It was late in the afternoon when Night Fury was looking outside at the setting sun over Canterlot as the train was approaching the capital of Equestria. It was pleasant looking enough for Rarity to base a design off of, and yet the young feline seemed more tired than excited.
He honestly just wanted to relax and kick back as he had dealt with a lot in the span of a few weeks. From telling off two naysayers trying to defame him to having to deal with his new role as ambassador, he has been backed up to the brim. He thought back to what Celestia said about having to deal with such a high role in society…
While it may be a pain to deal with and might make you feel like you just want to quit, it will be all worth it once you get it over with.
"Well, I guess we'll get it over then, finally." Night Fury said. "Once I give a speech on how Equestrians and Speed Shifters are friends, yada, yada, yada," he moaned, "I can finally go back to Ponyville and eat one of Pinkie's experimental dishes or eat fish filet!" Night Fury started to brighten up now.
"Yeah I just have to give a good speech for those uppity types, this shouldn't be too long." Night Fury said confidently.
-
"Hold still, darling, I'm giving you the latest trend!" Rarity said as she gave Night Fury a cape adorned with storm clouds.
"Okay, okay! But is this really necessary? I only did that corny Power Pony gig for that one day!" Fury asked.
"Hey, they are not that cheesy. Their eloquent prose has its appeal." Rarity defended. "And besides I'm not in charge of history! I go with the spirit of the moment! And for today and hopefully the next few months, that will be power pony attire!" Rarity said as she finished fitting the cape around him. "Tada! Are you displeased now?"
Night Fury looked at himself and honestly, he kind of liked it. He could see why Spike liked these costumed folks.
"I knew you would like it! I mean I should know since I used to dress up as the heroines as a filly. So it is nice to revisit my fillyhood nostalgia," Rarity reminisced.
"Alright I gotta get going!" He said while rushing. "Thanks Rarity!"
Okay, you know what Celestia said. Just remember your victories over that Truther guy and that Chosen One punk. (Even if he is still out there. No, stay focused!)
Anyways, I'll say what is on this piece of paper Celestia gave me and be done. Simple as that.
Night Fury had arrived at the curtain when he heard the trumpets play and Princess Celestia speak. Luna was sleeping, taking care of her dream duties and Cadence was off writing some reports for the Crystal Empire.
"Ladies and Gentlecolts, our savior of Equestria from separation and disunity, I give to you our Speed Shifter hero, Storm Chaser who now goes by Night Fury!"
Everyone applauded as they saw Night Fury walk over waving to them while going over to the speaking booth.
"Hello there ladies and gentlecolts, I hope you folks are doing quite well! Certainly better than having to deal with some whiny nutcase in the middle of the night!"
Everyone laughed at that.
"It's just amazing to me that some ponies are so worried trying to make themselves great then they are and blaming every problem on one silly guy like me," more laughter in response, "they forget the real things that solve life's problems. Like working together toward one goal."
"And that's the whole point. Together we can unite together, as friends Speed Shifters and Ponies, to go up against any problem possible. So I saw that as long as we don't believe silly lunatics like home and keep our heads up high we can do great things! Long Live Equestria! Long Live the Speed Shifters! And most of all long live-"
Suddenly all the lights turned off.
"I can't see anything!"
"Someone please give me some light I say!"
"This had better not be a practical joke."
Night Fury was just as surprised to see that the lights had gone out. Great, some technical errors with the lighting. Just what I needed today. Night Fury just expected this to be some typical speech for Equestria's elite and now people are nowhere near as satisfied.
But there was no way he was going to let this speech go to waste. "Don't worry everyone! I'll take care of this! Probably just some little mishap." He reassured the crowd.
But before he walked back behind the covers, a loud voice spoke up.
"On the contrary Night Fury, I will take care of not just this little predicament but everything." An ominous voice echoed.
"Who's there! Show yourself!" said one of the guards.
"Oh but where would the fun in that be? Ha ha ha ha!" The ominous voice said.
Celestia was not sure who this was, he spoke in a deep bellowing voice, probably not natural and using a voice change spell. But either way Celestia was not going to let this troublemaker go any further.
"Spare us your poor ideas of comedy! Who are you and what do you want?" Celestia said although she has a feeling who this was.
"Why Your Highness, I am what the ponies of Manehattan used to call the Chosen One! Because I was chosen by the ponykind to save Equestria from the scourge of this ravenous carnivore. Until they all turned against me, deceived by his trickery!" The voice said in an outraged manner.
"Oh puh-lease you totally had it coming!" Night Fury said. "I had a right to defend my reputation and I think I did so pretty well considering everyone thinks you're an annoying whiner." Fury said smugly.
The voice was not amused. He was done playing games.
"You might have won the battle Night Fury, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve for you. I will defend the royal family and the Mane Six from you with this method!" He said with confidence.
"Oh really? And what may that be, squirt?" Night Fury smugly asked.
Don't bait him, Fury. Celestia thought annoyed.
"You'll see soon enough." The voice said before going silent and the lights turned back on. Everyone in the room was rather confused as to what this threat could be, but they couldn't figure it out.
"Not to worry, everyone. I'm certain that whoever messed with the lights and gave those threats was just pulling a prank." Fury said with a bit of confidence. Everyone had calmed down slightly, except for Celestia, although she tried to keep a calm façade. She was on high alert after what this mysterious voice was talking about when it said that it had "A few tricks up their sleeve."
"Do not worry, this is all just unpredictable amusement. Anyways, for now, please enjoy the treats we have in store."
The guests were delighted to eat some tasty morsels.
Celestia whispered to one of her royal guards, "Find out who was making that voice. Keep an eye out for anyone suspicious." The guard saluted silently.
"Well, that's the end of that! To be completely honest, I really don't get what this random dude was talking about. Saying he has some 'Tricks up their sleeve.' Pfft, yeah, big whoop."
Gee, how did this pony get through all the guards? Celestia has this place surrounded with a whole army of them!
Then he realized, he once said he had connections with royalty. Of course, perhaps there is someone here in this very palace that is a crook.
While he was thinking, he had not realized Celestia was walking over to him.
"Night Fury, keep an eye out for anyone who stands out. Be very careful." Celestia looked at him dead in the eyes. And then replaced with a calm smile. "And have a fun time, especially not to worry the guests." She winked.
"Ha ha. Yeah you're right about that!" Night Fury said as he ate some cake. At least the cake hadn't failed him. "You know Celestia, I would have never expected the goddess of the sun, the most powerful being in Equestria, would be so laid back and cheeky."
"It's a good way to keep yourself calm. After all the problems I had to solve, you learn that keeping your cool is essential to survival." Celestia said as she drank some sugary tea.
Night Fury chuckled at this. "I'll keep that in mind, princess." They both kept up their relaxations.
For the next thirty minutes there was no calamity, no unexpected events, everything just seemed normal. Night Fury and Celestia were relieved but also felt some tension. The royal guards still had not found any clues. So Night Fury felt more worry than relief.
What are you planning, you smug little coward? What are you planning?
At this point, the couples were now dancing together; it was a ballroom after all.
Night Fury could see with his strong peripheral vision usual for his race, that there were guards looking at the crowd waiting for some peculiarity to show up. He was too. He was getting so tired of waiting. So tired.
I just want some clue… anything. He thought to himself frustrated.
Zzzzzzz… they do not suspect a thing master. They still are confused.
Excellent. That Night Fury won't know what hit him.
"Wait, what was that?" Night Fury asked himself. He thought he had heard some suspicious noise. It just seemed off.
Night Fury noticed no one else was paying attention. Only his ears were sensitive enough to hear it. But it did surprise Fury, a few months ago he wouldn't have detected something this small. It showed how much he was developing.
But this is no time to waste! It sounds like it's coming from my room!
He wanted to get Celestia, but she wasn't around anymore. It seems she was doing her own thing. Perhaps he should go find her.
"No!" He said to himself. "This is my chance to finally catch this crook! If I delay now, it'll be the same as before with him escaping! Sorry Celestia, I'm gonna have to go against orders… again. But it's for a good cause."
Night Fury then calmly but quickly walked out of the room so as to not draw attention. And then when he was alone, he ran as fast as possible to the room where he heard the noise. He stopped just before the door and listened in, on the inside, he could hear voices going back and forth.
"You think this will be enough to get back at that fish-eating freak?"
"Definitely, once we get this out into the world, there's no going back for him."
Fury sat there in deep thought, wondering what to do.
Okay, on one paw, I want to get Celestia and a few guards to handle this. But on the other paw, I want to do this on my own and prove to myself and others that my previous trauma doesn't define me. Argh! What does this have to be so difficult!?
"This will be the greatest calamity in all of Equestria. That Fury fellow will see everything he loves turn to dust! Yes it shall!"
Night Fury finally started to be less conflicted.
Oh is that so, buddy? You think you can take me and my friends down!? Well too bad for you! Sorry Celestia, but I'm not gonna let him ruin everything.
Night Fury unleashed his red energy. He was ready to fight whatever was behind that door and bring them to justice.
"Justice is about to be served!" He proudly yelled as he ran into the room. But as he entered, he saw that no one was in there. He observed the room and found a little crystal above the window in the center of the room playing a clip of two ponies talking. Fury didn't want to believe that he had been tricked, but he just was. The crystal flickered, revealing a timer for 30 seconds and another cloaked pony that turned out to be The Chosen One.
"Hello, CAT! As you can clearly see, there is a timer going down in front of you,"
28…
"This entire situation was merely fabricated by my own genius, amazing am I right, and for one reason only…"
20…
"To get rid of you! You see, from the first day I laid eyes on you, I was immediately disgusted by you and didn't want anything to do with you. But like those country bumpkins Miss Twilight Sparkle decided to ruin herself and her family with, I tolerated you. Until you stepped out of your place. Until you thought you could be the center of a pony's attention. So I decided that I would get rid of you by running you out of your new home town, but that clearly didn't work."
15…
"Then, I tried to get politics involved by trying to expose some rather extreme opinions that I made for you. But with you revealing yourself at the end of your little 'Hero escapade', you ruined that part of my plan. Not to mention that you almost caught me."
11…
"And so, that brings us to now. The countdown your seeing, is for a set of remote bombs that I had my associates set for me. This is my final attempt at finally ridding Equestria of your wretched existence. And I believe it will be my final attempt."
9…
"So take a good look at what you've done, freak. You've made a name for yourself, got the position of ambassador of your kind and even managed to court with the princesses. But that will be no more."
6…
"As a final note, I want to say thank you for the exhilarating battle. You really tested my patience, but now is the end of your new life."
3…
2…
1…
"Goodbye, you wretched beast."
BOOM
All of a sudden, sparks, explosions, rubble falling. It all happened so suddenly. Night Fury felt all the rubble, the wood, the tiles, the lights, the glass. It was all on him. He prided himself with a durable body but even this was too much for him.
"Night Fury!"
He heard a distant voice. It sounded like… Cadence. He didn't really… care though. Because everything was fading… away.
"Guards… up, and get the medics!" He managed to hear
"Cadence…"
And then… nothing. It was all black.
-
"Ugh…"
"He's up! Get the doctor!" Night Fury heard a female voice.
It was a bit hard for him to get his bearings but he finally woke up and after adjusting to the light he woke up to see some nurse ponies by his side.
"Wha… What in the name of mother nature happened? Argh!"
The nurse kept him from standing up. "You need to stay here for now. And to answer your question, you were knocked out to put it mildly." The nurse said with some fear.
"Uh could you be a bit more descriptive? I'm not a baby, I can handle it." Night Fury said wanting to get answers.
"Well Ambassador Fury, you were found under a whole bunch of rubble, detonated by a bomb." A tough old doctor unicorn stallion with a scar near his eye answered.
Night Fury then remembered clearly. He remembered what the Chosen One said. He remembered the ticking bomb. He remembered… the explosion.
"Wait, how am I doing?! Am I paralized? Did a limb come off of me?!"
The nurses steadied him as the old doctor looked at him and gave a light chuckle.
"Woah woah, easy! No limbs have come off you and you're not paralyzed. But I will say that a sizable amount of bomb shrapnel and sharp glass was pulled out of you in surgery. You're very lucky to be resistant to major damage. Any other creature would have instantly died from the blast alone!" The doctor said with both reassurance and genuine surprise. "You Speed Shifter folk are certainly hardy."
"Hoo!" Fury breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah that's for sure. But if that was three months ago before I really was in shape, I probably have least lost one of my limbs. But for us Speed Shifters we have that energy that gives us some protection, more the stronger one is. An untrained cub would have been as vulnerable as a normal pony. A good reason for us to train. No wonder why Amethyst was so hard on me." He said truly appreciating how important his grueling training was for his survival.
Slam! Night Fury heard the door open.
Night Fury then heard some heavy hoofsteps approach rapidly. He knew exactly who they were and it was nice to see some familiar faces as they entered his room.
"By the grace of the gods, Night Fury's okay!" Cadence said as she came in.
"Well, I wouldn't say that I'm fully okay. I can still feel some shrapnel somewhere in me, but I think I can… get… it… OW!" He growled in pain as he pulled an extra large piece of shrapnel the size of a wooden ladle out of his back.
"You young rascal! Let the nurses do that job!" The doctor scolded him. "Do you want to accidentally sever your spine?!"
"Um no, that wouldn't be good." Night Fury sheepishly said.
"Just relax! There is no rush for anything." The doctor instructed.
Night Fury then looked at Cadence.
"What happened?"
Cadence turned from relief to bitter remembrance.
"Well I heard a loud explosion while I was filing paperwork for some tax plans in the conference room."
"That… was probably the bomb."
Cadence's face went pale as ice and her eyes shrunk to pinpricks, she knew she heard an explosion but she wasn't expecting it to have been a bomb.
"A B… B-bomb?"
"Yeah. The Chosen One decided to try and take me out completely by having one of his associates plant a bomb trap in one of the guest rooms… Urg! And he used a recording crystal to lure me in, like the one at the museum." Fury explained, grunting as the nurses felt him over.
Cadence was shooketh, she wasn't ready to hear what she had heard. Out of all the challenges she had faced from the changeling invasion at her wedding to King Sombra's return, she wasn't ready for something as extreme as an attempted assassination. Just before she could speak any further on the matter, Celestia and Luna ran in with panicked looks on their faces.
"Oh my gosh, Fury, are you okay?!" Luna asked frantically.
"Yeah, fine. Just banged up a little."
"What were you thinking?!" Celestia came, making all the doctors and nurses freeze and move out of her way as she walked in. "You could have been killed from that explosion, why didn't you come and get me?!"
"Well I…"
"You know what, I don't want to hear it! You have gone against my word once more and look where that's gotten you. I would have thought that you would have been taught better by your parents, but clearly there's been a mix up. And another thing…" Before Celestia could keep going with her rant, Fury exploded into a rage.
"What was I supposed to do?! Just let whatever happened go on?!" Night Fury ranted. "And it's your own fault you were not there princess! I was alone and I expected the worst! How was I supposed to know it was a trap?" Fury asked furiously.
Celestia did not agree with him.
"I'm sorry but some of us have responsibilities outside of what you have! I was trying to protect the citizens of this city by making sure everything was accounted for!" Celestia said.
"Yeah and leave me alone with no assistance or ways to solve things?! Can't you just admit you're wrong?!" Fury said, closing in on her face.
"Perhaps if you had shown more restraint then you would still be active but you always go by yourself and do whatever you so please! You should think better than to do what you did! Perhaps your parents did not teach you enough restraint!
Night Fury grabbed her neck and roared into her and spoke in a voice akin to the Royal Canterlot Voice.
"DO NOT TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY LIKE THAT, YOU ROYAL PAIN! WE HAVE A WAY TO DEAL WITH CREATURES WHO SAY SUCH THINGS-"
Then out came a cry from another source.
"Enough! Cease your arguing now! Both of you!" Luna said in her Royal Canterlot Voice as she used she pushed both back with a thud.
"Ow!" Both felt pain from the Princess of the Night's force.
"Is this anyway for civilized creatures to act? In times of duress for us to lose all sense of reason and become like manticores?" Luna stopped and took a deep breath. She saw Night Fury was looking away still angry while Celestia seemed a bit regretful.
"Sister, I think you should apologize to him." Luna said.
Celestia nodded.
"I apologize, Night Fury, I was too harsh considering you had good intentions. It was also wrong for me to insult your parents like that." Celestia said.
Night Fury was still looking away but everyone else could see his expression softened.
"Pfft, I'd rather die before I let that slide." Night Fury said grumbling.
Before Celestia responded. Luna spoke up.
"I know this has not been easy for you, Night Fury, this has been a hard time for you. Do you wish to talk about how you feel?" Luna asked with condolences.
Night Fury looked away again.
"I'm fine. You don't have to worry."
"Night Fury…"
"I said I'm fine! Can't you princesses take a hint!?"
Luna held a hoof on his shoulder. "Night Fury I wish to help you. You know how I helped you in that temple. You helped me open up. So please open up to me."
Night Fury slowly looked at Luna. After a brief period of silence, his mouth opened.
"The only thing I want is to know that I'm not useless and a coward!" Fury said, finally letting the tears flow. "Ever since that incident back home, I never felt the same! I've been called many things. Useless, coward, disgrace, disappointment… I've even been told that my parents should have never had me!" He wept in a way Celestia had not seen before. Cadence almost burst into tears herself as she heard what Fury had been called in his past but held strong, although she was weeping on the inside for him.
"I wish I was stronger like my parents. I wish I could deal with all of these stupid things in my life like them! But I was wrong. It seems I'm cursed to have bad luck come my way and for me to respond in the worst way possible. To fail so hard." Night Fury said.
Luna put a hoof over his shoulder. She looked at him with sympathy. "It will be alright, Night Fury. Remember when that museum incident happened? You thought it was the end of the world. You thought you were never going to get out of this situation. But you did! And you have repeatedly shown yourself campable. And we will keep on going forward in that respect! Do you understand Fury?"
Night Fury was quiet and simply gave a light nod. Then he spoke. "Thanks Luna. But I think I need some time alone. But still thanks for making me feel a little better about all that is happening."
Luna gave a light smile and nodded.
The other princesses looked at each other thinking of what to say. Luna then motioned for her fellow royals to step out with her.
"While I am rather disappointed with him for attacking me, I can't say that it was entirely his fault. He must have been bottling up his emotions for who knows how long. I can't imagine what he must be going through right now." Celestia said with some grief.
"I could say the same, auntie. And I think I know why." Cadence said, recalling the events over the past few months. "When he saw that everypony was going against him and shaming him for who he was, he must have been reminded of when he was shamed for not being able to step up when he needed to."
"I must concur, he told me that he felt like he should be dead for being so cowardly when his kind needed him the most. He honestly felt that since he failed to save his parents that he shouldn't deserve one more second of his existence." Luna explained. "And perhaps he is feeling that same level of disappointment. Which is why he tried to overcompensate that feeling with blind rage. Honestly, even if you had not said anything, he probably would have snapped eventually and better one of us than a normal pony." Luna said as a matter of fact.
Celestia noticed Luna looking at him with sad eyes. She knew how Luna felt being taken by feelings of inadequacy.
Celestia put a hoof over Luna's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Luna, I'm sure Night Fury will be fine. He'll be back to his usual youthful self." Luna seemed a little more relieved. "And we will bring this Chosen One to justice."
Luna nodded her head. Soon one of the nurses came out to give the princesses a sitrep on Fury's condition.
"Well, your highnesses, he'll be okay. We'll have to keep him here for a few more hours and put him under anesthesia. We found some more shrapnel lodged in his back and sides that we need to extract. He should be very thankful that nothing vital was damaged." The nurse explained.
"I don't know what he'll be like once he wakes up, but I do have a feeling that he will need some comforting." Luna said.
Celestia giggled lightly and faced Luna. "It seems you have more knowledge of him than either me or Cadence. I leave him to you. I hope you'll be able to make him feel better."
"I will try my best." Luna said.
And so Celestia and Luna waited.
-
5 hours later…
Celestia and Cadence had left to find more leads on the Chosen One. Out in Canterlot, there was a sense of fear as the newspapers caught wind of this explosion in the palace. And the two had to calm everyone down while finding the culprit.
Meanwhile Luna had a more calm but no less worrying task of soothing Night Fury. She herself was worried for him.
And then she saw him moving around slightly. Was he waking up? Luna was on full alert for whatever he would do.
"Ughhhh." She heard the black feline groaning and waking. "Ohhhhhhh, w-where am I?" He wondered allowed, not noticing Luna beside him.
Luna sighed a breath of relief seeing that Night Fury was not in a hurricane of a mood like before.
"Night Fury, it's me Luna. Are you alright?" she asked softly. The black feline looked up and squinted, his vision still not being at its best yet.
"Um y-yeah I guess. I feel strange though. And I can't see quite well, that anesthesia stuff really packs a punch." He said with some pain.
The doctor finally came in with his clipboard and gave it as straight as it can get.
"Well, ambassador, you're good to go. While I'm rather surprised that you managed to survive that explosion, I can't say that I could predict what would happen to you since your biological makeup is still mostly unknown to Equestria. We may even have to run some tests on you." The doctor joked.
"But I can't stress this enough, you need to take it easy. You may have been resistant to the shrapnel dealing any major damage, but you still took some big hits. Not to mention that you're still recovering from the anesthesia. I suggest that you stick to Princess Luna's side for the day." He warned.
"I'll take that in full value, Doc. Did we catch that creep yet?" Night Fury asked. "I would like it if we did."
Luna shook her head. "I'm afraid not, we still have to find him."
Night Fury even in his dazed state was still pondering who he could be.
"Maybe we should go back to the explosion site to search for clues." Night Fury suggested.
Luna thought about this. She was reluctant in letting him move at all, but he was well enough to do so.
"While I do find it hard to even let you move right now, I cannot deny that you may have some helpful insights about this."
"Okay then, let's get to the crime scene." Fury said, standing up on shaky legs. Luna braced herself against him to give him a stable walk as they left the underground hospital and went to the bombing site.
Luna realized though Night Fury was still not in a fully capable state, definitely not suited to fight or run for today, that he could still pull his weight. So she will be sure to protect him. Just like he had with her sister.
-
Luna and Fury had now arrived at the scene of the crime. Guards flooded the corridor and some of the elites were conversing with each other on the matter at hand. Fury turned his head up to see a familiar face amongst the crowd.
"Fancy Pants?" Fury called out, getting his attention.
"Oh dear, ambassador, I hope you are doing well! Whoever this villain is, I hope he gets brought to justice!"
"Don't worry, he will. He will." Night Fury said looking around with a bit of paranoia. "I'm not gonna let him get me again."
He then walked past the gentlecolt and looked at the wreckage.
He saw some Royal Guards guarding over the crime scene. He saw the somepony with a suit and hat on. It was one of the detectives. He looked like he was in one of Rarity's old timey film noirs. It seems he was talking with some ponies.
"Excuse me, sir?" Night Fury asked the detective. "Is it alright if I talk with you?"
"Absolutely," the hardboiled detective replied, "as a matter of fact I was hoping to talk with you earlier, ambassador."
"Well, you're talking to me now. So, what information have you gathered so far?" Fury asked.
"Well, so far I've found out that whoever planted this bomb was good at motion detection magic. When you stepped in, the passive spell was activated and triggered the crystal to start projecting this random message and for the bombs to arm." The detective explained.
"Also, whoever could have done this was able to get clearance to be at this level in the castle. Only royals, friends of royals, elites, and other associates that the sisters approve of are allowed on the guest room and throne room floor."
"Hmmm I see. And there was supposed to be some recording. Did any of that stay intact?" Luna asked
"Well not much is left, but we did manage to find some shards of this recording crystal." The detective showed the two some fragments.
"Huh, interesting." Fury said.
"Sadly we can't get this to work anymore. It seems broken."
Night Fury and Luna were still curious however.
"Maybe we could find something to make use of this." Night Fury said.
The detective gave the crystals to him and told him to be careful with them. They, after all, were quite delicate.
While Night Fury liked how shiny and blue they looked he wasn't sure what to make of them. But Luna seemed a bit more familiar with them.
"Hmmm, it seems that this recording crystal is specialized for bait and switch type spells. This type of crystal is mostly used in the castle archives to throw off any intruders by making illusions of what the room actually looks like. Whoever got these crystals must have gone far out to get them because these are only manufactured in the Crystal Empire."
Night Fury realized the crystals looked a lot like the big ones from the Crystal Empire, just smaller.
"So, you're saying that whoever set this up went all the way out there to go get them? Man, these guys are persistent and determined. Which gives me an idea…" Night Fury pondered.
"Oh? How so?" The detective asked.
"If these ponies are getting these crystals from the Crystal Empire, they must have an undercover supplier."
"True, but shipments of those crystals usually take days, if not weeks." Luna said.
"Then they must have either had a lot of time on their hooves, or they meet in the middle with their supplier for faster export. Back home, my kind has a few bad apples that smuggled toxic cider and crystal dust across borders. And as a precaution to keep their time out in the open to a minimum, they would meet in the middle of their secret supply routes to maximize product."
The detective and Luna took his words to heart and were wondering if they could track these illegal suppliers and in so doing find who they sold it to, i.e. the assassin.
"Perhaps we ought to request Princess Cadence for assistance." Luna observed. "She might have had to deal with a few of these troublemakers, and maybe even has some top secret information on the topic."
"That's a good idea Luna, but I suggest we keep this low key." Fury advised "We can't let them know that we're going out to look for them, or else their routes will shut down and we'll never find out what's going on. But first, I think it's time that I put my role as ambassador to good use." Night Fury now had confidence in what to do.
"Luna, get with the other princesses and round up the elites in the conference room. I think it's time we officially declare this as a diplomatic emergency." Night Fury instructed.
Princess Luna agreed and walked to get the others.
"Gee, you sure know your stuff about these criminals, Ambassador. Was your father a sheriff?" The detective asked with curiosity.
"Well kind of. He was like part of our military. He often hunted down those illegal operations. The Chief always said that those toxic cider sellers disgraced our people and must be brought to justice. And my father through some cunning and speed put a lot in their place. So many were scared to carry out crime because of my father Obsidian." He said with pride as he remembered his father told him tales of those adventures. "If I ever see him again, maybe I'll go on more of those quests."
The detective nodded. "Well I hope you find him again, lad. But right now you should hurry and get the scoop on the self proclaimed Chosen One."
"Yep. Thanks for the help, buddy. See ya." He said walking with some other guards as he still had not fully recovered yet.
Night Fury felt less hopeless now, but still was wondering how much the Chosen One knew. He now genuinely feared him in a way he didn't back in Manehattan. He just hoped that the Chosen One wasn't going to be one step ahead of him. I'll be ten steps ahead of you. Bring it on.
-
A Few Minutes Later…
Fury walked into the conference room with his guard still by his side. The princesses invited him to sit down and he began speaking to the others.
"So, I assume you all know why you're here?"
Cadence, the other princesses and the elites nodded.
Cadence and Shining Armor walked up to Night Fury while levitating a document.
Shining Armor rolled it out revealing a multitude of secret trade routes of many illegal goods and services. From foal slavery, to so-called Alicorn Amulets, poisons, spike booby traps, and of course detonator crystals.
"Gee, this royal member instead of using his knowledge to expose these punks, actually uses these services for his own plans." Night Fury was even more disgusted but not surprised. He then saw the trails with detonator crystals on them. He looked at Shining Armor.
"Okay, the detonator crystals are coming through on this train line. Does this shipment make any stops before reaching Canterlot?" Fury asked
"Well, the train leaves the Crystal Empire around noon. And then goes through the snowy mountains and the desert. But, the train does make a stop at Dodge City to refuel. It usually takes around twenty minutes to get the train going again." Shining Armor replied. "My sister's friend Applejack once went there to win in the rodeo. The town does have some ruffians so it would make sense if someone there bought something illegal there."
"That's a perfect amount of time to snatch up a load of crystals. And look, there's a trail that leads away though the desert and heads through The Whitetail Wood near Ponyville. It has the perfect amount of cover, it's out of the way and has a short travel time to Canterlot."
"Hmmm. You're quite observant, kid." Shining Armor complimented. "Yeah it seems they would want to go through this area for the reasons you mentioned."
"But if we have these paths, then why are these illegal operations still going?" Night Fury asked.
"Well we do our best, but our military is pretty spread out, what with having to defend the borders from invaders like dragons or internal security like in Canterlot. We have been making progress stopping these illegal operations. Just a week ago, we cracked down on an illegal poison manufacturer operated by kidnapped foals. But there is still a lot to do." Shining Armor said with a bit of regret. "Equestria might seem peaceful, but it's often because we like to keep our problems secret from those who would take advantage of us."
"Darn, that sucks. If me and my friends from home were on this scent, we would have stopped this in no time." Fury said sympathetically. But then, he had an idea.
"Wait a minute, that's it! I could lead this operation and use my knowledge of the forest from the way I lived as a kid and speed up the process!" Night Fury said excitedly. He would finally know what it would be like
"But Fury, you're still not in a fully healed state. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Cadence asked.
"This is a problem that I have on my back. Just because I'm a little weaker because of it, doesn't mean that I can't at least try and help fix it in some way. Besides, I still am able to sneak and leap around. The doctor said I was in a good enough state for that. I just can't use my powers or it would tear my body up at this point." Night Fury said. "But my dad always told me not to rely solely on my powers but also on my cleverness. And if I have a few strong pony troops to help me, I think I can lead them just fine." Night Fury said confidently.
Shining Armor thought of this for a little while.
"Okay, Fury, you have a deal. I'll assign some of my elite soldiers to help you find this seller. You should make sure this operation is kept secret though."
"That's good, but that's not the only thing that needs to happen." Fury said confidently. "Alright, here's the plan. Fancy Pants, you and the other elites get the word out on the issue. Make sure they're prepared for what might happen."
Fancy Pants nodded and led the other elites out of the room to warn the city.
"Cadence, Shining Armor, make sure those troops are ready and prepared. They need to be in top shape for this." Fury instructed.
The royal couple nodded and headed for the barracks to ready the troops.
"Celestia, Luna, you both know as well as I that this could be more than just an attack on me. So, I think we can all agree that we should put the city on lockdown and make sure that any entrance or exit out of here is finely documented and logged. I suggest that any suspicion towards anyone should be met with reasonable force. Anybody who refuses or fails to meet demands should be detained and questioned within parameters."
Celestia nodded. "Agreed, we will do our best to find this cold blooded killer."
Luna then added. "But please Night Fury, promise you will be careful. And not go into another bait or trap or anything, please."
Night Fury chuckled. "Don't worry Luna, I learned my lesson last time. I'm not gonna let them get the better of me again. And besides, I'll have some new friends by my side." Night Fury said smirking. "But enough talk, it's time for action."
And with that, the preparations were in full swing. Shining Armor and Cadence were preparing the troops for battle, doing drills and exercises to ready them in case of a brawl. Fancy Pants and the rest of the elites had already warned a fair amount of Canterlot of the situation at hoof. Ponies were grabbing their belongings, precious items and family members around them and went into full protection mode. And on top of it all, Celestia and Luna were sending orders out to guards across the city. Guards cladded in armor and armed with spears flooded the streets in droves, taking up posts at every major entrance to the city.
Fury was still worried that all of this was happening, but he didn't let himself get distracted with what he thought of the matter and focused on the task at large.
By tomorrow, he would be riding off to seek out the truth and to seek out justice.
-
Night Fury woke up. He did not get as much sleep as he would like from both excitement and worry. But either way he was ready to go retrieve some info. But first thing's first.
"I gotta get the right companions for this job. But can these ponies really match a Speed Shifter in these missions?" He wondered as it was the first time in a while he would be actually fighting alongside others. "Well I guess we'll find out."
He left his quarters that the Princesses made sure was checked for boobie traps and guarded for the whole night. He walked to the barracks.
There he saw the different military ponies doing jumping jacks, pushups and other activities to get themselves in shape. Then he saw others who were armored fighting with weapons like spears. He was impressed with what he saw. And yet…
"Can they do it while sneaking around? That's the real question."
He finally entered the main building and he saw Shining Armor working on what looked like some battle plans.
"Hey there Shining. So, do you have any companions to aid me now?" He asked.
Shining looked at him with a tired but determined look as someone who probably slept even less then Fury.
"Yep. I have some candidates that will fit the mission in Dodge City. I've been talking a lot with Princess Celestia, Luna and of course my wife. We were talking a lot about what types of troops would be needed for this." Shining Armor said. "For an operation like this, we can't just use brute force, after all they might escape. We need to go in with stealth and quickness."
Night Fury smiled at how Shining Armor was talking his language.
"So we brought in some not ordinary troops, but some special forces for this assignment. Each of them is quite experienced but from different backgrounds. From Luna's Night Guards to Cadence's Crystal Warriors, I give to your new companions."
But nopony came.
"Um Shining, I don't see anyone. Where is- gasp!"
He noticed at the last moment that somepony had snuck up a few feet behind him with a plastic knife. Normally he could easily detect ponies from several feet away. But they managed to sneak up on him like his father would sometimes.
"I heard you said you thought we weren't good at sneakin' 'round." said an earth pony stallion with a scar on his eyelids. "Well what do ya think now?"
Night Fury was impressed. But then he noticed some other ponies were behind some desks and in the shadows while he and Shining were talking.
"What do I think, you asked me? I think this is awesome! Finally creatures who can sneak as well as me! Shining, you're a genius!" Night Fury exclaimed.
"Don't just thank me. Thank Princess Luna as well. She always was good with night operations especially before she was banished to the moon. But she used some of that expertise to gather these spies and soldiers. Some of the best mares and stallions in stealth. They're how me and Cadence found out so much about these trails."
Night Fury knew Luna was cool. But never this much. This was amazing. He felt like with these he could really fight back.
"I'll let her know! But enough of the chit chat. I'm ready to get some action in." Night Fury said excitedly.
Shining Armor walked up to him.
"Sadly the princesses have important assignments now. They can't help you at this point. The same for the Mane Six who are also helping find clues about the Chosen One. However," Shining Armor gave a smirk. "I'm available. And I've been looking forward to one of these operations again. It reminds me of when I was a young recruit. What do you say, Fury?"
Night Fury was amazed. Now he was going to fight with the Captain of the Royal Guard itself? He always wanted to talk with him and now he will finally get his wish.
"Alright, let's do this! We ride in ten minutes everyone, so be ready!"
All the ponies beat their hoof to their chest. And proclaimed "For Equestria!" and then left to get their supplies. Night Fury was now feeling the excitement in his blood.
-
In order to throw off any possible spies, Night Fury made sure to take the train back to Ponyville for a "vacation from all the stress". But then with an outfit to conceal his identity and disguise himself as a sleazy salespony he took another train to a town near Dodge City. And then he would walk to a certain point in the middle of nowhere where Shining Armor and his troops were set up. It was in the desert in a cave in a large mesa.
"You would not believe what I did to make sure no one tracked us down. But I bet the Chosen One doesn't suspect a thing." Fury said with a confident smile.
But Shining was less sure. "Don't be certain of anything. You never know what that guy has in store. But anyways, let's get on with the plan." Shining Armor said wanting to quickly get to the point and rolling out a map on the cave floor.
"Okay, so the cars that usually hold the crystals are at the back of the train. Easy to get away with when nopony is that far back. Now, we're going to be looking for anything that shouts out 'Inconspicuous seller'. If anypony shows up at these cars, we'll know who we're looking for." Shining explained.
"And that's where my part of the plan comes in." Fury added. "Once we know who has the crystals, we'll send a signal to the pegasi up in the air to follow them from up above while I follow behind with a wagon hooked up to me with more ground troops in disguise on the inside. Once we reach The Whitetail Wood, one of the unicorn guards that will be with me will send off a flare to signal to Princess Luna's thestral guards to follow me into the forest."
"We'll follow the suspect into the forest until we find the meeting point in-between. Once we get to that point, we grab whoever we can, confiscate the crystal and pull in the smugglers for interrogation."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Shining Armor stated. "We'll have to do this as quickly and silently as possible before they escape."
Shining Armor and Night Fury were both ready for the mission ahead. "Everyone, you heard the plan, let's get these scumbags. For Equestria!" Shining Armor cried out.
"For Equestria!" The other guards yelled.
-
Part 1. Reconnaissance
honk honk
Night Fury was lying by a bunch of boulders looking through some binoculars at the incoming train. It seemed like a typical train.
"There is going to be a lot of supplies coming in since the rodeo is going to happen. There will be so many supplies which will give the chance for them to smuggle certain illegal items." said Cirrus, a female pegasus scout.
"Yeah, well we'll just have to see what they have in store for us." Night Fury said with excitement.
Afterwards the train stopped. And the ponies on the train proceeded to deliver the supplies to the various merchants. They were a rough bunch of ponies both the train ponies and the various buyers. But Night Fury could only see so much from a distance. They had to get closer to see the details of the transactions.
"Let's get in closer!" Night Fury said. He and the scouts were able to hide behind some rocks and since it was still only the very early part of dawn, they were able to sneak by easily. As they closed, they had some amulets that made them blend in more with the natural landscape.
They went up to a building that was the depot. And looked for any suspicious activity.
At first, it was simply normal items and normal business. Pies, cakes, party streamers, nothing out of the ordinary. Night Fury was getting a little impatient. But his father and mother taught him patience. And so he waited. And then he saw something unusual.
"Hey look, guys." Night Fury pointed at some sleazy, nervous looking cowboy ponies, apparently not part of the train staff, talking to the people on the train. "Are they making a deal? I wanna get in closer to hear what they're saying."
The other scouts nodded and they snuck from box to box closer to the train car where the conversation was taking place.
"-listen don't argue with me! Do you gentlecolts know how risky it was for us to get these crystals over here?!"
"Look, I don't care how hard it was. I'm saying you should give those detonator traps cheaper!"
"Green Bits will have my head and yours if he realized how little bits you were giving our supplies!"
Green Bits. Maybe that's the stallion in charge of these operations. I'll have to find out more about him.
"The guy might have a point boss." said the other sleazy cowboy. "We don't wanna be on his bad side."
"Fine, have your bits but we won't be so accepting next time!"
The two cowboys decided to leave. Leaving a lone salespony looking at the bits he had earned.
"What do we do, Night Fury?" One of the scouts whispered.
"Send the signal, I'll go grab the wagon, and we'll get moving."
Night Fury used the shadows and his limited camouflage to sneak past the guards. On the train, he saw a multitude of booby traps and amulets. He also saw these criminals looked strong and mean and meant business. Even at his strength he would have a hard time in his weakened state with all of them. But he stayed focused on the sniveling, smiling, skinny salespony. It seemed like I was ready to go somewhere. Probably the Whitetail Woods.
If there is one thing I'm good at it's sneaking and hunting down prey.
The salespony stopped packing and
was finally ready to leave for Whitetail Woods. He went with a few bodyguards and walked to his destination.
Night Fury hooked the wagon up to him and loaded his squad into it while he kept trailing him as he was now outside. Hopefully we get under the woods before the sun comes up to expose me!
-
As he kept on trailing the crooks, he noticed the desert turn slowly from desert to more of a forest atmosphere. Night Fury had more foliage to hide in now. He saw the guards and salespony stop for a break.
"Alright, we're nearing the edge of the Whitetail Wood. Get ready to alert the thestrals." He whispered to one of the pegasus scouts.
The pegasus scout walked a certain way into the forest clearing then when she was certain no one was watching she made some flapping noises producing a gust of unusual wind. To normal ponies this would just be the wind but a thestral is was part of the signal.
"Alright Thestral Guardians! You know what we must do!" The thestral commander said. "Let's go inside and be ready to ambush our little friend.
The mighty batlike ponies swooped down in positions ready for their move.
"Everyone is in position, Night Fury." the scout whispered.
"Good." Night Fury said grinning. "We'll wait for our little buddy to come out of that little cabin.
They were seeing a wooden cabin. It seems the merchant was too busy thinking of money to focus on his surroundings.
There were a few bodyguards. Three of them. With primitive armor from hundreds of years ago and trashy looking faces. Night Fury was not scared though. He saw it as amusement to pick off some foes and not have to feel guilty this time.
Night Fury threw a rock near one of the guards. He was lured into a bush and Fury defeated the guard. At the same time, some of the scouts went also luring the guards with grunts, the remaining bodyguards came over only to be beaten by those scouts. Night Fury was impressed.
Now the salespony was alone. Night Fury snuck up behind him. And gave him a kind greeting.
"Hello, illegal salespony." Fury said as he covered the salespony's mouth.
"Mmmmmmmmmmm!"
"Yeah, I can't understand what you're saying but if you yell for help, well let's just you dont wanna know I deal with enemies."
The scared dealer nodded silently. Night Fury let his paw off and asked away.
"So buddy, lemme ask ya. What's your name?"
"S-Steel, Molten Steel." The salespony sweated nervously.
"Interesting name. Well Steel, I have a few questions to ask." Night Fury said looking into the frightened criminal's eyes. "Have you come across a guy known as the Chosen One?"
"Um no? I-I never heard of that guy. What a crazy fellow calling themselves that!" The salesman insisted.
Gee, he is a really bad liar.
"Hmmm, are you sure about that? Because if you're lying I could have you see a nice view from a canyon. Would you like that?" Night Fury said, dragging Steel to a nearby cliff.
"Wait wait wait I don't wanna see it, thank you. I just wanna have a good time." Night Fury grabbed him by the neck over the cliff.
"Yeah this is a pretty fun view. I wonder what jumping down here would be-"
The salespony had enough.
"Okay fine, you win! Yes I do know about a certain pony called the Chosen One. I was in charge of selling stuff to him like bombs!"
Night Fury nodded.
"That's nice. Now can you give us a description of this rascal?"
"N n-no." Night Fury lifted him up over the cliff again. "Wait! I don't know who he is exactly. He never showed himself or talked to me. I just got my info from the boss."
Night Fury inquired more.
"So would that include a certain Green Bits?" Fury asked about the aforementioned boss of him
"Yes." The salespony started to calm down a bit. "He's a clever but ruthless boss. He sometimes goes by different identities. He has knowledge of the Boss. He knows my dirty secrets. He is the pony to find."
"What does he look like?" Fury asked. "And how do we find him?"
"He's a normal green unicorn who lives in the Crystal Empire. He sends us scrolls whenever a new shipment comes into Dodge City. He is a powerful crime boss that could rearrange my insides if I made one mistake!" Steel frantically said. Fury looked on at the shivering salespony and sighed, he wanted to drop him off the cliff anyway but he knew that the princesses wouldn't let him live it down without some choice words. He whistled to the thestral guards to come to him and arrest the pony in his paws, and they did so with no delay.
"Molten Steel, you are hereby being placed under arrest by the Equestrian Royal Guard. You have the right to remain silent, anything you do or say will be held against you in a court of law. You will be given 24 Hours to assign a lawyer to your case, if not then a lawyer will be provided by the state. Do you understand these rights?"
"Y-y-yes." Steel said with tears flowing.
As he was being walked away, Night Fury heard the rustling of the other criminals surrounding them getting arrested too. So far this was too easy.
But now comes part two. Night Fury said to himself, because he knew that this was far from over.
-
Back in the Crystal Empire…
Fury saw Shining Armor walking to him.
"Not bad, Fury. This went quite smoothly. So what info did you get?" Shining asked.
The young feline told the commander about this crime boss known as Green Bits and his location around the Crystal Empire area.
"Oh Celestia… that guy."
"You recognize him?"
"Yeah, he is a dangerous guy. He makes sure the job gets done no matter what tEmpiret. He is guarded by some tough enemies."
"Well, we can just stop him with your troops!"
Shining Armor shook his head.
"Listen, this guy is tricky. He is always able to be a few steps ahead of us. We were planning on getting him someday, but not at this point with all the dragon raids and other stuff." Shining Armor said. "This won't be like facing that wimp Steel. This guy is tough."
"Well I faced harder guys than him at the Crystal Empire. So I think I'm ready." Fury said confidently.
"Yeah I know. I'm still going to help you but we will approach with caution. Let's go to the train and we'll discuss our new plans later."
Fury agreed. After some more disguises they took a train, but this time to the Crystal Empire. The other princesses decided to meet in secret with them to get in.
-
It was a nice day at the Crystal Empire. It was beautiful as ever with the light reflecting off the crystals, especially the largest of all of them, The Crystal Tower.
In its throne room, Cadence, Shining Armor, Night Fury and others were gathered around newly placed tables and maps ready to discuss the whereabouts of Green Bits.
"I'm glad you two handsome fellows got the info on our next suspect." Cadence said with Shining blushing. "But you're not the only ones who made progress, my Crystal Scouts have been able to retrieve more routes and meeting times for this Green Bits guy."
"So what do we do?" Night Fury said anxious to finally get the info about the Chosen One. "From what I've heard from that seller we captured, this guy has his own personal guard and is so feared that he said he would rearrange somepony's insides with one screw up."
"Heh, what a charming stallion." Cadence said sarcastically. "Well that might be true but we have the element of surprise on our side and it seems he wants to have a special deal in three days with some Nightmare Moon revivalists. Crazy ponies. And unfortunately for him, he will have to be in a forested area, where you, my feline friend and my strong husband will be able to ambush him." Cadence said with confidence in both of them.
Cadence, then stood up from her throne and went to a map of the area Green Bits would be. It was once again forested but this time it had more swamp. It would be difficult for normal ponies
"Hmmm, it seems like this place is more swamped than the Whitetail Wood. How do you think we should approach this?" Fury asked.
"Well luckily in situations like this," Cadence said. "We have some special exotic guards who specialize in watery areas like swamps. They are not quite as experienced as thestral guards since they are newer but they will probably be our best assistance for the moment. Our Maritime Unicorn Units will be looking forward to one of their first operations."
"That's a good thing, but what about me? I'm not good at getting through swamps and never was. Maybe if I had my full power, then I might be able to have somewhat of a chance."
"Well perhaps in those three days, I can give you some amulets to help resist the swamp, but more importantly I will also train you to be good at fighting in water." Shining Armor said. "I was involved in the founding of this unit so I will be able to help train you. What do you say?" Shining Armor said.
"Well, I guess that could work. But I'm just gonna be honest, it just doesn't feel the same when you need help to do something that should be easy for you." Fury said, a little disappointment in his voice.
"And if you feel like you need a break, Fury." Cadence said. "You can rest here for today." Shining nodded his head.
"Yeah, I feel like I need a break. And besides, there's someone else that I've gotta talk to." Fury said.
"And what would that be?" Cadence asked.
"Let's just say that this someone is very beneficial to my pursuit of gaining control of my full potential." He said as he walked off.
"What do you think he was talking about?" Shining asked Cadence.
"Well knowing Night Fury, it's probably something beyond our understanding. He's a guy you wouldn't expect to have secrets, but he does." Cadence said.
-
Night Fury was given a comfortable room. Much nicer than he expected. He thought ponies in the Crystal Empire simply slept on the crystal beds.
"To do what I have to do, I'll just have to relax." He said laying on the couch while eating some grapes and listening to old timey music on the record. As he did so his eyes drifted and he fell asleep.
…
Night Fury then seemingly woke up in a mountainous area. But it was less snowy. By no means was it warm but he could see the grass though it was still a little too windy for his comfort.
He then went back on track to find the person he could get advice from. He checked around the usual mountain but it seems he wasn't there.
"Grrr. Dang it, this emperor calls me annoying but at least I'm not missing when someone else wants to talk to them!" Fury said, a bit annoyed. But then he heard a sound. It seemed to be the sound of singing. It sounded like one of those ancient songs the village elders used to sing.
He came to the sound to discover that Emperor Snowdrift was by the river reciting ancient poetry.
"Hey Emperor!"
"Ahhh!" The emperor for the first time seemed surprised. "My concentration! I was in the middle of writing an epic poem of Speed Shifter history! You younglings have no respect for the fine arts!" Snowdrift said angrily.
"Look, I'm sorry I interrupted your poetry sessions," Night Fury said even if he didn't really care about the poetry "but I really need your help. I'm in a desperate state. And I could use your help."
The emperor seemed more understanding now. "I see. Come and sit down. Tell me your issues."
Night Fury sat down and explained what he was worried about. The emperor listened closely at the details and was shocked to hear what happened to Fury. In that moment he realized that it was time to reveal to him his true potential.
"By the gods might, I can't imagine how much pain you felt. Emotionally and physically. I'm so sorry, young one." Snowdrift said with genuine sympathy.
"It's fine. I'm just getting used to all this newfound responsibility and burdens."
"I see you now know what it is like to be me, filled with all such responsibilities but it is important at these moments to keep your head strong. You said you need some help? Very well I will give you the first step to your True Potential."
"True Potential? No offense, but I need more than just advice-"
"No! I mean as in your actual potential to reach the next level in abilities!" The Emperor corrected him. "Now pay attention. This potential will require your utmost concentration. I am going to help you attain this ability. It is something only certain Speed Shifters are allowed to be taught."
"Wait… are you talking about what I think you're talking about?" Night Fury asked anxiously.
"Yes I am." The Emperor nodded. "You have proven yourself worthy enough. Not perfect, but so far quite good. But this next step will require the most out of you. Are you ready, Night Fury?" The emperor asked pointedly.
"Understood, where do we begin?"
The Emperor closed his eyes for a moment in thought as he had not helped others train in awhile.
"Your first assignment is to channel nature's energy. Use it within you."
"Okay, how do I do that?" Night Fury asked, still confused.
"And this is how you will do that, youngling! You must focus your thoughts. Make them into something fun."
"Wow, I thought fun was a word you hated, Emperor." Fury said, a bit surprised.
"Well I have my own hobbies in case you remember. So go on. Use your creativity."
"Okay, let me try something." Fury said. He sat down in the snow, focusing on what he wanted to see himself as. He thought of what he could do with his new power and traced it out in his mind. His fur began to glow red as he began to draw a holographic representation of himself. The emperor watches on in silence as he watched the hologram take shape. Soon enough, a black falcon the size of Celestia arose from the snow and presented itself to the emperor.
"Well done, Night Fury, I am very impressed." The emperor said as gazed upon Fury's creation. "A hologram like this could be used for deceiving foes for short periods of time."
"Thank you, Emperor. I guess seeing alicorns made me think of larger versions of creatures then usual."
"Well, keep that creativity in mind as you will use that for your transformation. Now then," The emperor turned to the wind, "I want you to imagine yourself as something greater, as in a greater warrior of yourself."
"Okay, watch me work." Fury said, closing his eyes and focusing once more. The hologram warped and shifted with his thoughts, changing back to a more feline shape. But instead of just a feline shape, it was cladded in armor, armed with a spear and had battle paint on his face.
"And viola, a warrior to surpass any thieving snake or bad mouthed menace."
The Emperor could now see that his mind produced a more practical warrior version.
"I see that you were influenced by the warriors of my generation." He said as the emperor was reminded of the many battles he fought with warriors similar to the hologram. "The next step is not to just imagine one, but to become one but this, my boy, will be the hardest step of all."
"I'm ready for anything!"
"Do you remember how I gave you that scroll on meditation incantations?" The emperor asked rhetorically. "Well now is the time to make your own incantations. You must look to your surroundings, to nature, and to imagine yourself as a warrior that is part of nature itself."
Night Fury was a little confused but he figured he would learn as he went along.
"Okay, a little strange but I'll do it."
Fury closed his eyes once more, imagining that he was in a forest much like his home. The emperor watched as the snow disappeared into grassy paths and a thick treeline, the wind practically disappearing in seconds. Fury opened his eyes and was amazed at what he had done, he had completely changed the environment at just a thought.
"Holy mother nature, I did it!" He said excitedly.
"That you did, young one. I believe you are ready to use this knowledge to your advantage." The emperor said smiling. He stepped to the side to reveal a white gateway.
"So this is it, huh? My first steps into who I truly am as a Speed Shifter?"
"Yes. This is. But like you said, this is only the first step. This is probably what your father had to do even if he did not talk to me. There will be other challenges but for now this is your first step and your first true controlled transformation." The emperor stated. "Now walk through the gate and become who you are meant to be."
Fury took a deep breath and ran for it, running into the light. He woke up back on the couch and took a few breaths, looking around he saw that he was back in the Crystal Empire. He smiled at his accomplishments as he stood up and walked out of the room. He was ready to take back what was rightfully his. His dignity, his honor and most importantly, his pride.
-
Cadence and Shining Armor were in the throne room speaking with each other when the black feline took a step in.
"Cadence! Shining Armor! I have an announcement to make!" Night Fury said with confidence he lacked a few hours ago as he walked by the throne seat. "Or perhaps I should just show you." Night Fury smirked as looked at the end of the room about to sprint. He took a deep breath and ran for it, gaining speed as he got closer to the throne. The royal couple watched in silence as he approached.
He focused on his body and jumped in the air, glowing red as he let out a confident roar and transformed. The black feline grew wings, tail feathers and talons as he took to the air and glided down in front of the now amazed couple in his new falcon form.
"I don't believe it…" Shining Armor said surprised.
Cadence was also surprised for a few seconds but then she smiled.
"I see that your sleep must have been very productive, Night Fury. "It looks like you've transformed."
Cadence walked up to Fury and investigated his falcon-like features.
"This is truly astonishing. You look just like a falcon, only bigger." Cadence said in amazement. Cadence was reminded of when she transformed from a pegasus to an alicorn.
"Aww, thanks. It took a lot of wo-" Before Fury could finish, Celestia and Luna burst through the doors with their horns lit as they focused on the giant bird.
"That must be what made that roar. We must protect the Empire's rulers!" Celestia said with a mix of rage and confidence.
"Then let us vanquish it!" Luna added. Fury covered his face with his new wings as the sisters charged their horns, but a voice echoed out instead of a blast of magic.
"WAIT! Are you really going to attack your old friend Night Fury?"
Celestia and Luna were both confused at first, but then they saw despite seeming to be a different being, this creature had the same overall appearance as Night Fury.
"A-are you Night Fury?" Luna asked in shock.
"Yes, you two!" Fury said, changing back to his original form to solidify his statement.
Celestia and Luna were stunned to see this new transformation, especially when he was almost blown up a few days ago.
"Our apologies, Night Fury." Celestia said, bowing along with Luna. "I did not expect this new change from you, especially in your state."
"It's fine. Neither did I expect this. But for me, I had a good and very informative dream." He said looking at Luna.
Luna wondered at first what he meant. Then she remembered. She remembered the temple. She remembered his talk of the ancient Speed Shifter, Emperor Snowdrift.
"So it seems you have passed that test." Luna said.
"Yep! Pretty impressive, huh?" He said, showing off his wings and claws.
"Indeed it is." Celestia said. "Sometimes it is when we are at our lowest that we can really find ourselves. And it seems you have done so." Celestia said. "Now I have only one more creature to have truly passed the test." Celestia said to herself thinking of her own normal.
"You bet it, but this isn't the form that I need for what's happening. Since we're going to be going through the swamp…" He trailed off as he transformed from a falcon to a Cragodile. "I'm gonna need a wider strut to my stride." The now scaly reptile said.
Shining Armor jumped back a little at seeing him transform. Luna and Celestia stood there impressed.
"What are you scared of? Little old me?" He teased Shining Armor.
Shining Armor felt awkward and recomposed himself while Cadence smirked and rolled her eyes.
"Um… No! No! Uh, the point is that this will be useful to us." Shining Armor was now thinking of the advantages of this. "This ability to swim underwater and attack could be invaluable. And they don't know you have this ability. They might think of you as just a normal Cragodile to avoid, as long as they don't see your black color too up close. This could help make this mission go from hard to a breeze." Shining was now bursting with ideas for this new form.
"Yeah, you're right. But there is one more thing that this new power can do." Fury said cheekily as he slipped into the shadows.
"What's that?"
"The pranking potential!"
ROAR!
Shining Armor let out the girliest scream a stallion could as he ran out of the room. Fury rolled onto his back and laughed.
"Bahahahaha! Now that is how you scare a stallion out of his fur, hahahahaha!"
Celestia and Cadence laughed out loud at his frightened state. Even Luna laughed a bit.
"Night Fury, you are truly a beast." Cadence said after her laughter.
"More like a whole bunch of beasts at this point." Night Fury said with pride.
Shining Armor came back in after a little while.
"That was not funny, Night Fury!" Shining said with indignation. "You know how alert I am!"
"Come on, honey, it was a little humorous."
"Yeah, listen to your wife, lover boy. Ha!" Fury said.
"Ugh… Twilight was right about you being mischievous." Shining grumbled. Then he recovered. "But in any case I'm sure our enemies will have the same reaction that I did. We'll definitely capture Green Bits with you on our team."
Night Fury was now in his normal form and now was back in a serious but confident mood. He was ready to go into the swamp he so feared.
"Dang straight, Shiny. We'll get him for sure! So with my new forms, what's the new plan?"
"Okay first of all, only she calls me that." Shining said, pointing to his wife. "Second, we already have one."
"Your form will allow us to scout ahead and gather info and also take out certain boats we might have problems with." Shining said. "Of course me and my Maritime Forces will still have to give you more horsepower. You'll locate where Green Bits is hiding and then you, me and all of us will capture that scumbag as quickly and efficiently as possible." The commander explained. "Does that sound good, Speed Shifter?"
Fury's eyes flashed red with predatory intent. "Oh, that sounds way more than just good." He said with a large smile. "That sounds excellent! We'll show this Chosen One to think twice before trying to blow me up!"
"Then it's settled. Before we thought we would need three days but we can do it tomorrow. Get some sleep and be ready by then." Shining Armor commanded
"Yes sir!"
He matured. He finally learned some respect for his elders-
"Hm, lover boy." Fury chuckled.
"I am not a lover boy!"
"Do something about it, we'll see who'll have Cadence all to themselves when I whoop your sorry flank!"
"Wait what?" Cadence asked, a bit surprised.
"That's right! Once I show your husband what for, you'll be all mine!" Fury joked as he laughed and disappeared into the castle to get some sleep.
"That little-" Shining Armor said, about to show him some military discipline.
"Calm down, honey, you're the only one for me. And besides Fury is just joking around. He likes to mess with us." Cadence said with a chuckle.
Luna and Celestia nodded while chuckling.
Although I do hope Fury doesn't let this power get to his head too much. Luna thought to herself. But knowing Fury, I know he will find the right answers.