Equestrian Heroes
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Naruto x ?
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Author’s Note
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Originally Applejack or Pinkie Pie was supposed to be next. I might do some Pinkie Pie but have the next part be Applejack centered. The events of this chapter are taking place around the time of the episodes over the barrel. Chronologically Over a Barrel is around the start of harvesting season meaning it would take place just before Applebucking season. Also because Zecora trips to Ponyville were monthly I would also chronological put her introduction episode around this time as well.

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Story Start
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In the sky, the moon finished its ascent to the sky, but the night’s activities were far from done. Luna couldn’t help but chuckle, recalling the arrangement of stars she witnessed during her first night back. For all her sister’s sophistication it did not transfer to arranging the stars. Luna had finally recovered enough of her magic to gain control of the moon and to begin, a limited rearrangement of the stars.

Luna was an artist. While Celestia was one that excelled in politics and public relations, Luna was more gifted in other things. She was more than a warrior princess, but a dabber of the many fine arts. The sky itself was her canvas, the stars were her paints, pastels, and pencils.

Luna’s arts were mostly self-indulged and kept from the public eye, with the exception of the night sky. Her efforts, while unappreciated in general by the common eye were observed and praised by the silent voices of the observant.

For so many years the Princess of the moon was proud, as her subtle workings were praised by poets. Used by sailors as guides and gazed at by common ponies.

Tonight though it seemed like that the stroke of brilliance attuned to the Princess would not come. “Gah, accursed the foul newborns!” The curse left the Princess’s lips as she tried to adjust to the newborn stars in the sky. To many it would have just been a random arrangement of twinkling dots in a black space, but to Luna it was her gift to the world. While Celestia nurtured their ponies, Luna’s gifts were to the planet itself.

“Maybe a bit of tweak is necessary.” She would show her people beauty. She would bring art to the sky once again. Returning a gift, an apology to the planet for attempting to rob it of the day it thrived on and needed to survive.

It would be worth it. The arrangements in her mind were differed enough from the night sky enough to irritate her. A few of the constellations had to be scooted together to give her the room needed. Luna dipped her horn in frustration when the arrangement dipped instead of smoothly and sharply coming together.

“Worthless…sloppy.” Luna muttered to herself. “Has the spark that fueled my designs waned in the millennia passed? “ She closed her eyes and shifted through the centuries. It seemed there was no limit to Luna’s inspiration. Each night the arrangements would come to her with ease. For as the years past the birth of constellations would come to mind and even if few ponies noticed her work, the stars were Luna's pride.

As the Princess grew so did her view of her art. Her views matured, from yearning praise to simply doing what she loved. Suddenly it was as if the spark had returned. With a wave of her horn stars began blinking into existence as they began to form an array.

A small shape was formed and crafted forming the shape of a gem. Soon multiple shapes began to take form, intricate in design as it filled the night sky. Those shapes were interwoven in a pattern that was then enclosed in a larger shape. The pattern of interwoven and super imposed gems continued as the Princess sat back and admired her handiwork.

Luna stared at it. An unladylike sneer formed on her face. It was a hastily thrown together monstrosity that lacked any elegance to its shape or meaning.

‘You’ve lost yourself. You’ve lost what made you, you.’

It was that nagging voice, that nagging self-doubt her insecurity that was fueled by Nightmare.

“Luna?” A voice cut through the self-loathing voice of the ID.

“Sir Naruto? We bid thee welcome. What is thee doing here?” Of all ponies to catch her here in the midst of her breakdown.

“I hope I didn’t startle you. I decided to visit to gain some more information on potential plants for bits. Ponyville is still recovering from the Dragon’s smog and Princess Celestia told me she wouldn’t mind if I harvested some of the seeds from the plants to help in this endeavor. When I took notice of the stars I couldn’t withhold my enthusiasm of seeing them and maybe spend time with a friend.” The orange stallion blushed bashfully. “I hope you don’t mind if I stay and watch? I love the stars and I’m sure you’ll make something amazing.”

Luna couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride and appreciation at the stallion’s words.

She closed her eyes once more, focusing on the sensations she was feeling. The stars began to fill the sky, forming images that illuminated the sky. Though if a very attentive eye would have paid attention to a little gather of stars positioned near the moon, they would see an arrangement made in the shape of a heart. “I wish there were more like you that appreciate my nights.”

Naruto took a glance at Luna and then suggested, “Well, maybe it might help the other ponies become more comfortable if they were to see you more. Maybe doing things like the other common ponies do would help you seem more relatable.”

“We wish it were that simple. Learning modern culture is taking a good deal of our focus.”

“Well why don’t we start off with something small? Like making an appearance in public? In fact, why don’t we both go? You remember Rarity right?”

Luna nodded. “The Bearer of Generosity right?”

“Yeah, she recommended to me a restaurant she once read about and it sounds like it might be nice to go to.” He suggested as the expression on Luna’s face went from surprise to one of coy.

“Why sir Naruto, how forward of you, we had no inclination you had any attention to court us.” She teased the blond who immediately began stammering.

“What…I meant as friend. I…” He found himself cut off by the sound of Luna’s rich and heartfelt laughter. With her old Equestrian accent it was quite charming. “Great, I get enough of it from Celestia, now you’re teasing me too.” Despite the expression he tried to convey he couldn’t help but smile. He liked seeing Luna smile.

“Indeed, we happen to oversee sister’s little joke for the interviews regarding the bearers. We are glad to see she hasn’t gone rusty in her absence. As for your suggestion, we are more than happy to accept your request.”

“Well, how about this following Friday at six?” He asked as a smile graced Luna’s features.

“It would be better if we were to meet two weeks from now at that time. In our current state it takes most of my energy to stay awake after setting the night.” She suggested to which Naruto nodded. “We shall look forward to meeting thee at that time.” She calmly answered as she was suppressing the urge to let out a little filly like squeal. Bidding farewell for the night, the two parted their ways to go about their life and prepare for the up and coming get together.

Wanting to make a good impression with Luna and to get the name of the restaurant again, Naruto turned to Rarity. She was an expert when it came to these kinds of things.

Walking into the air condition store, the blond half expected for Rarity to speak her motto at the sound of her shop bell ringing. For a moment he was wondering where she was, before remembering that this must have been one of Rarity’s off days, meaning the Boutique would be closed and she wouldn’t be expecting any visitors.

Heading up to the second floor Naruto called out for Rarity and didn’t receive an answer. Peering around the living area he finally made his way to Rarity’s bedroom door which was closed. He concluded that she must have still been asleep.

He decided to wash up and maybe make something to eat, in his haste he hadn’t had anything to eat that morning aside a bagel. Twisting the nob, Naruto walked into the bathroom, or the mini-spa as he had taken to calling it. Comparably, Rarity’s bathroom was twice the size of a regular bathroom with a bath tub large enough to fit two.

Then there was Rarity’s rather large assortment of pampering tools. Neatly lined up, Rarity had an assortment of body butters, perfumes, and other items. Then of course there were the brushes for her coat, the brushes for her mane, and the brushes for her teeth.

There were also assortments of incense candles, soaking solutions, and different types of soap. Quite frankly the memorization and research for the items, as well as deciding their attended purpose must have taken days if one were to take the time from the weeks Rarity spent shopping and buying them and compressed the time together.

All and all the sight began bringing back a sense of familiarity. It was with this large assortment of beauty products one could see how Rarity always managed to start the day looking her best.

Feeling rather nostalgic, Naruto decided to head to the kitchen to start making breakfast. Going through the pantry and gathering the cooking utensils, he began making preparations for haycakes, eggs, and hashbrowns. After everything was settled on the counter, he decided to set up the dining table.

He remembered just how every morning Rarity would have the table set during his first few weeks of stay. The napkins were neatly folded with the proper knives, forks, and spoons in place. He even remembered the correct place for the orange juice glass as well as the tea cup and saucer.

He was surprised at how much he missed living here. How much he missed seeing Rarity in the morning. How much he missed seeing Rarity’s eyes twinkle when inspiration struck. The sound of her giggles.

He shook away the thoughts. Ever since Luna’s little joke about wanting to court her Naruto began thinking more and more about the idea. Initially he had little interest, partly due to the fact the other inhabitants were equine and to him it was a bit odd. While from the get go Naruto had already known how attractive the mares were, thanks to having a body similar to a human, he was more interested in other things like learning the history and settling in. The other part was out of devotion to the memory of Hinata. Out of respect for her he didn’t want to immediately get involved with the next pretty face he saw and accept her as the love of his life as he felt it would spit on everything his wife had suffered in an effort to not only grow stronger, but to prove her love for him.

Once more thinking back to the not date he was beginning to wonder if he was ready to start dating? It had been quite a long time and he felt he was rusty. Then again that was why he came to see Rarity about right?

Right now he needed to stop daydreaming and began focusing on the meal. With that, he began making the batter which would soon make its way into the form of haycakes.

The eggs were soon finished, along with the hash browns. The orange was poured and the tea was served. He glanced at the clock and noticed it was six forty-seven, meaning thirteen minutes until Rarity got up to start her routine. He supposed he should go wash up again and prepare for the day.

He jetted up the stairs and began entering the bathroom. For a brief moment he thought about the fact he left the door open, only to bump into something. It all happened faster than he could react. He threw his hands out to latch onto something, only for him to fall back with who could only be Rarity falling on top of him.

"Rarity?"

It was Rarity all right, but not in her usual state. There was no makeup, she had a case of bed hair and her fur had yet to have been groomed, but none the less she was still remarkably beautiful. And she was wearing a parted robe with nothing else underneath the robe because she was obviously getting ready to take a shower.

She let out a shrill cry of embarrassment and hurriedly closed the top portion of her robe. “What are you doing here!?" She yelled at him. Startled, surprised, and embarrassed were just some of the things Rarity was feeling right now. While Naruto indeed had a spare key, he was usually good about letting her know he was coming over.

“Sorry! I came over because I needed to see you about something.” He hurriedly explained.

“Well, I trust that this is not so much of an emergency that it cannot wait until I get dressed?”

“N-No. So I’ll just wait downstairs.” He said as he made his way down to the kitchen. He sat at the table, wondering how long it would take Rarity to get ready. The sound of Rarity’s gasp fifteen minutes later signaled that the seamstress could get ready when she really put her mind to it.

“I see you made breakfast. This reminds me of when you still lived here. While simple, sometimes I found your dishes enjoyable."

"Just making sure you’re sticking to the diet I suggested I suppose.” He shrugged off the compliment with a slight blush and twinge of bashfulness to his voice.

Rarity let out a playful sigh, acting exasperated as she gave a hard roll of her eyes. “I am, despite the fact that the scent clings to my fur.” Even if their outings had lessened, the training exercises they had started together had now engrained themselves into Rarity’s way of life.

“Aah, anyway let’s enjoy the breakfast then.” He suggested, thankfully Rarity was going to let what happened upstairs go.

Taking her seat at the table Rarity waited as Naruto served her a plate. Grabbing his own plate, he took a seat opposite of her and began to eat. Once breakfast was done, Naruto decide it was time to speak to Rarity about his purpose for being there.

“As always you did a splendid job.” She complimented as her smile set him at ease.

“Rarity, there’s something I need to talk to you about. Something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. Something I hadn’t begun considering about until just now.”

“I see, than this matter will be our topic of discussion during our walk.” Rarity said as she got up from the table.

“Walk?” Naruto called out to her as he got up and followed her.

“Why yes, you did not think I forgot about what happened earlier this morning did you?” As soon as she finished the question, Naruto winced. He was really hoping that she did in fact forget about the moment in question. “I will not accept a mere apology for you scared the heavens out of me. In order to make it up to me I wish for your assistance in gathering some flowers by the edge of the Everfree. I have ideas for a new fall line and I wish to get an early start.”

“Well, if that’s the case then I’ll help you pick the flowers.” He walked over and plopped down on the couch, knowing it would take Rarity anywhere from a half hour to much longer to get ready.

“As always you are such the gentlecolt. If everything goes according to plan you might get a little reward.” She softly sang out to him as she used her tail to flirtatiously stroke the underside of his muzzle. She smiled coyly as she left the room, as she could only imagine the blond’s flustered looks. All and all she had to admit it was a rather bold move. Then again the stallion had really rubbed off on her.

‘I…I just do not want to give up so easily.’ Even if he wasn’t a prince, she just couldn’t stop those warm feelings she would get when she was around him. This morning, bumping into him, talking with him, as well as waking up to him cooking for her this morning. It brought back so many memories and it reminded Rarity just how lonely the Boutique had gotten when Naruto left. It didn’t seem as warm as when he was there.

Maybe, just maybe it would be ok. She could. Rarity looked herself over in the mirror. While she did a good job in the form of a quick fix, this would not do if she wanted to draw the blond’s attention. She wanted to be sexy and seductive, while at the same time classy and dignified.

After much searching, she finally decided on a dark blue blouse which, while it did hide her cleavage, emphasized her torso quite nicely too and gave her room to breathe. She also settled on a flowing skirt, which fit on her like a second skin, but was roomy enough around the area of her legs which wouldn’t be inconvenient for walking.

The two found themselves in the area near the Everfree and Naruto found he was more focused on Rarity than searching for flowers. At first he thought she was anxious to get to the flowers to start working, but slowly but surely he began picking up on the fact that she seemed to be maneuvering herself to be in front of him at all times.

He would have kept up this train of thought; if Rarity’s oddly twitching tail hadn’t drawn his attention to her backside. His eyes magnetized towards her plump butt, to which her skirt outlined very nicely.

All the while Rarity would sneak a look backwards, silently giggle and put a little swing in her hips.

Naruto knew one thing for sure. If Rarity ever started teasing him, then he didn’t think his heart, let alone his body could take it. The cold showers and meditation were already losing their effect.

Soon they arrived by a lake that neared the Everfree border. An assortment of flowers were growing near the water line and the lake seemed to glow as the sun’s light reflected off it.

“I will start on one side and you gather the ones on the other side. Just remember not to get too many of the green ones.” She finished with a shudder.

The only thing he could think of that would make Rarity react that way was the Trixie incident. He remembered what happened shortly after he challenged the stage magician.

“Rare, come on Rare open up!” Naruto called out through her bedroom door.

“Go away!” Rarity shouted through the door. “I’m not seeing anypony right now!”

“Rarity, I know you’re upset right now, that’s why I’m here. Can I please come in?”

Naruto waited a few minutes for a response, but none came. He knew Rarity was still there, he could still hear her ragged breathing, and light sniffling. When she didn’t answer he decided to enter.

Entering, he noticed she was huddled on her bed with her knees to her chin. Her eyeliner and make up had smeared from her crying. From her breathing and shut eyes he could see she was trying to compose herself.

Rarity was still dressed in the beautiful blue dress that she had made from the stage curtain. However, no matter how good the dress looked, her hair was still green.

“It’s going to be okay Rare,” He softly called out to her and took a seat on the bed. “It might take a little work, but we can fix up your mane.” He reassured her.

“It’s not just my hair Naruto…” Rarity said to him, barely keeping herself under control. “I was utterly humiliated in front of the town. When it comes to fashion I consider myself an expert. The fashionista of Ponyville!” Rarity said, as tears started to fall from her eyes again. “And in one swell swoop, that braggart took it all away from me.”

So it was a matter of pride. Pride was always regarded as the most dangerous of the seven sins. “Rare that’s just the thing; did Trixie really beat you though?”

Looking up at him, Rarity wasn’t sure what he meant. “I- I beg your pardon?” She asked, intrigued at what he had to say.

“Well think about it, you challenged her to a battle of beauty and grace. Did Trixie’s attack on you show any sort of beauty and grace?”

Pausing for a moment, Rarity started to see where he was coming from. Trixie turning her hair green had nothing to do with the original challenge. She hadn’t beaten her!

“You’re right!” Rarity said, perking up. “The only thing that ruffian could do was turn my hair green! There’s no elegance in that!”

Naruto smiled warmly at her. “Exactly. It's going to take more than a little green to ruin you.”

“Come now, no need to fib. I know I look absolutely dreadful.”

“Come now Rare, when have you ever known me to lie about something like this?”

Rarity looked up at him with a curious gaze. “Naruto…” Rarity said quietly, “Do you really mean that? Do you really think I look okay like this?”

“I won’t lie. I think you’re better with the purple,” Naruto answered honestly. “…but I think you can work the green. After all your personality and generosity is what I find beautiful about you Rare. It’s going to take more than some mane dye to change that.”

Rarity found herself overwhelmed by what Naruto admitted. She acted, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. After a few seconds, she pulled away and looked at the stallion who merely looked on in surprise.

“Thank you, Naruto.” Rarity said simply, resisting the urge to kiss him again.

Naruto found himself shaken out of the memory and began to pick up flowers. Every now and then he’d glimpse over at Rarity who would bend over to pick some flowers before tossing them into her collection bag. He watched as her tail bobbed whilst Rarity gathered more flowers.

What he wouldn’t give to slide himself between her soft looking flanks.

‘What the hell? Where did that thought come from?’ Naruto was pretty good at controlling himself, growing up as a Jinchuuriki meant having to deal with hormones much stronger than an average human being. Even then it had been years since it had ever become this uncomfortable.

It seemed like forever until Rarity finally collected enough flowers for her design. “So, do tell, what was it that you so urgently wished to speak to me about?”

“Well you see, I’m not really the best when it comes to romance.” He began, stuttering awkwardly and blushing. “I haven’t even thought about it now until recently, but I knew I needed to see you.”

Rarity repressed the urge to gasp. ‘Oh my Celestia. Is Naruto going to confess? Is my hair alright? Did I chew enough breath mints?’ She felt like she was going to faint. What was he saying?

“..you were the best pony to talk to about this matter. I wanted this dinner to be something nice, special for her.”

‘Wait a minute. Her?’ For a moment Rarity stammered. “E-Excuse me darling, could you repeat that last part? Special for her?”

“Yeah, you see we recently started spending a good deal time together. Dealing with other ponies because of her past makes it difficult and I wanted to help her get over it you know. Everypony has this perception of her being a shut in and unwilling to deal with others, but I wanted to change that you know.”

Shut in.

Difficult past.

Perception of unwillingness.

‘Naruto…wants to court Fluttershy?’ Rarity thought in surprise. While it wasn’t unheard of for a stallion to approach a mare, it was still rather the norm for the mare to make the first move. Then again, considering it was Fluttershy, it wouldn’t be unusual for her to be the mare that was courted.

“I see.” She answered, willing her expression to be neutral. She still had a chance though. He was going to enter the courting stage; he would be free to be courted by other mares once word got out. While she was more in favor of the Monogamous pairing, she knew how in towns like Ponyville it could give one of a stigma of being rather greedy. It could hurt her professionally if that were to be the case.

Then again she would also have to consider the feelings of her friends. Was she willing to do this Fluttershy. She had a feeling even if the Pegasus was the head mare she would fall back into being submissive to make those around her happy. Rarity didn’t know if she could stomach the idea of doing that to her friend. Fluttershy would probably convince herself that she was okay with it just so she wouldn’t disappoint her, if even agree to it at all to avoid being a third wheel.

Even then she had on guarantee that Naruto felt that way about her. He was one of her best friends, but was there any guarantee that he wouldn’t hold some resentment towards her for manipulating the situation to fulfil her own desires without any consideration towards her friends.

Rarity took a glance at the Lily of the Valleys in her basket, the flower with the same color of her coat. She found that she could not do it. Those two were more than just her friends; they were like family to her. She was going to be happy for them.

“She deserves more than that. She deserves a proper outing or at least more than just a simple dinner.”

Naruto looked hesitant. “It’s just…I’m not good with this sort of thing. It’s been a while since I dated and well, I know next to nothing when it comes to a mare’s body language when it comes to dates.”

“Well darling, it is a good thing you came to me now is it not?” Rarity responded with a smile. “I would recommend you go on a few dates and build up some confidence. Let the mare know a head of time that you are considering starting your first courtship and that you wish to go on only one date that you wish to find out what traits appeal to you in a mate. You should also avoid taking flowers from any mare that you do not plan on deepening your relationship with.”

“Thanks Rare,” He responded, knowing he could count on her. He could always count on her. In thinking about dating…he could earnestly see himself dating her.

‘I…wow…I like Rarity.’ He finally realized.

“Congratulations Naruto, you’re finally learning something about the fairer sex. She didn’t even need to confess for you to get a clue about the possibility of liking her.”

“Shut the hell up Kurama.”

“You can count on me. I will always be your friend. Nothing will ever change that.” She finished with a smile.

“R-Right.” He suddenly found himself disappointed. The sudden label of being just her friend caused him to overlook the fake smile she was wearing. Even if he was a little sad, he wasn’t going to hold that against the mare. She had made it clear the other day she was looking to date some prince or noble. He could only be there for her when she would need him.

Even then, there were a few other mares he could think of that might be nice to get closer to. He began going through a mental list of all the mares he knew.

Twilight

Applejack

Fluttershy

Pinkie

Rainbow Dash

Aloe

Lotus

Berry Punch

Ditzy Doo

Lyra

Sweetie Drops

Golden Harvest

Vinyl

Redheart

Cherilee

The trio of Daisy, Lily, and Rose Valley.

Well, after the dinner with Luna, it might be nice to get back into dating. Naruto and Rarity began making their trek back to the boutique. It was going to be a rather interesting experience.

I am indeed a horrible troll for getting hopes up. I do promise that in the end the wait is worth it. I pushed the Zecora introduction back a chapter (Actually writing chapter 30 as you guys read this) while trying to figure out how to set up the next few chapters. I'm thinking Luna date.

I'm thinking some of the future chapters will double as a date/action two parter which will have moments for the Mane Six. Midnight of course is far from done and we'll be seeing her put the next phase of her plan into action.

Time for the usual questions.

Who is your favorite mare from this fic so far?
Who do you want to see more of?