It was late afternoon, and Ponyville was going on with his usual routine, although this time there was a new guest.
Naruto decided to let the ponies that were supposed to keep him under surveillance take him on a tour of the town that took them most of the day. It was a really curious experience, as he tried to get used to remembering places, names of ponies and the food of the place of which the apples were the closest thing he knew to the food of his world. At the same time, being the new inhabitant of that world strangely made him feel at home, the ponies looked at him with as much fear as the inhabitants of his village did a few years ago.
Being as stubborn as he always was, it was difficult for him to remember the names of his companions, so it didn't take long to create some nicknames to remember them. Pinkie pie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity became "crazy pink", "rainbow hair", "smarty", and "Curly", to the amusement and dislike of the above.
Introducing the remaining two ponies was somewhat ... complicated.
The four ponies (Spike stayed in the library, ordering the Twilight books) and Naruto went to Sweet Apple Acres so that the boy could meet Applejack, whose presentation was most normal. Incredibly, Applejack was not surprised to see him, give it that she was accostumed to see rare thinks happening in the town.
"Applejack. I present to you Naruto Uzumaki, a visitor from a distant land. Naruto, I present to you Applejack, one of my best friends and one of the most honest ponies I know" - Twilight introduced them trying to praise them both.
"Nice to meet you," Naruto said as he held out a hand. However, he was surprised by the fact that the pony was so strong that it completely shook him by waving his arm.
"The pleasure is mine" -answered Applejack while shaking him- "Any friend of Twilight is also my friend"
"Y .. yes ..." -Naruto tried to say as he finished receiving the greeting and ended up lying on the ground, he got up somewhat excited- "Whoo! Boy, do you have any strength" ("Reminds me of Centipede Brows")
"Thanks, product of my hard work at Sweet Apple Acres. Want to see the plantation?"
"Actually ..." - Naruto said thinking for a moment - "I would like to work here, it will be a good training if it makes me this strong"
"Well ... I suppose there is no problem. Here we always accept the help of those who offer it. We will pay you of course" -answered the pony, doubting when she saw it- "But it is something hard, are you sure you can do it?"
"I'm not going to lose anything trying ..."
"Well, I'll wait for you here tomorrow morning then" - Applejack concluded with a smile- "I hope you don't regret it. Now, what will we do now?" - She asked the rest of the group who was surprised at how willing the boy was to work.
"I was hoping that we can introduce Naruto to all the ponies and then ..."
- "Then throw him a welcome party!" Pinkie interrupted her with her inexhaustible energy.
"Yes ... that" - Twilight finished- "We should go see Fluttershy before we go through the treehouse. That's where Naruto is going to stay."
"Ok let's go"
The six of them drove all the way to an area far from Ponyville that was getting a little closer to the Everfree Forest. In the middle of a small hill was a solitary house surrounded by birdhouses and windows. In a small tree with several nests was the yellow Pegasus singing with that sweet voice that everyone liked.
Unfortunately, no pony told Naruto that with Fluttershy one had to be tactful.
"Hey, good afternoon!" - He shouted as they approached, greeting friendly but with force- "My name is Naruto Uzumaki!"
The pony turned around, saw that strange creature approaching her screaming and simply passed out from the scare, falling from the air.
'Hey? Did I say something wrong? "- Naruto wondered as the other ponies approached with concern and Rainbow slapped her face.
"Hey, Fluttershy, wake up!" - Twilight ordered as he patted her face a little and everyone surrounded her.
Little by little Fluttershy regained consciousness
"Eh ... what happened?" - She regained his sight- "Twilight? Girls? Why did I pass out?"
"Sorry I scared you, my name is ...!" - Naruto said sticking his head in the circle. Immediately after, Fluttershy passed out again and Rainbow, annoyed, pushed the confused Naruto away while saying.
"It is better that we introduce you to her ... we could be doing this all day"
To sum it up, they had to revive it one more time and then they were introduced not without some fear from the pony. Naruto liked her, she reminded him of Hinata, a shy one who for strange reasons passed out from time to time.
After that, they went to Twilight's house where they gave her the so-called "welcome party" that Pinkie offered to all the strangers that came to Ponyville. There, Naruto was able to eat some sweets and relax, which he did not do very often. They sat down and started chatting about each other's activities, Naruto listened attentively although he sometimes got lost in the chat.
"And what is your occupation?" - Applejack asked the boy after telling him about his work at Sweet Apple Acres.
"Occupation?"
"Yes. Everyone here has something we specialize in, and it is from that ability that we work in our different areas.
"Hence our Cutie Marks" - added Rainbow proudly showing the mark on her flank- "So, what do you do in your world?"
"Ah! Well ... we have no marks on the butt" - Pinkie laughed at this comparison- "But I am a ninja in my Village"
"REALLY?!" - Rainbow and Twilight shouted at the same time for their different reasons.
"Yeah, and I'm pretty strong too! I usually do missions for the village that range from protecting certain people to kicking bandits in the butt sometimes.
"Awesome!" -Said the pegasus.
"Although ... lately I haven't had many important missions since the last Ninja War"
"War?" - Twilight asked for interest in everything she could know about the world of Naruto- "War between whom?"
"Well ... among other ninjas, I suppose. Although the latter was very strange, we were fighting against revived dead and some species of white clones out of a tree."
'Living ... dead? "- Fluttershy repeated with some fear. The other ponies had a hard time believing what they heard even though Naruto was very serious.
"Yeah. But the war is over and now there is peace, although old Tsunade is sending me on diplomatic missions so often that I can't train properly. Ah! That reminds me ... Can I ask you a question? Why don't they have ninjas or at least soldiers? "
"Why should we have them?" Rarity asked.
"Uh ... because you could be under attack?" - Naruto replied again- "And don't you live near a forest where there are wolves and giant snakes with many heads?"
"We have no enemies requiring soldiers in this town, Naruto," -Twilight explained, understanding heis point- "The races in Equestria live in peace and we can deal with whatever comes from the forest.
"Uh ... because you could be under attack?" - Naruto replied again- "And don't you live near a forest where there are wolves and giant snakes with many heads?"
"We have no enemies requiring soldiers in this town, Naruto," Twilight explained, understanding his point. "The races in Equestria live in peace and we can deal with whatever comes from the forest.
"And don't they have a Ninja Village or a city that protects them in case someone from outside attacks them?
"More than once Equestria was in danger and many times Princess Luna and Princess Celestia saved the day. But beyond the Changelings we banished a while ago, lately there is nothing strong enough to be a threat to the country.
- I see...
"Is that the way it is in your world, darling?" Rarity asked her while she took some punch. "Do they fight other kingdoms and go to wars?
"Eh ... it is not something that happens very often. Although it is true that the ninjas trained in a village that is supposed to be the main military power in the country" - He replied vaguely remembering his lessons at the academy- "Every village has a leader we call "kage" who is the one who protects her and is generally the best ninja in the whole village! "- Explaining that, he stood up with his fists firmly." That's why when he returns to my village, I I will become Hokage! That is my dream!"
The ponies were stunned by this statement. Naruto's world seemed very different from his, it was a world of fight and violence although it seemed to be something very precious for the boy. There was a certain confidence in Naruto that lifted their spirits, Twilight thought it would be their imagination, but really that human had something strange that he had not felt when he went to the other world through the Mirror.
"Well ..." - Rainbow said trying not to be left behind- "We are not ninjas. But we have the Elements of Harmony."
"The what?"
They then explained to Naruto what the Elements of Harmony were and how each element helped them defend Equestria through the "Magic of Friendship". Each one explained to him what was his Element and they told him about how they defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord at the time.
Once the explanation was finished, Pinkie proposed the game "pin the pony's tail", which made them resume the party and they continued until late at night when each pony went home and Naruto slept on the floor of the library, although grateful to have at least a roof and a fire provided by a baby dragon. Deep inside, Naruto missed his world and the Village, wondering what was going on now that he was gone.
In Konoha, it had only been a couple of hours since Naruto had left and Kakashi Hatake along with Sakura Haruno and Sikamaru Nara were in the Hokage tower with this news and with a surprised look.
"Naruto ... disappeared? ' Sakura exclaimed in disbelief.
"That's right" -Tsunade replied- "We don't know who did it or why, but it seems that Naruto was kidnapped with a space-time technique. With Sasuke out of the Village and the relations between the countries finally coming to fruition we can't let this be known "
"What a bummer" -Shikamaru complained scratching the back of his neck- "That Naruto always getting into trouble from which we have to get him out"
"None. At first I thought that maybe the toads of Mount Myoboku had summoned him, but I immediately sent a message and they have no idea of his whereabouts"
"And what can we do?" - Sakura said impatiently- "If Naruto disappeared, the Village will find out sooner or later"
"And in the worst case," Shikamaru continued, showing his concern, "Some idiot could accuse some other village of causing this and they would respond angrily. That would lead to an answer and another war could break out for no reason."
"I know" -Tsunade agreed- "That's why I need you to investigate this, Shikamaru" - Handing him the book- "Have all the cartography experts review this book and consult with ancient maps if there is any place called Equestria"
"Agree"
"And what do you want me to do, Tsunade-sama?" - Kakashi asked- "I'm not sure what I could do if there are no clues to Naruto's whereabouts"
"I will need you to assemble a team. Kakashi. A team that includes large Chakra accumulators that I will include myself in"
"Chakra Accumulators? Wait ... you won't think of ..."
"There is no other alternative. I'm sure Naruto was sucked into a space-time technique and the only way to find it, if we don't find another way, is to use that technique ourselves. I need you to gather enough ninjas with resources to generate enough Chakra, and send us all with the Kamui "
"It is something risky" -Kakashi answered touching the Sharingan of his left eye while he thought about the possibilities- "Sending many people with that technique could mean a journey of no return. And we would not know if we will reach the dimension where Naruto went or if will be there once we get there "
"If we get to the dimension where it is, Naruto could use the Kiuby's energy to give you enough power to return. It's decided. You have a day to prepare everything, get going!"
Princess Luna raised the moon a while ago although she was still thinking about what Celestia had said to her when she arrived in the afternoon of her trip to Ponyville.
Flash Back:
"Sister! What did you find out?" -Exclaimed the Night Princess when she saw her relative enter the balcony from where she usually raised the Moon.
"It is fascinating, Luna. The creature we are looking for is not physically manifested, but I think it has something to do with a certain visitor in Ponyville."
"Visitor?"
"A young human named Naruto Uzumaki. It seems that by mistake he came into this world by accident and is now in the company of my student"
"Twilight Sparkle? But tell me ... that being we feel, is it really dangerous?"
"Dangerous, surely. But we do not know if it is a threat to Equestria, for the moment I know that that being appeared at the same time that the human appeared in this world. If the creature is the human or the human is the beast, I do not I know. But for now I think we're safe, the boy is something ... particular "
"Did it make such a bad impression on you?"
"It's not that, it's just that he's not someone ... ordinary. He is extravagant, and he really doesn't seem used to dealing with royalty or someone with higher authority"
"Really ...? - Luna said with enough interest.
"Now ... I must lower the sun, continue your daily routine, Luna. Tomorrow I will contact Discord and we will begin to investigate to see if we can return him to this world. But keep an eye on Ponyville, okay?"
End of Flash Back
"Of course I will," Luna said to herself with a look hungry for adventure and launched herself into the darkness of the Night as she projected her power observing Ponyville's dreams.
Naruto slept, and Kurama felt the night awaken his strength like all Bijuu. Carefully he extended his influence outside and felt the same force he had felt the night before soaring through the skies.
"It seems that is the so-called Princess Luna" - he said to himself as he sat down- "And he must be looking for my presence again. Very well, let's see if I can please her."
He clapped his ... claws together, and formulated a seal as he ejected Chakra outside. Since Naruto suppressed his cage to give him freedom, it was easier for him to manifest himself, and with the brat's mind in a subconscious state, his actions would be without interruptions.
What he was trying to do was not easy, since he did not have much practice and acted from inside a Jinchuriki, but it should be possible. He also did not like the idea since such a technique had taken his free will and made him attack Konoha against his will, but there was nothing to lose trying.
If his theory was correct, the Night Princess dominated the night and reacted to his emotions, even if they were manifested with the simple meeting of the Chakra, so a Genjutsu, an illusory technique, should work to attract the princess.
If she fell for his technique, he could come face to face with her without having to manifest outside the boy, which he couldn't do without awaking him. It was like creating an artificial dream, although the one who controlled it was Kurama himself
---------------------
Princess Luna was already flying near Ponyville while looking for signs of any suspicious activity, she suddenly felt a strange force. It seemed to be a dream like any other, but there was something ... strange about this particular one. She set her sights on the Twilight Sparkle treehouse and tried to enter that dream.
Without knowing how, she entered a kind of dark chamber where the moon shone above her head, but there were no walls or trees in an infinite nothingness barely illuminated by the light of the satellite
"Hello?" she called, and her voice echoed - "Is anyone here?"
"A thousand pardons, princess" -Kurama's voice echoed around her, "I'm not used to letting others in here."
"Who are you?" -She asked defiantly while looking everywhere looking for something
"They call me Kyubi," Nine Tails, although it is not my real name. I am a Bijuu, a Tail Beast"
"Show yourself!"
"As you like..."
Her surroundings suddenly altered and she was now in a stone room lit by torches but still with the moon and now a starry sky as a ceiling.
In front of her Kurama materialized, but he did it in a size just a little bigger than Luna, so as not to scare her. The alicorn stepped back slightly upon seeing the demonic figure of the fox. He simply smiled at her reaction.
"I usually give that impression. At least you don't see me at my full size, I'm actually much bigger."
Luna, as a reflection, began to speak with the traditional royal canterlot voice
"SO IT IS YOU, THE CREATURE THAT MY SISTER AND I HAVE BEEN FEELING, THE ONE THAT HAS A GREAT HATE INSIDE! WHAT BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE IN EQUESTRIA?"
"Don't provoke me, Princess Luna! - He answered with a voice that seemed to be a roar- "I, THE MOST POWERFUL OF THE BIJUU, WILL NOT BE DISRESPECTED, EVEN BY ONE OF THE RULERS OF THE SKY!"
At such a display of pride and power, Luna lowered her voice and looked at her opponent. He kept his gaze locked on her eyes, never giving up, never showing weakness. Finally the princess decided to lower her gaze, if she was really going to deal with that creature, better not to start on bad terms.
He decided to change the topic of conversation to try to reduce the damage. Showing interest about your surroundings. It really seemed like a dream, but somehow she couldn't control it.
"How can you do this? Only I have the power to control dreams"
"This is not a dream" -Kurama said with a smile as he sat down and also lowered his voice- "It is a Genjutsu, an illusion, I created it specifically to attract you and to meet us face to face"
"Did you ... want to meet me?
"Of course. The Bijuu recover and show more power during the night, the fact that here someone specifically can create the night caught my attention"
"Where exactly do you come from? What do you want? Where are you exactly?"
"I come from the same world as Naruto. What do I want? I didn't think much about it. Seeing this world with my own eyes maybe would be something better than seeing them through a Jinchuriki. As for where I am, you could say that I am inside Naruto, I was sealed inside the boy when he was a baby. I have lived with him ever since. "
"You don't seem to have bad intentions" - Luna said suspiciously- "Although it is not the first time that someone fools us"
"I do not wish this world any harm, and I could not anyway. Naruto controls the seal that holds me inside, unless he lets me out, I cannot physically manifest beyond expelling Chakra"
"Are you a prisoner then? And what is this Chakra you are talking about? Is it something like magic?
"It may be similar, but it is not the same" -He said, ignoring the first question- "The Chakra is the vital energy of our bodies, the Bijuus like me are huge masses of living Chakra. Perhaps what you call magic is not is exactly the same as the chakra, but there are certainly huge masses of natural chakra in this world "
"You really surprise me" -answered Luna as she sat on the floor- "You are wise, and powerful. You almost remind me of Star swirld."
"Starswirld?"
The bijuu and Luna started chatting for the rest of the night, they really came to understand each other. Kurama at one point feel comfortable enough to open himself and mentioned how he had his bad side and that hatred along with resentment ruled him for many years. Luna confessed at the same time that she also had her dark period, and decided to tell her about her time as Nightmare Moon and her exile for a thousand years on the moon.
They were amazed at how much alike they were: They both had a moment of darkness in their hearts, they had both been exiled and imprisoned differently, one still was, and they were both saved by someone special who would later become their friend.
Without realizing it, they began to forge a friendly relationship in the short time they spent together. When it was finally time to drop the moon, Kurama felt it and told the Princess.
"I have to go, Kyubi" - Luna asked
"Call me ... Kurama" - he replied while formulating the seals to release the technique- "Will we see each other again?"
"Of course, just ... let's not resort to getting caught up in illusions next time" -she replied with a smile as the illusion disappeared and Luna appeared in the sky, floating on a cloud.
"Until then ..." -said Kurama inside Naruto as he leaned back- "Mmhh ... it's ... attractive, for a pony. But... it's a bit of a screamer"
It really was amazing, that world really was special. It seemed surprising to him because no one, except perhaps Naruto, had been able to understand him as that alicorn had done in such a short time.
While flying, Moon thought the new friend she had done, and to some extent felt a strange happiness. It really was good to see someone who understood her and enjoyed her night.
As Luna returned to Canterlot, Sombra wandered around Ponyville observing in the gloom and trying to unravel that mystery. Luna was distracted by something, and at the same time he had felt a force that he did not know where it came from or how strong it was.
There was something else in that town that even the King himself knew he should watch out for.
When he returned to his post in the Everfree Forest, he smiled with satisfaction to discover that the Changelings had captured their targets and were ready for the next step.
They should wait with some time to be able to perfectly copy their ways, but the Forest would provide the necessary refuge to do so. As the two hostages squirmed and moaned trying to wriggle out, Shadow put them to sleep with their dark powers in a nightmare as he watched them in the moonlight.
One was a small gray pegasus, blonde hair, slimy eyes, and a bubble cutie mark. The other was a mint-colored unicorn, cyan hair with a bit of white, yellow eyes like her companion, and her Cutie Mark was a lyre.
"Two ponies, just as you asked for" -Chrysalis explained with satisfaction- "They don't attract much attention, and according to my drones, they go unnoticed among the rest of the town."
"Excellent" -Sombra replied- "Just a little more time and we can continue with the plan. We will need some time for your Changelings to copy them perfectly, and I need to confirm something before continuing"
"Something happened?"
"It's just a hunch, but I think these ponies aren't alone in this town. There's something else out there ..."