Rumble
Night Fury's stomach growled as he was ready for this delicious feast. He couldn't wait to celebrate the victory he and his new friends inflicted on the evil tyrant Sombra and how they were now heroes.
It brings back good times. When me, my father and the other warriors went on these great expeditions together exploring exotic locales and fighting bad guys. Yep. But it also brings back the feeling of a good reward. So here I come! The young feline warrior said to himself as his mouth watered.
He walked out of the grand walls of Canterlot where there was a river that flowed from a large outcropping. It was here the feline could see Ponyville all the way up from there. It was a lovely view.
But then all of a sudden, he saw only black. Uh oh. Someone was behind him.
"Guess who?"
Night Fury humored this pony, his hearing already detected Pinkie.
"Um, is it Fluttershy?" Fury asked.
"No! It's me silly, Pinkie Pie!" She said as she let go and shot a party cannon in the air. "It's nice here, but we can't delay! We have the Ultra Liberation of the Crystal Ponies celebration, only the most important event ever! Come on, let's go!"
Pinkie bounced further into the river. And there Fury saw all his friends, Cadence, Shining Armor, Celestia and of course Luna all waiting for him.
"There's our guest of honor!" Applejack said.
"All right, I made it just in time! So, what do you guys have for me?" Fury inquired excitedly, wondering what they had in store for him.
"Well, part of this is we have something very special to show you." Shining Armor said showing a crystal lamp.
"What is this?" Fury asked curiously.
"Do you remember when you talked about giving you artifacts?" Celestia reminded him. "Well here is one impressive artifact from the ancient Crystal Empire."
"What does it do?"
"Turn it on and you'll see what happens." Cadence smiles.
As he flicked the lamp on, and then he saw some creatures of light. Holograms produced from technology. It showed crystal ponies congregating with Speed Shifters long ago. It seems like there was a specific Speed Shifter who sparred with Crystal Guards, the Crystal Empires sworn ally.
And he noticed there was a symbol similar to himself and his father. Could this have been his ancestor showing better time with the crystal ponies.
"It's awesome! Thank you, this is a valuable part of my family's history!" Fury said feeling feelings of warmth.
"No problem. Perhaps this will begin a new era not just for you Speed Shifters and most ponies, but also to make us the best we can be." Cadence said.
Night Fury smiled at this. He felt like he was making a difference in this strange new world of equines. And he had so many friends here too. But he had one pony he wanted to talk to for the longest time. "Luna…"
"Alright, Night Fury, let's go have some fun!" Pinkie yelled, almost surprising him.
Dang it, I never thought I would say this but I kind of want to delay parties for some privacy with the Princess! But I guess I can wait especially if it has to do with some delicious food!
And so Fury partook in some fun new games including exotic ones imported from the Crystal Empire. There were many new games to play.
Including jousting with Rainbow Dash, Applejack and surprisingly Rarity who said she did it for regal reasons and for the costumes. Fury suspected she might have done it to vent her frustrations at work.
Next was climbing all the stairs of a homemade tower like the one in the Crystal Palace. With one catch, no magic or other powers. That one was the worst race of Night Fury's young life.
And there was even an amateur music competition to see who could play the greatest tune, or in reality the least horrible tune. It involved Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow playing the bugle horn. They all had very different reasons for why they sounded awful. The crowd could not decide which one was the best of the worst. But Night Fury finally decided it was Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy barely even tried. But Pinkie failed so strangely giving a strange musical composition, he thought it failed the most interestingly and was not boring.
"If you aren't good at something then play it in the funniest way possible is what I always say!" Night Fury proclaimed.
"Whoa whoa boring?! Me?!" Rainbow looked into his eyes. "You know who you're talking to?!"
"Someone who unironically thinks saying "20% cooler" is actually cool?" he gave a smirk.
That was it. That was going too far. Rainbow needed to teach this punk a lesson. But how? Hmmmmm…
Ah ha! Rainbow's face turned from anger to a creepy smile. Fury knew she was up to something now.
"You know I apologize. I was being immature," she said, definitely not looking sorry. "I should prove my awesomeness through my actions not my words."
"Okay, what do you have in mind?" Fury said with a smirk.
Rainbow simply flew up and up and up and pointed right at the center of Canterlot. Whoever gets to the palace in Canterlot wins! I've been training and I'll show you the true power of pegasus flight!" Rainbow boastfully stated
"Well if it's that kind of challenge you're on! But you better not underestimate because I-"
Whistle sound
"Everybody, the time is up for parties," Twilight spoke up. "Everybody look at the time!"
It turned out it was 9 PM!
Not again! Why am I always late with stuff!
"Come on Twi! I was just about to show this guy what my potential is!" Rainbow faced Twilight with anger.
"Sorry Rainbow but we need to get a good night's sleep. I've already let you guys go crazy this much!" Twilight said. "So come on everyone, go! The party's over."
"Aw man."
"I wanted to see them race."
Everybody left a little disappointed although they did have fun. Night Fury was just about to leave when Twilight stopped him.
"Oh no you don't, Fury, you have an appointment, remember?" Twilight tried to remind him.
"Uh, with Princess Celestia?" Fury asked, confused!
"Ugh no!" Twilight said.
"Um with Shining Armor? He seemed cool. I wish I did swordplay with him. Do you think I would have had a chance?"
"Princess Luna! You are supposed to talk with Princess Luna!" she said exasperated.
"Gasp! I forgot! I can't believe I kept her waiting so long!" Fury said frustrated.
"Actually, Night Fury, for once your tardiness is not unwelcome." Twilight calmed him down. "This is a perfect night that the Princess appreciates. Do you see that crescent moon? She loves that." Twilight explained her schedule.
"Wow, you thought of everything. Thanks Twilight." said Night Fury gratefully.
"You're welcome. Now have a good time." said Twilight.
Night Fury then went a little further up the river. It was pristine and beautiful. It sparkled in the moonlight. He kept on walking up the creek till finally he saw… her. Luna who was lying on the ground observing the constellations and moon.
His mouth was agape.
He knew Luna was beautiful but in her domain, that of the night, she looked downright divine.
Fury was hoping he wasn't too late. He approached Luna.
"Um hi Princess, nice seeing you here. Um, so it must be nice weather huh?" Fury nervously asked.
…
"Okay um I know I might have been a little too late. So I understand if you are a little mad and want some time to-"
"Shhh." Luna shushed. "Look at this!"
He looked at the sky. He looked stunned.
"Wow, that's a lot of stars!" Night Fury said with amazement. "And that is a bright moon! I can see why you like looking at them."
"They are very nice, indeed. But it's just them. Tonight is a special night. For as you can see there it is about to arrive." Luna said now with a mild smile.
She looks so adorable.
And in the night sky there seemed to arise raining stars. It was a shower of all the stars out there in the cosmos.
"It's amazing!" Fury said. "This is better than a play!"
"I agree." Luna said. "Now that it is bright enough, let us now have our feast of the Star Shower!" Luna clapped.
And there appeared some dark looking servants preparing a meal for the two. On one side for Night Fury a bunch of fish.
"Oh my gosh! This is amazing! Now this party just got even cooler!" Fury said with joy.
"I'm glad you think so. I was hoping you would be pleased by this, especially for our hero."
"Well I guess good deeds do pay off in the end!" he said as he slurped down a fish. Luna simply smiled at this.
"Mmm, now that is some good fish! What is this, salmon?" He said, taking another fish in his grasp and biting into it.
"Why yes, it is. It's freshly caught freshwater salmon from a nearby lake. I had the chef's hoof catch this batch for you."
"Aw, you didn't have too! But thanks anyways." Fury said humbly.
"My pleasure." she said as she drank tea.
Luna then opened her lunchbox and revealed a few cucumber sandwiches. Fury figured this was typical for a regal and formal being like her to eat. But it was a little boring- Wait. There's something yellow and orange in there.
"Wait, is that an orange peel and banana peel you're eating in that sandwich?"
Luna blushed a bit in nervousness.
"Um, well, maybe…?"
"Ah don't worry about it! If anything, seeing me slurp down other animals must be a bit weird to you." He said with a little chuckle.
Luna chucked back.
"I suppose we all have our weaknesses and quirks." Luna admitted. "But even if they are a bit odd, they do not detract from those who complete great challenges." She stopped eating for a bit.
"I wanted to relieve you after all you have been through. I know what it's like to go through such nervousness. But you proved how heroic you were back there despite all the difficulties you had." Luna said both congratulatory and empathetically
"Yeah, it was tough alright. I didn't think I could have done it. That Sombra took advantage of my vulnerabilities. I wasn't ready for that."
"It is hard to often confront what we feel uncomfortable with." She looked away. "One time I was banished to the moon for um a long time and when I came back. Everything had changed and I became a celebrity. A monster of the night."
Night Fury realized she was often not very talkative to other ponies. So for her to tell him this must mean she really trusts him.
"But they weren't wrong about me being a monster."
"You're not a monster though!"
"I was for that one time." She replied.
"That one night. When I became Nightmare Moon." she said with a great deal of regret. "I gave into temptation and jealousy and I put everypony in danger and I betrayed my own sister."
Luna was now looking down at the floor, almost crying.
Is this what Celestia was telling me about? When she said Luna had some regrets?
He put a paw on her shoulder.
"Well you aren't the only one who regretted their actions and wish they could take it back." Fury said, a somber tone filling his words.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Remember that incident I wanted to tell you about? Well, you're about to find out what happened." Luna leaned in as she began to listen in on his story.
"So, it all started with my parents telling me we were going on vacation…"
In the past…
Night Fury was walking around his village, taking in the fresh air of the forest without a care in the world. His kind roamed around the dirt paths with nothing to worry about, kids ran around giggling as they played. The adults, minding their own as they went about their business around town. But soon, the tranquility of the small encampment would be tarnished by something big.
"Finally, it's so hard doing that training." a young Fury said to himself. "I can't wait to just relax, play some ball and eat mom's special treats for me."
He finally came back to his house and his mom and dad looked like they were packing some things in some bags.
"Oh hey, guys. What's up with the bags?" He asked with curiosity.
"Oh Fury, you're here! Nothing much, except we're going on a three day trip to the Temple of the Guardians!" His father, Obsidian, showed him a poster of that place.
"Wait, really?!" He said excitedly. It was almost too good to be true for him. No warrior training for three days just exploring. "Is this some prank you two are pulling on me?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Oh no, son, this is absolutely serious. If we wanted to prank you, it wouldn't be your favorite hobby of exploring." His sincere and too-sweet-for-this-world mother, Black Ice, told him. "Me and your father will camp there for three days just like old times when your father would take me there."
"That's right honey, even though you used to be so scared of it." He said with a chuckle. His wife pouted.
"I was not scared! I was just worried we were skipping our education!"
"Anyways son, pack your bags. We'll be leaving in two hours." Obsidian said getting back on track.
"You got it, dad!" Fury then quickly and excitedly got to pack all his stuff.
2 hours later…
After packing his stuff quickly Fury spent some time playing some traditional jungle ball with his friends. He told his best friend Jade Moon about his new expedition.
"That sounds neat, Fury. Just watch out for anything suspicious. Like you know, curses and all that stuff. You never know, maybe a cursed king might want your head on a pole."
"Very funny Jade, I know you're just trying to scare me!" He said with a laugh. "I'm not a little cub anymore. Besides, even if I do stumble on some ghost or whatever I'll be ready this time. Me, my mom and my dad won't let them get us!"
"Aww, I was hoping to scare you a little," Jade said with a chuckle. "But seriously, watch yourself okay?" Jade Moon would often protect Fury from bullies who thought of him as weak. Even though he teased Fury, he always wanted him to be safe. He also kept Fury out of danger being he was more responsible and a rule stickler.
"You got it Jade! See you in three days! Don't cry like a little cub that I'm gone!"
"Yeah yeah whatever!" Jade waved back.
6 Hours Later…
The family had finally made camp by a creek. It was definitely a nice place. There were even a few columns nearby. And even a statue of a famous hero fighting a strange creature known as Ahuizotl that must have lived long before even Night Fury's grandparents.
"Wow, this place is beautiful." Black Ice said, taking in the surroundings.
"You said it, Mom. I mean, I'm not really the type to call things beautiful," Fury admitted. "Heck, I'm not one to really take in my surroundings that much at all. But this, this is something else." He said as looked at the flower bed of purple, white and yellow, the pristine blue river, and the sun shining onto the cliffside of where they were.
"My boy! Only a real feline can appreciate true beauty. And knows that it is worth fighting and protecting."
"Yeah, good point." Fury said as he was about to cook some fish. "I just hope I will be able to do that one day."
"You will, my boy, you will." His father said to him. "Anyways, tomorrow we'll do some travel! We'll head for the Temple of Warriors that day!"
"I can't wait!" Fury said excitedly. Everybody was finished and now we're getting to bed. But little did they know, another Speed Shifter with a scar was watching them.
-
"It was quite a fun vacation, Luna. We swung on vines. Snuck up on deer. I collected some emeralds in the river. And even went into the temple." Fury smiled recounting things. "I sure loved that Temple of Warriors, seeing all the cool hieroglyphs that no one understands yet and frescoes of warriors of the past. It was great."
Luna smiled. She told Fury that it reminded her a bit of when she and Celestia used to have fun together before things got busy with running Equestria.
"It must have been a wonderful time being together." Luna said softly.
"...Yeah it was." He looked at the fire with a bit of sadness. "Especially since that was the last day I saw them." He said with both anger and sadness.
"You don't have to tell me what happened if you feel uncomfortable." Luna said softly.
"No, I think you deserve to know. Especially how I royally screwed up that day…" He said bracing himself. "It was the last night before we came back to the village. I wandered in the temple without my parents wanting to take it in for the last time in a while…"
-
Night Fury was looking at a fresco of a king, while his parents were still asleep. This king was known as the Great Uniter. For he had united all of the disparate warring Speed Shifter tribes together. The elders told him it was a time of great peace and learning.
"Wow, we sure messed up huh? But one day king, we're gonna get back what we lost. One day we'll be one again and in harmony. And I'll try to help out with that." Fury talked to the wall.
After looking at it for sometime, Night Fury decided it was high time for him to get back to sleep. He walked out of the temple of which he and his parents disabled the booby traps there. It was fun discovering the ancient art but he was ready to go.
As he left, he did feel a little uneasy at one art prophesying saying there would one day be an ambitious evil enemy among their peoples who would try to unite the tribes only in tyranny. He was not normally superstitious but he did feel almost like the mural was directly addressing himself.
"Ah, I'm getting too worried. I'm being more like Jade and my mom. I just gotta chill and get some rest." He said to himself, continuing to walk towards the campsite. But little did he know, a dangerous foe was waiting to strike. Night Fury reached the campsite and slowly crept back into the tent that he and his parents were sleeping in, slowly tucking himself into his sleeping bag and slowly drifting off to sleep. Or so he thought.
A deep growl filled the air, waking Fury and his parents right up. They looked around in a panic as the sound rang out again before the trio looked at each other, Black Ice speaking first.
"What was that? Is someone with us?"
"Shh, more like something. And it may not be too friendly. Don't make any noise. Let me look through the hole of our tent." Obsidian whispered.
He peeked his head out of the hole and almost gasped at what he saw. By the fire, sniffling through their fish stash, was a giant Cragodile. Its stone-like scales and dark green skin stuck out like a rose in a barren wasteland, its sharp teeth and jagged claws ready to maul and mangle anything that dared stand against it. There was no mistaking this dangerous beast for anything else.
"What is it? Is it a manticore?" Fury asked.
"No, worse, it's something I never thought I would see again." Obsidian said worryingly which was unusual for him.
"Well, what is it?!" Black Ice whispered, just soft enough that the roaming swamp dweller didn't hear.
"It's a Cragodile! This fierce beast is nearly unstoppable and it could take a whole army of us to stop this creature. This fierce creature will destroy villages to satisfy its hunger."
"Wait, I've heard of these beasts!" Ice said. "I thought they went extinct in the area around our village! What are they doing here now?"
Fury saw his father was sweating a bit in nervousness.
"I don't know. Maybe someone brought it here or something. But we don't have time to theorize. We have to escape and warn the village of grave danger." Obsidian said.
"Right! Night Fury, sweetie, you're the best one to sneak past that thing. You think you can do it?" Black Ice asked, Night Fury's face went pale at his mother's request, he had never even seen a Cragodile let alone snuck past one. He had to admit that he's done some crazy things in his life, from throwing a mud pie at a Manticore and running for his life when it woke up to sneaking around in the middle of the night to grab a cookie and getting away with it, he's done it all. But never in his life, for as long as he's been alive in this world, has he ever gone up against a Cragodile.
"This will be tough, can't one of you do this?" Fury asked.
"Unfortunately, as your mother probably assumed, me and her are too large to sneak by. We would be making some unnecessary noises. But you are still young and light enough to walk out. Listen, it won't be so tough. Just watch your step and try not to make any noise. And throw this vase at the tree so as to distract the Cragodile and then your mother and I can sneak out. Does that sound good you sneaky little rascal?"
Night Fury thought about it and unlike fighting in which he was still an amateur, he was still good at sneaking around. He once called himself the Prince of Sneakiness. Night Fury nodded.
"You can count on me, you two!" He said as he proceeded to do his serious task. He slowly opened the door of the tent with a vase in his satchel bag. He walked lightly across the dirt, being careful to step on a branch or any other obstacle in his way.
His heart was pounding but he kept his breaths slow. Knowing not to say any little yelp.
He finally reached a good point to throw the vase.
Here goes nothing…
He threw it at a tree and a loud noise came attracting the gigantic beast. The beast finally went away.
"I… I-I can't believe that worked. I can't believe that worked!" He said to himself.
His parents quietly snuck out of the tent and made it to their son.
"Well done, my boy. You showed that dumb lizard what we Speed Shifters are capable of!" Obsidian congratulated him, his mother did the same.
"You were so brave back there! I'm so proud of you." She said, Night Fury was blushing at this compliment. He had never made it this far before. But he just did what he was best at,Trickery.
ROARRRRRRRRR!!!!!
"Get down!" Obsidian said. The creature, despite being distracted, still had not forgotten its hunger.
"I put some fish in the vase! Is that not enough for it?!" Fury asked.
"Not enough. Only for a little while." Obsidian said. "Eventually it will crave the flesh of intelligent powerful lifeforms."
"Oh great, now we have to deal with a swamp dweller that didn't get his dinner. We have to get back to the village and bring back reinforcements, maybe if we try to coax it away or reason with it, it'll go away." Night Fury suggested. .
"Well, from my experience son, not much will make that beast go away. But you are right, we must get back to the elders and tell them the news." Obsidian said. "Being that I am on the Supreme Tribal Council, they will at least have to take my word into consideration."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up!" Black Ice said getting ready to run.
"I promise we'll beat that big old thing, mom." Fury replied.
The family was racing back to the village. Though the rough roads made it somewhat difficult to traverse. It cost them a few valuable hours. But they finally came back by morning.
Night Fury's parents, after sprinting, ran normally into the gates, while Fury, still inexperienced, was catching his breath.
From Obsidian's advice, a council was called to session and the old chief, Thunderclaws, was supervising.
When the council was talking it seemed apparent there were things going on like guards being missing. Simply put it seems like this Cragodile slipped past their defenses. The village had ignored the signs. They were only lucky Obsidian and his family were able to find out.
"At this point, considering how close the Cragodile is already, it probably has our village's scent!" said another council member. "There's no use fighting back! I suggest we leave immediately!"
"That might be a good point, Golden Eyes." the chief said. "Perhaps we ought to go."
SLAM
"No! Are we to give up our village just because of this giant monster?!" Obsidian roared. "Our ancestors have roamed around escaping oppression and tyranny, and now that we have found our promised land, are we to just give it up?!"
"Well, we'll probably be dead so it's not worth it."
"No, we need to fight at least to some extent! I know how hard it was to wander around before we and our parents finally found home. We won't let that suffering happen to our children." Fury said, giving deep breaths.
"Alright everyone, let's calm down." the Chief calmed them. "Very well, Obsidian, we will give one defense. But be ready to plan what to do. Be wise. And if we fail, we will retreat."
"That's fine with me." Obsidian said. "All warriors will be ready to defend their homeland. If we lose you have my word we will find a new place. But only when we give it our all because I have a plan."
The Chief sighed, thinking this might be a suicide mission, but agreed. Most of the other council members were either moved by his words or didn't want to seem like cowards.
"Alright Obsidian. It shall be done." The Chief proclaimed.
"That stupid Obsidian, he always believes too big." Golden Eyes said to himself. "He even believes his cowardly son can still be a great warrior. Fool."
ROARRRRR
"Ahhh, I was joking, Obsidian!" Golden Eyes said, frightened.
"Well joke or not, if I hear you say that about my son again, you won't be seeing anything your treasure again, got that?" He said with calm controlled ferocity. And then he smiled.
The wealthy merchant simply nodded in fear.
"Besides, I just wanted to correct you since my son was the one who distracted that giant beast." He said with a confident smile.
"You bet your tail I did! Trailing that thing right out of my sight was so easy, I could sneeze at the thing and scare it off!" Night Fury said confidently.
"Hey, kid, get outta here, this is a meeting." said another member.
"That's my boy!" Obsidian said. "That's why you'll be great at protecting the mothers and children from harm."
"But dad, I wanna join you guys fighting." Fury said.
"Well… Son, this is a large task. You will be ready one day but now is not that day."
"No I will do it! I am old enough to fight. And I swear by our ancestors honor that the Cragodile will not go into our village!"
"Well son, if you think you are ready, then we will go! But… you must show courage and cunning. Both are needed. I expect you to have both and also since you are young, stay with the adults. We will help you." Obsidian said.
Fury didn't like the idea of working in a group. He preferred doing things alone. But as long as he kept away from the snobs like Golden Eyes then he could tolerate it. He just hopes his mother and friend Jade would not be too worried. After all this would be his big chance to prove his worth and be a great hero. He was ready.
-
During the next few hours, everyone was getting ready for the fight of their lives. Spears were being sharpened. Everyone was training for a long time. And the engineers put up barricades to stop it by building but it was a bit more boring.
Fury was on one of the barricades helping to build one of the walls. Fury was both excited and fearful for the big event.
-
"You seemed to have been brave and eager there." Luna said.
"Oh I was. I was." Fury said. "But not at the last minute."
-
Fury was a bit bored putting mud and straw to build up defenses. But he figured it was worth the effort.
"Heh, didn't know they let the little wimp fight."
Night Fury sighed. He knew that voice. It was his sworn rival, Rock Crusher. He always liked to brag about how he was the best. And always liked to pick on Fury as a spoiled brat who was not as brave as him.
"Hey there Crusher, I see you're in a pleasant mood today."
"Why yes I am. Because I know that this will be a day of great glory! It will be to prove our martial might." Then he smirked. "Well at least some of us will have that, heh."
"Laugh all you want, but today you're gonna realize how much you underestimate me." Fury said confidently. "If I can lure that Croc away, then that has to be a sign I'm ready to beat this thing. Perhaps before you."
"Hmph. We'll see about that. Actions speak loud then your measly words. We'll see for ourselves how well you do. Oh and by the way it's Cragodile. I know you like to sleep in class but maybe you should be a bit more aware. Good luck, fool, you'll need a lot of it. Ha ha ha ha!" Crusher said walking away.
"Hmph." Fury said frustrated. "I'll show him and everyone here. Just you wait. Just you wai-"
"Everybody! The Cragodile is a mile away from the village! Hurry up and meet in the village to see the Chief!" one of the messengers proclaimed.
"What?!" the black feline was surprised. "How could it have already gotten so close?! Dang it, either this thing is smart enough to sneak around or we're just too silly to find out."
"Come on, Fury! Move it! We have to see the chief!" Jade Moon reminded his friend while running.
"Yeah, coming!"
Everyone finally made it to the village. Everyone was in a panic.
"How did that monster breach those walls?!" one warrior said.
"I know, I thought we had our defenses guarded." another one said, frightened.
Everyone was in a panic.
"SILENCE!" Chief Thunderclaws roared. "We can find that out later. Right now all we need to know is that the Cragodile is now heading towards the village probably in three hours at this rate. We need to think what we can do stop this foul creature."
"We can't stop something like that! It'll destroy this whole community!" Golden Eyes said. "Even a Space Shifter's speed is not enough to defeat that hideous beast. What could we do to possibly stop it?!"
Meanwhile, Obsidian stood in the council quietly, stroking his chin, deep in thought.
"And what about you, Obsidian, do you have any plans?" the Chief asked. "You are one of our finest warriors. What say you?"
Surprisingly, the normally confident veteran warrior looked concerned.
"This will be tough. But I do think we have a chance." he said in a serious tone. "Some of us will have to distract the beast. And as the beast comes, we will have to use these."
He pointed to some rope.
"We will have to tie all four limbs of the Cragodile, and tie its snout. Then, one has to go at such a high speed that they become as fast as sound. And finally you have chewed its weak point: the front of its snout. This is the technique that seems to work the best to destroy them." Obsidian explained in a calm yet authoritative manner.
"You must know this experience, right?" said a young council member.
"Yeah, but this Cragodile will be twice the size of the one that I faced in my thirties, that one almost managed to kill me…"
This complicated plan with only three hours to prepare, leaving no room for elaborate walls and contraptions.
"And you expect us to fight this thing?!"
"Let me finish! That other Cragodile almost killed me. And before that was another Cragodile that was half the size of that one.'' he said. "We can surely find a way to defeat this large one. All we have to do is use trickery bait and a whole lot of speed."
Obsidian seemed to have regained some courage now. Whether it was because he saw how distressed the others were or if it was just part of his speech, it didn't matter. Obsidian always seemed to have a plan. And the others whether they liked it or not knew he was the one with the plan.
"And even for the ones who never fought a Cragodile, you went through hardships and we will overcome this one. For our ancestors and our children!" He yelled while raising his arm.
"Yeahhhhhh!" Everybody cheered.
"Noe let's get ready!" obsidian cried out to all of them.
After that epic speech everyone got to work making rope, practicing running. Everyone was doing their part. They felt like they had great confidence.
"See guys, my dad said he would have a plan even after this limited time!" Fury boasted.
"Well, we'll have to hope for the best." Jade said.
"Everything will turn out peachy, that's a fact!" Fury said.
Meanwhile Obsidian and the guards were preparing for the inevitable. They had to be ready for anything.
"Get ready, fellows. You never know what will happen."
As they looked out at a swiftly constructed short wooden palisade, they saw a tail in the distance. It was approaching rapidly. More and more.
"Alright everyone get ready to be bait." Obsidian said. "You are now the fish who must swim from the predators.
They went to the ground and lured the beast. They taunted the Cragodile saying it looks ugly. The Cragodile had enough and turned towards them to slaughter them but away from the major settlement. The more nervous guards and Night Fury who was with them gulped knowing this could be their last.
ROARRRRRRR!!!!
"Hey, Cragodile, you want a feast!? Here we are, come right at us! We're all quite ready!"
The Cragodile despite its large size, swiftly swam through the water to finally make it to the village.
Night Fury was shocked at the large scaly creature as high as a small hut. It was probably the most horrifying thing he had ever seen.
"Fury, remember your job!" Obsidian called out to Fury.
Of course he had to distract him. He decided to do that classic trick he and his friends used to get candy from his mom: distraction.
"Hey you big numbskull Over here! Fresh meat! Right over here!" He called out.
ROARRRRR
Night Fury jumped on huts, boxes, temples all in an effort to get away from that big giant beast. At this point the Speed Shifters wanted to save their energy so they ran and jumped normally.
"I'm actually doing quite good!" Fury said with some surprise. He thought this ugly monster would have him for lunch. His father would be so proud of him.
"Night Fury, what the heck are you doing you're going the opposite way!" Jade called out to Fury.
Oh no. I made a mistake, didn't I?
Now Night Fury had to go back. He was trapped in Golden Eye's fancy house. And the Cragodile was about to enter.
I have no choice, I have to use my power now!
He used it to dig a hole out of the mansion. He was about to run a few feet and then he got exhausted.
"Dang it."
"Well it looks like the wise Night Fury finally made it or was this part of your plan." Stone Crusher smugly asked.
"Oh shut up, I made it and that's what matters."
"We had better be very careful everyone." said Amethyst Eyes, a young female Speed Shifter who was experienced and good at capturing animals. "We need to lure the beast in on this road. Then we can bind him."
"You got it!" Night Fury said.
"And Fury…" he looked at her hoping to get a compliment "Please go the right way next time."
Dang it. Also the others giggled at his mix up.
"I just have to do this right, do your classic luring trick. Yep! That'll work!" He said somewhat francically and nervously.
As the Cragodile continued to search for more felines to feed on, he noticed an annoying young feline.
"Take this!" he said, throwing stone spears at the beast. Although it did no damage it did make him a noticeable pest. "I am your challenge, come at me monster!!!"
Fury tried to bite the creature which did nothing since its scales were so tough. But now the Cragodile was ready to fight Fury.
It marched down the road and this time Fury could see his allies ready for the beast.
"Goooooooo!!!!"
Everyone threw near the Cragodile's four legs. Each leg was worked by a team of two, the speedy one to tie the rope and the other to keep the rope's tension.
The Cragodile was still distracted by Fury's seemingly futile attacks but it didn't realize it was being bound by the others.
"F-f-fight me!" Night Fury said bravely but with a worried stutter. "Y-you will not defeat us!"
The Cragodile with its legs tried to get Fury off of him. This type of Cragodile unlike others, developed longer and stronger limbs to walk on the ground. So Fury had to be careful. It did manage to scratch his tail.
Owww, come on Fury just keep this beast distracted. He said to himself.
And then finally the limbs got tied and the creature became immobile. It was now stuck in one place. And then the snout also became tied up. Fury felt some pride at that moment. He was about to say "In your face you giant lizard!" But before he said that…
"We need to hurry and have someone perform the attack! It's too strong for these ropes! Who here is available!?" Amethyst said.
It seemed as if the only ones there were busy binding the Cragodile. The other speed shifters were not available. Except for…
"Night Fury." she said.
"Wait uh me? You want me to do the attack?! You know I'm as good as chicken trying to fly! Can't we wait for reinforcements?"
"Look, kid, we have no choice! And before you say anything, all of our energy has been sapped earlier. From what I can tell you seem to be the only one who can do this." Amythest said. "Sometimes we're called to do things out of our comfort zone and this is your time! You can do this!"
Night Fury really didn't want to do this but he realized he had no choice. And anyways, Amethyst would have his hide if he didn't do his job. She was always a bit of a taskmaster even if she was kind when not ordering others around.
Night Fury revved up. Summoning the energy within, he jumped and ran over and past many buildings, building up enough speed to get himself ready for the signature Space Shifter technique.
Now he was glowing red. He realized it was time.
He ran forwards with great speed. He was careful not to trip on anything which could interrupt his Ruby Wind, as the technique was called.
"Hey this isn't so bad what's the worst that could happen- Oh no!"
He saw the snout, and the left leg's ropes were snapped. And he could be running into the belly of the beast.
Curses! Why couldn't you guys have kept the ropes going!
"Fury, ignore the snout being untied!" Amythest called out as he was dashing. "Just hit the snout! We'll try to keep it place!"
"Try" is the right word here. What if they don't keep it in?
Come on Fury I have to be brave and just go for it…
It's a suicide mission! We are probably not only gonna but fail! It's already too late.
While Fury was debating himself, he was slowing down. And he went slower and slower and slower. Until, he stopped. He was frozen in fear. He wasn't a great fighter. He couldn't do it. Maybe Bonecrusher could do this move.
Yeah that could work I'll ask…
ROARRRRR!!!!
Snap, snap, snap!
The other ropes were unleashed. The beast was now free.
"Nooooooooo!" Amythest cried out. "Evertbody retr-" she wasn't able to complete her command because the Cragodile's tail hit her several yards away.
Night Fury witnessed the other Speed Shifters get swatted like flies by the Cragodile. He realized his mistake and tried to save the others before getting slapped by the Cragodile.
No! Curse me. Curse me. How could I have let this happen…
And then he passed out.
…
"Huh, where am I?" Fury now saw he was in a medical hut.
"Hold still, boy!" said the doctor as pinned a needle in his arm.
"Owww! What the… Gasp. The Cragodile I have to stop it!"
"You don't have to worry, it's been defeated. Obsidian and the others managed to tie it up and defeated the foul beast. It was rough but we were victorious."
"Well that's great news!" Fury said with excitement. "We need to have a festival…"
"Festival?! After all the damage and casualties?! Absolutely not!" the doctor replied almost at the notion.
Fury was confused.
"But I don't understand. Didn't my father and the others beat the Cragodile?" Fury asked him.
The doctor simply looked down with sadness. "Sadly, only after much destruction and casualties. Several died trying to stop it."
Fury couldn't believe it. No. It was all his fault. All of it because he decided to not go for it. Maybe what others said about him was true. Maybe he really was a weakling and worst of all a coward.
"You're free to go now." the doctor said.
When Fury walked out, he saw all the wrecked houses and buildings. It looked as if a meteor had struck the village.
-
"I felt guilty about that my whole life. I failed to be brave the one moment I needed to." Fury told Luna.
"I see. That must have been quite a burden. Were you exiled?"
"No. Only me and my parents and some others knew about my act. They agreed because of my parents to keep this a secret. I was so disappointed in myself. Amethyst, who has survived, yelled at me. Which I felt like I deserved."
Fury looked down.
"I was going to leave the village knowing that I was not worthy. If I got eaten. Good riddance. They didn't need a loser like me." Fury said.
Luna finally realized she was not the only one with burdens. She never knew someone so fun loving could have this burden.
Luna was about to tell him he redeemed himself. But Fury said it first.
"Now before you cry, princess, and get my coat wet, this has a happyish ending."
-
Night Fury was ready to leave. He had no supplies. He figured he would wander alone and probably some manticore would eat him.
Hopefully it will be painful. Jade, Amethyst, and even Stonecrusher take care of guys. You deserve better than me.
As he was about to walk out. He heard someone behind him.
"Taking a little walk, boy?"
He looked behind and saw it was his father, Obsidian.
Dang it. he said to himself. I don't want to talk about this especially with him.
"Uh yeah… I just wanted to go camping."
"With no supplies?"
"Uh, I'm going minimalist."
His father laughed at this.
"You're normally a better liar than this, son."
Fury just looked down.
"Look, can I just go now?"
Obsidian turned serious.
"Son, listen to me now! You have made one of the worst mistakes in your life. You have brought disgrace upon yourself. And have caused that monster to wreak havoc. This is all true."
"Yeah, that's the reason I want to never be here again." Fury said.
"BUT!" Obsidian loudly. "You have also done great things. You have helped so many around you. You have been kind to others. Your stealth and sneaking helped to delay that thing. You have so much potential, boy."
"That's no excuse for what I did though."
"Absolutely not. But we all make terrible mistakes. I did it. Your mother did it. We all do." Obsidian said. "But what matters is what we do after. We can choose the cowardly way of giving up and leaving all your friends and family in despair. Or…"
Obsidian put his paw on his son's shoulder.
"Or you can spend every day making yourself a better person. Training hard and being ready for the next sign of trouble. Fury, you know why I haven't given up on you?"
"Because I'm your son?" Fury asked with derision.
"No. I could have had you as a farmer if that were the case. It's because even if you have fear and sometimes are awkward. Inside all of that is someone who has a true heart of obsidian. Hard and sharper than any rock."
Night Fury looked down.
"What if I fail again?"
"Then you get back up and do it again," Obsidian said. "Believe me, I have made even worse mistakes and showed the worst times in his life. It cost our people so much. But now look at me I am the most admired warrior in this tribe. And so can you boy."
Fury started to tear up now.
"Do you really think I can make up for this?"
"I know so son, I know so."
Fury then hugged his father and cried into his shoulder.
"I shouldn't be crying, I'm sorry."
"Ah don't worry. I saw Stone Crusher cry over spilled milk of all things. You're alright." Obsidian said.
After a while, they distanced themselves.
"I'll make sure I keep on trying and trying dad!"
"That's good, kid!" he heard another voice behind Obsidian. It was Amethyst. And she looked angry but not angry as in she was hateful but angry like a drill instructor.
"Amethyst I am so sorry and I will…"
"Silence! You are to climb that mountain south of us again for 7 hours straight!" she said fiercely.
"Wait right now? It's nighttime…"
slap!
"Ow!"
"You heard what I said kid. You messed up and you're going to make up for it! When we get through with you, you'll be wanting to go into the belly of the beast and burst a hole in it!"
That sounded absolutely disgusting to Fury. He looked at his father for a way to get out of this situation.
"Sorry son, but my cousin will tear me to pieces if you don't do this." He said laughing, not sorry at all. "And anyways the road to redemption is not easy!"
"You got that right Obsidian!" she replied to her older cousin.
"Aw man!" Night Fury whined.
"Save me the drama for later, NOW GET MOVING!"
And thus, Night Fury got ready for his nighttime penance.
-
"And that's how it went. Needless to say, I was more sweaty and sore than one of your guard recruits after a full training session." Night Fury said with a chuckle.
"In that case I feel truly sorry for you!" She said with a full on laugh instead of her usual chuckle.
"But from that moment on, I realized no matter what mistakes you make, it's never too late for you to make up for your flaws. Except if you're the one telling yourself that."
Luna now understood everything. Especially about what Sombra was trying to do.
"Is that why you were so angry at Sombra?"
"Yeah… He made me feel like what I was back then. Hopeless."
But then he looked into Luna's eyes.
"But my friends helped me get out of that state. And made me realize that my father and mother don't care about my past. They care about my present and what I do with it."
Luna was amazed at how a cake thief of all things could seem so philosophical.
"I bet you never expected me to be this deep huh?" Fury chucked.
"That would be correct. And you still act too much like a little child." Luna teased him. "But I like that. You reminded me of when my sister and I were younger and how she used to play pranks on me. The energetic popular sister teasing the young shy sister. And now I have my own weapon." Luna looked at him.
They both laughed.
"Night Fury, you are a hero. I just want you to know that." Luna said to him.
"Thank you." Night Fury said. "And you're a great princess. And if you have any personal demons I'm sure you can deal with them too."
"I'll try." Luna replied.
Night Fury wondered what was in her head but decided he would talk about it later.
And then the two saw some more falling stars.
"It's beautiful." Fury said. "I see why you love the night. And it's not just because of me." He teased.
Luna rolled her eyes but for some reason, she didn't know he blushed.
And so they enjoyed a great night together. Seeing constellations and several phenomena.
While they were watching. Celestia was watching with satisfaction and smiling. She knew they both had rough times in their lives. And they could use their friendship to help each other out. And it was working.