discord knew about the Kyuubi, didn't mean his plan couldn't work. It would just make things more complicated. “Shake on it?” asked Discord, holding out his claw. Naruto gave it a tentative gaze, before reaching out with his hoof, which Discord grabbed, eagerly. “My dear boy, I think this is the beginning of a very beautiful-” turning to the ponies, all of whom were glaring daggers at the chaos-bringer. Celestia, AJ, Pinkie, and Rainbow were gritting their teeth so hard it was a wonder they didn't break from the strain. Placing his face right next to Naruto's, he petted the blonde mane. “-Friendship.” The smile he gave them all sent shivers down their spines. Discord just stared for a moment, before bursting out laughing again. “Oh, you really should see the looks on your faces!” he chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye, before with a snap of his finger, he shrunk down to the size of a worm, landing on Luna's head, much to Celestia's chagrin, before inching his way up and into her ear.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Luna was in bad shape. No matter how hard she hit Nightmare Moon, the specter simply reverted to smoke, before reforming, completely restored. She herself was having a much tougher time. “Luna, this is pointless,” Nightmare Moon taunted, flaring her wings open to their full span, releasing a hail of what seemed to be flaming stars, sending them straight toward her good counterpart. The princess ducked and dodged, just narrowly avoiding the falling stars by inches. “You can't defeat me. And the longer we continue this pointless squabble, the longer Gaara is under the control of the Nightmare and Shukaku.”

“And you think you can do anything about it?” Luna demanded, struggling to stand now, thoroughly exhausted. “I hate to have to inform you, but without the Nightmare Force, you are just as vulnerable as I. And I find it unlikely that they, with Gaara as their new host, would give him up just to come crawling back to you!” Now Nightmare Moon snarled, before barreling at Luna, traveling at astonishing speed. The Moon Princess attempted to move, but was not fast enough, and found her wing impaled on the horn of her darker self. Despite the pain, Luna held back her shriek, smirking as she leaned in to whisper in the seething-shadow's ear.

“Did I strike a nerve?” she asked, pleased with the growl of hate that emanated from Nightmare Moon's throat. “That's it, isn't it. It's not about me. It's about you. You want that power back.” Violently throwing her to the ground, Nightmare Moon stepped down on Luna's throat, putting more and more pressure on it.

“I...am...you. And I am doing what is right by us. And if that means getting rid of that pesky conscience that you have, then so be it,” she growled out. “I will get my power back, AND save your precious Gaara. With, or without, your help or consent.” The alicorn under her hoof struggled, gasping for breath as her trachea pinched closed.

“Now, now, ponies. You have to play nice.” The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Both alicorns recognized it almost instantly, but were unsure of how or why he would be there. As Nightmare Moon blinked owlishly, the two were suddenly ripped from the ground, floating upwards for what felt like hours. But soon enough, they were each staring into the amused eyes of Discord, laying on a cloud in all his glory. Well, not a cloud...was that a cow? While Luna took note that the starry sky in her mindscape looked different, more colorful, Nightmare Moon had passed confusion and moved straight to anger.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded with a hiss. “Last time I saw you you were a hunk of rock.” Discord sighed, before plucking one of the stars from the starscape as though it were right in front of him, before removing a plastic wrapper. That explained it, thought Luna, who watched Discord throw the green gumball into his mouth. Chewing for a few seconds, he then proceeded to begin blowing a bubble. It grew bigger, and bigger, before Discord removed it from his mouth. With the bubble no longer blocking his head, the two each cocked their heads in confusion as he now wore what looked like Gypsy attire.

“Look into my crystal gumball. All the answers you seek can be found inside.” Nearly having forgotten their battle a moment before, the two alicorns tentatively looked closer and closer to the gum bubble. Discord, who was now filing his claws, examined his self-manicure, blowing on them slightly, before taking one finger to the bubble. Somehow, when the massive thing popped, none of it managed to get on Luna. It did however completely engulf Nightmare Moon, covering her from head to toe. She shrieked, both enraged at Discord for fooling her and at herself for allowing herself to be fooled. However, her gum-casing muffled the sound.

Popping up behind her in a flash, Discord now sported a beret, black-and-white stripped shirt, and a curly black mustache. “Inside every medium, a work of art cries for the artist to release it...” Discord announced, his voice thick with a french accent, before he once more began speaking normally. “But perhaps in her case, we can make an exception. Besides, trapping those you disagree with in stone seems to be how you ponies handle your problems.” Looking to her dark counterpart, Luna was surprised to see the gum having taken the shape of Nightmare Moon, down to the slightest detail. It had already solidified, and judging by the muffled curses and screams, as well as the trembling, it was holding the Mare in the Moon tightly, unlikely to let her loose any time soon.

“Discord...To what do I owe this...intrusion?” Luna asked, not fully trusting the Chaos King's intentions, despite helping her with her problem.

“Oh, Luna. I forgot how much more irritable you were than your sister...” Discord bemoaned with a flat stare and a frown, before vanishing, reappearing with his arm wrapped around the Night Princess. “Though to be fair, at this point, she's almost got you beat. But to be fair, you rock the dark mane much better.”

“What? What are you talking about, Discord?” demanded Luna. The Disharmonious One must have been waiting for that question, because his eyes lit up and he clapped his hands together. The two suddenly found themselves seated in a movie theatre, confusing Luna greatly. When Discord passed her a bucked of popcorn, she simply took it without protest. At this point, she had neither the time, nor the energy, to do so. “Could you not have simply told me what you wished to tell-” She was silenced by a finger over her lip and a shush from Discord.

“No talking during the movie!” Discord reprimanded. “You don't hear dear Nightmare Moon speaking and being rude, do you?” he asked, and with his knuckles, rapped a few times on the trapped alicorn's head. When a few muffled screams were heard, Discord simply shushed her as well, before throwing a clump of popcorn into his mouth. Luna just sighed, her gaze a heard glare as she too began to eat her popcorn. And so, after throwing off the pair of 3-D glasses Discord placed on her face, Luna began to get caught up on the happenings of the outside world.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto was splayed across the floor, a massive lump forming on his head, from where Applejack had proceeded to start beating on him. The farm mare was furious with Naruto for striking that deal with Discord, and despite his insistence that he had a plan, she was still worried. Discord had done a number on the minds of her and her friends the last time he was freed, and she didn't even want to think about what he'd do to Naruto. While the others seemed to disagree with her that Naruto deserved the hit to the noggin, at least Rainbow had her back. And Pinkie...well, she didn't really know who's side Pinkie was on. The Mare just sat on her haunches, staring at their shared coltfriend in a mix of pity and confusion.

“I'm telling you, the moment he got out of sight, Discord probably went off to cause trouble!” Rainbow Dash ranted, doing nothing for Celestia's mood. Ordinarily, she found Rainbow Dash to be somepony she enjoyed listening to, but on today of all days, it was beginning to grate on her nerves. She unfortunately knew very well that Discord could not be trusted, but he was her only hope at the moment. She just hoped whatever plan Naruto had come up would be enough to keep Discord at bay if he did attempt something.

Her nerves were starting to get the better of her, and as she paced the floor incessantly, each step left a charred hoof-print in its wake. “For now, we need to trust him. He isn't bound to Naruto yet, so he knows he's vulnerable to the Elements of Harmony. He won't try anything until he has his insurance.” Whether she was trying to convince the ponies, or herself, was left open to interpretation.

A groan reached her ears, and in a flash, Celestia stood next to her sister. Her eyes fluttered a moment, before opening all the way. For a moment, Luna seemed confused, before sighing. “Sister,” she said. “Could you please move your face back a tad. I'm feeling claustrophobic.” Celestia blushed, but nuzzled her sister a bit before acquiescing. She pulled back, her hair and mane finally regaining their pastel colors, before being yanked back, she and Luna brought into an embrace by Discord.

“Together again!” he cried, wiping some tears from his eyes. “I knew that movie would have a happy ending!” Snapping his finger, a handkerchief appeared, which he blew his nose into. Unfortunately, the moment he did, the cloth caught on fire, burning to ashes and going out in seconds. Appearing next to Naruto, ruffling his mane and causing him to flinch at the contact with his new lump, Discord levitated the blonde up and placed his arm around him. “Now then, we have a deal to settle, so if you'll excuse us for just a moment...” and in a flash, the two were gone, despite the numerous protests from the ponies.

Turning to her Sister, Celestia adopted a look of worry. “I was worried sick,” she announced, and Luna nodded.

“I can see that. Worried enough to release Discord,” she replied.

“I'm so sorry. Under any other circumstances, I never would have done so.”

“I understand,” the younger sister announced. “In fact, while we can both agree that Discord is an unpredictable menace, had he not delved into my mind when he had, I likely would not have made it. As loathed as I am to say it...I may owe my life to Discord.” By now, the other ponies gathered around, at this point somewhat afraid of what Luna was saying.

“Princess Luna...what attacked you? What's going on?” Twilight asked, and the gaze of the Princess fell upon her.

“It's back,” she said. “The Nightmare is Back.” Several pairs of eyes widened in shock and fright. And one eye, floating in the air just outside the hospital window, broke apart in the wind, blowing into thousands of grains of sand.

Chapter End.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long. To be honest, I was having a lot of trouble figuring out how to do Discord. But I think I have come up with something I can at least live with, if not enjoy.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics.