Equestrian Heroes

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Naruto x Rarity x Twilight x Fluttershy x Applejack x Pinkie Pie x Rainbow Dash x Ditzy x Luna x ? x ?

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For Normal Speech

Inner thoughts, Text read, Italics used to represent characters speaking in different language.

Demonic rage, Demonic characters, Kurama Speak

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Author's Note

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After much time and consideration, I decided to make the events preceding chapter 269 its own story so the story is not rushed to get back to the main action. I will hopefully have the first chapter up by Tuesday if not Wednesday by the latest. Until then enjoy the long-awaited continuation of Equestrian Heroes.

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Story Start

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Not too long after the trio had taken off for their journey a letter requesting assistance arrived from Princess Cadence. She had asked for their assistance in the Crystal Empire's preparation for the Equestrian Games. Not wanting to be one to disappoint a friend the group was happy to help.

Not long after their arrival the group had met up with Cadence. Twilight had taken charge of the situation. "Rarity, how long will it be until you have Cadence ready to go?" she asked.

"Hmmmm... I'm sure I can find some shortcuts." Rarity replied, looking at the instruction sheet again "It might take a while, but I'll get it done."

"Can you have her ready to meet us back at the castle by the time Ms. Harshwhinny arrives?" Twilight asked.

"Tha might be a bit more then even I am capapble of." Rarity confessed, "Even if I cut corners the princess will not be able to help until after Ms. Harshwhinny shows up."

"I'll stay with Rarity." Naruto volunteered "Its been a while since I assisted her in such a capacity, but I am sure with the extra set of hands we can get done soon enough where there is no wait.

"Okay, we'll be fine." Twilight said calmly, and picked up a note from the crystal ponythat informed of them of the impending arrival of Miss Harshwinny. "It says here that we should be on the lookout for an earth pony mare, about average height, with red flower print luggage. That doesn't give us much information to go on since she refuses to disclose the remaining details of her identity."

"It makes sense, keepig her identity secret might not be for only avoidance of corruption and bribery, but for safety reasons as well." Naruto assessed from the action.

"But would such a thing really be necessary?" Fluttershy wondered aloud at the steps the mare took.

"It might seem crazy Flutters, but you would be surprised at the low down scummy things people will pool to win. Especially at sports events. Betting and racketery is one of the most troubling criminal aspects in the sports world where they might go as far as kidnapping or injuries to fix a bet." It'd be hard press not to find an aspect of racing that Rainbow Dash didn't know about.

"Unfortunately for us, that means its a tinge bit harder to keep an eye out for at the train station." Applejack contemplated.

"We'll just have to take what information we have now and narrow down our search depending on behavior and actions," Twilight replied, "Come on, let's move it!" And with the group minus the bearers of Generosity and Empathy.

"Well, this is going to be fun." Naruto lightly suggested as Rarity hoisted up her makeup bag.

---

"So, what's the plan?" Rainbow Dash asked Twilight.

"Well we simply meet Ms. Harshwhinny at the station and give her a proper committee welcome when we bring her back to the castle." Twilight explained.

"What if she arrives early? We have to keep in mind she might try and psych us out." Rainbow Dash spoke up. "You read what happened during her last delegation."

"I highly doubt she would pull something so unprofessional." Twilight replied crossly "It was probably just an error of miscommunication, it happens all the time."

"This isn't like the government in Canterlot, Twilight." Rainbow Dash complained, "Trust me, if there is anypony who knows about this sort of thing its me. Just because I emphasize the Wonderbolts doesn't mean I don't follow other sports or lack knowledge on how these things go. She's a tough as nail inspector, you don't get that sort of rep unless there is a pattern to what you doand its been clearly stated that she has a reputation for catching hosts off guard."

"She sort of sounds like a health inspector," Pinkie Pie added, "You wouldn't believe how many times we had the health inspector make surprise visits to Sugarcube Corner and on my family's farm as well. Most ponies tend not to like inspectors who are stern about their job, but it is there job."

"Well, it just means we need to make sure everything runs smoothly." Fluttershy addded.

"Which means we should hurry up and get down to the station." Twilighty insisted, "The sooner we meet Ms. Harshwhinny, the sooner we can give her the routine we rehearsed, and the sooner we can relax."

Upon arriving at the train station, the girls spread out and searched the platform for anypony that matched the vague description they had been given. Fortunately, they only found one pony who matched it. The mare had a yellowish-green coat, a bright green mane and tail that with amber red eyes. She was wearing some plain light purple blouse and white slacks. While it may not have been the most professional looking outfit they weren't willing to take any chances on the off chance they were wrong.

"Excuse me, ma'am? You mind if we ask you something?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Who me? Why, yes, of course." the mare replied.

"I hope you don't mind but we need to ask you a question really quick. Are you Ms. Harshwhinny?" She asked as the hitch pitch whistles went off causing the mare in question to wince slightly.

For a few brief seconds, she was disorientated before responded. that it covered up Twilight's question, and the mare misunderstood what was being asked. "Huh? Oh, yes, I am. So, kind of ya to notice." The mare replied.

Twilight and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like she found her immediately."Well, I know you're not expecting us, but we're here to personally welcome you to the Crystal Empire." Twilight told the mare.

The mare was surprised at this statement, but she thought nothing of it. The greeting in the Crystal Empire must be handled differently. After all they were one ruling city as opposed to being an entire nation. "Well, darn tootin', ain't that just the cat's meow! Y'all didn't really need to do that. Why, I hardly expected anythin' like this." The mare exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Princess Cadence insisted that we be part of the welcomin' committee. Let's just say, it was an honor we were more than happy to accept." Applejack said happily.

"Princess Cadence?" The mare asked. She had her the Pegasi of Cloudsdale were quite taken by the Princess of Love because of her administrative duties in the city and if this is how she welcomed guest she could see how she earned her popularity.

"None other!" Twilight replied, "She insisted we meet you and escort you to the castle while she finishes up some last minute business."

"Can we help you with your bags?" Fluttershy asked politely.

"Don't mind if ya do!" The mare nodded

"Ooh, I love flower print!" Fluttershy said happily.

"Now if you follow us to the castle, we've got a big razzamatazzy welcome planned for you!" Pinkie enthusiastically led.

"So far it looks like everything is going well." Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight.

"My thoughts exactly." Twilight replied, "We just gotta roll with it until the Princess gets there and we'll be just fine."

But as Twilight and the others made their way to the crystal castle, the next train pulled into the station. And standing on the platform was an earth pony mare with a brown coat, a brownish yellow mane stylized to look nice and smooth, black eyes, and a purple business dress. The mare glanced around, and frowned. It seemed that no one had bothered to come and meet her at the train station.

---

Twilight and the others led the mare they thought was Ms. Harshwhinny to the outskirts of the crystal castle. The mare seemed rather impressed. "My golly, the crystal castle!" the mare gasped "Why, I've seen a few pictures of it, but I never expected to see it with my very own eyes! From the inside no less, this is certainly an honor!"

"Yes, the Crystal Castle is rather impressive." Twilight replied. "Most ponies are in awe when they see it for the first time."

"I wonder why she's called Ms. Harshwinny? She seems so nice." Fluttershy asked. The mare was too caught up in admiring the crystal castle to overhear.

"You're letting her lull you into a false sense of confidence." Rainbow Dash warned Fluttershy "She's acting nice to catch us off guard! It's all part of the game. We've got to stay alert. Remember what's at stake here!"

The mare followed Twilight and the others into the crystal castle. She was amazed by how breathtakingly gorgeous it looked. "The pictures don't do it justice." she said happily, "Just being here gets me all excited."

"I'm sure you are." Twilight replied with a smile "Now, if you'll kindly take a seat we can begin our performance."

"Do ya mind if I take a quick little run outside the castle first?" The mare asked nervously, suddenly she seemed a lot less excited. "It was an awfully long train ride here, and my legs could use a stretch."

"Oh, well... we were just about to start." Twilight told the mare "You can have a run after we've finished if that'll make you feel better."

"Oh! Never you mind." The mare said to Twilight, and sat down on one of the crystal benches "You go on ahead I'm listenin'."

"Just what was that all about?" Applejack whispered to Rainbow Dash. "It's like she suddenly wanted to be anywhere but here."

"She was probably testing us to see if we could remain in control of a complex situation." Rainbow Dash replied "Looks like we passed, but we can't let our guard down. There's no telling what she might pull to test us."

"Ah supposes." Applejack shrugged. She couldn't put her finger on it, but during this entire tour something felt off. This entire time it felt like something was off and she can't help but feel it wasn't just nerves.

"We'd like to thank you for this opportunity to introduce you to this wonderful kingdom!" Twilight said to the mare.

"Oh, why, the pleasure is all mine." The mare replied with a smile "Now, what is it ya'll wanted to show me?"

"It's a little something we've been working on at Princess Cadence's request." Pinkie Pie explained, "You're gonna love it!"

"Oh, I don't doubt that one bit!" the mare said excitedly.

"Okay girls, are you all ready?" Twilight asked the others.

"Ready!" Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all replied at once.

"Good." Twilight smiled "1, 2, 3!" And with that, the five mares formed a pyramid and began to chant:

Two, four, six, eight!

Name a place that's really great!

One, two, three, four!

Keeps you coming back for more!

Two, seven, nine, three!

The place that we all wanna be!

Four, three, two, one!

The Crystal Empire, that's the one!

With a blast from Pinkie Pie's party cannon and some impressive aerial acrobatics from Rainbow Dash the five mares broke off the pyramid.

The mare was highly impressed and whistled in approval. "Oooh, yeah! That was amazin'!"

"Glad you think so." Twilight panted, as she and the others stopped to catch their breath.

"Ooh, I tell ya! I have traveled far and wide, but I have never, ever been welcomed anyplace in the fashion that y'all have done here today." The mare said happily "Ya'll are the best!"

"That's fantastic! Princess Cadance would be so glad to hear that!" Twilight replied happily.

"Honestly, I'm surprised she knows anythin' about me at all!" The mare said, sounding rather confused.

"Of course, she does? She's been looking forward to your visit for weeks." Twilight asked the mare.

"Really? The princess has been looking forward to seein' me?" The mare asked her face scrunching up in slight confusion.

"Of course, she has. As the inspector for the Equestria Games Committee your vote of confidence." Twilight explained.

"I'm the what now?" The mare asked cocking her head in confusion.

The mane five shared a look.

"You...You are Miss Harshwinny correct?" Twilight more pled then asked, hoping they didn't do what she's thinking right now.

"Who's Ms. Harshwhinny? I ain't ever heard of her. My name is Butter Peachbottom." The mare replied.

"Are ya trying to tell us you're not Ms. Harshwhinny?" Applejack asked, there was an awkward pause for what seemed like several minutes.

"My name's Ms. Peachbottom. I'm just an ordinary wild mustang from Mustangia here to enjoy a little vay-cay. I heard this place was a good tourist destination, so I thought I'd check it out. Sorry if I caused any trouble. I never intended to impersonate some important inspector pony." She clasped her face in embarrassment. "That's what you gals were asking me wasn't it? I knew I should have asked instead of just assuming your question when that loud whistle went off."

"That's alright. It wasn't your fault." Fluttershy said kindly. "Its Hyperacusis right?" She asked as the mare nodded and the others looked to the pegasus for an explanation. "Its a debilitating hearing disorder. Those who have it have sensitivity to certain frequencies and sound ranges and depending on the severity deal with headaches, brief deafness or other such issues.

"Its not something I like to advertise."

"So, if this mustang is with us, then where's the real Ms. Harshwhinny?" Pinkie Pie asked nervously.

"I don't know." Twilight answered, "She could be anywhere in the empire."

"Well, this is just great." Rainbow Dash said sarcastically.

"What are we gonna do?" Fluttershy asked Twilight.

"I don't know yet." Twilight said seriously, "But the first thing we avoid is panicking. We need to let Cadence know what happened and see if we can resolve this issue." Twilight wasn't sure how she managed to live the past year with that seed implanted in her. Having her completely calm and rational mind back was elyusium send. She really needed to do something special for Fluttershy's birthday for convincing Discord to remove that taint from her mind.

"Speaking of Cadence, where is she? I thought she was supposed to be here by now?" Applejack asked.

"Well since I'm going to find her that will be killing two birds with one stone. I'll go find out what's keeping her. In the meantime, the rest of you should stay with Ms. Peachbottom and make her feel as welcome as possible."

"But she's not the inspector." Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"Yes, that's true, but that doesn't mean we should up and abandoned her. We shouldn't be just welcoming to somepony whose important, but all ponies and not only would that be the way Cadence insist on everypony being treated. I can think of no better way to show how accommodating the Crystal Empire is then with a tourist who's never been to this place before."

"When you put it that way I guess that makes sense." Rainbow Dash admitted.

"So, is it alright if I take my little run outside now?" Ms. Peachbottom asked nervously.

"Whatever floats your boat." Fluttershy replied.

"And when you come back, why don't we give you a tour of this castle?" Rainbow Dash added "It's the least we can do for you."

"Ooh, a tour of the crystal castle... I'd love that a whole heap." Ms. Peachbottom said eagerly "I can't wait."

"We're not the foremost experts of the castle Dash. Is it really a clever idea trying to tour her about the room we haven't even been to yet?" Applejack said, as Ms. Peachbottom took off "

"Come on, how big can the castle be? I bet its like Canterlot Castle, we should be able to find our way around easily." Rainbow Dash replied confidently.

"You girls focus on keeping Ms. Peachbottom happy, and I'll see what Cadence thinks we should do." Twilight instructed, and with that she left the crystal castle and headed for the spa. She hadn't gotten very far, when she noticed an earth pony mare with a brown coat, a brownish yellow mane stylized to look nice and smooth, black eyes, and a purple business dress.

Said mare was dragging her luggage along, and from the looks of things she seemed very cross.

"Hello their ma'am." Twilight greeted happily.

"Hello yourself." The mare replied. "First hello of the day–" she muttered, before a cart came along and accidentally splashed her when it passed over a puddle.

"Oh dear. Do you need any help?" Twilight offered.

"Well, I wouldn't mind having somepony lend me a hoof with my luggage. If that's not too much to ask." The mare said crossly.

"No sooner said than done ma'am." Twilight smiled, and used her magic to lift up the luggage. Twilight's fine eye for detail allowed her to take in everything, including the flower print on the luggage. She nearly choked upon realizing who this may have be. "Excuse, miss, is your name...Harshwinny."

"Indeed, it is, do I know you?" The mare sharply asked as Twilight resisted the urge to flinch.

"I am so sorry Miss Harshwinny my friends and I were supposed to meet you, but it was a bit of a mix-up. My name is Twilight Sparkle and well, welcome to the Crystal Empire, I hope it's not too late."

Harshwinny's verbal tirade died on her lips the moment the mare finished her introduction. Twilight Sparkle? THE Twilight Sparkle. One of Equestria's heroes? Normally Harshwinny would been true to her namesake in her response considering her serious and strict nature, but not even her status and performance could survive the career suicide move of being on the wrong side of a national hero and Celestia's personal student.

"How did this little...mistake occur?" She asked, perfectly composing herself while at the same time probing for information.

"It's...a bit of a story. Would you like to join me for tea or coffee while I explain?" She offered, thinking quickly on her feet.

"That would be fine."

---

By the time the two arrived everypony was waiting for them at the spa.

"Ooh there ya are miss! Never got to thank ya for the tour ya took off in a mighty hurry." Miss Peachbottom practicelly sauntered over to the arriving duo.

Miss Harshwinny raised an eyebrow. "So, you must be the...mare tey mistook me for." Miss Harshwinny neutrally questioned as she looked the mare up and down.

"I'm mighty sorry about that honey. Mistake was all mine and all. I do say if there wasn't a mess up I'd say you'd love the tour."

The group flickered between the two mares, nervous at the eventually reaction of the director. "And what exactly has made your visit so special?"

"Oohohohoooh, gosh, where to start?" With that Miss Peachbottom went on at length about the wonderful time she had. It was hard to tell if this was a good or terrible thing considering Miss Harshwinny was completely stone faced the entire time. The tell was interrupted as Naruto and Rarity entered the room.

"Now presenting, her majesty, Princess Cadence!" Rarity happily exclaimed. A second later, Princess Cadence emerged. The traditional royal ceremonial headdress looked incredible on her. Everyone was impressed.

"Princess Cadence? So, this is where you've been all this time!" Miss Harshwinny exclaimed.

"Welcome, Miss Harshwinny. I hope you have enjoyed your tour," She greeted putting on her most radiant smile.

"To start off, nopony was there to welcome me!" She stated causing the group to wince.

"What do you mean?! I sent a welcoming committee specifically to greet you." Princess Cadence asked.

"Well as I come to learn my welcoming was given to another pony." She added.

"I see," She turned to the bearers with a look that beckon,'does anypony want to explain?' But Miss Harshwinny continued.

"I was rather put out until I ran into Miss Twilight Sparkle and despite her accommodations I was still tempted to pass over the Crystal Empire until I met this mare right here." She indicated Miss Peachbottom who was mouth agape looking at Cadence in awe. "Every city and empire wants to host the Equestria Games. So, I have to go through all the big phony-baloney song and dance, though of course, I'm never getting the real inside scoop. When I learned despite their mistake your welcoming committee did not abandoned my imposter, but continued to treat her well I realized that there was genuine character among you and your associates beyond nipping at the heals of status and prestige. Which, in my expert opinion, amounts to the first ever unvarnished, unrehearsed, and unbiased appraisal of a potential host of the Equestria Games. Which can only mean one thing... "

---

"The next host of the Equestria Games is…!" Cadance and Shining Armor announced on the balcony before all their little crystal ponies, "The Crystal Empire!"

Cheers roared, flags waved, and happiness spread, Shining Armor adding, "Congratulations, Crystal Ponies!" The Crystal Ponies happiness empowered the Crystal Heart and spread it for all Equestria to see!

Next Chapter: The Trials of Nature Begin! Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 20 Minutes