Luna stood in the middle of a street that she didn't recognize, it was night and as always the sky was a beautiful sight. She looked around inspecting her surroundings; the street was lined with a wall on one side and an impressive looking building on the other. Luna was drawn to the building, feeling as if she must proceed inside.
As she approached the front door, a voice rang out from within, "Brother! Mother and father are.. What happened!? Who would do such a thing!?"
Luna started, whoever it was they sounded frightened, more so than anypony Luna had ever heard in her life. She burst through the front door but only made it a few steps before she stopped in shock, the scene before her was more grisly than any she could have imagined, the quaint interior of the house was covered in splotches of blood, and weapons dotted the floor and walls, obviously some kind of fight had taken place here.
Before she could recover her wits a scream split the air, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! STOP IT BIG BROTHER! WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS!?"
The scream snapped Luna out of her shock induced paralysis and she charged forward towards the voice. She stopped in front of the room she had heard it come from and began to slowly open the door. Inside there was nothing but darkness and it flowed out like water consuming her, as she sank into the darkness the voice just kept repeating "Why? Why did you do this?"
Luna awoke in a cold sweat, staring down at the book she had fallen asleep on. She remembered what had happened; she had been researching spells to travel between worlds alone in the library. She was so tired from healing Itachi the other day she must've fallen asleep. That dream was horrible…. I wonder what it was about.
Itachi stepped out onto the balcony of Twilight's library, breathing in cool night air for the first time in a few hours. Behind him the noise from the party continued, practically all of Ponyville was in attendance. He had spent the last few hours greeting multiple ponies and gorging himself on the food that was available, he hadn't eaten in a long time. He stared off into the distance thinking as he sipped apple cider from a chalice trying to tame the burning on his tongue, he made a mental note to never eat anything Pinkie Pie handed him without looking at what exactly she had given him again.
"So how much longer are you just going to stand there in the shadows?" He asked without turning around.
Luna phased into visibility next to him. "How did you know I was there?"
"Please princess, your chakra overshadows everyone here…well except maybe Twilight." He said as he took another sip. "She's got quite a bit of power hidden under that studious visage. So to what do I owe this pleasure?" Itachi asked, finally turning to face her.
"I came here to tell you this in person, I've been researching spells all day to travel between worlds. I've tried everything…. but I'm afraid there's no way for you return to your home….I-I'm sorry." Luna said looking away.
Itachi had the chalice halfway to his lips when he stopped. "You didn't have to do that…. thank you."
Luna looked back to the shinobi. "You don't seem all that upset."
"I knew from the second I woke up in this world that being stuck here was a very real possibility. My entire life has been about playing the cards I've been dealt to the best of my ability, this is no different."
"Seems like a horrid way to live life."
Itachi shrugged turning back to look out over the town below him "You're right, but life's not always that simple, things happen that are out of our control and we suffer the consequences. Getting upset or angry about something that you can't control or alter is a waste of time and energy." He sighed and then took a long drink from the chalice. "And besides there are a lot worse places to be stranded."
Luna was taken aback by Itachi's calm acceptance of his fate, she had expected him to be shocked, even angry but not calm. "But you'll never see your friends or family again doesn't that bother you?"
"I haven't had friends in eight years and my only family left is my little brother, who I've only seen a few times in that timeframe."
Well that's not that bad… "Wait, how old are you?"
"Twenty-one."
"What? You're telling me you haven't had any friends for almost half your life?"
"Yes, there have been certain… circumstances that prevented me from being able to have any." Itachi said choosing his words carefully; he was treading on thin ice here.
"Circumstances?"
"I've been running for those last eight years, living on borrowed time. Making every effort that I could to accomplish my last goal, the only one that mattered…. giving my brother the chance to live in a world that I never could."
"What kind of world?" Luna pressed, trying to understand the human whose life she was beginning to realize was not all too different from her own.
Itachi turned to face her, "A world without war."
Luna was shocked into silence.
He looked down into his chalice watching the cider swirl around, "Living in a world such as this you probably can't understand it, watching people who you've known all your life, who you've shared laughs and stories with, die all around you. Having countless comrades whom you trust with your own life fall in battle before your eyes is a horrible thing, something I swore long ago to prevent with anything I could give… Including my life."
Luna blinked a few times, "I-I couldn't imagine such a thing happening to me...."
"Be thankful you can't, I lost my closest friend to the hatred that had consumed my world."Itachi said looking back to her. "This world is a gem Luna; there have been thousands who have given their lives back in my home in the name of peace, so that they might forge a world like the one you enjoy so thoroughly here."
After that the two just stood together in silence, looking out over the night, simply enjoying the others company.
"So I actually am quite curious now, how old are you?" Itachi asked, finally breaking the silence
"That's a bit of a rude question to ask." Luna said, taken aback.
"You asked first, so it's only fair."
"Fine if you must know, I'm one thousand one hundred and five."
Itachi just looked at her with a totally dumbstruck expression. "You're kidding me right?"
Luna just shook her head, "No I'm not, my sister and I are both immortal."
"Wow, are you two the only immortal ones?"
"Yes we are. We must be for it is our duty to raise the moon and the sun, without us there would be nothing." Luna said, looking up at her night.
"Must be hard, being the only two immortals in the world." Itachi said after a pause.
"Yes it is, though my sister would know better than me. I've spent the majority of my life trapped in the moon." Luna said looking back down, she didn't like thinking about that time.
"Huh?" He said, once again genuinely confused.
"I was entrapped within the moon for one thousand years, punishment for my actions so to speak; I allowed a dark presence to overtake me because of my jealousy. While under its influence I put all of Equestria to sleep and sent nightmares raging through their heads until my sister stopped me and then sealed me in the moon to prevent everlasting night. I was forced to endure the loneliness of my exile and the torture of that darkness until a couple months ago when I returned and was saved by the elements of harmony." Luna said recounting the events that had dominated the majority of her life.
"Elements of harmony?"
"The six ponies that embody the elements of friendship, I believe you've met them all already, they are Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash."
"Oh yeah I've met them all. But that sounds terrible, a thousand years in the moon; I don't think I could've handled that." Itachi said
"I'm surprised I did too, it's certainly been an experience trying to come to terms with being gone for a thousand years." Luna was starting to look crestfallen as if recounting her past was causing her a great pain.
"…For what it's worth Luna I don't think you deserved any of that and it's a horrible tragedy that it did happen to you. You're one of the kindest beings I've ever met."
"Y-you really think so?"
"How could I not? You spend an entire day working to save my life, allow me, a stranger from a violent world, to stay in your kingdom. Then on top of all that you spend another day researching for ways to return me home, come here to let me know personally and then you have patience to listen to me ramble on about my past. You're a very selfless pony Luna. It really does anger me that you went through all that, spending the majority of your life in the moon. Nobody deserves that, least of all you."
"….Thank you…" she said turning the other way to hide her face from him. She didn't want him to see her tears.
Itachi turned back looking out at the night sky, pretending like he hadn't noticed her tears. He finished the cider he had taken out on the balcony when Luna piped up again. "Does this mean that we're friends?"
"Do you want to be friends?"
"Yes."
"Then yes." He said smiling.
Luna was ecstatic, she had just made her first friend in a thousand years, and Itachi would never know how much that meant to her. In addition he was more than just a friend he was another being that had suffered the pain of loneliness for a majority of his life, and in that way they understood each other in a way no others could.
Twilight picked that exact moment to pop out onto the balcony, "Hey Itachi are you up here? everypo-"Twilight stopped speaking as she noticed Luna. "Princess Luna! What are you doing here?" she asked before she remembered who she was talking to and bowed deeply "I-I had no idea you were coming! Otherwise I would have been more prepared!"
"It's quite alright Twilight Sparkle, I was just here to talk to Itachi, there's no need to make a fuss about it. I was about to leave anyways, but before I do I feel like I should let you know that my sister is planning on inviting all of you to Canterlot tomorrow. Just a bit of a warning so you're not caught completely by surprise."
"Thank you princess." Twilight said, truly grateful for that information, it allowed her to take the time to organize herself, and she hated being unorganized.
Luna then turned to Itachi who had been watching their exchange with some amusement. "Well then Itachi Uchiha I shall see you tomorrow, until then enjoy my night." She said smiling.
"I look forward to it Princess Luna, good night to you as well." Itachi said matching her smile.
And with that Luna teleported away from Twilight's library, leaving the young unicorn gaping at the place where she had vanished. "Just what did you do Itachi? I don't think I've EVER seen Luna smile like that."
"Oh we just talked about our pasts, nothing too major."
"Ok then, just what did she come all the way out here to tell you?"
"That there's no way for me to return to my own world." Itachi said, the thought sobering him.
"Oh…I'm sorry." Twilight said, what else was there to say?
"Thanks." Itachi said that realization was still sinking into him. Despite what he had said earlier, he did care that he was stranded here, it meant that he could not get his revenge against Madara. But then again you are supposed to be dead Itachi…Better to be alive, stranded on a foreign world, than dead for no true reason.
"You ready to go back in?" Twilight asked, the party was still in full swing and Applejack wanted to toast "The Hero of Sweet Apple Acres" again.
"Yeah." Itachi responded as he followed Twilight back inside, another idea popping into his head as he thought about his situation. He decided he'd head over to Rarity's first thing in the morning, he had some more ideas for some more stuff and he wanted to make sure it was ready before Celestia summoned them all. In the meantime however, he'd just try to enjoy what was left of the night.
Twilight woke up feeling groggy, not good. She should never have let Pinkie Pie talk her into eating all those cupcakes, now she was going through massive sugar withdrawal. She looked over at her window, it was about midmorning. Well at least Spike will be happy.He finally got to sleep in. Now that she was actually awake Twilight rose from her bed and looked over to Spike's, noticing the dragon was gone. Well maybe he actually got himself up for once..
"Spiiiikkkkeee!" She called out a few times while she headed downstairs to where Itachi was staying. However, the library was completely empty. Though it appeared Spike had done all of his chores. Twilight was starting to get worried until she noticed a note left on a table from Spike saying that he and Itachi were at Rarity's, and then asking her to meet them at the lake whenever she woke up.
Twilight arrived at the lake just as Spike and Itachi were. Itachi was wearing radically different clothing than he was when he had first arrived in Ponyville. He now wore a large, dark colored coat with a high collar, it was adorned with a spiraling symbol upon the back, he still wore his forehead protector though. Itachi had the front of the coat open revealing that he had also changed from the purple clothes, he sported an olive colored vest of some sort and jet black underclothes, and his ankles were wrapped in bandages, above the similarly colored sandal things he now wore.
He walked up to Twilight, "Good morning Twilight, I accidentally woke Spike up earlier when I was getting ready to leave to go over to Rarity's and once he heard where I was going he wanted to come with."
"It's ok I was pretty out of it this morning because of the party last night. So why did you say for me to meet you two here Spike?"
"Well Itachi told me that in exchange for helping Rarity and him with his new clothes he'd teach me how to breathe fire better, and I wanted to show you."
Twilight looked at Itachi incredulously, "You can do that?"
Itachi shrugged "Well, we'll see, at the very least I should be able to help him with his control of it." He turned to Spike, "Ok spike, let's see what you can do."
Spike nodded and then looked out over the lake concentrating, then mustering all the energy he could he fired a fireball into the middle of the water where it then burst apart.
Itachi had been watching Spike with his Sharingan the whole time, "Good effort, that wasn't bad by any stretch of imagination, but you're wasting too much energy in trying to propel the flames forward and it's reducing the amount of flames you can produce." He walked in front of the other two. "Here, if you stop trying so hard to make it go further than it should look something like this.."
Twilight got wide-eyed Wait, he's not about to breathe fire…. Right?
Before she could say anything Itachi's hands blurred together as he quickly weaved five hand seals and drew his head back as he took in a breath, Katon, Gōkakyū! With that he fired a huge fireball about five times the size of Spike's which shot forward and exploded in a spectacular fashion in the middle of the lake.
"And that's how it SHOULD look." He turned back to see the two looking at him with slack jawed expressions. "….What?"
"That was incredible… I didn't know humans could use magic." Twilight said recovering first.
"That's not magic, that's ninjutsu, the art of molding one's chakra to physically affect the world." Seeing the confused expressions continuing to look back at him, he sighed and explained the basics of ninjutsu and nature releases.
"Wow." Spike said after Itachi was finished
"Well those are just the basics of it, there's a lot more. But that should give you an understanding at least." Itachi said."Now in the meantime Spike give it another try, except this time try not to focus too much on making it fly particularly far."
"Well ok, here goes nothing.." Spike said stepping up to edge of the water and preparing to fire another fireball. However, before he could he belched out a small amount of fire which conjured a letter into their midst.
Twilight caught it with her magic and read it quickly.
"What is it?" Itachi asked, though he already had a good suspicion as to what it was.
"Its a summons to Canterlot from Princess Celestia, for the elements of harmony and you, Itachi."
"Well ok then, how are we supposed to get there?"
"She's sending some chariots for those of us who can't fly. In the meantime we should probably gather the rest of my friends so we're all ready to go when they get here."
Twenty minutes later the group of seven were ready to go in the center of Ponyville. They watched as five chariots descended from the sky and came to a halt in front of them. Itachi only had to cast an eye over one of the chariots for no more than a second before he asked,"Are you sure one of these things can take my weight?"
The guardsponies that were pulling said chariot shot him an insulted look.
"Guess they think they can." He said stepping into one of the chariots, as the rest of the earthbound members of their group followed suit.
The trip to the capital city took a short ten minutes of flying, and soon they were all on the ground outside the palace, ready to head inside. As they began to proceed into the royal hall Itachi couldn't help but have an ominous feeling about this whole thing. Something just wasn't right and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He turned and looked into the sky and he would've sworn he had seen just the tiniest flash of something, whatever it had been it was gone now, but that didn't change the nervous feeling in his gut.
Hovering high above the city of Canterlot, the dark presence known simply as Nightmare brooded, this might very well be the opportunity it had been waiting for. Its patience had paid off, as the pieces had simply fallen into place. However, its power had waned greatly since the encounter with those damned elements of harmony a few months ago and it was nowhere near its former glory. The relationship that had formed between its former shell and Nightmare's new target could be easily exploited, that pathetic pony, the powers of a goddess yet so easy to manipulate. With a foothold in her mind it could influence every other being there, yes this was certainly the opportunity it had been waiting for. The first thing it would have to do is drive that human away from the elements, turn them against him, and if the flashes of his nightmares that it had seen were any indication of what lurked in the human's past, it knew the perfect way to do just that.