Chapter 1 - A Princesses Request...
Inside the eloquent structure of a castle a lone Bipedal equine figure was walking down a long hallway as he made way to his destination. As he moved along the marbled floor the soft echoes of his hooved feet could be heard. He soon arrived at hi destination stopping in front of a set of large golden and white double doors with intricate equine designs on it. Golden curved handles adorned the doors as well as acting as a means into the room. In front of these large double doors stood two ashen grey furred equines wearing white and gold armor that was enchanted to gave them a synonymous appearance. Though the blond equine towered over them in size the two guards radiated a good deal of magic. The armors dimly gleamed in the sunlight while being full body so that the vital organs weren't exposed.
No words needed to be spoken, merely a nod was given to him as the guards recognized the figure. They stood aside, allowing the blond entrance to the private study of the Princess. Few ponies were allowed access to this room. "Princess Celestia." The equine called out to her as he entered deeper into the room.
A year had passed since that bold and fateful encounter. He remembered that day quite well, it was a warm and sunny evening. The windows were cracked open so the room was far from stuffy unlike many of the archive rooms within the castle. He had been trying to gather information on this world in hopes of not only understanding this world better, but information on the creatures responsible for dragging him here in the first place.
To his surprise when the Princess entered the archive she was observing him for some time. Of course like any competent ruler she was assessing the situation to see if he was a threat or what his motives were. He had struck up a conversation with her with such casualness that it had caught her off guard. After all between her immense magical powers along with the fact she was the one responsible for raising the Sun and Moon she was heralded as a Goddess among her kind.
Her power alone was not the only reason she was heralded as so. In comparison to all others she was by far rather statuesque in comparison to all other ponies. She was a good few inches above eight feet tall towering over most of her subjects. Her fur was white, pure, the coat having a sort of a faint luminescence glow to it with her mane a soft and shimmery polychromatic pattern of colors including a light turquoise, violet crystal, and with shades of cerulean and cobalt. Her form was voluptuous with an ample chest, long legs and an all around appealing figure. She was wearing a white laced dress that loomed down to her ankles with the rest of her outfit consisting of a golden crown with an assortment of royal gems encrusted in it along with golden horse shoe adornments that she wore on her hooves.
The room was rather modest as its size was large enough to contain a few dressers filled with parchments and books. There were several windows with violet and gold trimmed window curtains as sun rays shined into the room. The desk was also of a fine imported wood with the look of a black leather sort of texture. There behind the desk sat Celestia who seemed to be going over a scroll.
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"Good afternoon Naruto!" Princess Celestia greeted him, her voice filled with not only regal bearing, but warmth that helped developed one of her many titles. All-Mother. For the princess projecting the aura of a matronly figure. "Please, come in! It is always lovely to see you."
"As always Celestia its good to see you too."He greeted, his tone pleasant and his gaze matching it. It was just the two of them now, so there was no need for the formalities or protocol.
Celestia stood up from where she sat and began walking towards the blond. "I asked the guards to clear the Glass Hallway, so we could speak there in private," she then added. "I hope you do not mind a little stroll?"
"Not at all I just feel glad I'll finally be able to pay you back for the kindness and generosity you showed me." He said as he glanced to the side and took in his appearance in the mirror. It was something he had spent a great deal having to adjust to when he woke up as a bipedal equine all that time ago.
He spent a great deal of effort tuning up this body after all. His arms and legs were more defined with muscles as well as his abs thanks to all the physical work he had partaken in. The outfit he was currently wearing though had hid most of that. He was only able to do so thanks to Celestia providing him some bits so he could start up a livelihood of sorts in the town he was living in.
He was wearing black uniform pants and a dark blue shirt that was made of a slightly inferior material than that of the fine material used by the military. The material came from up north and quite costly, but it was worth it due to the strength of the material and its weather resistance. "Not to mention I've always been curious about the story behind those images."
"Very well…follow me." Celestia smiled. She led Naruto out of the room and together, they walked down to the Glass Hallway.
Naruto had only been through the Glass Hallway once and that was when he had snuck in. It was an evening in May in which his attempts to meet the Princess was rebuffed by guards and dismissed as a no name riffraff and novel at the idea he would have the gall to try and speak with the Princess. He assumed his mannerisms and his lack of overprice clothing and accent made It easy to spot out that he didn't belong.
As she led him down the hallway he saw many images. A few of them were rather interesting and he couldn't wait to hear the story behind them. One was of a red skinned Centaur being banished into a pit of sorts. Another was of Celestia and a pink Alicorn. That was an interesting term as it was a pony with both wings and horn which Celestia was both blessed with. In comparison to Pegasus's the Princesses wing span was large and majestic like a swan not to mention her horn had enough length to it to be comparable to a saber.
He was jarred from his thoughts when she began speaking. "I will leave you in suspense no longer. I have sent for your presence because I believe only you can help me." Princess Celestia said. "I have need for your knowledge."
"I'm not sure if I'm the best pony to come to for knowledge." Naruto said. When he had been caught by the Princess in her study he decided to be honest and hope to appeal to her sense of mercy. Prior to his arrival he had heard much about the Princess's character and hoped what he had learned about her was true. Revealing that he was not a pony but a human who traveled through dimensions and taking the form of a pony, it was still hard to wrap his head around the ponies of this world and of his old world were considered the same species.
"Your knowledge in this particular matter is quite unique. Considering your own past I could trust no one else with such an important task. I need your help in preparation for Nightmare Moon's return." The sound of hoof steps came to a stopped as the Princess paused. Those pale magenta eyes settled on the blond whose eye lids settled slightly and he cradled his elbows.
He was contemplating her windows, his soft exhale and slow and subtle body movements betrayed his uneasiness. He had come across reference of her during his research into important and powerful historical artifacts. There were very few mentions or suggestions of something called the Elements of Harmony which he only learned of thanks to Kage Bunshin. It was the knowledge feedback that the jutsu gifted him being the major factor of why he had even discovered the information considering he wasn't the most astute student. "So she's more than just a myth?"
"Indeed," she answered with a nod. "Four months from now a thousand years will have passed since I've seen her…" Her voice softly trailed off as her face took up an expression of pain, sadness, and regret.
"…on the day of the Summer Sun Festival." He finished as he realized on what day the deity's release fell on. "What can I do?" He would be of no assistance to her. No matter how much stride he had made in this body he was far from his past level of strength. Maybe if he had his strength from the Fourth War he could assist Celestia, but he was only at the level of strength he achieved before he had fought Nagato. Adjusting to this current body was more difficult then he had hoped when he started to train himself back up again.
"I am no longer capable of taking on Nightmare Moon. The Elements of Harmony are the only force capable of stopping her and I'm no longer capable of wielding them." The words she spoke seemed rather measurable, but Naruto chalked it up to it being personal history.
"So the issue is finding somepony who can?" he theorized as Celestia nodded and continued her explanation.
"There are six elements representing Harmony itself. Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, and Magic. For the past few years I have taken the pony who I believe is the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle, as my student."
Naruto definitely recognized the name as Celestia had mentioned the mare in passing. She had expressed her concerns with the mare's rather antisocial behavior. He had as of yet met Celestia's student as the two would just miss each other in passing. "What about the others?"
"Unfortunately that has been a matter that remains unsolved. For the past two decades I have been searching from town to town of any possible Element candidates, but that has proven unsuccessful not to mention what knowledge I have on the elements ensured that Magic is the spark that ties them together. My attempts to encourage Twilight to make friends have been less than fruitful and time is running out. There is one last town that has been unchecked and I believe its possible the candidates are there and if they are it is my hope that Twilight will form a bond with them. Seeing as you are a citizen of Ponyville I theorized that it may be possible you have your own thoughts on possible candidates. There is also the fact that I wish to have a second opinion and that I am merely not imposing my wishes and hopes upon the ponies not to mention your more familiar relationship with them so you would give yourself a better insight of their genuine qualities."
"I see," he simply stated as he went over Celestia's confession. It made sense, after all if Celestia had spent all this time looking for the other bearers with only Ponyville left for this year's search. Not to mention he would know these ponies on a more personal level meaning he would know if the pony was simple and truly honest and not just someone who was honest most of the time. "Very well Celestia I'm more than happy to help you, but say even if I do have some ponies in mind, what happens next?"
"I already have plans to send my protégé to help organize the preparations for Ponyville."
He nodded as he went over the traits again. Honesty. Laughter. Generosity. Loyalty. Kindness. Five ponies capable of wielding legendary artifacts and he would only have a few months to figure them out. "I see, and when do I start?"
"Immediately." Celestia informed him. "This is of the utmost importance."
"Princess I assure you that I'll do everything I can to help you. Ponyville, no Equestria has become my home now. I will protect it no matter what."
"Excellent," Celestia responded as her expression turned into one of gratitude. "I knew I could depend on you. Let's make preparations immediately." She said as she beckoned the blond to follow her.