Naruto: Fox in Equestria

by Raja-Ulat

What would happen when a boy hated by his own people was somehow brought to a world where friendship and love are the most powerful of magic? What would happen when that same boy finally finds a place where he is loved and appreciated despite his origins, species, and terrible burdens? Will he have the courage to choose one world, and forever leave the other? (ADOPTED!)

2. Chapter 2

Naruto – Fox in Equestria

Disclaimer: This will be a Naruto and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fanfiction. Yes, I'm a Brony, deal with it!

Chapter 1: The Visiting Sun

Sarutobi Hiruzen was not having a good day, at all. During the evening from the day before, Naruto had all but disappeared in a bright flash of light which somehow also prevented him from escaping. To make matters worse, there is absolutely no trace of the boy, including any scents of him leaving the village, or the perpetrator of the deed. The only clue his ninjas had managed to obtain was traces of the energy responsible for creating that flash of light that made Naruto disappear.

Similar but ultimately different from chakra, the fusion of spiritual and physical energies present in all living things in the Ninjas World and absolutely vital for ninjas to be able to execute any form of ninja techniques, also known as ninjutsu, the energy had a rather unique and distinctive nature. Under normal circumstances, having a uniquely distinctive energy-signature would make tracking down the user easier. However, due to the fact that no one had ever encountered such an unusual energy-signature before and the fact that there is absolutely no way to trace it back to the user, the clue was pretty much almost useless.

To make matters worse, the people of the village who hated Naruto were torn between being fearful of Naruto finally unleashing his fury upon them and being overjoyed at the idea that he is gone for good. That is not even counting that one person who had kept insisting that Naruto should be trained into an emotionless weapon for Konohagakure, and is obviously unhappy about having the boy all but disappear from the village. Tragically, the number of people who truly cares for the boy are woefully few and can easily be counted with just one hand, two at most.

Placing his hand over his face, Hiruzen dreaded to attend the next council meeting which will force him to admit that Naruto is indeed gone and cannot be found. He could only pray that his former student and current leader of Konohagakure's spy network, Jiraiya, would be able to somehow shed some light onto the disappearance of Uzumaki Naruto and perhaps even come up with some way to somehow find him and bring him back. Getting off his chair with great reluctance, Hiruzen worriedly thought, "Naruto, just where are you…?"

Scene Change

Meanwhile, in Equestria, Naruto was sleeping more soundly than he had ever slept in memory. Forced to live in the poorest district in Konohagakure, the boy was used to sleeping on a lousy bed and putting up with people who were either being noisy or were deliberately tormenting him by vandalizing his apartment. Therefore, to be able to sleep on such a comfortable bed was nothing short of paradise for him.

All good things had to end eventually as Naruto felt his stomach grumble in demand for food. Reluctantly waking up, Naruto yawned and rubbed his eyes as he noted his surrounding and thought, "So it really wasn't a dream." Torn between feeling happy that he had finally made some friends and feeling sad about leaving his home village despite the fact that the majority of the villagers hated him, Naruto quickly brushed the matter aside as he smelled something which made his mouth water. Although unfamiliar with the scent, as he had been forced to eat nothing but instant noodles and ramen for most of his life, Naruto knew that it smelled delicious and was therefore worth trying to find and eat.

Getting off the bed, Naruto made his way downstairs towards the kitchen when he saw Fluttershy preparing breakfast. Still unused to having anyone, or any-pony in this case, caring for him, Naruto wondered what he should do when he noticed a white rabbit looking up at him. Blinking, Naruto then remembered that Fluttershy loves animals and would often provide medical treatment for them, much like a pony-version of a vet. He also recognized the rabbit to be Fluttershy's pet, Angel.

"Oh, I didn't know that you're awake!"

Turning his attention to Fluttershy, Naruto grinned sheepishly and said, "Morning Fluttershy-neechan, I was getting and hungry and smelled something good so I came down here."

Smiling at the boy, Fluttershy replied, "Don't you worry, breakfast will be ready shortly." She then frowned worriedly as she asked, "You… do like muffins, right?"

Blinking, Naruto asked, "What's a muffin?"

Scene Change

"This muffin's yummy!" exclaimed Naruto as he eagerly ate a chocolate muffin.

Smiling, with a hint of sadness once she found out how incredibly ignorant the boy was due to his past mistreatment, Flutteshy then said, "Now slow down, Naruto, or you might end up chocking. Also, don't eat too much or you won't be able to enjoy the apples at Sweet Apple Acres or the cakes and candies at Sugarcube Corner."

Slowing down his eating, Naruto savoured the flavour of the muffin as though it was a gift from heaven. Amused by his blissful expression, Fluttershy then asked, "So, just for the sake of knowing, what exactly do people normally eat?"

Frowning, Naruto then answered to the best of his ability, "Well, we eat rice, fruits, veggies, candy, cake, bread and meat."

Blinking, Fluttershy asked, "Wait, meat as in fish?" While she loves animals, she is also understanding of the fact that some animals are predators and thus need to eat other animals such as fish, earthworms and even mice.

Nodding, Naruto replied, "Yeah, and lots of other kinds of meat too like chickens, cows, and pigs. I also heard that some people even eat squirrels and…" Seeing Fluttershy's increasingly upset expression, Naruto worriedly asked, "Did I say anything wrong?"

Shaking her head, Fluttershy then explained, "Well… you see… we ponies don't eat meat. Sure we eat chicken eggs and drink cow's milk, and use them both for baking, but other than that…" As much as Fluttershy understood the need for some animals to eat meat, the idea that people would actually consume hooved mammals, such as cows, was upsetting as many of them are sentient and capable of speech in Equestria. Of course, she never knew that hooved animals, including ponies, generally lacked sentience and the ability to speak in the Ninja World.

Realizing why Fluttershy was upset, Naruto frantically said, "T-that's ok, you don't have to kill anything for me! Besides, I don't get to eat much meat back at my home village so I'm not missing much, really!"

Not sure if she should be happy that Naruto was trying to make her feel better or be even more upset at the idea that a small growing boy like him was denied of proper food, Fluttershy nevertheless decided that the best way to ensure that Naruto grows up properly is by letting him eat all kinds of food. Other than the lack of meat, which can be easily solved by letting him eat fish should eggs and milk prove to be insufficient, she and her friends can easily provide him with everything else for his diet. Of course, she would need to be prepared for the fact that there are some kinds of pony-food which the boy may not be able to eat such as hay and flowers.

After eating breakfast, the boy and the pegasus pony left the house and made their way to Ponyville, the closest town to Fluttershy's home…

Scene Change

Meanwhile, inside a massive hollowed-out tree known as the Golden Oaks Library, also the home of Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn pony was busy looking through her books for any clues about Naruto's species. Helping her were Spike, a baby dragon whom Twilight adopted when he was just a hatchling and is like a little brother to her, and Owlowiscious, Twilights pet owl and fellow assistant in her studies and research. Peewee, a baby phoenix and Spike's pet, simply watched the ensuing chaos in infantile fascination as Spike and Owlowiscious frantically provided an increasingly large pile of books and scrolls to Twilight.

Frowning, Twilight mused, "I knew that trying to find any references about Naruto's kind would not be easy but this pretty much confirms that it's probably impossible to find any information about them."

Exhausted from carrying armload after armload of books all morning, Spike fell onto his tailed rump and begged, "Please tell me you actually found whatever you were looking for, Twilight!"

Shaking her head, Twilight said, "Nope, not that I expected to find anything about Naruto or his people."

Falling onto his back, Spike groaned, "Honestly, all that hard work for something which might really be nothing from the start?"

Smiling sheepishly, Twilight apologized, "Sorry, Spike, but this is almost as important as that time when I feared that Nightmare Moon would return."

Well aware of that period, the same period when Spike and Twilight Sparkle were both sent from Canterlot to Ponyville, and ultimately saved Equestria by vanquishing Nightmare Moon, the evil alter-ego of Princes Luna who is also Princess Celestia's younger sister, Spike wore a worried expression and asked, "Is it really that bad?"

"Hopefully not, but we need to be ready for the worst until we are sure that we are not in danger."

Suddenly, Spike burped a breath of green flame, revealing a rolled-up scroll bearing the royal seal of Princess Celestia. Quickly taking the letter through magical telekinesis, Twilight quickly read through the letter, "My most loyal and dedicated student, the message which you had sent to me from the day before is indeed a matter of great importance. As such, I will personally come to Ponyville and see the child myself. Your mentor, Princess Celestia."

Scene Change

Naruto's eyes were wide in awe as he took in the sights of Ponyville. While a little uncomfortable at the fact that every-pony was staring at him, he took it in stride as the stares were of surprise and bewilderment rather than hate. Besides, even he knew that he is new in town, never mind the fact that he is probably the very first human to ever set foot on Ponyville. Following the boy closely was Fluttershy as she smiled at the boy's innocent sense of wonderment despite her own discomfort at being the centre of attention as she was apparently Naruto's caretaker of sorts.

"Howdy!"

Hearing a familiar voice, both Naruto and Fluttershy turned around to see Applejack who was dragging a stand filled with apple products. Quickly noticing the apple products and smelling their scent, Naruto wasted no time to dash to Applejack and asked, "What are those, Applejack-neechan?"

Applejack was almost comically horrified as she gasped and asked, "Wait a darned minute, you're telling me you don't know what these are?"

Shaking his head, Naruto replied, "I know that they probably have apples, but not much else."

"Well, if that's the case, sugar-cube, let me tell you that these are the prized goods of Sweet Apple Acres! We've got all sorts of apple goods such as apple pies, apple tarts, apple fritters, apples coated in caramel, and good old plain apples!"

Apparently impressed by Applejack's claim, Naruto asked, "Can I have some?"

"Sure you can, the first one is on the house!"

Confused, Naruto tilted his head as he asked, "On the house?"

Amused by his confused expression, Applejack playfully rubbed her hoof on his spiky blond hair and explained, "That means that it is free."

Hearing that the first apple-produce is for free, Naruto wore a grin which could light up a million light bulbs as he eagerly turned his attention to Flutteshy for permission. Unable to say no to the boy's happy grin, Fluttershy smiled and said, "You can go ahead, but be sure to only take one item. Applejack needs to earn her bits."

While he did not know what "bits" are, Naruto correctly guessed that it is probably something similar to money so he did not question about it as he picked a whole apple pie. What can he say, he is a growing boy with a large appetite and a whole uncut apple pie counts as one item.

"You sure you can eat all that by yourself?" asked Applejack. She still remembered that day when Twilight first met the Apple family and ended up eating too much pie, not that she took much notice at the time.

Shrugging, Naruto said, "I don't know, but I do want to share some with Fluttershy-neechan."

Struck by his generous nature, Applejack grinned at Fluttershy and cheekily said, "He's quite the gentle-colt, isn't he?"

Blushing, Fluttershy spoke to Naruto, "Oh, you don't really have to share with me if you really want to eat the whole pie."

Hearing Fluttershy's offer, Naruto asked, "You sure? Food always tastes better when you eat with people that you like." The boy knew that much from personal experience as eating bowls of ramen would taste better when he eats it with people that care for him such as the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Not wanting to disappoint the boy, and feeling a little peckish herself since she lost a bit of her appetite after realizing that people eat meat, including the meat of sentient animals such as cows, Fluttershy finally decided, "Well, I suppose I could share some with you."

Grinning, Naruto exclaimed, "Great!" Turning his attention to Applejack, Naruto thanked her, "Thanks for the pie, Applejack-neechan!"

"You're most welcome, sugar-cube! Just be sure to drop by at the farm after you're done with whatever you and Fluttershy came here to do. Big McIntosh and Granny Smith both want to see you!"

Surprised that some-pony whom he had never met actually wants to see him, Naruto asked, "Really?"

"Sure as sugar are! Now if you excuse me, I need to get to the market and sell the goods."

Waving at the departing Applejack, and heartily thanking her as well as promising to drop by at her farm, Naruto then turned his attention to Fluttershy and asked, "So, split fifty-fifty?"

Scene Change

"So this is the people-boy you were talking about?" asked Princess Celestia who was watching Naruto from above on top of a cloud. As an alicorn, she has no trouble walking on clouds unlike Twilight Sparkle who needed to cast a spell on herself that would allow her to accomplish the same feat. As one of the powerful Princesses of Equestia, Celestia knew that she would not be able to sneak around as easily as any-pony else unless she is in a disguise. Fortunately for her, she knew a magic spell which allowed her to change her appearance into an ordinary pegasus-pony with a white coat, pink hair and a yellow-coloured star cutie mark to blend in.

Nodding, Twilight replied, "As far as we know, the boy is anything but malicious and is probably not even aware of his status as a vessel of whatever he is containing."

Seeing the boy's innocently cheerful nature and generosity, Princess Celestia nodded in understanding and then asked, "Have you informed your friends about his burden yet?"

Shaking her head, Twilight replied, "No, I was busy looking through the library for any information which might shed some light on Naruto's homeland. Also, I'm not sure how to break the news to any of my friends let alone Naruto, at least not without gaining any solid proof." The last thing Twilight wanted as a repeat of the bungle she made during her brother's wedding. While her instinctive fear about her brother marrying an evil princess was ultimately true, in the sense that he was marrying an evil queen in disguise of his beloved bride, the fact that she tried to stop the wedding without sufficient proof backfired on her until the evil queen revealed herself.

Sensing her unease, Princess Celestia understood her reluctance to inform the others about Naruto's burden and said, "I understand your reluctance, Twilight Sparkle. However, as your friends, they do have the right to know about it. As does the boy himself once we find out more about the entity within him."

"I understand, Princess Celestia."

Scene Change

Before long, and after consuming the apple pie, Naruto and Fluttershy arrived at a building known as Ponyville Schoolhouse. "Well, we're here!"

Unable to read the words which are obviously written in a completely different language from his own village, Naruto never thought to consider the strange fact that he could still somehow understand the local language of Equestria as he asked, "We're… where exactly?"

"This is Ponyville Schoolhouse. It's a place of learning for young foals much like you."

Raising an eyebrow, Naruto asked, "So it's like the ninja academy? But why send me here?"

"Well, we have no idea how long you're going to be stuck here with us and it just won't do if you don't get a proper education in the meantime. Besides, Apple Bloom and her friends study there and I'm sure you'll be able to make more friends by attending school with them," explained Fluttershy who mentally added, "It would also allow me to quickly find my friends so that we can gather everything we need to have Naruto settled down without me or the others needing to keep an eye on him at all times." Fluttershy knew from her experience of babysitting the Cutie Mark Crusaders for the first time that children have a knack of somehow getting themselves into trouble if left unsupervised.

Already not liking the idea of attending school, partly because of his own mistreatment back at his home village, Naruto pouted as he shuffled into the schoolhouse. Noticing his pouting expression, Fluttershy smiled and said, "Don't worry, Naruto, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time in school if you just give it a chance." Remembering her own painful past of being bullied by most of her peers, Fluttershy mentally added, "At least I hope so!"

Scene Change

Cheerilee, a purple-coated earth pony with pink hair that has even paler stripes of pink, green eyes and a cutie mark to three smiling flowers, stared at the boy while Fluttershy asked, "So… is it alright for Naruto to study here?"

Having already heard Fluttershy's explanation, Cheerilee pondered for a moment before she made her decision, "Well, I suppose it won't hurt to have him attend school. I'm just worried that Naruto would have trouble fitting in with the rest of the students." Already she could see that some of the meaner students were sneering and snickering at the human boy. Diamond Tiara, a pink-coated earth pony with purple and white hair, pale-blue eyes and a tiara-themed cutie mark was already making plans of bullying Naruto alongside with her partner, Silver Spoon, a grey-coated earth pony with light and pale-grey hair, grey eyes and a spoon-themed cutie mark.

Equally aware, Fluttershy could only hope that she was not making a mistake in believing that Naruto could somehow get along with the students, other than the Cutie Mark Crusaders who were obviously planning on letting Naruto join their ranks. Naruto was also aware but chose to ignore it as he was already used to worse. Besides, the teacher seemed nice and he already knew the Cutie Mark Crusaders who obviously care for him so he had no problems with being a part of the class…

Scene Change

Rubbing her chin, Twilight spoke her thoughts aloud, "That's unexpected, and I thought Fluttershy would just take him along to the marketplace with her to get everything she needs to help Naruto settle down."

"Oh, and you're against the idea of him attending school?" asked Celestia who was obviously jesting.

Shocked, Twilight hastily spoke, "O-of course not, Princess Celestia! I'm just surprised by her choice of actions, that's all!"

Almost giggling at Twilight's reaction, Princess Celestia then noticed that Fluttershy was leaving the schoolhouse and said, "Nevertheless, it does provide a good opportunity for us to gather all the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and inform them about Naruto's circumstances without necessarily informing him as well at the same time."

The two spying ponies then noticed that Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared out of nowhere and greeted Fluttershy, "Hi there! Is it true that you took Naruto out with you today?"

Nodding, Fluttershy spoke, "Yes, I felt that leaving him at home all by himself would be a bad idea and so I brought him to the schoolhouse so that he could make some friends and get some education as he is apparently undereducated back in his home village. I also want to ask every-pony to help me get Naruto settled down as quickly as possible."

"You mean like preparing a surprise party? Because I can tell you that almost nothing is more awesome than surprise parties with lots of presents!"

Shaking her head, Fluttershy replied, "We can prepare a party for him after we get the things we need for him to settle down." Suddenly, Fluttershy gasped as she thought, "Oh no, I forgot to get his measurements! How am I supposed to get Rarity to help make new clothes for him?"

Grinning, Pinke Pie said, "Don't you worry, Pinke Pie is on the case!"

Before Fluttershy could stop her, the pink pony dashed into the schoolhouse, armed with a measuring tape which she somehow took out of thin air, and caused a bit of a ruckus inside the building. Every-pony dropped a sweat as the building seemed to be actually leaping due to the ruckus happening inside. They could even hear Naruto screaming like a little filly.

"Princess Celestia, I think we can both agree that Naruto would not want to have Pinkie Pie doing any measurements on him anytime soon," said Twilight. Princess Celestia could only nod as Pinkie Pie quickly left the school building while carrying Naruto's trousers with her front hooves…

Scene Change

After getting back his trousers, and thanking to the heavens for the creation and regular use of underwear which spared him the embarrassment of running around butt-naked, Naruto sighed in embarrassed exhaustion as he sat down on the floor. Looking at the tired blond boy, Apple Bloom asked, "You okay, Naruto?"

"Just tired from chasing after Pinkie-Neechan," moaned Naruto. He could almost swear that the pink pony was a ninja of some sort. How else could she suddenly appear out of nowhere, wrap him completely in measuring tape, and then somehow take off his trousers without first untying him and running away with it on just her hind legs? Had it not been for his own experiences in pranking and then running away from infuriated adults, including ninjas, of his own home village, as well as Fluttershy's intervention, Naruto might have been forced to attend school in only his underwear and his T-shirt.

All too aware of Pinkie Pie's rather eccentric, but ultimately well-meaning, nature, Cheerilee shook her head with a smile and said, "Now that things have calmed down, let us continue with class. Naruto, if you may?"

Tiredly standing up, Naruto then introduced himself, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and Uzumaki is my surname. I come from a village called Konohagakure and I'm a person, not a pony."

"Well, duh!" said Diamond Tiara.

Ignoring the rude statement, Naruto continued to speak, "I don't really have much to talk about in my home village." His face was downcast as he mentally added, "Because there is almost nothing nice to say about the village other than awesome ninjas, Hokage-Jiichan and ramen." Under most circumstances, Naruto would boast about the ninjas and ramen from his home village but he quickly found out from the previous night that the ponies of Equestria lacked both and would therefore not understand him.

Seeing his sad expression, Cheerilee decided to try cheering him up by asking, "Then what is your opinion about Ponyville?"

Naruto's mood visibly brightened as he spoke, "Oh, that's easy! I like it! Sure it's a bit strange being the only person in a town full of colourful ponies but I know some very nice ponies here and the food here is awesome!"

"That's good to hear, Naruto," said Cheerilee who smiled at the grinning boy. She then asked, "Is there anything which you don't like in particular?"

"Well… I don't like people who are mean to me for no reason, and I know a LOT who are like that at my home village!" Cheerilee blinked at Naruto's statement as the boy continued to speak, "I also don't like stuck ups who think that they are better than everyone else." Every-pony glanced at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon at that moment as the two fillies are infamously mean and snooty while Naruto mentioned his last dislike with a visible shiver, "And I really, really don't like ghost stories!" Scootaloo had to nod in agreement with the boy on that last statement as she too is easily scared of ghost stories.

"And your dreams?" asked Cheerilee.

Hearing her query, Naruto took a moment to think about it before he replied, "I'm… actually not really sure right now. Back at my home village, I wanted to become the next village leader so that everyone would notice me and see me as a great person like Hokage-Jiichan. But now that I'm here…" The boy was at a dilemma as he mentally asked himself, "If I'm stuck here for good, just what is my purpose then?"

Seeing that the boy had nothing more to say, Cheerilee said, "Well, thank you for introducing yourself, Naruto. Now, as you are obviously new here, I won't expect you to know everything for now. However, I expect you to pay attention in class, is that understood?"

Naruto nodded in understanding as he replied, "Yes, Cheerilee-sensei."

Scene Change

It did not take very long for Cheerilee to realize that Naruto would have quite a bit of difficulty in learning from her lessons. While he has not trouble understanding her spoken words, he has absolutely no idea on how to read. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were quick to mock his inability to read but Naruto quickly argued that people write differently from the ponies, very differently in fact.

Staring at the blackboard, and the strange symbols written on it which look more like arcane runes to her than any normal writing, Cheerilee had to ask, "Is that how people write your name?"

Shrugging, Naruto replied, "Pretty much." Pointing at each symbol of the rune-like writing which represents his name, Naruto explained, "It goes like this, U-Zu-Ma-Ki Na-Ru-To."

Despite knowing that Naruto came from a land very, very far away, Cheerilee never expected to find such unusual writing in which the symbols are written vertically, from up to down, and are read from right to left. Equally dumbfounded, the students were not sure how to make sense of the boy's unusual written language. Even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon did not know how to respond, their desire to bully Naruto notwithstanding.

Looking at the rune-like writing and then at her own written words, Cheerilee quickly mused, "Looks like I would need to have Naruto learn our written alphabets…"

Scene Change

Meanwhile, at a building in Ponyville known as Carousel Boutique, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were with Rarity, the owner and resident of the boutique, as the unicorn gazed at the pink earth-pony and asked, "Do I even want to know how you measured him?"

Fluttershy shook her head and said, "You don't want to know."

Heeding Fluttershy's warning, Rarity said, "Well, assuming that the measurements are correct, I should be able to make something for him. Preferably nothing as drab as the clothes he's currently wearing." Wearing a thoughtful expression, Rarity added, "And since he's obviously a boy, he probably wouldn't like anything frilly or sparkly, not to mention that I would have to keep the designs simple for now since I need to make a few sets for him on such short notice."

"So you'll help us?" asked Fluttershy.

Nodding, Rarity replied, "Of course I would! You and Pinkie Pie just go ahead and get whatever else you need to help him settle down while I prepare his change of clothes." Hearing the sound of a bell attached to the door into her boutique, Rarity was about to greet the newcomers when she noticed who had entered and asked, "Twilight, what are you doing here with Applejack, Dash and… whoever she is?"

Wearing a serious expression, Twilight explained, "Girls, there's something that I should tell you all about Naruto…"

Scene Change

It was soon break time and Naruto found that Cheerilee's class is much nicer than the lessons he had to attend back at the ninja academy in his home village. True, he could not read anything and he knew that a number of the young ponies don't exactly have a high opinion of him, but Cheerilee was an honestly nice pony who is actually patient with him and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were more than happy to help him learn how to read their written language. Besides, how can he not like hearing stories about mighty rulers who can control the sun and the moon, the same rulers who once vanquished a powerful demon of great evil known as Discord? Girly ponies or not, being able to accomplish such feats are awesome!

Before rushing out for their recess break, Cheerilee spoke to Naruto and the Cutie Mark Crusaders and, after understanding that they knew each other, suggested that the three fillies help Naruto learn how to write and read. Knowing Naruto's painful past, and eager to see if they can get their cutie marks through helping him, the three fillies were more than happy to volunteer. As a result, Naruto was busy learning from them on how to read the alphabets which led to the following…

Scene Change

A B C D, E F G!

H I J K, L-M-N-O-P!

Q R S, T U V!

W X, Y and Z!

Now I know my A B C, won't you come and sing with me?"

Scene Change

Staring at Sweetie Belle after she completed her lively version of the "Alphabet Song", complete with a little dance, Naruto excitedly exclaimed, "That was awesome!"

Blushing bashfully, Sweetie Belle replied, "Aw, it was nothing!"

Shaking his head, Naruto insisted, "No, really! You can totally become an awesome singer, believe it!"

Grinning at the blond boy, Apple Bloom said, "Told you, Sweetie Belle has a great singing voice!"

"So, you know how to read our alphabets now?" asked Scootaloo.

Scratching his cheek, Naruto replied, "A little, I think. I kind of got lost after the C."

Smacking her hoof over her face, Scootaloo moaned, "Man, teaching is WAY harder than it looks!" Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle could only roll their eyes at the impatient young pegasus.

"Maybe we should ask Twilight for help. I'm sure she has a book on alphabets in her library and she'd be happy to help," suggested Apple Bloom.

Feeling uncertain, Naruto asked, "You sure?" Being an attention-seeking loudmouth did not exactly make him any more likeable for anyone who works in a library.

Noticing the boy's uncertainty, Apple Bloom reassured him, "Don't worry, Twilight may be a bit bossy at times but she's my sister's best friend so I'm sure she'll be happy to help. Besides, even if she can't help you, I'm sure my family can!"

Nodding, Sweetie Belle added, "And I'm sure my sister would love to help you too." Inwardly, the unicorn sheepishly added, "As long as you don't ruin her fashion clothes or anything like that."

Not to be outdone, Scootaloo said, "While I'm not sure if Rainbow Dash can help you with book smarts, I'm heck sure that she can help you in becoming awesome!"

Staring at the three fillies that are more than happy to help him, Naruto wore a grin and was about to thank them when he heard someone speak in a disrespectfully haughty manner, "Well, if it isn't the Blank Flanks and their Freak Friend…!"

Scene Change

"Wait a darned minute here, you're telling me that Naruto, who is probably one of the sweetest kids we know, has something bad sealed into him like how Nightmare Moon was sealed into the moon?" Turning her attention to Princess Celestia, Applejack quickly added, "No offense to your sister by the way."

Nodding in understanding, Princess Celestia, who had revealed her true form before the gathered ponies who are also the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony, replied, "None taken. As for your question, the answer is, while not yet fully confirmed, correct."

Frowning, Rarity said, "As much as I hate to admit it, I can sort of understand if these people hate Naruto because they are afraid of whatever he has inside of him."

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you're going to just say that it's alright for us to judge him just because he has something bad shoved into him like those idiots from his village!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

Shaking her head, Rarity explained, "No, I don't mean that! What I'm trying to say is that if Naruto really does have something evil sealed inside of him, of course any-pony who knows that would be worried about it. I mean, he's a living boy for goodness sake, not some inert rock or trinket which can be locked away or be ignored by every-pony!"

"What does that have anything to do with how these people mistreated him?" asked Twilight.

"Well, think about it this way, what if these people thought Naruto was the same being as the evil sealed into him? Better yet, what if they don't care to see the difference at all? And don't forget, Naruto is, as I've said before, a living boy who needs love and attention like every-pony else so what do you think will happen if he tries to get any from anyone who thinks that way?"

Now understanding what Rarity was getting at, Twilight was horrified as she spoke, "They would either treat him a though he is the monster they believe him to be, or ignore him as though he doesn't even exist, like how almost no-pony gave a thought about Nightmare Moon or Discord after they got sealed away!" Indeed, almost no pony ever thought about Nightmare Moon during her thousand years of imprisonment, other than the Nightmare festivals, and even Twilight herself thought that the sealed form of Discord was nothing more than an ordinary statue.

"And, unlike a stone or a trinket, a living boy would be at a greater risk of becoming corrupted by whatever evil is sealed into him and act upon it. I mean Discord did just that to us and almost broke our friendship forever, that monster being unsealed at the time notwithstanding, and let us not forget that incident with Trixie when she got that amulet which was obviously cursed," replied Rarity.

"Which brings us this question, why seal that terrible entity into a living boy, who might even have been a new-born at the time of the sealing for all we know since he obviously doesn't seem to know about it?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah, why seal something so bad into a kid of all things? I mean, that's just wrong and not cool on so many levels!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

Wearing a thoughtful expression, Princess Celestia said, "Perhaps it is because that is the only way to properly seal the entity away from hurting any-pony. It is certainly not impossible to consider that only a living being can act as a suitable vessel for imprisoning that particular entity." She wore a frown as she mentally added, "Or even use the boy as their tool for some malicious agenda for that matter." While a benevolent ruler, one does not live through more than a thousand years and vanquish any significant number of powerful evil beings without at least gaining some understanding of evil ambitions.

Frowning, Applejack asked, "So what should we do? We obviously can't lock him up or banish him, that poor kid sure as heck doesn't deserve it, but we can't just risk letting him suddenly go "boom or whatever" on us." Just the mere idea that Naruto may one day unleash the malevolent entity within him, willingly or not, upon her family is terrifying to say the least.

"For now, we don't do anything. Let me and Princess Celestia do a thorough check-up on him so that we can confirm my suspicions. Since he's the first person to ever set foot on Equestria, it won't be hard to convince him that we need to do a medical check-up on him for security reasons, especially since it's the truth albeit an incomplete one," said Twilight.

Fluttershy, who had been quiet for the whole time, was about to say her opinion when one of Princess Celestia's white-coated armoured pegasus guards burst through the door and exclaimed, "Your majesty, the Uzumaki boy caused an incident at the schoolhouse!"

Fearing for the worst, Twilight and her friends, alongside with Princess Celestia and her guards, immediately rushed to the schoolhouse. Expecting the boy to suddenly go on a monstrous rampage, none of them expected what they would see next, except for the pegasus guard who was smirking ever-so-slightly…

Scene Change

Blinking owlishly, Twilight asked, "Naruto, how in Princess Celestia's good name did you manage to have both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon completely coated in sticky syrup, followed by white goose feathers, and finally a coat of bright-orange paint, all within a time frame of merely one hour after they offended you and the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

Grinning in an almost sheepish manner, Naruto replied, "Well, let's just say it's a secret ninja technique of mine and leave it at that."

Raising one brow, Princess Celestia asked, "Ninja?"

Gasping, Twilight exclaimed, "Oh, that!" Quickly bowing to Princess Celestia, Twilight embarrassedly explained, "I'm so sorry for forgetting to inform you about it! From what we managed to learn yesterday, ninjas are similar to our royal knights as they are protectors of his home village but with a preference of speed and stealth over protective armour. They are also sometimes sent out for missions of importance for the village, much like how you sometimes send us out to our missions." Peering at Naruto and then at the two feather-coated fillies, Twilight added, "And they are apparently good at making traps too."

Nodding in understanding, Princess Celestia turned her gaze back onto the nervous boy and almost grinned when she glanced at the indignant pair of snooty fillies who was currently covered in white feathers with bright-orange splotches of paint. If looks could kill, Naruto would be reduced to ashes by their glares by now, although he would probably perish laughing at their ridiculous current appearance. Indeed, every-pony that disliked the pair were currently trying their best not to look at them for too long to prevent themselves from publicly laughing at their expense, even the usually impassive royal guards, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were having a particularly hard time doing just that.

Shaking her head in mild amusement, Princess Celestia then spoke to Naruto, "I have heard of you from my student, Twilight. She claims that you come from a place which could very well be completely different world from our own and that you had endured much suffering in your own home village. However, as much as I would like to help you in any way I can, I cannot simply allow just any outsider to live among us." Seeing Naruto's face fall in sorrow, Princess Celestia continued to speak, "At least not without a complete medical check-up."

Surprised, Naruto looked up to Princess Celestia, who was obviously royalty among the ponies, and asked, "You're… not going to say that I can't stay because I'm not one of you?"

Smiling, Princess Celestia answered, "No, if I was such as terrible pony I would have never had approved of my student to raising her assistant."

Nodding in agreement, Twilight explained, "Spike, my beloved number one assistant, is actually a dragon."

Amazed, Naruto asked, "Really, a dragon? That's so cool!"

Chuckling, Princess Celestia beckoned, "Well, come along now. We need to have you properly checked before we can accept you as a member of our community."

Scene Change

"So, what's the verdict?" asked Applejack.

Having done a thorough check-up on Naruto, and being forced to restrain him with telekinetic magic when he tried to flee from injection needles, Twilight and Princess Celestia both fully understood what was going on with Naruto as the former spoke, "The good news, Naruto is not only separate from the terrible entity within him, he is also unlikely to get corrupted by it either unless he allows it to possess him, most likely through negative emotions like anger."

"And the not-so-good news?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well, other than the fact that he has the entity inside of him at all, the only thing that prevents that thing from breaking loose or corrupting Naruto is a magical symbol drawn onto his stomach. So if anything happens to it…"

Even Rainbow Dash gulped at the implications as Princess Celestia spoke, "There is more, that terrible entity is actually intelligent and was aware of our attempts to study it." The alicorn frowned as she added, "It is also both incredibly powerful and violently malevolent, and probably would have attacked us for intruding had it not been for the fact that its power was mostly sealed away and that it was sleeping for most of the time."

Already uneasy due to the recent revelations, Rarity hesitantly asked, "Just… how powerful are we talking about here?"

"It is hard to say, but I believe that it is at least as powerful as Queen Chrysalis or King Sombra at the peak of their power," answered a sombre Princess Celestia.

Shocked, Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "That is so not good!"

Queen Chrysalis, queen of the shape-shifting Changelings, a race of pony-like insects which parasitically feed on love, was once powerful enough to vanquish Princess Celestia by feeding on the love of Shining Armour, Twilight's Sparkle's older brother, by impersonating as his fiancé, Princess Candence. Fortunately, Princess Candence, who was once Twilight's foal-sitter before becoming her sister-in-law, and is also Princess Celestia's niece as well as the true ruler of the Crystal Empire, was able to vanquish the Changeling queen with the aid of her husband. Speaking of the Crystal Empire, King Sombra, a powerful unicorn well-versed in cruel dark magic, once conquered the empire as its tyrant and was almost able to conquer all of Equestria by weakening a powerful magical relic known as the Crystal Heart followed by nearly corrupting it with his own magic. Needless to say, the mere idea that such a young boy is the vessel of an entity which is comparable to either infamous character is distressing to say the least.

"But you do know how to deal with that thing… right?" asked Applejack.

Shaking her head, Princess Celestia explained, "That being… is more like a fox-shaped phantom of pure energy than an actual living creature. The closest kind of creature which I can compare to that entity would be the Windigos."

Windigos, also known as winter spirits, are horse-like phantoms which feed on conflict and hatred and grow stronger from it. However, it is also a well-known fact in Equestria that Windigos are generally repulsed by love and friendship. As such, it was probably not surprising that the fun-loving Pinkie Pie suggested, "Wait, doesn't that make it easier for us to deal with it then? I mean, all we have to do is be Naruto's friends and it will go away, right?"

"In theory, the magic of friendship and love can vanquish it. However, there is one last significant issue. Even though Naruto and the entity sealed into him are both separate individuals, their lives are connected to one another. In other words, if we forcefully banish it from Naruto…"

Applejack quickly understood what Twilight was implying as she concluded, "Naruto may very well perish along with it."

Many of Twilight's friends gasped in horror at the revelation as it clearly implies that Naruto can never be free of the entity sealed into him. Fluttershy took it the worst as she fell onto her knees and was crying at the unfair cruelty imposed upon Naruto.

Unwilling to simply give up, Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Come on, there has to be SOMETHING we can do to help him!"

Shaking her head, Princess Celestia explained, "Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to directly deal with the entity sealed within Naruto, at least not without risking harm upon him. Chances are, only the boy himself may possess the means to somehow fully overcome the entity."

Fearful of Naruto's safety, Fluttershy stifled her sniffling and asked, "But how? He's just a little boy. It's just not fair for him to face it alone!"

Princess Celestia wore a sympathetic expression as she spoke, "And we all agree with you, Fluttershy. However, there is still hope. As long as Naruto's will is strong enough, he may be able to overcome the malignant powers of the entity sealed into him. What is more, while we cannot help him combat the entity directly, I believe that the bonds of friendship and love will give him the strength he will need to face it, even if he must do so on his own."

"Well, no worries on that department! We've faced lots of dangerous stuff in the past and there's no way in Tartarus we're going to just leave the poor kid hanging!" exclaimed Dash. Hearing Dash's confident statement, Twilight and her friends could only smile as Dash lived up to the Element of Harmony she represented, the element of Loyalty.

Stepping forward, Applejack, bearer of the element of Honesty, said, "I'm with Rainbow Dash here. We all made a promise to be his friends and I'm not planning to betray his trust!"

"I too wish to help him. That poor boy had done nothing to deserve the awful suffering he had gone through and it is only right that we help him in his time of need," said Rarity, bearer of the element of Generosity.

"And we'll make sure that he gets many laughs and smiles to make up for it!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, bearer of the element of Laughter.

"While we're at it, I'll do whatever I can to help him prepare for the time when he must face the entity within him," said Twilight, the bearer of Magic, who then added, "And I'm pretty sure that I'll need your help too, every-pony."

While Twilight's other friends nodded in mutual agreement, Fluttershy, the bearer of Kindness, spoke, "I don't really know what I can offer to help Naruto, but that will not stop me from helping him in any way I can, believe it."

Twilight and the others could only smile as they knew that Fluttershy could very well be unknowingly playing the most important role among them, as the closest thing that Naruto has for a mother-figure. However, that did not stop them from noticing Fluttershy's last phrase as Rainbow Dash asked, "Hey, did you just say Naruto's funny catchphrase?" They learnt about Naruto's catch phrase from the previous day and so knew that he would use it quite often, especially when making promises, claiming honesty, or simply boasting.

Realizing what she had just said, Fluttershy blushed in mild embarrassment as she replied, "I… think I just did."

Smirking, Rainbow Dash drawled, "You didn't have him for a full day and already you're starting to talk like him. If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn he was your long-lost relative!"

Fluttershy's face became bright-red while the shy pegasus squeaked like a mouse, earning the good-natured giggles and chuckles of her friends…

Scene Change

After undergoing his medical check-up, Naruto was allowed to return back to the schoolhouse. However, due to his medical check-up at the Ponyville Hospital taking up a significant amount of time, school was almost over by the time he reached the schoolhouse. Still, he did not mind as he was allowed to become an official resident in Ponyville and would soon be meeting up with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He never gave a thought about the fact that a demigoddess of a princess actually deciding to see him in person to give him a medical check-up. Then again, the Third Hokage of his home village would visit him whenever the elderly man had time to do so and even he knew that newcomers would need to be checked by the local authorities for security reasons, hence his lack of suspicion.

As he reached the school building, Naruto's happy smile became a mischievous foxy grin when he saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who were now clean, glaring at him with all the resentment they could muster. Being hatefully glared at for no reason was one thing, but Naruto never minded being glared at by people who were pranked by him as it was much better than being completely ignored. Besides, the boy found it hard not to find their furious expressions amusing to look at.

"Hey, you two missed a spot!"

Hearing Naruto's statement, both snooty fillies immediately panicked and frantically looked around for any remaining syrup, paint or feather on them. Finding none, both fillies glared at Naruto was he snickered and made his way back into class…

Scene Change

After school, Naruto and the Cutie Mark Crusaders made their way to Sweet Apple Acres as he promised Applejack to visit the farm. Looking at the small cart which was connected to a scooter, Naruto asked, "So how is that supposed to get us there faster?"

"You'll see!" replied a grinning Scootaloo.

Naruto watched Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle hopping into the cart while Scootaloo hopped onto the scooter, her wings starting to beat as though warming up for flight. Curious, Naruto had to ask, "We're going to fly around in that thing?" As much as Naruto would love to be able to fly, even he thought that the cart appeared lacking in aerodynamic design.

Hearing his query, the Cutie Mar Crusaders giggled before Scootaloo explained, "Nah, the Cutie Mark Wagon may be awesome, but it's no sky-wagon." As if on cue, Naruto noticed a group of pegasi dragging a floating wagon.

"Is that a sky-wagon?" asked a dumbfounded Naruto.

Nodding, Apple Bloom replied, "E-yup, now come on and hop in or we'll miss Granny Smith's apple jam!"

Eager to have some more apple goods after eating that delicious pie he shared with Fluttershy, Naruto wasted no time hopping into the cart. Seeing that the boy had hopped in, Scootaloo started to beat her wings faster and harder until it reminded Naruto of an electric fan. It was then when Naruto finally understood how they will get to Sweet Apple Acres as Scootaloo's wings started to propel her forward, dragging the wheeled cart with it. Awestruck by such a simple yet awesome and fun activity, Naruto wore a wide grin as Scootaloo drove the cart to Sweet Apple Acres…

Scene Change

When Naruto and the Cutie Mark Crusaders arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, Naruto saw that Fluttershy and her five friends were already waiting expectantly for them. As to how they found out, Rainbow Dash made a quick trip to the schoolhouse to check on them after her meeting with her friends and Princess Celestia before dashing back to the farm.

As they arrived, Naruto noticed that standing beside Applejack was a large red-coated pony with spiky orange hair, pale freckles on his cheeks, green eyes, and a green apple for a cutie mark, as well as an elderly green-coated pony with white hair, orange eyes, and a pie-themed cutie mark. Naruto also noted that the big red pony also wore a yoke around his neck and has visibly distinct hooves unlike most of the other ponies he had met while the elderly green pony wore a scarf around her neck. Quickly recognizing them to be Big McIntosh and Granny Smith respectively, based on what he had heard from Applejack and them from Apple Bloom, Naruto then turned his attention to a purple-scaled dragon with green spikes, a green belly, and green eyes. As the bipedal dragon was standing beside Twilight, he correctly guessed that he was Twilight's dragon assistant.

Once Scootaloo slowed down to a halt, Naruto and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders hopped off the cart as the boy happily spoke, "That was fun! Think we can do it again?"

Grinning, Scootaloo replied, "Sure, but don't expect me to do all the moving-around for you!"

Sharing her grin, Naruto replied, "Wouldn't dream of it, I'd go crazy with boredom!"

Meanwhile, the purple dragon named Spike turned his attention to Twilight and asked, "So, this is the people-boy you girls were talking about?"

"The one and the same," replied Twilight.

Granny Smith wore a thought expression as she spoke, "I've never seen anything like him before, and I've seen a lot of things in my time."

Nodding in agreement, Big McIntosh said, "E-yup."

"Hey every-pony, I'm home!" exclaimed Apple Bloom as she rushed to greet her elder sister, elder brother, and grandmother.

"So, you had fun at school today?" asked Applejack.

"E-yup, Featherweight even got pictures of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in their "sticky feather suits"!"

Snickering at the memory, Applejack made a mental note to get a copy of the pictures should Featherweight, a young lanky pegasus with a pale yellowish-grey coat, brown hair, brown eyes and a white feather for a cutie mark, decide to use them for the next publishing of the school's newspapers. While she would never use the pictures to blackmail the two snooty fillies, she certainly found their well-deserved plight amusing and worthy of remembering.

While Apple Bloom greeted her family, Scootaloo quickly rushed to Rainbow Dash to greet her, "Hi, Rainbow Dash!"

"Hey there, squirt. Working hard on your wings as usual?"

Nodding in eager affirmation, Scootaloo exclaimed, "You bet! I'm going to be able to fly real soon!"

As Scootaloo spoke to Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle greeted Rarity and said, "Hi, sis!"

"So how was school today, Sweetie Belle?" asked Rarity.

"It was great, we were teaching Naruto how to read our alphabets," replied Sweetie Belle who then sheepishly added, "Although we could use some help in helping him."

Smiling in approval, Rarity said, "That is very nice of you and your fellow crusaders. Oh, and speaking about being nice…!" Using her telekinetic magic, Rarity procured some bags filled with clothes and spoke to Naruto, "These are for you."

Used to being the odd one out among his peers due to being an orphan who is hated by everyone in his home village, although he admittedly did not feel as horribly left out as before, Naruto was about to wait for them to be done when he got surprised by Rarity's offer, "Wait, these are for me?"

"That is correct, Naruto. I apologize if these clothes are not to your liking but this is the most I could do under such short notice," replied Rarity.

Not used to receiving gifts from anyone other than the rare few people who cared for him, Naruto shook his head and said, "That's ok, it's the thought that counts, believe it!"

Seeing no objection from the boy, Rarity nodded to him before passing the bags to Fluttershy while Applejack said, "Well, come along every-pony. Supper is almost ready and I'm sure you all are hungry right now!"

Hearing about supper, Naruto's stomach growled in anticipation which made the others chuckle or snicker good-naturedly. Wearing a sheepish grin, Naruto said, "Guess my tummy really does have a mind of its own!"

"Well, no point in dallying then," said Applejack before turning her attention to Pinkie Pie, "Pinkie Pie, if you will?"

Saluting, Pinkie Pie exclaimed, "Okie-dokie-lokie!" She then dashed off as quickly as a jet plane.

"Yup, definitely a ninja-pony of some sort," thought Naruto as he saw her dash off.

Following the energetic pink pony at an easy pace, the ponies soon arrived at a barn. Waving at the group was Pinkie Pie as she spoke, "Come on in, every-pony!"

Eager for a meal, Naruto and the Cutie Mark Crusaders wasted no time in rushing into the barn when they noticed that the interior was pitch black for some reason. Just as they were about to ask what was going on, the light suddenly came on and they were greeted by a loud popping sound as Pinkie Pike happily yelled, "SURPRISE!"

Blinking, Naruto shook his head slightly before taking in the sight of what must be a ginormous banquet of apple goods and baked goods, complete with party decorations including balloons and ribbons. Staring at the sight before him, Naruto gaped, "Wait, wha-?"

Patting Naruto's shoulder, Applejack said, "I know it's a tad bit late and all, but welcome to Ponyville, Uzumaki Naruto."

Hardly believing his own ears, Naruto asked, "Y-you mean that this party is for me?"

"Well of course it is, silly! You're new here in Ponyville and, since you're new here, having a super-duper spectacular party to officially welcome you is a must! Well, it is a bit later than most of the parties I usually prepare, but that's A-OK because we're going to have so much fun together!"

Hearing Pinkie Pie's joyful explanation and turning around to see the smiling faces of the other ponies, plus one dragon, Naruto could not take it anymore and did something he had sworn to himself to never do ever since the tender age of five years old. He openly cried in front of others.

Deeply worried, Fluttershy quickly reached out to him and asked, "Is something wrong Naruto?"

Shaking his head, Naruto sobbed, "N-no… it-it's just that this is the first time… anyone prepared a party for me… ever…!"

Realizing that Naruto was crying tears of joy, Fluttershy and the others relaxed while the yellow-coated pegasus gently held him closely with one front leg and said, "That's alright, take your time. The party won't start without you, believe it."

Hugging around Fluttershy's neck and burying his face into her pink mane, Naruto wore a small smile despite his tears and nodded in understanding, knowing that he had finally found a place where he could be loved and accepted for who he is despite of his origins…

Scene Change

Back in the Ninja World, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed as he thought about the council meeting from earlier that day. In the aftermath of Naruto's rather conspicuous and public disappearance, the civilian side of the council would have thrown a village-wide party to celebrate the fact that Naruto, vessel of the dreaded demonic nine-tailed fox known as the Kyuubi no Youko, was gone had it not been for the very real possibility that whoever abducted Naruto may return to abduct other children if not dealt with. That is not even counting the fact that the adults, in their panic during Naruto's "disappearing act", revealed information about Naruto being a demon to the younger generation. While Sarutobi understood their panic, the fact that they so easily assumed that Naruto was finally revealing his "true self" was disappointing to say the least. As such, in order to clear any misunderstanding, Sarutobi was forced to make a public announcement about Naruto's status as the vessel of the Kyuubi no Youko, the same demonic fox that attacked Konohagakure on the day he was born, causing the deaths of many brave ninjas who fought to repel the demon, including the well-liked late Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure. The elderly Hokage was grateful for the children who were generally more open to the idea that Naruto is not the same as the demonic fox sealed into him and had faith in the Fourth Hokage who did the sealing at the cost of his own life. However, that bit of good news did not come without a price as he was already receiving word about parents punishing their children for questioning their "justified views" on Naruto, some far more harshly than others.

As if the internal conflict within Konohagakure that was not bad enough, the loss of Naruto also meant the loss of a significant military asset. As a vessel of the Kyuubi no Youko, one of nine powerful demons known as the Bijuu, Naruto was also an insurance of security against enemy villages who possess their own Bijuu. Properly trained, the vessel of a bijuu can tap into a powerful reservoir of chakra, thus granting a significant power boost, as well as gain any unique abilities the Bijuu may possess. Of course, that is assuming that Naruto receives any proper education and training, which he was obviously not receiving in the ninja academy. Needless to say, Hiruzen punished the more biased and abusive teachers harshly. Complicating matters even further were those that only viewed Naruto as a living weapon as they were less than happy of losing him and wasted no time in blaming Sarutobi for being "too soft" on the boy as the elderly Hokage wanted him to grow up as a normal person, at least as normal as Naruto could be given the circumstances, rather than turn him into an emotionless tool.

Wearing a mournful expression, Sarutobi thought, "I really am getting too old for this…" Turning his attention towards a picture of a grinning Uzumaki Naruto who was standing before the ninja academy, Hiruzen prayed, "Naruto, wherever you are, please be safe."

Scene Change

In Equestria, Naruto and Fluttershy had returned to her home after enjoying themselves immensely at the welcoming party. The activities they had included dancing, singing, apple-bobbing, and even a food-fight. It was then when Naruto finally got to properly know Fluttershy's five friends, Spike, Granny Smith and Big McIntosh.

Naruto easily found kinship with Spike as he, like Naruto, is a male youngster and is the odd one out in a town full of ponies. The fact that the two share a playful streak certainly made it easier for the two to become friends. Naruto also quickly found out from Spike that Twilight is a hopeless bookworm with an "intense liking" for preparing lists and schedules. It would therefore not be surprising if Twilight disapproves of Naruto causing trouble, especially if he drags Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders into his escapades. Nevertheless, Naruto knew that if there is one pony to look for in search of answers in Ponyville, Twilight would make a great start.

As for Big McIntosh, Naruto found the large stallion to be "cool" due to his large size and physical prowess as Apple Bloom claimed that he once dragged two oxen and a cart of anvils, and then a house, all without significant signs of exertion. Apple Bloom also explained how Big McIntosh and Applejack would tend to the fields and collect apples by "apple bucking" while Granny Smith played an essential role in the founding of Ponyville during her youth by discovering a way to successfully cultivate Zap Apples, rainbow coloured magic apples with an amazing taste to match. In Naruto's personal opinion, he found the Apple family members whom he knew so far to be friendly and pleasant ponies who even invited him to join them in their farming activities.

Not to be outdone, Scootaloo quickly claimed that Rainbow Dash is the fastest and most agile flier she had ever known. When Naruto talked to Rainbow Dash, he found her to be a brash tomboy and a bit of a braggart, something which he could sympathize with due to being a bit of a brash braggart himself. Needless to say, it did not take very long for Naruto to start asking Rainbow Dash as though she is an elder sister, although the same can probably be said for Fluttershy's other friends as well. The facts that she knew martial arts and can create the legendary Sonic Rainboom only made her more awesome in Naruto's point of view.

While Naruto is thankful for Rarity's generous gift, he quickly found out that elegant-looking unicorn values her physical appearance and can be quite the drama queen when she lost her temper at the obviously playful Pinkie Pie just because some chocolate got into her hair. Even her little sister, Sweetie Belle, had to admit that Rarity can get a bit cranky at times whenever some-pony messes up with her fashion designs. Still, Sweetie Belle spoke highly of her elder sister despite the occasional sibling conflict between them and Naruto knew that Rarity cares for her little sister dearly. Naruto also quickly found out that Spike had a major crush in Rarity as he gushed about her, especially her beauty. On a side note, Naruto was somehow able to convince Rarity to include at least one red spiral onto each of his shirts and include some orange colour into some of his clothes for him.

Pinkie Pie, the one pony Naruto is sure must had undergone some sort of ninja training at some point in her life, is quite simply a fun-loving party-pony with an appetite for cakes and sweets which rivals his own bottomless appetite for ramen. The fact that Spike mentioned about her Pinkie Sense, the ability to accurately predict what would happen next based on physical quirks which happen on instinct, only convinced Naruto further that she is a ninja-pony with an unusual but useful bloodline-limit to boot. Regardless, Naruto enjoyed her boisterous company despite the incident back to the schoolhouse and knew that he would get along just fine with her, especially once he found out that she and Rainbow Dash enjoy playing pranks.

Tired but more happy then he could ever remember, a small but growing part of Naruto wished that he never needs to return back to his home village. Of course, he knew that there are some good people in Konohagakure who cared for him and were obviously worried about him but he was sure that they would not mind moving to Ponyville with him once they see how nice every-pony is to friends and family. Besides, how can the ponies not like having awesome ninjas as friends? Then again, even Naruto knew that convincing the ponies that ramen is a wonderful gift from the gods of his homeland would be a bit difficult as none of the ponies have dextrous hands to manipulate chopsticks.

Speaking about ramen, Naruto realized to his surprise that he never gave a thought about it right until the present point. Granted, all the food he had eaten so far was delicious and came in a variety of flavours but, now that he had remembered about his favourite dish, Naruto was starting to miss its taste. "Maybe I can get Fluttershy-neechan to teach me how to cook so that I can make my own ramen?"

"Well, we're home Naruto! Now, time to give you a much-needed bath before you go to bed!"

Like most boys, Naruto was not exactly enthusiastic about taking a bath as he asked, "Aw, do I have to?"

Nodding in firm affirmation, Fluttershy replied, "Yes, or would you rather have every-pony stay away from you because you smell awful?"

Pouting, Naruto argued, "Hey, I don't smell THAT bad!" Sniffing his armpit, Naruto's nose wrinkled in disgust as he amended his earlier statement, "Ok, maybe a little…!"

Amused by his failed attempt to avoid taking a bath, Fluttershy said, "Well, come along then. I'm sure you'll feel much better after taking a nice warm bath!"

Scene Change

To Naruto's pleasant surprise, the warm bubbly bath he took with Fluttershy was indeed much better than the baths he was used to, namely cold showers with hardly any soap. It was also during the bath when Naruto discovered that ponies have a great weakness to anyone who has hands dextrous enough to give them affectionate pets, rubs, scratches, and tickles. As to how he found out, he was helping Fluttershy wash herself when he noticed that she has a ticklish back and, being a prankster by nature, proceeded to tickle her in an almost merciless manner. Being an innocent young boy who comes from a world where bath-sharing is relatively normal, Naruto never considered bathing with a sentient female pony, or helping her wash her hair and back for that matter, being inappropriate. Despite his innocent ignorance, even Naruto had to blush in embarrassment when Fluttershy embarrassedly reminded him that touching a mare's rear end is similar to touching a human woman's equivalent and is thus considered very inappropriate. The fact that Naruto almost got kicked by her hind legs when he accidentally scrubbed his hands too closely to her rear end only made it more embarrassing for the both of them.

After taking his bath with Fluttershy, Naruto was about to go to bed when he nervously asked Fluttershy, "Um, Fluttershy-neechan?"

Tilting her head slightly, Fluttershy asked, "Yes?"

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto asked, "C-could I sleep with you?"

Mildly surprised by his request, Fluttershy then smiled warmly and said, "If that is what you really want, Naruto." Seeing the boy shyly nod in affirmative, Fluttershy lay onto the bed and held him closely with both her front legs and her wings. Feeling warmer and safer than he ever knew, Naruto snuggled into her motherly embrace and said, "Good night, Fluttershy-neechan…"

"Good night, my little Naruto," replied Fluttershy before singing a lullaby…

Scene Change

Hush now, quiet now,

It's time to lay your sleepy head,

Hush now, quiet now,

It's time to go to bed.

Drifting off to sleep,

The exciting day behind you,

Drifting off to sleep,

Let the joy of dreamland find you.

Hush now, quiet now,

Lay your sleepy head,

Hush now, quiet now,

It's time to go to bed.

Scene Change

Hearing Naruto's soft snores, Fluttershy smiled and kissed his forehead before using her mouth to drag a blanket over the both of them and then falling asleep herself…

-Chapter Fin-

Note: The timeline of this fanfiction is set during the third season after the "Bad Seed" episode as it is the first episode to show that Sweetie Belle could finally tap into her magic. How long after that episode… I'll leave it ambiguous for now but it will be set at least after the Sleepless Ponyville episode (although I admittedly have yet to watch season 3 as I am still watching season 2). Also, don't expect me to write such long chapters often!