Royalty

by Nasha Rei-Kun

Lineage was a big part of Etheria and Naruto Uzumaki was forced into making one of his own. To protect his comrades, his friends, his family, and even people like Shadow Weaver and Hordak. Adora and Catra had a big part in it, too, despite all the pain and trials they'd go through. They were a big part of his 'royalty', in the end.

9. Promises I

~NRK~

All in the hall were sent flying back from the force of his roar alone.

"C-Crap?!" Kyle choked.

Shadow Weaver's eyes glowed before the group hit a 'bouncy' floating shadow.

They slipped out the back of it and floated to the ground with little harm to them physically.

Their hearts were all that was killing them right now.

"W-What the hell is going on?! What's wrong with him?!" Lonnie asked, horrified as Lou attacked the energy-emanating blonde.

And got a quick clothesline to the torso before being jettisoned out of the hall outside.

"... Oh, t-that's not good," Kyle whispered as Shadow Weaver's eyes slowly narrowed.

"Has the Corruption gone too far?" No… Something about this entire situation set her nerves on 'frayed'. "Tsk. We need to restrain him," she said but one look at the feral blonde said it all.

Sounds great, HOW?

"... We need to beat him down to purify him," Adora declared with a heavy heart, hand trembling on her sword. 'Fight Naruto?' Her mind whirled in horror and anguish as she brandished the blade.

"W-Wait! You can't!" Catty pleaded, floating ahead of the group and getting a flinch out of Adora. "M-Maybe I can talk to him!" She told them-

Catra swiped her up before the familiar could even try to rush towards their comrade. "Are you sane?" She asked her frantic familiar daughter. "You CAN'T go near him right now," the feline teen grimaced as she looked up at the hissing steps of the approaching Naruto. "We ALL gotta help to fix your daddy," she said as Shadow Weaver's focus broke for a moment to shoot her the weirdest of looks. "Eh, stupid Princess sayings I heard of. Did you know there are things called 'aunts'?"

"Yes," the woman rolled her eyes as shadowy blips filled the hallway before forming into ghastly ghouls with a glowing white eye at the center of their 'faces'. "Now, focus, Adora's plan will likely be the best we'll get. Defeat him, knock him out, restraints, anything, and we'll force a purification Resonance Skill to use on him," Shadow Weaver said as she pulled out…

"W-Wait, isn't that the first thing Naruto enchanted?" Adora asked as she gripped her blade's handle tightly, a familiar black tiara forming over her forehead. "A Resonance Skill with a non-living being is going to be new."

"Oh, be assured, it's possible."

A second later, the bar straightened out before gaining a pointed end, turning the 'bar' into a 'stake'.

"Um, p-please don't stab him too much?" Kyle asked nervously.

"I'm more surprised you're fine with the stabbing portion of this plan but you all seem to get the gist of things. If I'm able to puncture a part of him with this, it'll be direct purification magic to his system while also being his own kind. It should bolster that part of himself," Shadow Weaver said as Lonnie pulled a stun baton stick out of her hair, a small thick rod expanding in length before its end sparked while Rogelio pulled out a vial.

"Hmm," he said, gesturing to a liquid-like concoction before making a drinking motion.

"Make him drink it, huh? Is it some kind of sedative?" Kyle asked and a nod for his answer. "Alright," he pulled out one of the two guns at his hips and turned a knob on the side. "Set to 'stun', let's save him."

Then, Shadow Weaver's eyes widened at an ephemeral glow from her side along with basically everyone else as Catra stepped forward.

With her whiskers now bearing flame-like marks and her tail longer and now containing a flame-like tip, the feline teen's hand rested on her hammer.

"What did you…" Shadow Weaver couldn't believe what she was seeing. 'I SENSE MAGIC?!'

"Um, yeah, Catra? What the hell?" Adora asked, confused. 'The magic coming off of her feels so odd but powerful,' a weird way to put it.

There was something almost 'inorganic' about her friend's current state but the magic aspect took her focus.

[Some stuff from the volcano, I'll tell ya about it later.] Catra declared as Catty floated at her side in worry. [Hmm… Catty, prepare to set up a ton of barrier spells, alright?]

"O-Okay," the little girl said before finding Catra's hand on her head.

[We've got this. We just need to knock him out, he's used to us attacking him!]

"Um…" Scorpia raised a claw at that logic. "... Ya know what? Sure!" She agreed before looking at the head-tilting Corruptive blonde. "So, uh, he's been giving us some time-"

He shot towards them like a blur, a mere two breaths having an enraged blonde in front of them.

"OH CRAP-!"

A blackened blade and flaming claw slammed into his chest, sending the blonde shooting back to the corner before he caught himself, momentum coming to a halt.

Corrupted Naruto looked up just in time to find a stun shot right in front of his face.

'That should do it-' Kyle began to think, gun aimed-

So how the heck had his currently crazed friend dodged a bullet up-close?!

"W-What?!"

Naruto lunged only for a pair of specters to slam into his abdomen before they burned away like acid-covered paper.

"Tsk, I forgot, there is a magical aspect to this," Shadow Weaver declared before raising her hand. "Hopefully, I can isolate him."

A box of black began to form around the blonde, the corrupt young man looking around.

And then he roared again.

The 'attack' destroyed her containing barrier before shooting towards them again.

Just in time for Adora to lunge towards it. 'It's got weight!' She thought before her sword buzzed with shadow power.

She swung, the black energy wave greeting the air pressure and canceling out.

"T-That's crazy!" She gawked as Catra ran past. "Without a SPELL?!"

[He's ridiculous like always!] Catra shot back as she encroached towards the blonde. [Hey, bud, guess who's got some FIRE for ya?!] She stopped a meter away, Naruto's claw swinging around and carving up the hallway. [Knew it!]

Catra swung out, the fire enchantment resonating with her new power.

A gout of flames tore down the hallway with the corrupted blonde within, the sight of it startling the feline.

[Holy shit!] She'd just done that without thinking! [Uh? Naru? Bud?]

There was another roar from down that way.

[Well, he's definitely still, ya know?] Catra began as Adora landed beside her with Rogelio and Lonnie pulling up on their sides. [Awake.]

"Yeah, he's as stubborn as usual," Adora said before watching that emerald glow from down the hall. "We've got to take this outside, you guys know what I mean?" She offered.

"Trying to fight him in this hallway is gonna be the end of us," Lonnie nodded. "Let's take this to one of the carrier-pads outside, that's more than enough space but…" She grimaced at Naruto's hissing feet. "How do we-"

The floor gave in under the blonde before they heard a series of crashes and screams down below.

"... Crap."

~NRK~

Hordak frowned as he hurried to the noise. "What is all this commotion?!" He growled, grabbing the closest running soldier. "Answer me! What is happening?!"

"S-Sir, Force Scout Uzumaki has gone crazy!" The grunt said, shocking him. "H-He's covered in some hissing-"

There was a roar before the wall ahead of them exploded outward, the sound of hissing steps and growling reaching Hordak's ears as Imp's form went limp in a cowed fashion.

"What…?"

Watching the person who'd walked out of the destruction, Hordak's eyes widened at the sight of Naruto Uzumaki and the look of murder in his eyes, the blonde roaring at him.

He scoffed before throwing his soldier away and bracing against the powerful roar. "This is new," he frowned- "Snff… Snff?" Hordak's eyes slowly widened at a scent. 'Wait, that smell… Isn't this a maddening agent?!' What the hell was happening in his base?!

[WATCH OUT!] Came a voice from beside the blonde before the Empire leader's eyes caught sight of Catra slamming into the Corrupt Naruto, large flaming claws pressing the blonde against a wall that his cloak began to eat through. [You're a real pain right now, Naruto!]

She tightly clasped her hands together, a sphere of fire containing the blonde before she flinched at the sight of it eating away at her fire.

[Oh man!]

"Captain Catra, what is going on?!" Hordak shouted as he looked at the struggling blonde.

[Crazy shit, sir! We gotta move him out of the base!]

Hordak's brow twitched but the skull-shaped-face man understood immediately before he pressed a button on the side of his wrist guard.

A barrier sphere formed around the blonde as the others arrived on a shadowy black 'carpet'.

"Sir, I'm sure you know where this is going," Shadow Weaver said with a grimace as Hordak's eyes narrowed before he nodded.

"Take him to carrier pad Gamma, I need to find out something urgent," the man said before lunging at their hole and vanishing up into it.

"I'll go with him!" Scorpia said with a worried expression at Naruto's state. "Just… Please get him some help," she told them, getting nods all around before she hurried into the hole.

"Let's go!" Kyle said as he led the way, a ball of shadow magic forming around the corrupted blonde's fire sphere and energy barrier. "Shit, h-he's just eating through everything!" He grimaced as they kept running.

Naruto kept fighting against his barriers, his magic glowing a brighter green, much to their worries, before it fizzled at the edges, the enraged fox man grasping at his head as astral vines began to form around him.

"What?" Lonnie said before noting the flowers on those vines. "The Princesses are trying to help contain him!" She whispered quickly, the group hurrying past horrified soldiers.

Ice, glittering stars, and a pink chain formed along the young man's body before he went limp, body fidgeting in their grasp.

"What do we do if that contains him?"

"It won't, not unless they can cut off the influence," Shadow Weaver said. "Still, we can perform the Resonance Skill on him if he's docile. We just need the space," she told them as the Purity Stake sat in her hands.

~NRK~

He just laid there, unconscious, in that now-red orb of Corruption.

"What's going on?" Glimmer whispered, pained. "Naruto said that something felt like it was slipping into his body but it wasn't the Corruption."

"I think someone did something horrible," Bow said in horror as Frosta, Perfuma, Angella, and Castaspella looked on at that simmering energy. "It's never been like this, not ONCE, and Naruto's said he can still interact with the outside world so…" He frowned deeply. "This is so wrong."

"Many would agree," Angella said with a frown, ice, plants, glimmering magic, and stars curling around that corruptive power. "... Is there really nothing else that can be done?" She asked her sister-in-law.

Casta considered this situation in full. "Right now, if things are as we believe, that must mean that an outside source needs to directly tap into his body, a purifying force," she told them. "The issue remains, he needs to be contained-"

A 'screen' of sorts formed at their sides, Glimmer's hands raised with focus.

"N-Naruto once did this for us," she said as Angella looked at her in alarm. "Naruto trusts us a lot, he's likely allowing us to use his senses while he's like this," the heir said as she focused. "Come on, we need to see what's going on on the outside-"

"Glimmer?" A voice said, confused, as Glimmer blinked.

"Wait, Adora?"

~NRK~

"W-What?" Lonnie blinked as they almost reached the port, eyes going to the pink glowing chains. "U-Um, wait, what?"

"Guys?" Glimmer's voice said through the magical restraints. "Guys, what the heck is going on?!"

"... We don't know," Adora said with a frown, conserving her sword's charge. "Naruto went nuclear for some reason and now he's… He's like this."

"We think something had to have happened," Bow's voice said. "Everything in here turned from green to red and that's when it got weird."

Shadow Weaver, ignoring these odd circumstances, glared at the air with a 'darkening heat'. "Is that SO?" She hissed out as they opened the door to the carrier port. "I believe that we might have been looking at the problematic one at the very beginning," she said with clenched hands.

"What do you mean?" Kyle frowned as Rogelio's eyes slowly narrowed, the lizard man growling viciously. "Lio?"

"... Lou, you fucking WHORE," Lonnie grimaced as the rest caught on. "T-That fucking IDIOT! What the hell was he thinking?!"

"W-Whoa, um, what's up?"

"We have an idea on why Naruto's gone crazy," Adora said with a cold stare, Catra's eyes closing as her flaming tail raged hot. "And we'll know for sure after this is over with."

"Right, um, ideas?" Frosta's voice called, surprising Shadow Weaver somewhat before she remembered Naruto's words. "Like, the lady we're working with said he needs something to… Um…"

"Naruto needs to be hit with a powerful purifying energy," came a voice that had Shadow Weaver scoffing hard. "Do you all have something to that effect?"

"W-We do," Kyle said as they reached the port and ran outside. "Ma'am, what do we do now?" He asked as he shot his pained friend a look of anguish. "The moment we take down those constraints…"

"He will likely regain some of that ferociousness, yes," Shadow Weaver said. "The fact remains, we need to get this into his system," she gestured to the stake. "And that means it has to be full-contact, the moment we drop the restraints, we have to try and get him."

The flaming sphere fell away, Catra circling to Naruto's back with Catty in her arms.

[Catty.] She whispered to the young spirit, lifting her up. [Set up a barrier around the pad, alright? We need to make sure Naruto can't get out of here or else he's gonna cause more destruction than he'll ever forgive himself for.] Catra told her, the familiar girl flinching. [Do it for him, he needs your help.]

"A-Alright," she shot up into the air above the port before clasping her hands together. "Coil and spread."

The air shuddered around the landing pad, surprising the others as Shadow Weaver nodded.

"Distort to the outer world," Catty continued, floating down as that shuddering distortion covered the entire space in a square. "Lock."

There was a sound of such a thing, like a turning key to close a safe, before the distortion settled into a golden and red barrier.

"I-I did it!" Catty declared, floating down to the nodding Shadow Weaver's eye-level. "I think?"

"You did, you understand the concepts of barriers of such specification," she praised the nodding familiar before all eyes went to Naruto. "Very well, prepare, all of you," Shadow Weaver said as she raised her hand.

The shadowy barrier around the blonde lightened up the slightest bit.

Before a blazing red eye snapped open and the air thrummed.

The feeling of it essentially had Adora and Catra's magic donning itself involuntarily once more, the feeling of danger hitting them on an instinctual level.

"I-It's like the air got intense in here," Glimmer said nervously.

"Ma'am?" Lonnie held out her hand for the stake and Shadow Weaver nodded before handing it to her, the shadows below their feet beginning to stretch upward into more of her specters. "Hmm," Lonnie donned some black fingerless gloves. "Time for a little technical knowledge."

She clenched them before they were covered by glowing lines of technology.

Rogelio pulled out a gun before adjusting a knob on it, the lizard boy locking in a capsule of sedatives as Kyle prepped his stun gun.

Adora's eyes narrowed before she looked at Catty. "Catty, I need your help," she beseeched her, holding out her hand to the approaching familiar.

"Alright," she nodded before nodding to Catra.

~NRK~

'Seeing' through what had to be Naruto's magic, assumably, the 'mental group' blinked in surprise at the change that'd adorned Adora once Catty joined with her.

"What…?" Casta whispered, not 'throwing' her voice to the 'forefront' to be heard by those outside. "That power…" She shot the shocked Angella a look the woman nodded nervously at.

"It's worryingly familiar-looking, at least," the Queen whispered back. "But that can't be right, can it?"

"We don't know."

"Adora?" Bow blinked, the others looking on with just as much confusion. "What's with that form? I-It's so cool but…" He tilted his head as Frosta nodded.

"You can use magic?" Perfuma asked.

"No, it's more of a Catty-thing, maybe," the Ice Princess said with a head tilt as her eyes went to Naruto's sphere. "Guys, should we really take those off?" She asked weakly.

"If they've got a plan, Frosta," Glimmer declared with a clenched fist. "We've gotta trust in it. It's not exactly like we have much on our end, anyway," she admitted bashfully.

~NRK~

The vines, stars, and ice began to recede, slowly leaving behind the pink chains and shadow barrier.

The feeling doubled, Shadow Weaver's eyes glowing in defense. 'The moment he's released, we need to contain his movements,' she raised a hand in the air, the other held out towards Naruto still.

A crystalline circle began to form as her moving hand formed a circle of black with red 'outlines'. The energy flashed for a moment before she brought her moving hand down to the center and twisted it.

A black circle formed beneath Naruto's form, tendrils spilling out from it.

"Remove your chains, Queen."

The pink chains shone before disintegrating, Naruto's body beginning to float down to the ground as his green bestial cloak began to glow.

Adora brandished her blade.

Rogelio aimed his projectile syringe.

Kyle braced his stun gun.

Lonnie held out the Purifying Stake. "Here we go…" She whispered, a visor pulled out of her pocket and placed over her eyes.

Catra's flames began to rage as she gripped her hammer on her back.

[Do it.]

Shadow Weaver's barrier dispersed and, in that same breath, a shadowy magic blast, stun shot, throwing knife, and phantoms shot towards the released blonde.

All for naught as the blonde's arms crossed.

Horrid green energy sprouted a shield around him that blocked all attacks before melting them away like acid.

"Tsk."

Tendrils shot up around the blonde, startling and snaking around him before he tore at them with clawed limbs.

Catra attacked first, hammer coiling with flames. 'It won't be long, Naru,' she thought before swinging.

An explosion of flames tore across, and over, the corrupted blonde and splashed against the carrier pad's barrier.

Adora went in next, blade covered by 'blunt' energy. 'We won't cut him, Catty, we just need to knock him out!' She was glad Catra was mindful of her weapon's trauma-inducing weight.

It'd be bad to hurt Naruto in ways they couldn't see.

She swung for his neck before finding the cloak's tail swatting her aside as red eyes snapped to her.

She blocked his slashing claw before slamming into the barrier, bouncing off of it painfully. 'H-He hits so HARD,' Adora hissed before she landed on shaky feet.

Lonnie rushed the enraged blonde.

She jumped over his powerful claws, watching as that cloak faded behind it like a damn double-tap. 'He's a beast like this!' Landing inside his guard, detesting the vile feeling that sprung to the forefront of her mind, she smashed her stun baton into the crux of his neck, stunning him before bending backwards over his other slashing claw.

Dropping to her back, she kicked up with both feet into his chin, stunning him again. Just in time for a stun shot to hit his chest, bringing him to his knees as Lonnie kipped up and dodged the blonde's cloak's swinging tail.

She landed safely, feet touching the hissing crater in the ground as Rogelio rushed the blonde, his vest glowing with its enchantment. 'Right, his vest allows him to fend off corruption,' she remembered, getting up and rushing the blonde with Rogelio alongside Adora & Catra.

They closed in on the struggling Naruto who kept clawing at the ensnaring shadows.

His features darkened as the cloak sprouted three more tails?!

The barrier cracked at the edges.

~NRK~

"Leave him alone!" Frosta shouted at the wicked red glow around the blonde's body that began to emanate more energy. "S-Stop!" She pleaded.

Bow grimaced, looking down at his hands. "There has to be something we can do," he tried to remember what he could. 'The Corruption is born from the multiple animals who'd been fed into Chimera's magic, this is a by-product of that skill of his,' he remembered the past week and what they'd done in Naruto's consciousness.

Could they 'fight' this corruption like they had before? But where were the animals?

Those creatures that would attack his psyche beforehand-

"Bow…" Naruto whispered with a pained look, the others looking alarmed. "Y-You can't fight this one," his features intensified, the blonde's form turning on his side. "I-It'll destroy you!"

The force of the blonde's words tossed up powerful winds and nearly took the group off their feet before Casta cast a barrier to protect them.

And then they saw that gigantic SKELETAL CLAW that breached the 'waters' below.

"What?" Angella said in horrified whisper at that clawed energy slamming down on the surface. "What in the world?"

"T-That's the animal?" Glimmer stuttered as Bow's eyes trailed the limb before looking down on the wet surface.

His skin dropped several shades at that vulpine SKELETON monster peering back up at him with empty eyeholes.

"S-Shi-!" He covered his mouth in horror, stepping back from it before his eyes widened at golden energy shooting down and slamming into that… That thing's skull and throwing it back down… But leaving its limb, and a grimacing Naruto, in its wake.

"You guys gotta get away from that!" He warned them pleadingly, pushing up to his hands and knees as that claw quaked before beginning to move, emanating a powerful red energy.

Bow stared at it all as the others looked on nervously, Frosta hitting her rear in fear-

An arrow hit the tip of the middle finger, cracking its surface…

Bow stared at his own weapon, body moving on its own.

"Bow-"

"I can't help it," the archer said, notching another arrow without a thought and a shaky smile. "My body moved on its own, I can't do less," he declared with narrowed eyes.

The skeletal claw released a powerful wave that was blocked by crackling ice, both forces shattering on contact.

"W-W-We won't let you do this alone!" Frosta declared shakily, body trembling. "W-We're here!"

"Frosta?"

"Hmm, they seem to have a point," Perfuma said with a determined nod. "We can do this. Thankfully, I'm already on the way with a caravan."

"Same!" The Ice Princess declared. "Blue's gonna bring me over fast! So, while we're traveling, I can help! I got you a super-amazing illness freezer!"

"We were able to create a powerful anti-magical, purifying, elixir!" Perfuma told him. "Maybe, if we can get that into you, it'll stop this bit of chaos!"

"Perfuma, I…" Naruto groaned against the ground before sitting up, head down. "... I know I need all of your help, I do so much," he clenched a raised hand.

That skeletal menace was locked within an orb of gold, Naruto's own orb growing smaller around him as it did.

"This one, you guys, this one's not normal… It taps into something deep, something bigger than you might think."

"It matters little, young man, you need help and to be stopped, no offense," Casta said with a look of interest in that claw. "Besides, how defiant can that single claw be?" She smiled.

Naruto's face went flat as he considered the skeletal claw currently emulating KURAMA's body.

"... Break it down," he told them. "While I'm holding it," Naruto said urgently, the group watching the red sphere around him began to encroach upon him. "NOW!"

Magic, arrows, nature, and spells flew at his urgent tone.

~NRK~

The four hit the edges of the further-cracked barrier, hitting the ground in horror as they saw him now.

That… That thing's comically large pure white eyes, white pumpkin smile, his pure neon green body, claws, and the four long fox tails, they all hissed as he went down on all-fours, the beast-like form clear as day.

It would kill them if they weren't focused.

Phantoms shot towards the fox who flexed his still normal-looking wings.

Powerful gusts slammed into all of them and dispersed them through the strength alone.

"He's gotten too strong!" Lonnie grimaced as the winds beat against the group.

Catra grit her teeth, eying up Naruto's form. 'If he can do stuff like that,' her eyes went down to her own flame-cloaked limbs. 'I can!' She hissed out a breath as the powerful winds died down.

Seeing that growling figure turn his head their way, she knew it was all or nothing.

Catra erupted into flames, eyes narrowing through the raging fire and gaining the former-blonde's attention.

Adora's eyes snapped to both. 'He's focusing on the strongest people in the area,' or the most rambunctious magic, either or. "..." Her eyes narrowed before she focused on her enhancement.

The darkness in her sword erupted, Catty nodding to her in her mind before the high-rising energy blaze shot out from her core.

The two disciples locked onto their friend.

["Come and get it, Naruto!"]

They beast he'd become launched at them, the moment he was in front of Adora she was already locking her sword with his claw.

Catra swung for his midsection and found her hit landing, the corrupted teen sent flying into the other side of the barrier. The transformed blonde landed on it before throwing his body to the side to dodge a series of stun shots and lunging at the grimacing Kyle.

A pair of phantoms tackled him away before Lonnie came down from above with her baton.

The beast swung out a tail at the human before Rogelio latched onto the limb.

The medical expert grunted at the hissing energy before grinning through the pain as Lonnie slammed her weapon into Naruto's noggin.

The attack sent his face into the ground, the stun flickering about his body before Rogelio let out a roaring yelp into Lonnie after being thrown.

A burst of energy tore-apart the shadow minions before the beast flinched at a pair of stun shots.

The Coo-Coo on his head let out a sharp whistle before Kyle threw his body out of the way to dodge Naruto's retaliating roar. "Whoa?!" He landed into a roll before coming to a stop. "T-Thanks," he said to his Coo-Coo bud in his arms.

The bird saluted him.

The area rumbled as Catra and Adora came down on the blonde, a torrent of flames and shadow tossing up energy and smoke.

"He's always been a stamina monster," Shadow Weaver said as Kyle nodded. "But this is getting concerning. Last I checked, that many hits of stun technology to the head would have downed most beasts by this point."

"In the state he's in… I-I think Naruto has increased healing, ma'am," Kyle said softly, his Coo-Coo going back into his hair and glowing bright. "He's using magic!" He shouted into the air.

The others jumped back in time to dodge a giant hissing sphere of destruction, the air dispersing to reveal their hissing friend.

And the new fifth tail he'd gained, the feeling of magic in the air threatening to suffocate them.

"T-This is getting crazy!" Lonnie said with a huff, covering her mouth before pulling out a small cube. "Everyone, cover up!"

She covered her mouth with a newly-formed mask before tossing several other ones to the others.

Shadow Weaver's was caught in a shadowy grip before it was merged with her mask, looking utterly unchanged despite the addition.

"Naruto?!" Kyle shouted at the corrupted blonde. "PLEASE! We're trying to help you!"

~NRK~

They'd destroyed two fingers before Naruto had to release the containment, his personal protection regaining some strength.

"D-Dammit," he groaned as he hit the waters on his side, eyes half-open. 'I-I can't stay awake,' Naruto hissed out a breath as a wicked 'cut' formed down his whisker marks like a dividing line. "Guys… It's as weak as it'll ever be. You need to destroy it!"

He grit his teeth as lines of Corruption spilled into his circle.

"HURRY!"

Casta's hands came together in front of her before shifting apart and around, forming a diamond design.

"Send your attacks through here!" She told the others as that symbol grew five meters in size. "It will enhance them four-fold!"

Frosta's eyes widened before her hands lifted, coiling ice coming up from her feet.

She slammed them down and a series of ice shards shot towards the diamond.

The energy shot into it before it glowed and released a veritable storm of icy shards, frost, and snow.

The skeletal hand was carved into by the assault, the attack covering it in a shroud of hissing steam.

"Did that do it?!" Frosta asked.

Glimmer had all of a second to look down at a feeling in the back of her mind, a feeling 'DANGER' that had her jumping before she landed on her butt.

Just in time to dodge a surface-piercing skeletal finger.

"CRAP!"

They all jumped back, eyes going to that quickly vanishing skeletal digit.

"Dammit, it's in the waters!" Bow shouted.

"Waters, aye?!" Frosta's hands shot out. "Then let's FREEZE IT UP!"

Ice spread at a ridiculous pace, a powerful freeze that reached past Naruto's 'situation' and kept going.

The ice beneath her feet cracked, the Ice Princess's eyes widening as a puncturing digit shot towards her chest. Her saving grace being a parade of vines that shot out and brought that sneaky stabber to a trembling stand-still.

"Holy shi-!"

"Language!" Perfuma shouted as she raised her hands, vines sprouting from her feet and curling around them in a wide berth that covered the surrounding area in vines. "My powers feel so vast in here!" She said, alarmed even as her eyes glowed a powerful hue. "... Ah, of course, it's because I'm carrying his Runestone!"

"Wait, you're carrying his what?" Casta asked, floored, as Angella nodded.

"The boy is a Prince in the same vein that Glimmer is a Princess," the Queen declared as her wings spread, shimmering pink lights forming in their depths. "Now, focus!" Her hands swung out.

And trailing pink chains shot out at high speeds, their target struggling in its vine-suppressants.

"W-What?" Naruto said in alarm, Bow's eyes snapping to him before staring in awe at the blonde's orb of influence growing larger, the red glow around him giving way. "What the-MOVE!" He shouted at them.

Bow felt a cut hit his cheek moments before he moved, the feeling of heat getting a hiss out of him as he hit the floor of the bed of vines.

"Bow!?" Glimmer teleported to his side in an instant before both teens looked up- "W-What?"

Their eyes widened at that two-fingered skeletal figure glowing a wicked red hue.

Its skeletal joints floating in that raging power like a golem of bones and fire, its 'head' formed in an instant to reveal a demon's skull.

Its body solidified before forming thick, powerful, limbs that shrunk it down to six-foot height.

"Oh no," Casta's hands swung around, sliding ahead of Bow & Glimmer with her empowering diamond, the spell growing more thick.

Just in time for that demon's fist to slam into it.

The entire thing cracked, vicious red energy crawling about and harming the vines and ice like a wicked plague.

"W-What?!" Perfuma's arms swung out at the demonic being again and again, vines rushing forth from behind her from a large pink oval of energy. "Why isn't it working?!" She yelped as each vine merely disintegrated upon contact.

That demon's fist reared back.

It swung.

And force tore apart their surroundings, rocking the surface and sending up harsh waves of wind that cut into their skin like small blades of hail.

Bow grimaced as he covered Glimmer as best he could as they rode out the attack.

Seconds felt like hours as it all suddenly came to a halt, the feeling of the world around them going still shocked them.

"W-What?" Glimmer's eyes snapped up and around, her eyes noting the frozen split waves, the lightness in the air, and then the feeling of heat from before being all but gone. "How?" Her eyes went to that demon.

And noted the new golden glow around it… And the person there.

Bow looked and his eyes watered as Perfuma released Frosta as Angella removed her wings from ahead of Casta.

All eyes went to that grinning young man.

"NARUTO!?"

"Thanks, I mean it," Naruto whispered as he clenched his hand above that demon. "All of you," he smiled.

The Corrupted Being's containment shrunk more and more before becoming the size of an arm-sized ball of light.

'I'm still not fully-there,' he needed to get this Corruption off of him ASAP. 'But…' Naruto's eyes closed as he observed this beast.

And that nearly impossibly small 'crack' that he could see.

'It won't be long before this thing gets out again. I WON'T allow this near anyone, dammit,' but that meant things.

That meant he had to take this thing somewhere it couldn't go and release it to seal it. Not because he didn't believe in his friends and allies but because the destruction such a move would cause would likely be beyond anything. It'd be something he'd never forgive himself for allowing.

Someplace… Some place not known by others?

His eyes widened at that idea. '... It'll hurt, guys,' he smiled sadly as he turned to the rushing Frosta.

She jumped into his arms and he held her close, the Ice Princess snuggling to his chest.

'But it won't be forever, I promise on my life,' Naruto thought as his soul resonated. 'I'll protect all of you.'

~NRK~

The fighting had gone from 'try and not get hit' to 'Good God, don't get hit'.

Because the blonde's body was essentially reaching levels of radiation that weren't healthy.

"Shit!" Lonnie hissed, her shadowy cloak shifting before settling back over her as Shadow Weaver grimaced, the glow of the gem on her mask growing dim. "We won't be able to touch him after this!"

Shadow Weaver grimaced behind her mask, hands coming up before they pulsed purple. '... If I take in that much Corruption, there won't be any force on this earth who could stop me,' how terrifying.

She'd get everything she'd want and yet be left nothing but a pained beast, no?

Then, her eyes widened at something particular she'd forgotten about what was on the blonde's person.

"... Prepare to stab him," the sorceress began as she was covered in darkness, body growing-invisible within. "I'll siphon some of his power away and force him into a weakened state. Then, you'll stab him."

Her mask's spot formed an incredible complex symbol as Shadow Weaver raised her hands.

"Prepare!" She shouted to them all.

Her limbs clenched.

And the blonde hit the ground in a create of green that strained against him and caused the beast-like young man to release a roar into the sky, a shining red spot on his neck burning through the Corruption.

"... The choker?!" Adora realized, arms burning with hissing slash marks. "CATRA!"

Her blade burned.

Catra's eyes softened. 'Even that thing came into play to help, huh?' Life was weird like that, she guessed.

Her hammer rumbled with heat.

They swung the dual elements at the blonde.

It erupted an explosive burst of black and red, the two colors shooting up for a moment before dispersing like a burst of wind, the blonde glow dying down to the point of his form almost becoming visible.

Shadow Weaver shot into the fray with her dark form slamming into the blonde's before pushing his down.

As soon as she did, an array formed above the two of them, the others covering their faces as wicked streams of black cradled the duo before pushing down aroun the trying-to-struggle Corruption.

["MA'AM?!"] The rest of Team Seven shouted in horror.

Meanwhile, Shadow Weaver hissed at the feeling of Corruption so up-close. 'Hmph!' Another flash of fire, or close enough to it, scored her bicep. "S-So, this is what it feels like for you!" She grimaced behind her mask.

As emotions flowed, painful ones.

Of pain, of horror, of anguish & self-hatred.

Of guilt, of the need for redemption, of…?!

"You will do no such thing!" The woman shouted at him as she absorbed more of that horrid energy, more of the blonde's idea flowing into her. "Y-You idiot! Do you understand?!"

Another force of absorptive energy crushed the area around the blonde and caused another jump of magic to shoot from him to her.

Naruto's body became clearer as Shadow Weaver's mask cracked, the burning in her palms, the creak of her arms, and just the overall foolishness of this stupid young man.

Of her student really getting on her nerves!

So, she 'ate' more of his magic, more of that harming substance that filled her skin with the need to be scratched off.

The glowing light of Naruto's cloak dispersed in hissing motes of light, the darkness around them creeping up his limbs and forehead before they kept going.

"LONNIE!" Shadow Weaver rolled off of him.

The Weapon Expert skid to a stop by Naruto's head. "One moment, man!" Lonnie reared back.

And slammed the purifying stake into the blonde's left arm.

The moment of puncture, of contact, had Adora shooting towards them with her left arm, her purifying bangle arm, shooting out and slamming atop it.

The feeling of both objects reaction filled her body as Catty's own will exerted itself.

A tower of gold shot into the sky.

~NRK~

The quartet of Casta, Angella, Glimmer, and Bow snapped out of the mental realm just in time to see that power light in the distance.

"O-Oh, thank goodness!" The head of Mystacor sighed in relief, hand to her chest, as Glimmer & Bow cheered. "I… I-I didn't expect a Prince to have such a painful process," Castaspella said to her sister-in-law, the Queen nodding before sighing in relief.

"I'm hoping for the best as well," the winged woman said as well as they all looked outside the window, the sight of the powerful golden glow dying down. "But, with this, he should hopefully be able to move, much less get to Mystacor for healing."

"I hope so," Bow said with a relieved smile as Glimmer nodded before flexing her hands.

"Huh…" She flexed them some more and noted the full charge. "I guess being in Naruto's mind charged my batteries?" The younger of two Princesses blinked as Angella shot her a look of confusion.

"Glimmer?" She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well… I expected to need to recharge, ya know? Like all the times we did it when I left his mind and used up my magic, mom. I've always needed a charge but this isn't like those times, I'm at full power."

"I guess Naruto left us with a few gifts," Bow chuckled as he held out his bow.

And they saw the glowing gold lines on its, the scripture dying down and glowing softly.

"Hmm?" Casta tilted her head as Angella wore a sad smile.

"He might be feeling some guilt," she whispered to her and the sorceress's eyes softened. "I can't imagine what he's thinking right now."

~NRK~

Frosta sighed in relief under Frosty's calm countenance, the familiar sitting in her arms.

"I hope things went well, madam," he said as she nodded.

"I-I hope so, too," she said as Blue sighed in relief.

"We'll be there in half a day," he told them.

"Alright!"

~NRK~

Perfuma hummed a small happy tune in her pulled cart, the Plant Princess relieved as Naruto's Runestone sat in front of her.

"It'll be fine," she told it, the glowing crystal's sun-like glow relaxing to the 'in-tune' Princess. "Hopefully, we'll be able to get you both together and have good things happen!"

~NRK~

The lightshow ending had the five others of Team Seven watching with bated breath.

When it finally died down, Shadow Weaver's eyes closed with a groan before a feeling of lightness began to spread throughout her thorbbing body, the sorceress groaning some more but in relief.

'H-Hmm…?' Her eyes brows trembled for a moment, the feeling of warmth in her body both 'kind' yet a bit too 'warm' for her tastes. "... Wh… What?" Her yellow orbs began to crack open.

Just in time to see a smiling blonde covered in golden light, the winged young man giving her a look of happy relief she really didn't understand sometimes.

"You're awake," the older mage said.

"Yep," Naruto grinned and, despite everything, Shadow Weaver's warm chest elicited a small smile that couldn't be seen. "Heya, Master, it's been a couple days," he told her kindly as he helped the woman sit-up.

"DAD?!"

Naruto chuckled at the feeling of a small body hugging the life out of him, the blonde young man holding her with one arm as the others hurried over.

"You're up!" Kyle nearly cried tears of joy as Lonnie chuckled with a relieved grin.

"Hmph!" Rogelio gave him a thumbs-up and encouraging grin as well.

[Thank Hordak!] Catra said with a relieved, shaky, grin as she hit her knees, Adora smiling brightly even as she hit her rear. "Naru, you're not doing our hearts any good," she whined as her features returned to normal, body hissing a bit. 'I've never used it for so long before,' so, her powers came with drawbacks?

Whatever, she was just glad this was all over with, dammit.

"I've caused you guys a lot of crap, I'm sorry, I mean it," the blonde said with a bashful grin. "I'll make it up to you, all of you, I promise."

"Hmph," Rogelio grinned as he put down his syringe, much to Naruto's nervous laughter and the lizard man's permanent amusement.

"T-Thanks for keeping that away."

"This whole thing, I swear, I'm glad it's over but…" Lonnie's eyes narrowed as they heard a series of hurried steps. "We still got a perp to catch."

"Oh, thank goodness, you guys are alright!" Scorpia smiled happily before her grin grew strained. "And, uh… We might have found something a bit troublesome."

Hordak's deep frown lightened a slight bit at the 'results' of Naruto's helping but it all looped back around to anger as he and Scorpia came forward.

"It would seem that there's been some treachery afoot," he told them all, holding up a large beaker. The container holding some red substance in it.

Shadow Weaver's eyes narrowed before her eyes trembled and she held her head, gaining her disciples' attention.

"H-Hmm, it would seem-Why am I so unstable?" The woman tried to speak before leaning on Naruto with a pair of eyes that dilated oddly.

"Master? Whoa, you might want to get some rest," Naruto frowned deeply as he got up and lifted up the sorceress. "Sir, let's put her in her room and then find out what really happened."

~NRK~

The sorceress had instantly fallen into a deep sleep by the time they went to her quarters and put her in her bed.

Looking at her for a few moments, Catra frowned softly at the weak-looking sorceress.

"I'd ask if we should take off her mask but…" Scorpia looked concerned.

"No, we shouldn't break her trust," Adora said, looking sad at the woman's state. 'I hope this isn't something horrible again,' first Naruto and then Shadow Weaver?

It felt like the universe really didn't want them out of the Horde, sometimes.

"H-Hmmm…" Shadow Weaver released one last weak groan, a shaky arm lifting in the air before barely forming an odd symbol.

It dropped as she fell into unconsciousness before a small blip of shadow formed in the air and gaining cat-like eyes & a sharp pumpkin smile mouth.

"Hmm?" The small being looked around before looking down at its creator. "Oii?! Woman, what happened?!" She said as she looked horrified. "W'o did it?!"

"Whoa, um," Lonnie blinked in confusion before Adora looked at it.

"... You're her familiar, aren't you?" She asked it and wore a nervous grin at the narrow-eyed shadow cat head.

"If. I. Am?" She said, words growing more concise.

"Sorry, it's my fault," Naruto told the shadow familiar, looking the alarmed creature in the eyes. "I… Master helped me out of a serious situation," he said seriously as she floated closer. "So, make no mistake, I'm gonna pay her back, without question."

That familiar hummed as she circled the blonde before looking at his bare chest where an Incantation sat.

"... You're this one's student… Hmph, annoying… But you seem rather loyal so you keep to your word and I won't eat your hand," she said, the shadow being looking down. "Ugh, I hate this form. She's down so I can't do much else besides getting into something more familiar." The familiar swirled into a small sphere of wicked shadows.

Then, it expanded more and more before reaching Kyle's height.

The spinning shadows dispelled and within them?

Was a giant three-eyed black raven with a pair of long tail feathers, four wings, and a red beak.

"Ah, much better," the shadow beast said before folding her wings and facing the group. "Explain."

~NRK~

Lou paled as he spied the group within Hordak's office from a vent.

'Dammit, dammit, dammit!' He cursed as he saw the red agent within the Empire Lord's beaker, skin draining of any color as the man growled at it.

"That fucking," Lonnie looked ready to strangle something. "He was the first one on the scene of the crime!"

Hordak's eyes narrowed in anger. 'Why?!' He'd be dragging someone's body on the highest spire because this angered him greatly. "Where is he?"

"T-The last time we saw him," Kyle frowned deeply. "Naruto had thrown him outside in his rampage, we haven't seen him since."

"... Hmph, then we'll deal with the second-most knowledgeable source," Hordak turned to an arriving soldier. "Where is Dray?"

"Sir! At present, Force Captain Dray hasn't been seen since the beginning of Force Scout Uzumaki's rampage," the soldier looked down in thought. "It's been noted that, recently, he has been in the Simulation Rooms before this all happened so he might be there. We've sent a group to apprehend him."

"Good. This entire situation needs to get solved."

Naruto looked down at his cloak-covered body. "... Sir," he spoke up, gaining their leader's attention. "Right now, there's something else to be aware of," he explained, surprising his team.

He explained their thoughts about six days from now being a bad time.

Hordak's eyes widened as he grimaced while Adora followed Naruto's lead.

"It's true," she said. "There's a high chance that they will attack earlier and… And this might not work out for us," Adora added.

With Shadow Weaver down, they honestly had lost their leverage on leaving, painfully so.

"If that is true, this bodes horribly for us," the demonic-looking man hissed with worry, pacing ahead of the group. 'We'll barely have the time to reinforce the parts we need,' Hordak's eyes went to Naruto's scarred form. 'If he could control his power, this would have at least been feasible but I can't trust it.'

Naruto nodded to his gaze. "I'm not in any shape to fight anyone," the blonde young man admitted, wings folding on his back. "I… If I'm going to protect anyone, I need to go and get healed before coming back," he told him. "I have some knowledge on a spot near the old Fire kingdom and we have, what, four days?"

"Can you return in that amount of time?"

"I will. I'll need to take a skiff but…"

"... Take Team Seven with you and return forthwith. And you," Hordak turned to that waiting soldier. "What is the news on Dray-?"

There was a rumble in the room, one that confused the group to no end.

"... Oh… Oh no, please, NO MORE OF THIS SHIT!" Catra nearly screamed as Hordak's own brow began to twitch something fierce.

"O-Oh, shit," the soldier scrambled and messed with his arm brace that released a scrambled frequency. "H-Hey! What's happening?!-"

-We've got an explosion in the Simulation Rooms! Shit, everything's on FIRE and we can't find Captain Dray!-

All eyes widened, Lou's own becoming immediately worried.

'Dray, what the hell, man?! Be okay!' He grimaced before hurrying out of the vents.

As he traversed the pathways, his mind went to everything.

"Damn it all, everything's going to shit, we're on the chopping block, and Dray's-"

"Right here," came a voice from his side, an intersecting vent revealing his comrade.

"Dude, what the fuck is happening?!"

Dray frowned, looking down in thought before he pulled out something. "Look at this," he showed him something.

A communicator of odd red and black design-

Lou's eyes widened as a hazy figure appeared on screen.

-Hey there, bud, long time no see-

"C-Clarissa?"

-It's Chackles now- The now-named Clarissa, 'Chackles', hummed. -Dray tells me you guys are in some rough shit-

"... Dray, what the hell does she mean? You've got nothing to do with this," Lou frowned as his partner, his comrade, grinned.

"Hey, we're in this together, no matter what. Blood brothers, yeah?" Dray said, showing his palm's where a wolf-like mark was tattooed in red. "We need to get out of here, I caused that distraction but it won't last and then things'll be on high-alert."

-You guys do good work- Chackes said. -WE could really use the extra hands. Up for taking the world by storm?-

"Why? You disappeared five years ago, what happened?"

-I learned what's really up with Hordak and his bullshit- She said with a frowning sound. -I know what's really going to happen to this planet, to us, when he gets his way and we need to kill him then takeover and prepare for the real big guy-

"REAL big guy?" Both Captains… Both ex-Captains said.

-I'll tell you when you get here. Right now, you're both not safe and we've got an attack to cause in a couple days-

~NRK~

To say things had gone to hell for the Horde was an understatement.

Yet, Naruto was fine with that as he and the rest of Team Seven, sans Shadow Weaver, took Kyle's custom skiff out towards the Whispering Woods.

"This is so close to perfectness," Lonnie said through the speakers. "If Shadow Weaver had been UP, that'd be it, we'd be outta there, wouldn't we?"

"Yeah, that was the plan," Adora said before yawning. "D-Dammit, I need some freaking sleep. I-It's been over 48 hours of work," she whined next to Kyle as they led the way.

"Go get some, ma'am, I know this has to have been a killer on you," Kyle said.

"Agreed."

"Guys, I'm glad you'd say so but, really, I want to be awake until we get to Glimmer and Bow. When we're surrounded by allies, I'll get some rest."

---

Meanwhile, down below, Catra slept with Catty in her arms in the small medbay room Kyle had built into the vehicle.

Rogelio nodded to them as Scorpia came in.

"Everything good in here, Lio?" She asked the humming lizard man.

The younger Horde member nodded, showing his work with the Corruption. "Hmm," he pulled out his notepad.

I'm trying to refine this with some of Naruto's blood. He wrote, showing her.

"Oh, right, what about him, by the way?"

Naruto's currently speaking with that giant crow.

"She's a raven, by the way," Scorpia corrected as he blinked before making the correction. "What was her name, again?"

Shadira.

---

"So, Shadira, what's up with Master?" Naruto asked the giant avian, the two sitting within the back of the skiff. "She just… Did she get hurt?" He grimaced.

Shadira the Raven flapped her wings for a moment before curling around him like a cobra through an impossibly stretchy body.

"Hmm… I'm more and more confused by you, that girl chose a surprisingly curious disciple," Shadira said as she hummed in the fox boy's ears. "What happened to the woman was a sensory overload. She tried to pull in the energy, and your emotions, you'd been spilling out, I searched her memories and found that you lost control or, really, I thought you had before learning otherwise."

Naruto's eyes looked down in guilt before his hands clenched. "What do we have to do to help her?" He asked with a determined frown.

"Despite the vile nature of it, that Corruption wasn't as infectious thanks to her protections and your own little stake. After you purified her, you left her in a state of 'need' for magic," the raven said.

"So, she just needs a charge?"

"Hmm, I suppose."

"... Alright," Naruto's eyes closed as he nodded. "When we get back, hopefully I'll be fully-healed and can give her back the help she gave me.."

'Never-ending foolishness is how you put it, Spinner,' the familiar thought in an intriguing fashion. 'He's actually rather upright, too, really, I wonder if you truly see issue with him,' time would tell.

~NRK~

Reaching the kingdom of Bright Moon hadn't taken long and, after pulling up a good bit away from Glimmer's window, they'd waited a mere two minutes before finding a gasping Princess at the sil.

"You're UP!" She twinkled away.

And reappeared in front of the group with Naruto smiling in the lead.

"Hey, Glimmer," he greeted. "Thanks, again."

"No problemo, now, what do you guys wanna do?" She asked them all, getting thoughtful looks from everyone. "We've still got quite a couple days to go but aunty also said you should soak ahead of time, Naruto. You can't just go last-minute."

"Well, I mean, how early would you want us to go?"

Getting the group across the expanse between the treeline and her room, Glimmer rolled her shoulders with a stretch.

"Oh, man, I haven't used my teleports like that in a while."

"Ah, so, we finally meet," came the voice of Castaspella as she and Angella looked up from Glimmer's normal bed as Bow grinned from his place on the floor surrounded by electronics.

"Welcome back," the archer said as he cleaned up and got up before nodding to the relieved Naruto. "Long time no see, real world-wise."

"Same. So, we were talking about it outside," Naruto began as they spread out before sitting down, the winged boy standing at the center of the room with Catty in his arms. "So, how early were you thinkin', ma'am? To go and soak?"

"Ah, I was originally suggesting two days worth," Casta smiled. "I'm still visiting, after all."

"Oh, well, that's fine. I just want to keep things under-control."

"I understand, you're rather fearsome, young man," she said before looking at Catty's happy state. "... And, might I ask," Castaspella began as Angella smiled knowingly.

"Ask what?" The blonde young man said, Catty snuggling into his grip.

"You're that one's father, yes?"

"Yep."

"HEY, EASY!" Catra said quickly, red in the face, as Glimmer and Bow snickered while the others of Team Seven looked relieved.

Scorpia smiled happily for Catra before tilting her head. 'Wait,' she blinked while looking around at the others being relaxed. '...' She tapped her pincers together gently before holding it in.

Best to ask that question in safer waters.

~NRK~

They'd been given cloaks, clothing, or, in Naruto's case, used a familiar disguise.

"Wait, how?" Bow asked, confused as he noted Naruto's Plumeria outfit.

"Would you believe that this is what they consider a disguise?" Naruto sweatdropped, magical arm rubbing his head. "And that they believe in having copies?"

"... Yes."

"So, you can't come over because of your teacher being down?" Glimmer pouted as Kyle and Adora nodded.

"She's mostly that to Naruto, Catra, and Adora but she's honestly not a bad supervisor, even before Naruto had her easing up on us," the pilot said as the blonde girl smiled.

"Master's been a lot more… Rough, in the past," Adora said as Glimmer raised a brow before looking at the giant Raven. "Nowadays, she's more open to conversation, ideas, and even putting up with some of the stuff we get into," she grinned knowingly as Lonnie snorted.

"Sounds about right."

"So, Young Naruto, I'm curious," Castaspella said as they reached a pair of guest rooms. "What exactly is your end goal?"

"To get my friends out of the Horde and destroy it when I'm sure our old bunkmates are outside of it," Naruto told her as Scorpia looked bashful. "You, too," he told her without hesitation, startling the scorpion woman.

"U-Um, me?" Scorpia asked, looking touched but confused.

"Yep. One, you're not a bad person," he began as Bow smiled. "Scorpia, honestly, I think I need to talk to you about our lot in life, like, soon. I know ya got questions," the fox boy explained as the older Captain's shoulders sagged.

"I… I-I do have some of those."

"I got it. Let's just settle in, first, and then we'll talk. Speaking of, these are our rooms, huh?" He directed at the amused Angella and curious Casta. "Alright, let me just check," Naruto opened the doors and looked in. "... Alright, guys, we got our space," he told them.

And they all walked into ONE room, leaving the Bright Moon members to stare in confusion.

"No, wait, not normal!" Glimmer jumped before rushing in. "Guys! You can't just sleep in the same room!"

"Why?" Someone asked from within, Kyle most likely. "I mean, this is what we've always done."

"Yep," Scorpia said from within. "Honestly, before being a Captain, this is the norm."

"It's true, Glimmer," Adora's voice said as the sound of drawers opening reached the two women's ears. "I mean, this is just normal for us."

"A-And showering?!" Glimmer nearly squealed.

"Why is she so weird about this?" Shadira asked.

"H-Hehe, um, different cultures?" Naruto's voice offered.

~NRK~

Standing on a balcony near the top of the castle, Naruto leaned on the railing with Scorpia as midnight arrived.

"So, what's up?" Naruto asked the nervous-looking woman. "What has Scorpia, Force Captain of the Horde for three years, think?"

"..." Tapping her pincers together, the woman sighed. "I… Naru… How long have you been part of Bright Moon?"

"Wait, what?"

"I-It's just, you're clearly friends with them a-and then your whole team is so accepted."

Naruto blinked before shaking his head. "Scorpia, we've never been a part of Bright Moon, I'm not some hidden agent, I'm literally just a guy who knew better," he told her, confusing the scorpion.

"I… Then, how all of this?" She said shortly, gesturing to the castle. "I don't understand."

"Let me ask you a simple thing, alright?" He smiled. "Scorpia, do you honestly think everything the Horde does is legit?"

That startled her, getting a more-nervous Captain with each passing second.

"Scorpia, the Horde is horrible. We take people's homes, their livelihoods, their lives. There's no doubt in my mind that your kingdom accepted them to protect you and everyone else from being next and yet if you look at it all, what really got saved?"

"T-That's…" Scorpia looked concerned. "Then… Then we've been…"

"Destroying everything," Naruto told her with a focused look towards the outside world. "Look at all of this, Scorpia, is this really something that's in need of order?"

The lands of Bright Moon, a cliffside built-in kingdom that held beautiful waterfalls that fell into the adjacent ocean of soft hues and smooth rock.

This kingdom where she could still see some, tiny in the distance, folk moving about and living normal lives.

"... No," her eyes dimmed a bit as she bit her lip. "I… I just… Naru, I've been with the Horde since I was young-Not to say you haven't!" She said quickly as Naruto shot her a patient look. "I just… H-How can you be so sure?" Scorpia flinched at her own words.

"I think you know the answer to that question."

They stood there in silence, the boy humming as he shot her a smile.

"I know you know but, despite everything, Scorpia, you're a good person. I think you can see what's really going on and that you can choose to be better than the Horde."

She scrunched inward as they looked at the moons.

"... I just… I-I figured, ya know, maybe this was temporary," she whispered, getting a small hum for her answer. "Ya know? Hordak's alway talking about making this world great, more Horde-central, more likely to grow with our tech alongside magic," Scorpia looked down. "I guess that's pretty dumb, huh?"

"One, no, because you're like the other guys with this. We didn't realize what was up, Scorpia, until I was literally dying, you're a bit luckier that I'm just talking you out of Horde craziness."

Scorpia flinched at that, looking horrified as Naruto adjusted his cloak to show her the scars.

"If it hadn't been for Bright Moon's & Plumeria's Princesses, I'd be dead and so would everyone else. Trust me, you're getting the literal easy path."

"Are you alright?" She asked, concerned.

"... Actually, ever since being saved by everyone, yeah?" Naruto looked confused. "Usually, I'm breathing faster and stuff," he took a deep breath before releasing it. "That's weird," he muttered.

"Well… From the briefing, your transformation apparently had healing skills?"

"It did?! Crap, I wasn't paying attention to that part… Look, the fact remains, we're good. Bright Moon and the other kingdoms & their Princesses are the good guys, the Horde is NOT. I hope you can get that."

"I…" She looked troubled. "I do," Scorpia admitted.

Observing her for a moment, Naruto smiled.

"I know you do, deep down, you're just trying to come to terms, it's fine," he said as she sighed. "One day, the Horde will fall, Scorpia, and I just hope it only hurts those who've hurt everyone else."

"That'd still be me, ya know?"

"Maybe but you can make up for it," he grinned.

The scorpion woman raised a brow at him before rubbing the back of her head bashfully with red cheeks.

"Geez, you're really the casanova Lonnie says you are," she chuckled.

His expression became confused. "Wait, she said I'm a what?"

"Nothing, it ain't really much."

"... Ookkaayyy?"

~NRK~

The following morning, day five of the eight days before leaving, the group ate in the dining room under the confused gazes of the Bright Moon guards.

'Which one of 'em was it, again?' Naruto thought even as he finished a thick fruit salad. "Man, the fruits here are second only to Plumeria's," he complimented as Perfuma grinned while Frosta sat beside the blonde with a smile. "You diggin' the fruit food, Frosta?"

"Yup!" The Ice Princess answered as Blue chuckled in the background, the man in a thinner, non-furred, coat that covered most of his body with a white face mask for his features. "You gotta eat a lot, Naruto! You were hurt for a while."

A hair ruffle later, the blonde nodded. "Of course, I'm already five bowls in," he sweatdropped as she nodded sagely.

"Don't say that with that much confidence," Lonnie smirked as Kyle chuckled, Glimmer's eyes trying, and failing, to find out where the blonde's food went.

"D-Damn it, where?!" She whined as Bow snickered.

They ate and chatted, the first order of business being, well, what the heck would they be doing until 'the day'?

"Hmm, well, I'm sure Bright Moon could use some help here and there," Angella smiled as Naruto nodded.

"Wait, actually," Kyle perked up before turning to Casta. "Ms. Casta, Naruto's been working on a spell he wants to complete by the end of next year," he told her as the blonde-in-question perked up while the sorceress grew intrigued.

"Really?" The head of Mystacor looked curious as Naruto chuckled sheepishly.

Explaining his idea, down to the details, the whole group actually looked surprised by his creativity.

"That sounds super-cool!" Frosta said with big bright eyes as Naruto nodded.

"Ideally, with my magical levels, I'd want to make over a thousand for half my energy," he said even as Casta's, and most everyone else's, jaws dropped at his 'flippant' attitude. "... What?"

"N-Naruto, that's kinda…" Bow began with a shaky smile.

"... Oh, well, the thing is, I've got magic energy in spades," Naruto explained weakly. "I mean, everyone who fought me would know, my magic's on a whole other level in the amount I have."

Castaspella's eyes observed him with interest as she glowed softly. "... M-My word, young man, your levels easily usurp a battalion's own!"

"See?"

"That's insane!" Glimmer said before gaining a mischievous look. "Oh, that could be USEFUL."

"There she goes," Bow said with a shrug at Naruto's worried smile. "Just, uh, be prepared for a lot of pitches."

"Okay…"

~NRK~

Their first afternoon in Bright Moon saw them helping reconstruct an old building.

Naruto & Scorpia put down the last bit of 2x4s as the old man by the store looked surprised.

"What in the world?" He said.

"Hehe, no problem, old man, just tell us if ya need something else!" The blonde said as the scorpion woman smiled happily.

Meanwhile, Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio worked in tandem on breaking off, throwing out, and then tossing pieces of moldy brick, wood, and mortar into piles like a well-oiled machine.

Then, Catra and Catty destroyed the piles of garbage while Adora sunk all of the burnt pieces into a portal of shadows and flew towards the landfill area.

They worked as a unit and Glimmer's eyes, well, glimmered at the idea of such a team under her command!

"Yes!" The 'second Princess' of Bright Moon squealed as Bow chuckled before Frosta ran forward.

"Let me help!" The Ice Princess declared as Naruto chuckled.

"If ya want, can you and Frosty keep the wood shaded and lift some stuff?" The fox teen asked her, hanging upside down… Wait.

"Hold up," Catra said as Naruto grinned, his sandal-covered heels holding onto the ceiling of a broken-down floor without trying. "What?" Her mind replayed the whole 'Volcano Trial' she'd gone through. 'That's right, I did do something like that!'

"This is part of the stuff I wanted to teach you guys about when it came to magic and using it."

The feline Captain perked up before cupping her chin, tail curling in interest at the idea. "Is. That. So?"

"Yep, I'm gonna have you guys trying out the basics when we get the chance. You can get in on this, too, Bow, Glimmer, if ya want."

"Sure!" The archer said before hurrying over to help. "Let's work some trash!"

~NRK~

That evening, Naruto nodded to the others plus Frosta, Scorpia, Glimmer, Bow, and even Casta as they all wore those energy-molding headbands. In the background, Perfuma meditated near his Runestone as Blue read some Bright Moon texts by another wall of this training chamber.

Wearing matching loose black pants and light blue robe-like tops, they all watched Naruto demonstrate.

He held out a hand before a swirling series of numerous small strings of light floated in on themselves.

A second later, Naruto grinned as his Rasengan formed for all to see.

"See? This is a technique I came up with, call it the Spiraling Orb, or Rasengan, for an odd other thing I came up with," the blonde said. "It's basically a ton of magic condensed into a ball that's going every direction."

The others looked confused by this. "It's omni-directional?" Casta asked, intrigued. "That's incredible, Naruto. And you're right about that energy, that's an impressive amount of control you have," it was almost beyond-incredible.

This young man reminded her eerily of her brother in talent and skill.

"I-It's got such a big presence to it," Bow said with closed eyes and his fingers on his temple. "A-At least, I think I'm feeling it?"

"Does it feel like a big heavy light?" Glimmer asked in a similar stance.

"YEAH!"

"Then, yeah, you feel it," Adora said with a raised brow and cupped chin. "That's moving at such high speeds that it has to be super-strong, isn't it?"

"It is! You should have seen it when he used it in Nebbel!" Frosta gushed as Frosty came forward.

"From Ma'am's memories, yes, that orb there can perform cart-sized destruction if it felt like it," the ice familiar said as Catty grinned.

"Yeppers!" The child spirit said.

"No foolin'? Just that little thing?" Catra asked.

"Hmm, it's kinda like his axes," Scorpia said, confusing the others. "Think about it like this, they hyper-gravitized his stuff to form his axes and they weigh over 500 pounds. So, it's like the weight is the power!"

"Huh…" Naruto's brain sputtered much to the others' amusement. "Yessss?"

"Yes, that's how it works," Lonnie said. "Energy on such a small, compressed, level will explode when it harshly comes into contact with something or is released too suddenly. Basically, he's making an omni-directional energy bomb."

"That's got to require so much control, though," Kyle noted as Rogelio nodded. "What if you make it bigger?"

The orb expanded in size until being bigger than their heads.

"I have already," the fox teen smiled.

"Oh," Kyle looked sheepish. "S-So, it's even more terrifying like that?"

"Yep. With this technique, I can hit way above normal and, with Sage Mode, that gets way bigger."

"... Sage Mode?" Casta's head tilted. "Um, I'm not aware of this skill-"

Naruto transformed in an instant, startling the woman.

"W-What?!" Her eyes widened before she observed him with a straining eye. "Y-Your energy beyond anything I've ever felt outside of a Runestone, much less any person."

"And then he gets giant spider-throwing strength," Catra said with a sagely nod.

"... What?"

"I just become super-strong," Naruto said simply.

"It's not that simple," Glimmer said. "Aunty, he gets, like, castle-throwing levels of strength!"

Casta looked more confused. "I don't… I-I believe that's a bit premature, Glimmer. Such a person would basically be known by the entire world by this point."

"No offense, ma'am, but you do remember I'm in the Horde, right?"

"... Ah."

"Yep," Naruto said as he returned to normal before looking at Catra with a raised brow, the Captain blinking before she grinned smugly.

She transformed next, her tail's flame kept to that ball-like size once more.

"G-Geez, that's hot!" Lonnie wiped her brow as the feline teen looked sheepish.

[Um, yeah, sorry, not great at controlling this yet.] Catra said as she focused more intensely.

The ball of flames shuddered and shrunk before going back to normal, getting a grumbling Catra for her trouble.

"I got it!" Catty smiled as she raised her hands.

Catra's body was covered in a flashing glow before it went away, the room growing colder much to their surprise and relief.

[Huh, you just cast that Environment Protection thing on us? How?]

"Me and Master Lady figured out how to use those things like spells," the familiar said.

"Mmm," Casta's eyes went to the silent Raven in a corner, seated with her eyes closed. "Well, I suppose that's not impossible. For now, let's continue with your lessons."

~NRK~

The next two days were of similar content with a training routine thrown in.

Like at that moment, Glimmer gasped for breath in some shorts and a shirt, at the back of the line.

"Come on, Glimmer!" Bow grinned as he ran past with the others. "You gotta keep up!"

"YEAH~," Catra grinned smugly as she ran backwards to shoot the growling Glimmer a smirk. "Keep up, Princess!"

"Y-Yeah!" Frosta said as she hurried along before Naruto dropped to the back of the group, scooped her up, and hurried back to the front. "Thanks!"

"Hehe! No problem!" The Scout said as Catty flew beside them. "One more lap!"

They finished their last laps, collectively, as Glimmer hit her rear with a groan as Bow wiped his chin with a smile.

"Good exercise is such a nice activity! Especially with friends!" He cheered as his childhood friend #1 shot him a look of misery.

"I'm… Not built for this!" Glimmer whined.

"You gotta be more fit, Glimmer," Adora said as she stretched with the others. "You're part of your kingdom's army, aren't you?"

"I-I can teleport!" The similar-aged teen groaned. "I-I can keep up just fine, it's not like we're running everywhere."

"Ehh," Catra grinned from atop Naruto's back in a hands-and-feet squat, helping the blonde really hit that stretch. "You'd still have to learn how to run on your own. And you, blondie, you hit the stretch right now."

Naruto groaned-chuckled as he did as 'ordered'. "God, stretching is not my forte," he said as he finally had his forehead touch the ground while Catra nodded, pleased. "There… Hoo, okay, let me up!"

She flipped off of him before snickering at the sitting-up blonde cracking his back.

"I'm so grateful you're not heavy."

"Can't be heavy and be agile, duh."

~NRK~

On day eight, things were packing up for Casta as everyone got their things, and carts, ready for the eventual ride.

"Simply leave your things here, Perfuma, Frosta, I'll have our stables look after them," Angella said as the two Princesses nodded to her.

"Thanks, Queen Angella!" Frosta said before hurrying over to Naruto with a small thick sack. "Naruto, this is it," she told him.

"Icsie blood, right?" Naruto asked as the young girl nodded. "Thanks, Frosta, I mean it. You need help, let me know," he smiled for the now-preening Princess.

"And with our elixir, hopefully, things go well," Perfuma said as she held a foot-long wooden gourd on her hip. "It's supposed to suppress magical influences foreign to the body!"

"Oh, well, I guess we should do that one first, right?" Naruto asked Casta who cupped her chin.

"If I'm right… Naruto, while we're traveling, I'll need to isolate that Corruption to a single part of your body, alright?" She told him worriedly. "It will be painful but-"

"Alright, let's do this," Naruto grinned as the woman released a soft sigh.

"I have a feeling that handling pain isn't unusual for you."

"You got it right, ma'am."

~NRK~

They'd taken Casta's flying cart for the trip and, during that time, the woman had Naruto down on the ground.

She formed an array over his chosen, left, arm where Naruto had his energy arm present.

"So, keeping influences of such origin isolated is known magic?" Perfuma asked, seated beside the sorceress and helping create the array. "Castaspella?"

"Nothing like this has happened but magical poisons exist, it's just an old practice," the headmistress said as she finished the last symbol, the entire array glowing as soon as she did. "Alright, Naruto, you have to know that this is forcibly moving magic throughout your body. This Corruption will likely be fierce and disruptive."

Naruto nodded to her, latched down by Catra's chains and Catty's barrier. "Do it," he said, voice distorted by the sphere.

Casta's hands formed a four-pointed star in front of him before Naruto's eyes closed as he focused on his body.

The feeling of his magical pathways shifting in and out of the paths of the Corruption as it moved did feel painful, no doubt, but he was able to handle this pain. He'd suffered far worse kinds in the past of both his lives and didn't cave.

The others watched in worried awe as a clear neon-green glow was 'pulled' up from the blonde's right arm, both legs, and head to coil in his chest before it went to his left side.

Naruto's magical arm spasmed not from pain but from the disturbing green addition that spilled into it before taking hold.

The bound teen grimaced at the feeling of it in the fingers before he clenched his fist.

The spasming died down instantly, the blonde's eyes burning with a gold light as scripture of a similar color formed down the length of his magical limb before locking in, three rings forming around the wrist.

He sighed as Casta tilted her head at him. "... Your magical control is downright outstanding," she told him in awe as the others sighed in relief.

"H-Hehe, that's gotten me places, at least," Naruto chuckled weakly before the barrier, chains, and array died down. "Hmm… How long is it gonna take, ma'am?" He asked as Catty sat by his head with a worried look. "I'm fine, Catty, I promise," he smiled for his familiar daughter who nodded before wind magic from red wings cooled his head and sweat.

"So, with this, he should take the elixir, now," Casta told Perfuma, the Plant Princess inching forward and holding up her gourd.

"Naruto, I know this might be hard but could you please drink this?" Perfuma asked him and got a sitting-up fox for her answer.

"Alright, thanks, if there's trouble, let me know," he told her as she smiled.

Smelling the lavender-scented liquid after popping the cork, Naruto shrugged and downed the whole thing in one go.

The feeling within was immediate, the blonde grinning with a wince at that cold feeling going down into his stomach and then spreading out like wiggling vines throughout his body.

"H-Hmmm!" The teen grunted as that feeling began to settle, Naruto releasing a slow breath as Adora and Lonnie blinked in confusion.

"His magic levels went down,"they said in unison. "What happened?"

"If I had to take a guess, since they're inside a body and not just a specific portion?" Casta began. "It's basically a 'numbing' agent for magic," she chuckled at the floppy-eared blonde. "It's fine, young man, this is basically good. It's dampening all magic sources in your body and should hopefully digest enough that the effect stays while you sit in the waters."

~NRK~

Getting to Mystacor had been done with full-faith and blindfolds.

"Sorry, guys," Bow said.

"No, seriously, it's fine," Kyle said to the wall as the archer chuckled sheepishly. "... I'm not talking to you face-to-face, am I?"

"Nope."

His Coo-Coo tapped his noggin before Kyle turned around sheepishly, Bow's eyebrows raising at the magical bird.

"What's that-?" He winced at the admonishing chirps from the Coo-Coo. "U-Um, right! Sorry! Who's HE?"

The Coo-Coo looked appeased as Kyle chuckled.

"He's Bravido, I-I guess you can say we bonded," the other human boy said.

Meanwhile, Lonnie focused on two pieces of metal she'd brought along in her duffle bag.

"Think about it like writing, aunty Lonnie," Catty said, the title of 'aunts' and 'uncles' long since accepted by the group as a whole. "That's how you start to get it, at least."

"Just… One… More…" Lonnie's mind just made that image stick.

And then she grinned at the sight of dark purple scripture half-forming on the pieces.

"I did it!"

Casta, on the other hand, spoke at length with Catra, Glimmer, Adora, and Scorpia.

"So, like, magic really can be learned and isn't totally inside?" The scorpion woman asked, surprised. "I mean, I'd heard of mages like that but most of the ones I had the honor of knowing were all innate-users."

"It's more rare, yes, so it's nothing to be blamed for," the sorceress said. "Now, while you've all seemingly been able to feel the presence of magic, you need to use those intriguing enchanted headbands to coil it in front of you. They seem to have a curious effect on you all, your physical beings are sort of casting a film over the abilities of the headbands, I guess that's just their curious natures," Casta said as she threw the chatting-with-Rogelio Naruto, the ecstatic Frosta, and giggling Perfuma a wondrous look. "Honestly… I wonder sometimes."

"Hm? About what, aunt Casta?" Glimmer asked.

"Well, he's a gifted young man in magics," she chuckled as her niece gasped. "I wonder if he wouldn't want to join Mystacor if possible."

"That'd be so good for him!" Adora grinned despite her blindfold. "Naruto's just been one thing after another when it came to magic and energy control, he'd honestly excel at everything not in a book and he's not as bad as he thinks he is at those!"

Catra snorted, laughing beneath her breath. "Don't let his head get too big, it's obvious he's struggling," she grinned blindly as Glimmer smirked.

"Not gonna be nice to him?" She asked.

"Please, he loves pulling pranks when he thinks he can get away with it, we gotta keep him in his place."

Scorpia and the Princess giggled as Adora smiled.

"Naruto's got his playful sides, of course he does, it just so happens to be some of Catra's moments of revenge," she grinned.

"You're damn right! I've got an advantage now, I can make him suffer with feather or tail!" Catra grinned as Casta shot her a knowing look.

'Are we sure he's not married?' The sorceress thought.

Finally, Naruto hummed before nodding. "I wouldn't mind, Perfuma, you know where this legendary turtle is?" He smiled.

"Yes! They live on the sides of canyons," the blonde Princess smiled brightly.

"... You do mean inside canyons, right?"

"No, they've special little grippers! They typically live on the sides of cliffs and lay their eggs on the ceiling!"

Naruto, Frosta, and Rogelio shot her a look of deep confusion. "What?" The audible two stared at her while Rogelio's eyes kept blinking. "What?"

"Oh, yes, there are wondrous animals all around Plumeria!" Perfuma grinned happily, not seeing a single thing wrong with her words.

"Wow, the world's… Definitely different," Frosta said as Frosty hummed on her tiara. "Naruto? What will you guys do if those guys attack the Horde during the alignment?"

"I'll have to go back," Naruto chuckled as Shadira scoffed from the ceiling. "Master's still there, she's currently defenseless from Shadira's words, and I don't want her to die, it's against who I am. I don't want anyone dead but if you bring it on yourself, I can't save you if I'm not in reach."

"I-I'm not sure I could think up such an ideology," Perfuma fiddled with her skirt. "When it comes down to such things, I'm… I'd prefer not being introduced to such situations."

"That's fine, great even. I wouldn't want anyone to learn how to deal with those kinds of things if they could," he ruffled Frosta's hair. "Especially people who don't SEEK war."

Their ride began to descend, Naruto humming at the feeling ahead of them.

"That's a lot of magic," he said, awed, as Shadira came down. "Interested?"

"You bound me, you foolish fool," the raven familiar grumbled as Naruto grinned nervously.

"Sorry but we're trying to keep this legit."

'Only those who wouldn't know need such blinds,' the familiar grimaced. 'That foolish girl really loves making things convoluted.'

Then, seconds later, they bypassed some sort of 'field'.

'Wait, right, the barrier around Mystacor,' Naruto realized as it slipped past him. "This feels crazy, it's like all different kinds of magic are around," he grinned as Frosta looked around with a blink.

"Your sensor skills are top-notch!" She said, awed.

"Hehe~."

Feeling their ride finally come to a stop, Naruto and the others were helped out and their blindfolds removed.

They spotted a giant floating isle of grand length & height, soft pinks & lavenders, numerous plateaus bordered in gold, and structures/buildings integrated into key spots with the occasional floating island in the air.

All in all-DAMN this place was amazing!

Walking a bit, the sound of laughing people and rustling grass on all sides made the Horde group realize that, no, these weren't just plateaus.

THESE WERE MEADOWS!

"T-This is sick," Lonnie said in shock and awe as Rogelio rubbed his neck, the warm air having him humming softly. "Oh, man, this must be great for you, Ro."

"Hmph," he smiled.

"It's usually warm or cold depending on the time of day and weather doesn't usually have that much of an effect on us here," Casta said kindly as Frosta and Perfuma gasped at everything.

"THIS IS AWESOME!" The girl grinned excitedly.

"T-The nature here is powerful!" Perfuma squeaked as Naruto nodded.

"It's like every inch of this place is made of magic," he chuckled. "This is incredible, ma'am," Naruto smiled as Casta reciprocated.

"It is, isn't it? This is the kingdom where most grand magicians, arch mages & powerful sorcerers are made," the woman explained as Adora and those in the know perked up.

'She's doing it NOW!?' The female blonde grinned nervously.

'So, if he learns here, he'll probably be able to make that spell pretty fast,' the feline Captain thought with a curious look.

What could Naruto learn here?

Shadira's eyes narrowed on the oblivious blonde.

"I can only imagine," Naruto chuckled.

"Well, you don't have to if you'd like to learn, yourself," the headmistress smiled as the fox boy blinked.

"Huh? Ma'am, what do you mean?"

The others gawked as Glimmer beamed.

"She means joining Mystacor, Naruto! You could learn from the best magicians on Etheria and make that spell!" The Bright Moon Princess beamed. "If you learn here, you can do more than you ever could before!"

Bow gasped. "And you'd be near her aunt! We could visit so OFTEN!" He grinned as Catty settled on the closed-eyed Naruto's shoulders.

"... Ma'am," Naruto bowed with a smile.

'You should have chosen better-' Shadira scoffed.

"Will Mystacor be accepting students later?" He asked, confusing everyone to no end.

"What? Are you a fool? This is an invitation from the HEAD OF MYSTACOR!" The shadowy raven squawked as he covered his ears with a grin.

"Because, despite everything, I can't. Not now."

Adora & Catra's jaws dropped as Perfuma's head tilted, the large bird's jaws dropping. "Naruto, I'm sure you know you could just join after this week," the Plant Princess said.

"... I-I think I get it!" Frosta said as Naruto chuckled while Lonnie crossed her arms.

"That big lug couldn't do that, he made a promise, after all." the Weapon Expert smirked as Naruto nodded.

"I made a promise to make that spell and she's teaching me still, I can't turn my back on Master just because she's not around to look, what kind of man would that make me?" The winged boy smiled. "Maybe, in two, or more likely three, years," He smiled solemnly, confusing the sorceress. "From now, after we've finished that spell, I wouldn't mind if that's alright," Naruto grinned.

Castaspella's hand cupped her chin, the woman humming with a growing smile. "... Hmm, I can't imagine how lucky this Shadow Weaver is. To have such a loyal student is something most sorcerers, of any status, would do almost anything for," she chuckled. "I'm jealous but you say you'll be intrigued in the future?"

"Yep. Hopefully, I'll change a lot of things by then. I just have current problems that need facing, ma'am."

"We'll have open doors."

"Naruto, are you serious?" Kyle asked as Bow nodded.

"Mystacor's literally the best of the best," the archer said as Glimmer groaned.

"Come on, man! T-Think of everything you could figure out in a year! You'd blow your teacher's SOCKS off!" The Moon Princess whined.

"Glimmer… Do you realize how long I've wondered if she wears socks?" Naruto asked flatly as Glimmer's brow twitched and Bow laughed. "Like, we never see her feet, I'm not even sure if she has feet, that's been on my mind for a while."

"Feet?" Lonnie asked with a snort before laughing with Rogelio. "D-Dude, come on! Feet?!"

"YEAH! Do you understand how weird it is that she just glides everywhere?! I can feel her coming but it doesn't make sense sometimes!"

Adora chuckled as Catra smirked.

"Hmm, Miss Master does have weird moves," Catty said as her mother-in-creation pat her noggin.

"She does, trust us, but your dad's just extremely weird on this point," she said.

"Dad does get kinda caught up on stuff like this."

"Oi!"

~NRK Out~