429Equestria Desire
Chapter 7
'This is pretty much what I thought how walking around with a princess would be' he thought to himself as he walked alongside Cadence through the streets of Canterlot towards the café she wanted to take him to. Everyone so far was a mix of staring in awe at her and being surprised at him.
From all the whispers he could overhear it seemed no one was really afraid of him, just surprised and wondering who he was and why he was with a princess. The comments he heard about the princess more or less made it clear that no matter the species men were men.
All he could hear were comments about how lucky he was to be beside Cadence, how they would die to be in his place, and how amazing her flank was. Thankfully it seemed girls were the same about perverts over here as well, glaring at the stallions who made those comments and making them shrink back away from them.
"Oh don't mind them, I'm more than used to stallions saying things like that in whispered tones. Those kinds of stallions learn quick that mares will avoid you if you are perverse like that as love and attraction are still needed for mares to decide to rut for the most part" Cadence told him, seemingly also overheard the comments of those around her. "Sure sex and whatnot is seen purely for a mix of pleasure on the stallion's part and procreation on the mare's part but a mare won't let anyone rut with them, it needs to be someone they find attractive physically and a bit personality wise so perverts will make them shy away" she explained while Naruto nodded since sex was seen a bit oddly here in his eyes but it was nice to know attraction still played a part in things in the end.
"Well good to see perverts are still not liked all too much here as well" he said although it did make him take a mental note to dial things down with his mares if they weren't behind closed doors. Last thing he wanted to do was drive them away by acting 'too much' with them.
"Oh don't fret like that, I doubt you have anything to worry about. I'm certain your mares enjoy how you act in and out of the bedroom" she giggled at him which instantly made him blush and look at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Is my face that easy to read?" Naruto asked with a bit of a frown before she waved him off with her wing.
"No, no, it's just with certain matters I'm more in tune with and can just tell" she told him with a wink. "Honestly if you are able to get with and keep multiple mares, something not too many 'stallions' can do," she said while using her wings as 'air quotes' when she said stallion "then you really don't have anything to worry about I feel" she assured him with a warm smile that really did ease his worries.
"Thanks, that really does help" he told her which in turn made her smile a bit more at him.
"Well I'm certainly glad as easing the minds of those with love worries is part of my title. Now come on, I have a good deal of things planned for us" she urged, trotting a bit ahead of him with a fire in her eyes that somewhat worried him.
Though due to those comments about her before and her trot, as much as he felt a bit ashamed to admit, his eyes too were drawn to her flank. Her flank was a nice size and round, it definitely looked soft and easily a handful due to her being a bit bigger than average ponies.
'Stop it! Seriously I have got to stop letting my eyes wander!' he chided himself as he shook his head only to blush a bit as Cadence looked back at him, getting him to look up from her flank and make it rather obvious where he was looking.
"Well? Hurry up Naruto, a guide can't leave the person she is showing around behind now can she?" she asked, smirking at him a bit while he could only nod and catch back up to her. A part of him wanted to apologize for staring but from the look in her eyes it was kind of obvious she knew what he had been doing.
If she wasn't bringing it up or acting upset maybe it was her way of saying she wasn't upset or something….at least he hoped it was….
As they arrived at the café he realized the word café was putting it lightly as this place was massive and seemed more like a high class restaurant then anything. Fancy tablecloths, silverware, and everything in between.
"Whoa, definitely not a Ponyville café that's for sure" he muttered a bit while he looked around at the high end everything around him.
"I wanted to show you the elegance of Canterlot and how despite the oppressiveness it can have it is still soothing and warm. Trust me when I say this is light compared to the usual stuffiness of Canterlot" Cadence explained, smiling softly to him as she walked further in with him following behind with a waiter quick to show them to their tables.
"One thing you'll be quick to notice is that Canterlot is mainly comprised of unicorns just as Ponyville mainly has Earth Ponies and Cloudsdale of course only has Pegasi. Unicorns are a bit drawn to wanting things to look tidy and elegant. Must be the magic" she told him while they arrived at their table which did explain the silverware at their tables and the look of everything around them.
"Yeah and I'm suddenly feeling even more out of place than I usually am…" he muttered as he sat down at the table, shrinking in size a bit to fit best in the slender chairs.
"Oh my, so it is true that you can alter your size. I bet that must be really loved by your mares~" she teased, giggling out at his dark blush before the waiter came to take their orders. "Get us my usual please" she told the waiter who nodded and walked off, allowing her attention to quickly return to him.
"I come here all the time so they know what I like. I found this place while trying to avoid some persistent reporters that wanted to know if I had found a stallion yet and they let me hide out here. That was when I found the most amazing tea and scones here and I've been coming back ever since" Cadence recalled with a smile before frowning a bit. "I should have asked for extras for you to take home for your, how many is it, ten mares?" she teased with a smirk, causing him to frown a bit and blush.
"….Five" he muttered to correct her since he wasn't that bad.
"For now" she responded with an all too 'knowing' smile that worried him and made him blush darker.
"No, not for now. Why for now?" he asked with a worried frown that only caused Cadence to giggle at.
"It's nothing, more importantly tell me about these mares you are with! I want their names, how you met them, how you got with them, and their descriptions from manes to flanks~" she said, purring out the last part with a playful wink that made him look away but sigh as he started with his first mare, Cup, the one that started all of this once the waiter brought them their scones and tea.
He wasn't sure about the 'flanks' part of things once he started, deciding to leave that out despite her pouting, with one by one he told Cadence a bit about all of them. He also decided to keep it basic without giving too much or telling her anything particularly embarrassing.
With Cup he told her about how she had accepted him from the start despite a flub he committed, how Mayor comforted him when he was terrified he had done something wrong and assured him it was all going to be okay, Fluttershy and her kindness when adjusting to his animal instincts alongside helping him learn more about them, Pinkie's endless energy and bubbly nature that made her a bit of a loving handful, and Applejack's down to earth charm really helped him out when he needed to work to clear his mind.
Telling Cadence about them all really made him remember each mare's charm, none being similar to another, and that they all had helped him out in numerous ways.
"Just hearing you talk about them makes your love for them incredibly obvious and so heartwarming. Seeing love so pure and strong is amazing to hear since, to be honest, love is rare to come by these days" Cadence told him with a smile, taking a bite of one of her scones. "Love is something that tends to come into play later in a mare's life due to stallions no longer being able to play the field so to speak. To see you with not only younger mares but older ones shows promise though I've got to ask you something important, if you don't mind that is" she explained before leaning over the table with a serious look on her face.
"Sure, ask away" he told her while he ate a scone since given the look on her face he could tell it wasn't going to be a lighthearted question like 'who has the best flank' or anything like that.
"How would you react if one of them got pregnant" Cadence asked him straightforward while looking him straight in the eyes with her serious look still on her face.
Naruto was a bit floored by the question, surprised by her asking it and at the fact he hadn't considered that event happening despite how much he often let out inside each of them. For the most part he chalked that up to not knowing how ponies got pregnant since for all he knew they could be like various animals and have 'heats' or 'mating seasons'. Animals were never his thing and even at his home village the main animal were dogs and they were handled by the Inuzuka.
"Huh….well, I wouldn't hate it" he told her with a bit of a chuckle while rubbing the back of his head and setting down his tea cup since she had asked while he was mid-sip. "I'll be honest with you, I've had no family since the day I was born but the thought of having a kid is both exciting and nerve-racking since it'd really feel like I'm getting what I lost out on. In the end if I did get one of them pregnant I want to say I'd be overjoyed but then again with this kind of thing you only really know you'd honestly react to is when it actually happens I guess" he continued while looking Cadence nervously in the eyes before she cracked a smile and reached over to rub the hand he had on the table with her hoof.
"That kind of worry is natural and, I'll be honest, often shows up in stallions who are actually more ready and capable then they think. The common reaction is instant fear and flush face" she told him with a giggle which really lightened the mood and made him chuckle a bit since he could see that, mainly picturing Kiba reacting like that.
"Plus I feel all your mares would be okay with getting pregnant as when you love someone you want everything you can from them. Whether it be just simple morning kisses or children to love and care for. You'd better be there and help them if they do get pregnant since that puts a heavy toll on a mare" she warned him, giving him her best 'scolding look' with a hoof pointed at him.
"Don't worry, I promise I'll do everything in my power and my clones will ensure it as well" he told her before realizing his slip up by mentioning his clones which got a curious look from her with a teasing smirk.
"Oh clones eh? I bet those are real fun in the bedroom, do tell more~" she purred out with a 'cat that ate the canary' smile which only made his cheeks heat up at.
"I-I really don't use them in the bedroom….it doesn't feel genuine to use them like that…" he muttered, cheeks heating up more due to the mix of his admittance about it and Cadence's nodding with a smirk still plastered on her face.
"Awww isn't that just charming, wanting to keep the mares all for the real you and give them your undivided attention. I swear you are just too perfect" Cadence giggled out with a dreamy sigh before the chiming of a clock bell in the distance made her perk up a bit and frown at.
"Oh shoot! We need to go or else the boutique will close" Cadence told him while she quickly finished off a scone, using her wing to cover her mouth before she got up out of her chair.
"Wait boutique? Why are we heading to a boutique?" Naruto asked since he thought clothes weren't too needed here unless it was a special occasion like a ball or a wedding.
"Simple, we need to get an outfit for you! In Canterlot always be prepared and given you are here for a week who knows if my aunt will throw a ball, especially with you around" she explained with a smile while giving him a look as if to say it was obvious why.
Naruto wasn't too sure how to feel about a potential party as he didn't know how well he'd do with the 'upper class' ponies, to be honest, he felt they'd be the kind he'd groan and get annoyed at.
"Don't worry too much, high class ponies are a headache at times but I'm certain if she does have a ball it'll be a private one" Cadence told him, making him once again wonder if his face was easy to read.
"Okay you've got to stop reading my face, its getting real creepy" he teased her while she smirked back at him.
"You can't blame me for that one. The look of 'ugh upper class annoying ponies' is a universal one that everypony except the annoying upper class ponies know about. It's a silent 'get me away from here' signal when certain ponies won't stop talking" she said with a groan and eye roll at her remembering of the experiences she's had with ponies like that. "But enough of terrible flashbacks, we need to get you fitted" Cadence told him as she motioned for him to follow after she paid for their quick but still rather nice snack.
"So I figure dresses are a thing for mares but, like, do stallions wear pants?" Naruto asked since he had absolutely no idea when it came to pony clothing other than dresses for mares since that was what Rarity often made as a seamstress in her own boutique.
"Not really sure what pants are but jackets are what stallions wear along with an undershirt and tie of course" Cadence explained, giving him another insight into pony culture. Though pants not existing made sense given it wasn't like there were many hind walking creatures and pants in general would seem odd on a horse.
"So this is the place?" Naruto asked as he looked above the doorway at the sign, it reading 'Best of the Best Boutique'.
"Trust me, I know the name seems a bit pompous and…to be honest it is but this place is one of the best boutiques in Canterlot and given your unique features I felt this place was the best choice" Cadence told him before a loud gasp sounded out behind him.
"Oh. My. Goodness! I just knew you'd arrive at my boutique in time once I heard you were in town and in Princess Celestia's castle!" a voice spoke out, getting Naruto to turn around to see a stallion walking up to them.
The stallion looked rather….eccentric with a blueish gray coat, a silver mane combed back with some curled bangs in front of his face, a collar and ascot around his neck and purple lensed sunglasses shielding his eyes. His cutie mark seemed to be a fan of sorts.
"Please come inside, I must get your measurements!" the stallion said while he rushed past them, leaving behind a confused Naruto and a chuckling Cadence on the steps.
"That is Hoity Toity, the owner and lead designer of everything here in 'Best of the Best'. Apparently you are a hot item among designers" Cadence told him as she walked on in ahead of him.
"Well isn't that great…" he grumbled since that just made him feel like something everyone wanted a piece of in a sense.
"You came for a jacket I'm assuming? Please, grace my measuring station with your presence!" Hoity Toity asked while motioning towards a large platform in the middle of the boutique, his presence making everyone grow quiet and look towards him in awe as he nervously looked around.
"Don't worry, he won't bite and it won't be too long, I promise" Cadence assured him, nudging him along and making him groan before he walked over and onto the platform.
"Faust you are just marvelous! I mean your coat is such a vibrant shade of orange and softer than silk! It would work amazingly with a classic black, a really dark shade as so few ponies have the coat color to work with that shade, being so bright and all" Hoity Toity went on as he walked around him, measuring parts of him at random. "And your body structure is like nothing I've ever seen before, this will be a challenge to make a jacket for you but a challenge I welcome! Tell me, have you had clothes made for you before?" he asked since a large part of him wanted to be the first.
"Well my friend Rarity down in Ponyville made me a cloak that I asked for but it's not going to be as tight fitting as a jacket. She makes a lot of great stuff and she did really good on my cloak" Naruto told him while Hoity Toity nodded with a smile.
"Lucky mare for getting to be the first one to get measurements on you, I'll have to check out her wares later next time I head down to Ponyville but I won't be outdone. I'll make you something amazing, just you wait" Hoity Toity told him as Naruto merely shrugged while he let the stallion measure him.
"Oh don't mind me, I'm just enjoying the show. I already have my dress" Cadence said with a smirk from the sidelines, undeniably enjoying seeing him a bit uncomfortable like this. "Enjoy the Canterlot upper class experience" she teased, making him roll his eyes as it continued.
"Do you have any preference for the color of your tie? I'm honestly thinking orange as it goes perfectly with your fur" Hoity Toity suggested which got Naruto to chuckle a bit.
"Orange is actually my favorite color, always has been, not because of my fur or anything honestly so that's perfect" he told the stallion, getting him to smile and nod before he seemingly finished up.
"Great! Give me two days at most and it will be done. Please tell me right away if you need it earlier and I will ensure that it is done right away" Hoity Toity said while Cadence nodded as she walked over to them.
"I doubt he'll need it sooner than that but we'll keep that in mind. Thank you for seeing us at such short notice" Cadence thanked him, getting him to wave her off adamantly.
"Nonsense! I live for the chance to dress others and this is a once in a million chance to dress someone like him. If you ever need a seamstress while in Canterlot my boutique's doors are always open" Hoity Toity assured them before Cadence motioned for Naruto to lead the way to the door.
"Well that was something" Naruto muttered since it was a bit odd when compared to how Rarity had measured him. If anything he guessed it was because Rarity was his friend and Hoity Toity was a stranger as well as from a different crowd. "So what now? Got something else planned?" Naruto asked her, getting her to tilt her head to the side and hold a hoof up to her chin in thought.
"Not really all too much, oh! I know! How about we get your mares and friends some souvenirs! I'm sure they'll like that and reward you generously for being so thoughtful~" she teased, tapping his nose with the tip of one of her feathers before she started to trot off.
"I planned to do that later in the week but with you around it'd be easier since you'd most likely know where everything is" he admitted with her smiling brightly at that comment.
"Plus having a mare's opinion could be very helpful so let us get started" Cadence declared as she pointed ahead of her with hoof and Naruto couldn't help but smirk a bit at her enthusiasm since a mare's thoughts on things would help in the end.
He might be with a few mares but girls in general still confused him at times, he was thankful that for the most part his mares were outright about their thoughts.
"Shouldn't we head back to the castle to get my money?" Naruto asked Cadence given he had brought along a good chunk of his bits to buy them all gifts.
"Oh don't worry about that, Celestia told me ahead of time that she was footing the bill for our outing, she considered it one of her gifts for celebrating how well you have been doing" Cadence told him, getting him to raise an eyebrow at with a slight frown.
"One of?" he asked before Cadence covered her mouth with one of her hooves with an embarrassed smile on her face.
"Oops, just ignore that little slip. Now come on, I know just where to start" she said, trying to change the subject as she suddenly started pulling him by his arm down a nearby street.
Shopping actually went really nice and he was able to get something for most of his mares and his friends.
For Cup he got her some quality mixing bowls and kitchen utensils, Mayor he got some ink and really nice feather pens as well as some blank books, for Fluttershy he got her some animal books he knew she didn't have, Pinkie was simple and some cupcakes that were to be delivered to Ponyville were perfect for her, and for Applejack – the hardest to buy out of the bunch – he decided on some rope since he knew she did rodeos and had won ribbons in the past for them along with a nice looking hat for Apple Bloom.
Rarity's gift was tricky but in the end he was told by Cadence that telling Hoity Toity about her was going to be enough for her, something he hoped was true while getting a simple necklace for Rarity's sister Sweetie Belle, a filly he had met a few times when he hung out with Rarity.
For Rainbow Dash he was told to wait until later. She wouldn't tell him why but just kept assuring him after he had told her about the Wonderbolts that Dash's perfect gift would arrive later and the look she had when she told him that somewhat assured him she was right.
"Oh my, we better head back to the castle, its nearing dinner. Shopping and showing you around Canterlot was really fun and definitely ate our time away" Cadence said once she noticed the position of the sun past the halfway point before it would reach the horizon. "I can only imagine how much fun tomorrow will be given I'm going to be around throughout your Canterlot visit" Cadence added with a wink and a smile.
"Well that'll make things interesting at least" he told her with a chuckle as they started to head back to the castle, boxes and bags held by his tails.
"Seems like you two had quite the eventful day. Did you enjoy yourselves?" Celestia asked once they walked back in through the front gates, seemingly waiting for them with a smile once she noticed the bags and boxes he was carrying.
"Yeah it was fun and productive….sorry about how much it cost you…" he apologized as spending her money like this just feel odd.
"I told him you said it was okay but he said he still felt weird. He didn't spend much as he picked what was best for his mares and friends, not what was most expensive or most extravagant" Cadence told her aunt, getting the alicorn to nod with a warm smile.
"Being cautious when it isn't your money is a good trait to have, even if they offered it. In the end it is the thought that matters most and I'm glad to have helped you get things they will be happy with" she told him with a smile while he nodded in agreement since that was what made him buy each of these gifts. "Now dinner is actually ready, you both arrived just on time as I was about to send a guard to find and bring you back. Do you need help putting your things away?" Celestia asked before Naruto summoned a clone, surprising Cadence as she watched the clone take the boxes and bags from him.
"Nope, clones are always useful for times like these" he said with a chuckle before looking over at Cadence who was watching as his clone walked away.
"Wow, you really can make clones of yourself, that is quite the talent" Cadence said with a wink before she walked into the castle ahead of him and Celestia.
"Well then shall we?" Celestia asked with a smile while she motioned ahead of her with her wing. "Can't be standing around all evening, I'm quite excited about tomorrow since I have something planned for you that I feel you'll enjoy" she added, smiling even more at the prospect of her surprise she had planned.
"Well no matter what it is I bet it'll be interesting. There is so much stuff I'm still seeing for the first time and honestly…that's amazing" Naruto told her with a chuckle since if it was something Celestia was excited about showing him he just knew it'd be great.
-Next Day – 3 Days in Canterlot-
This, he had to admit, was just as amazing as he felt it'd be.
He had seen pegasi fly before, seen them stand on clouds, and watched aerial maneuvers when Rainbow Dash wanted him to watch her practice but the Wonderbolts were something entirely different.
It made him understand a bit why Rainbow Dash was so obsessed with them.
Their movements were incredibly in sync and in tune with one another as they flew around, leaving a trail of storm clouds behind them in the same way that Rainbow Dash did with rainbows when she flew fast through the sky.
"Oh! Here it comes, my favorite part" Celestia said with a smile, tapping him on the arm as she pointed a bit up in the air as if to make sure he was watching just as the Wonderbolts flew back up into the sky.
As they flew up they stayed close and rotated together, as if creating a spiral column out of their storm cloud trail before quickly breaking apart from one another and shooting off in different directions. They didn't fly off for long, quickly shooting back up and towards the sun and circled it, each Wonderbolt just a bit behind the one in front of them to add a cool effect with their trails.
Once a solid circle was formed around the sun one by one, due to the delay between them all, they all shot off gradually and weaved back and forth which created a sun design from their storm cloud trails floating above their pillar with the real sun shining bright through the center of their open circle.
"Icaranian Sun Salutation! That is always my favorite!" Celestia said a bit giddy while she clapped her hooves together, a bright smile on her face before the Wonderbolts quickly continued their routine.
The finale was just as intense as Celestia's favorite routine while he watched them, their landing and bowing signaling the crowd to cheer and for Celestia to stand up just as they looked up at her from their bow.
A happy smile from Celestia was all they seemingly needed to know they did a great job, smiles quickly forming brightly on all of their faces before they flew off from the cloud track and to the locker room.
"Wow, that was intense" Naruto said as they stood up, looking over to Celestia with a bit of a smirk. "And I didn't know you could get giddy like that" he teased, noticing a light blush on her cheeks while she looked over at him with a slight pout.
"I'm allowed to get giddy, I'm still a mare after all" she told him before he held up his hands in surrender at the light glare he was getting from her despite no anger or annoyance being behind it.
"Easy there, I'm not saying you can't I'm just saying it surprised me. It makes me see more of you I guess, a more 'mare' Celestia rather than full 'princess' Celestia" he quickly clarified with a smile given he didn't mean to 'insult' her or anything but more just voice the slight, but welcomed, surprise.
"Oh, well, I just so rarely get to be like this. Normally I'm better at keeping it in around others though. Guess you bring the mare out in me" Celestia said with a smile before the both of them blushed at her words.
"W-Wait I didn't mean it like that its just-Princess Celestia pardon my intrusion!" Celestia started to explain before a guard walked in and saluted at her, making her frown that she was interrupted but shake it off, along with her blush, and turn towards him.
"Yes? What is it?" she asked, allowing the guard to relax a bit.
"The ponies you asked to wait for you after the show are ready. They are waiting for you on the track now that everyone has filed out like you requested" the guard reported which made her perk up a bit and smile once she remembered what she had in store.
"Right, thank you for telling me" she told the guard, them leaving now that their job was done. "Come Naruto, I have some ponies I wish for you to meet" she said with a smile and using this to move on from that flub from before.
Naruto was a bit curious about who Celestia was wanting him to meet while he followed her down to the track.
"Thank you all for staying behind like this" Celestia said as she walked out, Naruto looking around a bit for who she was talking to before a few pegasi gently landed in front of them.
"Of course Princess, any time we get called by you like this means a lot. Is this the person you wanted us to meet?" the pegasus at the front spoke as she walked towards them a bit.
The pegasus was a mare, he could tell that much by her voice alone and was a rather pretty one at that in his opinion. She wore a brown jacket and had dark orange eyes with a blonde almost golden coat, an orange mane that had lighter orange stripes throughout it that was styled a bit short and combed back while naturally spikey.
He couldn't see much of her cutie mark due to her standing in front of him but as she had descended a bit ago he thought he saw it looked like a phoenix almost.
The other two pegasi were a stallion and another mare. The stallion had a very light pale blue coat with darker blue mane and green eyes while the mare had a soft blue coat with a light grey mane that was also slightly combed back and reddish purple eyes.
"Yes it is. Naruto, meet Spitfire, the captain of the Wonderbolts along with Soarin and Fleetfoot" Celestia introduced them before stepping to the side to allow the two of them to talk.
"Nice to meet you, that performance you all just had was amazing. First time seeing you all and I can see why my friend is such a huge fan" he told her while reaching his hand out towards her to shake.
"Oh a first timer? Glad you enjoyed the show and glad to finally meet you given all the buzz going around Canterlot right now about you" Spitfire said with a smirk while she shook his hand.
"Buzz? What are they buzzing about?" Naruto asked, frowning a bit as he always felt odd about being the 'talk of the town' like this.
"Just some talk about a unique fox that is visiting Princess Celestia and going around town with another princess" she explained with a smirk that made it clear there was more to the talks but she couldn't, or didn't want to, say them out loud.
"Well, that's better than I expected honestly" he muttered before Celestia walked forward a bit with a smile.
"I wanted you both to meet for another reason other than introducing him to your wonderful shows. You see Naruto is unlike ponykind, obviously, and he is struggling with ways to use his energy" Celestia begun to explain while she looked down at Spitfire who quickly started to smile once she felt where this was going. "I've heard great things about how you work new Wonderbolts into shape and wondered if you could give Naruto some of that since I feel he'd like a challenge. Plus wouldn't it be fun Naruto?" she said before asking Naruto with a smile that showed she hoped this was okay to suggest.
While it did surprise him a bit he wasn't against it given, just like Celestia getting him a Royal Guard training ground to use, this was her trying to help him in interesting ways to allow him to stretch his legs more in a sense than he could elsewhere.
"I can't say I'm not interested and given the show I just saw a bit of a 'Wonderbolts Training Camp' seems like it could be fun" Naruto said since he was curious what all pegasi had to go through to fly around so fast and agile like that.
"Oh really? Fun? I'll have you eating those words Fuzzy, just know I'm a drill sergeant, ask anyone around" Spitfire said with a confident smirk as she started to hover a bit so they were at eye level. "You have a field in mind for use to use Princess?" she asked, not looking over at the princess as she was still meeting Naruto's eyes while he just keep smirking calmly at her.
"I feel the cloud arena will be best for you both to use since it is vacant and spacious" Celestia told them before she walked past them and towards the arena.
"Um…no offense princess but he's not a pegasus, he'll fall through the moment he tries to put his weight on the clouds" Spitfire told her, not sure what was up with her as Naruto isn't someone anyone would mistake for a pegasus.
"Naruto, you mentioned being able to walk on water correct?" Celestia asked as she looked back at them briefly.
"Yeah I still can and also stick to any surface. I don't know about clouds though…then again I've never tried" Naruto told her before he caught up with her, getting her to smile and nod as Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts followed after them.
"Okay this I have to see but shouldn't someone be ready to catch him if he falls?" a stallion Wonderbolt asked only to have Celestia shake her head.
"He'll be fine, I trust he can do this" she told him, getting the others to become silent as they all knew that you never argue with the princess since she undoubtedly knew more than you when it came to almost everything.
As Naruto stood at the edge of the cloud arena he felt a bit unsure though. 'Clouds have water in them? Plus it could work…not like any ninja has ever tried and who knows, maybe it can work given I am in world with magic…..and talking ponies' he thought as he focused chakra onto his hand and placed it on the cloud.
He was slow to put weight on it and was a bit surprised to find it solid under him. One hand after another he was still a bit nervous as he walked all the way onto the cloud. "Okay I'll be honest I really didn't expect this to work" Naruto said while he walked towards them.
"Well that is definitely a sight. Is it difficult for you?" Spitfire asked as she and the other Wonderbolts walked over to him and looked him over as he stood still to get his bearings.
"Not really, the technique I'm using doesn't take any concentration to the point it's like breathing. It just feels weird, my footing is solid but my feet are somewhat in the clouds so my mind wants to tell me it isn't going to hold like I'm on thin ice" he told them before Celestia giggled a bit and walked over to them.
"I'm sure you'll get used to it, new born pegasi have the same struggle. This is a remarkable event as while yes, there are spells to allow non-pegasi onto clouds, you can do it on your own without any hassle. Your training today will help you a lot, I'm sure of it" Celestia said with a bright smile, showing she was proud of him for trying and succeeding like she felt he would.
"I'd love to oversee your training but royal duties must be handled. I hope to hear all about it once you are done and return to the castle. Try not to tire him out too much Spitfire" Celestia said, giggling a bit with a wink to Spitfire who smirked back and saluted.
"I'll make sure he can at least crawl back" she teased, making Celestia giggle a bit more before she walked off the field and out of the arena.
"So, lets start out with something simple. I want you to run around the arena for ten laps, I want to see your top speed and then some by the last lap" Spitfire told him while she used one of her wings to put on a pair of sunglasses from the pocket of her jacket.
"Well? Get going!" she barked out before Naruto took off running, quickly realizing her calling herself a drill sergeant wasn't just to scare him.
Running on clouds was just as weird as he thought it'd be. It felt like he was running in sand but it wasn't slowing him down. It did though give him less stability when turning but his claws made up for it a bit.
"Come on! Pick up the pace! My new recruits move faster than this! I heard rumors all around Cloudsdale of you tying with a pegasus in a race around Ponyville so show me that speed!" Spitfire yelled out as he completed the first lap.
He could only smirk as she urged him to go faster. 'Okay, you want me to speed up? I'll speed up' Naruto thought as he quickly called on the Boil Release, hoping it wouldn't damage the clouds beneath him, and quickly started to pick up speed.
The Boil Release was one of the three Bijuu elements he had reawakened so far and he was thankful it was among them since he felt its speed would be useful a lot at times alongside the strength it gave him if he ever needed to fight.
His speed, just like the first time, took a bit to get used to where he had to really dig his claws into the ground to help him turn but as the speed picked up and as he reached the fourth lap he felt he was able to really push it.
He pushed his speed to the very limit, just like he had done with Rainbow Dash, and used his tails to help him stay stable. Though due to his speed he really couldn't turn corners, instead he stuck to sliding and pushing off the second he wound up sideways and doing the same when he reached the end of the turn.
He made sure to do it at the last possible second so he wasn't cutting any corners.
By the time he finished the last lap stopping was where he knew he'd struggle with and instead of trying to stop the normal way of digging his feet and hands into the ground to skid to a stop, which he felt wouldn't work on clouds, he decided to go with a technique he figured out in training a bit ago.
It was through training he learned that he could still call on the stage one cloak to coat parts of his body. He figured this was the first step to really regain his cloaked mode and while it did help his strength a bit it had another benefit when paired with his tails.
By coating his tails in it he could use the chakra around them to form claws and allow him to shoot out his tails that could extend a good ways to grab anything solid and stable around him to stop himself.
The sudden stopping this way was a bit jarring and made him dizzy but it was better than skidding and most likely not stopping in time.
"Okay the brakes I definitely need to work on but I feel the speed part I got down pat…except for cornering" Naruto told Spitfire as he wobbled back towards her, still a bit dizzy from his 'emergency stop' before he laid down to settle down.
"I'll say…you beat the record for the fastest lap but a good 15 seconds…" Spitfire said in shock, still not believing the clock they had set up and honestly wouldn't have if they didn't have three back up ones all reading the same thing.
"And to think this even with his poor turning around the corners" Soarin brought up which only made Spitfire more impressed by his speed.
"If only he was a pegasus, he'd make an amazing Wonderbolt with some training" Fleetfoot added before Spitfire grew a smile that made the two of them worry a bit.
"I need you two to do something for me real quick. This is going to be fun" Spitfire whispered to them them, making them sigh a bit but nod as they listened to what she had planned.
"Nice going there Naruto, that's a new record and if you work on your cornering then you'd probably break this time as well" Spitfire said with a smile, getting Naruto to look up from where he was lying down at to try and stop the spinning of the world around him.
"Thanks, to be honest the technique I used to get that speed isn't something I've had access to for all too long. I'm sure with training I can handle it better but for right now I'm happy with what it gives me" he told her with a chuckle while he sat up since the spinning had stopped a good deal.
"Honestly instead of training traditionally how about I push you to do something I doubt you've ever done before. Something called a vertical race" she brought up with a smile before she pointed above her, getting him to look up to see Soarin and Fleetfoot setting up some clouds above them.
"And how would a 'vertical race' work?" Naruto asked since he had never heard of one before and he had to admit he was curious about what she had in mind.
"Simple, you see that big cloud up there? That is the finish line. We each get a column of clouds, you scale up your clouds while I have to clean up every one of my clouds to make it fair. Neither of us can cut clouds so you have to go to every one of them as a platform and I have to clean all the ones in my column up. Whoever gets to the top donut shaped cloud, where Fleetfoot and Soarin are waiting, wins" she explained while Naruto looked back up to the clouds above him.
This 'vertical race' seemed interesting to him but was definitely going to be challenging for him. The amount of clouds was decent he figured, not really knowing what the best number of clouds was, and there was a lot of space in between each cloud which meant he'd have to really leap to get from one cloud to another.
'Boil Release should help plus I can go through the clouds and push off to save time I guess' he thought while trying to visualize his 'plan of attack' for this race.
"So? You up for the challenge?" Spitfire asked, a bit impatient and very excited as she could tell in his eyes he was really thinking it over alongside how exactly he'd go about things. That alone made her more excited as it made her feel the race would be that much more interesting and intense.
"Sure, definitely seem fun so you're on" Naruto told her with a smirk, getting her to smile brightly and quickly ditch her jacket and glasses.
"We go when the red lights all go off and the green light turns on" Spitfire explained as she stepped on a button, turning on the arena's electronic race countdown.
Naruto half paid attention to the lights as he looked at them out of the corner of his eye, more focused on deciding how to start things. He knew using the stage one tail claws wouldn't work as the corrosive chakra would most likely melt through clouds. He'd probably stick to jumping from one to another and using his tails to pull him to the next cloud since now that he thought about it going through clouds would dissipate them given that is how pegasi cleaned up clouds.
Both of them were tense as it got down to the last red light to where the moment the green light flashed they both shot off the line and up towards the clouds.
As he grabbed onto the first cloud he was barely on it for more than a second before he jumped off from it to the next with the Boil Release propelling him along. He was grateful he didn't have a fear of heights or else he would have really struggled as he climbed higher and higher with each cloud he jumped from.
He could tell, just from noticing out of the corner of his eye, that Spitfire was right alongside him since even with the time she had to take to quickly clean up each cloud her speed was nothing to scoff at. She was even going fast enough to create the storm cloud looking trail behind her that she and the Wonderbolts had when performing.
"Whoa those two are insane down there! I don't know who's going to win!" Fleetfoot said as she peered down through the opening in the donut shaped cloud they were standing on.
"Yeah but Spitfire seriously should be careful, using her trail like that while clearing clouds is dangerous. All those clouds she just cleaned could get charged and come back at her as a storm cloud, she should know that danger with how she always yells at others for not completely clearing the training grounds at times" Soarin said with a frown, his gut telling him that something bad was about to go down.
Unknown to Soarin someone besides just him and Fleetfoot also felt something was up. Naruto though had no idea about 'charging clouds' so as he saw and felt a few sparks from the clouds he was pushing off of he mainly chalked it up to how clouds must react being this high up.
He still was confused by the whole 'pegasus set the weather' thing that Equestria had going on.
His uncertainty didn't last long though as he saw several clouds start to form around them to the sides, all dark and rumbling. If had been his usual speed he could have reacted faster and stopped it but all he could really do was watch as lightning shot out from the numerous clouds, all directed at Spitfire and her trail she was leaving behind.
He stopped the instant it connected with her, shielding his eyes from the flash before he grabbed tightly onto the cloud he was sitting on to stop from being sent flying from the boom of the thunder.
Without thinking twice he used a strong burst of Boil Release to push off his cloud and towards Spitfire, instantly noticing that she was falling down towards the ground below and knocked out from lightning striking her like that.
He was thankful he had caught up to her, quickly holding her close to him and using a few of his tails to 'cocoon' her while his mind tried to race on how to slow them down without causing either of them whiplash.
'I can't use my chakra claws since they would just melt through the clouds but even if they didn't Spitfire cleaned up all the clouds on her side so there is literally nothing to grab on to. Can't rely on the others to grab me as it seems like the storm clouds are still sticking around and slowing them down' Naruto thought with a frown as he rotated a bit to where his back was towards the ground, noticing Soarin and Fleetfoot were trying to clean up the storm clouds so they could get to them.
'I also can't use the water walking to let me crash into the cloud as it doesn't really work when falling…god I hope there isn't anything under the arena…' he hoped as he closed his eyes and braced for impact before finding himself having passed harmlessly through the ground of the cloud arena.
'Good news I didn't break my back…bad news…I'm still falling' Naruto thought to himself before he looked around a bit to get his new bearings, noticing there was now the side of a mountain to his side with a lake below him.
'Great! This I can work with!' Naruto thought with a smile as he created chakra claws on six of his tails, three of them still wrapped around Spitfire while he held her close to his chest.
He figured he could apologize for the mountain later as he made his tails grab onto the mountain to slow them down since Celestia was the understanding type. He had to be careful, using two of the six tails to push against the mountain so he didn't go swinging into it the second he grabbed onto it.
It was tough, his chakra claws barely doing much other than leaving gashes down the side of it but he kept them dug in. He could feel the speed gradually slowing down but as they grew closer and closer to the lake he knew he had to do something to cushion the fall.
'Okay, lets hope I don't burn you Spitfire!' he yelled in his mind as he pushed off the mountain, moving him closer to the middle of the lake before he curled up around Spitfire and wrapped himself up with the remainder of his tails.
He kept an eye open, peeking out the crack of the orb he had made and waited for the very last second before he let out a strong burst of Boil Release steam in hopes of cushioning the fall and disrupting the water below them.
The crash didn't hurt nearly as much as he thought it would, that alone showing he had timed it right, before he started to swim up to the surface where he could already see ponies worriedly looking down at them.
"Oh my Faust Naruto! Are you and Spitfire okay!?" Soarin yelled as he and Fleetfoot finally caught up to them.
"I'm fine, get someone to check on her" Naruto groaned out as he set Spitfire down gently on the ground and uncurled his tails from around her.
Four royal guards, two sets of two, were quick to arrive with a stretcher, obviously having noticed their descent. Naruto waved off the two that tried to get him onto the stretcher as he knew he was fine.
Even as a fox it seemed he healed fast given he could feel a few ribs fixing themselves on their own.
"Thank you so much for saving Spitfire. I-If something happened to her I don't know what we'd do" Fleetfoot worriedly thanked him while Soarin went off with the two Royal Guards that were carrying Spitfire.
"It's fine, I wasn't going to let her get hurt like that. I made sure I took the blunt of the fall so I think the lightning is the only damage she got" he told Fleetfoot, getting her to nod softly before she nervously looked back from him and the direction that Spitfire was taken away in. He could tell what she was thinking and a nod was all she needed to know it was okay for her to go after them.
"Naruto, I was alerted that something had happened. Are you okay?" Celestia asked, getting him to look up to see her and Cadence descending from above.
"Yeah I'm fine just a bit of stray lightning hit Spitfire and I hit the lake a bit to save her from crashing down….sorry about your arena and mountain" he explained before apologizing as the Arena has a large hole in the ground from him falling through it and there were six set of large and deep claw marks running down the side of the mountain.
"Forget about the mountain and arena, those can be fixed, what about you. Are you sure you're fine?" Celestia asked as she cupped his cheek with her hoof while she looked him over, worry clear on her face and in her eyes.
"Yes I'm fine, I'm tougher than I seem but…thank you for worrying about me" he said, putting his hand over her hoof and smiling a bit since having someone like her worry about him made him feel a bit warm in his chest.
Cadence though could only smile as she watched the interaction between the two of them, not daring to say a word or even move since she didn't want to ruin this amazing moment.
This was the last thing she honestly expected to see, sure she knew Naruto and Celestia were friends and close but this, this was something else. Sadly though they quickly remembered she was here and separated, making her resist letting out a sigh.
"Today was an exciting day it seems and it isn't even that much past lunch time. We should probably all head back to the castle so someone can check Naruto over, despite what he says, as we can't help but be worried. Right aunt?" Cadence suggested before she watched Celestia's horn glow at the time and Naruto get enveloped by magic and lifted up.
"Yes, you are right since last thing we need is you to have an injury go unnoticed because you thought you were okay" Celestia told him in a tone that made it clear she wasn't going to take any arguments.
"Fine…whatever" he grumbled, crossing his arms before they took into the sky with Celestia still carrying him. He couldn't say he minded all that much really since having people who cared about him like this was a good thing.
It reminded him of how Tsunade and Sakura would act when he hurt himself. It actually made him feel like he was back at home a bit.
He had to agree with them though, halfway through the day and had already done a lot from learning he could step on clouds to racing a pegasus on them and even crash through an arena and into the lake below.
Then again, not many days went by without excitement in one way or another.
Not that he minded.
-Chapter End-
Mares he is with (so far): Ms. Cake, Mayor Mare, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack
Mare(s) pregnant: Ms. Cake
I know, another chapter without a lemon but trust me, the Canterlot arc is ALL about set up! Stuff can't exist without it and if I didn't do it things would just feel robotic like "Oh we met, lets fuck" you know?
I feel there was a lot of nice stuff going on this chapter from moments with Cadence, to Spitfire (as her reacting to him saving her will happen next chapter), and Celestia.
I will assure you that next chapter will have not one but TWO lemons most likely (98% chance) as I have two mares planned out. One will be a full time part of the harem and the other will be a FWB type set up where they get with him and enjoy being around him whenever he is in town or whenever they come by Ponyville. Think a long distance relationship but not fully, if that makes sense lol
I really loved the vertical race scene as it was fun to imagine and the fall scene was nice as it showed Naruto wanting to protect Spitfire and try and think on his feet for ways to slow down and keep her safe from getting hurt by the impact.
The 'worried Celestia' part after was also nice as it shows she worries about him an wants to make sure she is safe
All in all I enjoyed this chapter a lot and hope you all did too
Till the Next Time
Drop a review!
See Ya!