//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: Family Reunion // Story: To Equestria And Beyond (Rewrite In Progress) // by NightFurySpeedey8156 //------------------------------// It was a bit rough getting back to Ponyville. What with avoiding booby traps or wild animals. But for Fury, that didn't matter because he was with his parents and besides, they knew the path to take back. Fury was eager to show his parents all the places he had gone to. He showed them Manehattan and all the venues there, including the theater, (Fury noted to himself he should take the Mane Six to see it sometime.) and the place where he made his stand against the so called Chosen One. But of course, he was more than ready to make it back to his parents' future home, Ponyville and to introduce the Mane Six and Spike to them. After a long but relaxing train ride they finally made it to their destination. "Here we are, guys! Welcome to Ponyville." Fury said as the train stopped. With the surreal nature of the Cursed Forest and the energetic nature of Manehattan, it was a nice change of pace to see a quaint small town for Obsidian and Black Ice. "I can't believe we're actually here. This is where you've been all these years, baby?" Black Ice asked with amazement. Fury smiled. "Yep, this place has been my home for almost a year now. Came here in the summer and I've been here ever since. But now it's fall and things are changing. Look, you can see the pegasi from Cloudsdale are bringing in the first overcast of clouds for the season." "Impressive!" Black Ice remarked. "Yeah, they have quite an organized system it seems." Obsidian agreed. "You bet it!" Then Cadence and Luna made their way out of the train. "I must say, this town is rather beautiful in autumn." Luna said, taking in a breath of fresh air. "Soon, there will be the annual tradition called the Running of the Leaves, where the denizens of Ponyville will make their way through the dense tree lines of the town in an effort to get the leaves off of the trees. "I agree, Auntie, Ponyville really knows how to make things work." Cadence added. "Yep, and I'm gonna be on the front lines when it happens! I've always wanted to know what it's like to race against ponies without my powers. And now that I've been working out more, I think I'll take first place!" Fury said, flexing his arms. "You may have been working out your legs and stamina, but you're still squishy in the middle." Luna giggled, squishing Fury's tummy with a hoof. "Luna. This is not the time!" He said annoyed and embarrassed. His mother chuckled a bit. It reminded her of how she would do that with Fury as a cub sometimes… Good times. "You are strong, my dear. But you'll always be my chubby wittle Fury-kins!" She said cutely, hugging her son. Fury was practically glowing red at this point. "Right, right, right. Thank you, mom." He said pulling himself away. "Now as I was saying, we have other places to go see." He showed them the wonders of Ponyville life. From a bowling rink, which Obsidian liked as it reminded him of some of the games back at their old Valley. The arcade which while marvelous, the parents could not comprehend. And the local music scene with Big Macintosh and Rarity. He even took them to look at the Ponyville Schoolhouse, though they would decide to come in later when they were ready to deal with the children. "Alright, I showed you all these places but I feel like I'm missing the most important thing." Fury said. "I may have an idea…" Cadence leaned in and whispered to Fury what she had in mind. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot to show you guys my house! And let me tell you guys now, you're gonna flip when you see where I've been chilling out." "We've seen a lot, Fury." Obsidian lightheartedly said. "I don't think much can surprise us at this point. Ouch!" Obsidian saw Black Ice with an unpleasant look. "I'm sure Fury has some nice things in store for us. Be happy for him!" "Okay, okay! I was only joking. Of course I want to see his place. I was just being honest." Fury took no offense though and simply had a smirk. "Well dad, how about you just see for yourself. Look to your right!" Fury had finally reached their destination. And Fury was proven right for Obsidian's mouth dropped at seeing such a living area. His mother was amazed too, but she had a different look on her face. A look that Fury knew all too well. "My my, Fury, you have a beautiful house. This looks like a house from one of our neighboring wealthy tribes! I wonder what it looks like on the inside…" "Mom, I've seen that look before. You are not moving in with me! You guys can get your own place to stay, this is my spot." "Awwwww." His mother looked down. "I knew it was too good to be true." His father added. "But can we at least go inside and see it? I've always wanted to have a house like this when we got the resources for it!" "Okay, fine. But if I see you two trying to make yourselves at home, there are gonna be problems. Got it?" "Don't worry about it son. We'll behave." Obsidian said with Black Ice reluctantly nodding. "Then follow me!" Fury and his family walked up to the large house. Fury got out a special key, specially carved for him with different scenes. He opened the door and it was indeed an impressive area. It was high and tall with many fine gems in the columns. He showed them his room, his kitchen (which his mother particularly loved) and even the rooftop where they could see into the distance. "Alright last place guys! We have a pool with this villa! I use it to practice swimming, do aquatic games like polo, and of course practicing my Speed Shifter transformations underwater." Both parents looked with glee. Especially the father who loved a relaxing swim in the lakes back home. "Well, kid, you better show us! I'm getting impatient for some swimming. It would be nice to touch some liquid after so much dryness." He remembered back to that labor camp. "Your wish is my command!" Fury proclaimed as he led him to the courtyard which had a large pool with fountains. As they entered they heard some music. Something with trumpets and maybe cymbals. "What kind of music is this?! Is this some war music! Has the Shadow Tribe come to ambush us?!" Black Ice said as she assumed a defensive stance of which Obsidian rolled his eyes. "No mother. This is something far bigger. Far bolder. Far more terrifying. Far more awesome than anything you've seen. It's none other than…" "SURPRISE!" Pinkie Pie cried as she jumped out along with a whole bunch of other ponies including her friends and some other ponies from town. Obsidian was amazed, he couldn't believe that Pinkie was able to camouflage herself so well without giving herself away. It was as if they were speed shifters themselves. "I made you guys a party!" Fury called out. "I don't believe it! You planned all of this for us?" Black Ice asked. Fury nodded quickly. "Yep, I wanted to show you guys what it's like to truly experience Ponyville like I did for the first time. So I called in a few favors and had my friends plan a party for you!" His mother looked like she was about to burst into tears. "Fury, you didn't have to do all this!" His mother cried with joy. "Yes I did, mom. You two deserve it." Fury said softly. "And besides," he spoke more loudly, "I wanna have a fun time with you guys and who better to bring the fun than Ponyville's own Pinkie Pie herself." Pinkie Pie ran to the two and gave them a big hug. "Oh my gosh! New visitors! I'm Pinkie. Fury told me about you in his letters. And I feel bad for how those meanies treated you. So I'll give you the best party ever since the time I gave Twilight her own party! Or was Apple Bloom's birthday bigger. I'm not quite sure I'm going to have to check up on that…" His parents didn't know how to react to this crazy pink mare. His father and mother had no words to say to this pony who has a firm grim on them. "Pinkie! I think they got the idea! You don't wanna scare 'em off!" Applejack intervened. "Oops." Pinkie sheepishly said letting them go. "Sorry." "Pinkie's just a bit eager to see you two. She planned this whole party herself." Twilight said. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, me and my five companions are friends with your son Night Fury." "Wow, this is amazing! I can't believe that you all did this just for us. But now comes the most important question…" Black Ice leaned it with an eager smile. "What kind of party games do you have?" "Well, I'm glad you asked, Ms. Black Ice." Pinkie Pie said, racing over to a giant wheel. "This is my party wheel! With one spin, you can choose from a myriad of games to play! And since you two are the guests of honor, how about you give it a spin?" "I don't know, miss, I usually like to know what I'm getting into." Black Ice said. "Ah come on, dear, unpredictability can be the key to fun!" Obsidian said. "Besides I'm sure there won't be any assasination party game or something bad like that." "Yeah mom, what's the fun in always needing to know how things turn out? A little bit of randomness and luck never hurt anyone." Fury added. Black Ice knew her family was right, what fun came out of being strictly structured and orderly? After all, she had her unpredictable son and he was one of things that gave her the most fun. "Alright then, I'll give it a whirl!" Black Ice said. "I'm sure I still have it in me!" "That's the spirit!" Pinkie Pie said. "Here we go!" Pinkie spun the wheel of games. Everyone was looking in anticipation. And the choice was… "Hide and seek!" Pinkie yelled. His father and even mother were pleasantly surprised. After all Speed Shifters liked to hide and seek each other out. For Black Ice especially the latter to find her mischievous son. "Nice! Just the kind of game I want to play." Fury said "But we still need to decide who will be the prey and who will be the predator." "How about you search the room with your eyes closed and pick somepony out of the crowd?" Luna suggested. "Nice one, Luna. I'll give it a shot." Fury closed his eyes and began to blindly walk the pool area, ponies holding their breath in anticipation of who would be it. Fury stopped and reached his paw out and touched someone, opening his eyes he saw that he had come in contact with Cadence. "Ah the Princess of Love is up. I hope you'll be ready!" "Oh don't worry." Cadence said. "Me and Shiny had to really think to find Twilight who hid to read her books instead of going outside." Twilight blushed in embarrassment. "Yeah, I really did like to stay inside." Fury was looking forward to this game. "Okay, everyone, so, we have two minutes to let us hide. Anywhere in this house is fair game. Even outside is fine. But nowhere outside of the fence." Fury said. "That would just be tedious. Cadence has twenty minutes to find us. Will she catch her prey or will she go hungry? Let's find out." Cadence nodded. "I'm more than ready, especially having to sneak around in the Cursed Forest." "Good. We will begin in…" 3… 2… 1… "Go!" Cadence closed her eyes. She knew everyone was scrambling to find a good spot. She does have some experience being in this mansion but she isn't completely familiar. Still she felt she was ready. "Ready or not, here I come!" Cadence called out. Where do I go first? Cadence asked herself. Perhaps I'll start in the living room where I was teaching Fury some manners. Cadence walked into it. She thought where they would be. She saw a closet and tried that place out first. She opened it and saw nothing. She was about to leave when she heard some giggling up above. Nice try. She grabbed the ponies up there and found it was none other than Pinkie Pie and Rainbow. "Gotcha!" "Dang it Pinkie. We could have had that! Couldn't you have kept your laughs to your mind?" "But it felt so fun. Hee hee." Pinkie said, still giggling. Okay, that's the first two I caught. Where to next? Maybe the bathroom? Cadence made her way to the large bathroom and started to look around. She looked behind the shower curtains, but saw nothing. She looked around the towel rack, but nothing came. She was about to give up when a rattling noise came from the mirror cabinet above the sink. She opened the cabinet and she found none other other than Spike. "You'll never take me alive!" He declared, attempting to make his escape. Cadence giggled. "You know, escaping won't change the fact that you lost right?" "Oh." Spike said. "Shoot. Well, it's not my fault it was really uncomfortable down there. Dang it Twilight, I might be small but not that small!" "Well, now that I've found you, would you be so kind as to tell me where anypony else is hiding?" Cadence asked with an evil smirk. "Never!" Spike piped up. That was a bad choice. "Oh really? You're looking at a hungry predator, and my tummy has got enough room to stuff you inside!" Cadence said in an evil voice. "Um, I-I still can resist you! You can't make me speak!" Spike said. "I'm ready for anything you throw at me!" Cadence took that as a challenge and pulled Spike into a squeeze hold. "I guess if you won't talk, I'll just have to squish you down and eat you! Muahahahaha!" She said with her horn glowing." "Ahhhh," Spike yelled out. "Okay I'll tell you. Twilight and Fluttershy are somewhere in the courtyard. They're hiding somewhere there. I don't know anything else." "Good choice, my scaly friend. I shall spare you… For now." Cadence spoke as she let him go and made her way to the courtyard. "Man, I've known her all my life and I never knew she could be that scary." Spike said to himself as he went back to the pool area. "Maybe she's been around Fury too much." – As Cadence made her way through the villa, she found many others hiding out. Including Applejack, Rarity, Black Ice, and Obsidian. She soon made it out to the courtyard and began to search for Twilight. Hmmm, I wonder where she could be hiding? She looked around the open space until she saw a familiar purple tail sticking out of a bush. Oh Twilight, I guess you're not as good as when you were younger. Before she exposed Twilight, she decided to have some fun with a little tickling. "Too bad I can't find anypony. Maybe I'll just put my hooves in this bush!" Cadence said tickling whatever was in there. She heard some light giggling. "Ha ha ha! Stop! You win! You win!" Twilight said, coming out of her hiding spot. "What gave me away?" She asked. "You had your tail sticking out. It was too easy." "Oh bother, I guess I've fallen out of my childhood glory." Twilight chuckled. There was then an audible but still quiet sneeze from a nearby tree. Cadence smiled as she looked in its direction. "Fluttershy, is that you?" There was a light rustling of the leaves and the yellow pegasus made herself known. "That was fun. If only I hadn't sneezed." Fluttershy spoke. "Well you did your best. C'mon, let's head back." Cadence said as she led the two back to the pool. By the time they had arrived, everyone was sitting around waiting for them. "That's Twilight and Fluttershy down. Who's left?" Cadence asked. "Well, there's Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Obsidian, Black Ice and Me!" Pinkie Pie said. "So that leaves Night Fury and Luna! The two lovers of the night. I'm gonna go find them!" Cadence said, taking off to go find the remaining players. But just where could they be? She checked many places already. The courtyard, the kitchen, even the storage room. "Wait a second. Fury mentioned they could be anywhere, even outside. Perhaps I need to take my search back outdoors." Cadence made her way outside. It was still a nice day but the sun was setting. It would make it a little harder to find them with less light. After all, Fury's outdoors behind his fence still had a bunch of shrubs and trees. "Great, you just had to make this complicated for me." Cadence groaned. She now had only 8 more minutes left to find the two lovers, but she was determined to catch them. She began her search close to the front door, spreading out with every sweep. She looked in every bush and searched every tree, but neither of them were around. Hm, maybe they're somewhere else. Just as she was about to head back inside, she saw a peculiar sight from Fury's bedroom window. A skinny, black tail wiggling back and forth. Ah, interesting. "Well, nothing special!" she cried out loud. "Maybe I'll go back to the courtyard!" She said that as she went back inside. But she was actually sneaking to Night Fury's bedroom. She knew she had to be as sneaky as possible or else they might change rooms. – "Do you think she knows we're here?" Fury asked, sitting on a dresser next to a window. "I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if she's close." Luna responded, hiding under the bed. "Well, I hope we're going to make it. This ferocious predator holds no mercy." Then there was an audible sound of hoofsteps getting closer to the room. "That must be her! Quick, hide!" Luna said, slipping under the bed. Fury panicked as he jumped off the dresser and hid behind the door. The door to the bedroom swung open, stopping just in front of Fury. Cadence let out a playful snarl as she had fully delved into her role as the predator. "Hello~ Is anypony here? I'm just a friendly predator looking for a bite to eat. Whoever may be in here, I suggest you get out of here before I gobble you up!" She said in an evil tone. Shoot. We're so close to winning. We just have to not be seen for like a minute. Cadence looked around. Her first instinct was the closet. That was a classic hiding place for mischievous foals after all. "Hmm, let's see. Not in here nor here." Cadence said as she checked the little boxes. She then turned around and looked at the bed and saw a lump under the sheets. "Well well well, looks like I've found my dinner." She leaped by the bed and grabbed the sheet and pulled it right out. "Ah ha! Oh…" She was expecting someone to be under the covers, but all she found were pillows. "You may be clever, but I'll find you. I don't want to keep my hungry tummy waiting." She chuckled deviously. She continued to look around the bed and saw something strange, a shiny slipper. Cadence didn't think too much of it at first, but after further inspection, she saw that a dark blue hoof was connected to it. Either this was a big plushie of Luna or this was indeed her… "Hmm, I wonder, what if I pulled on… this!" She pulled it with all her might. "Gah! Unhand me!" Luna said. "Just a moment." She pulled the real Luna straight out. "Your hiding could not trick me for long my aunt. I have grown accustomed to seeking out what is hidden." Cadence said to Luna's annoyance. "Speaking of which, I got one more to find. Any idea or at least a hint, hmmm?" Luna stood tall as she looked Cadence in the eye. "You shall never find my love, you rabid beast! He is stronger than you will ever be and he will not succumb to your stomach's hunger!" She said dramatically. "Hmmm, we shall see." Cadence said. What shall I do with her? Trickery, threat, bribery? "My goodness, Luna, Fury sure knows how to hide great, huh?" "Yes, he is quite skilled which is why you will never find him." "He is so skilled he can hide anywhere? I bet he hid in places before." "Why yes, Fury is a great sneaker. Right now he is the best one. He can hide anywhere. Even behind a door unexpectedly. It's amazing!" Luna said. Cadence smirked, getting a clue as to his location. "Well then, I guess I should check behind that door." "Wait!" Luna said, realizing she got tricked into revealing his location. "Too late!" Cadence said. She pulled the door back and to her surprise, he wasn't there. Luna was confused, she saw him hide behind the door when Cadence appeared. It was only when she made a glance at the closet when she saw his red eyes wink to her. "Huh, I guess you were just complimenting him. Oh Fury, come out, come out wherever you are~" Cadence sang. "Well, maybe this calls for desperate measures." Cadence proceeded to walk back to the middle of the room and look at her aunt. "Okay auntie, what would a cow and a sheep do if they had a fight?" She asked. "I don't know, what would they do?" "I don't know either, all I know is that they would be in a baaaad moooood." Cadence said, replicating the sound of a cow and a sheep as she told the punchline. She waited for a few seconds and sure enough, a small snicker came from behind her. She smiled widely as she snuck up on the closet again. "Well, I guess this predator will be going hungry tonight. Or maybe not!" She called as she pulled the door wide open and heaved the big cat out of the closet. "Nooo! I won't be your dinner, you monster!" He declared. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. My tummy is roaring for a snack, and you… are… it!" She pushed the loser of the game onto the bed. And decided to punish him with some tickling. "This is what you get for being a blabbermouth and a braggart!" Cadence said. Night Fury laughed to his frustration and disappointment. Dang it! I can't believe I lost! I'm supposed to be the master of sneaking! Have I lost my edge?! While Cadence was busy assaulting him, everyone else came over to see Fury humiliatingly defeated. The worst part was his parents. Who had a little chuckle. "Just, what got you caught, Fury? Was it some snacks Cadence lured you out with?" Black Ice asked with a smirk. "No, it was another one of her terrible jokes! That's right, I said it!" Fury said. "It was some cow joke and she said how baaaaad it was." His father laughed out loud. "That's what made you laugh out loud?! That's the real joke." Obsidian said, barely containing himself. Curses, this was supposed to be my triumph and for me to do a victory dance and roast Cadence. Not the other way around! I must find a way to avenge this failure. But how? Hmmm. Ah ha, prepare for some roast candy! "Oh, and did I forget to mention that you're mane looks like a fuzzy lollipop nobody likes? And that your scrap metal peytral and slippers look like sculpted cheese. And one more thing… Your horn is so shrimpy, I wouldn't be surprised if someone mistook it for a discolored toothpick!" Some of the ponies laughed out loud, namely Rainbow Dash. "Yeah, it does look like candy!" Rainbow said. "Hmmm, can I taste your mane?" Pinkie asked, perhaps being genuine. "I've never seen candy so good looking. Even Fury's parents had a little chuckle. Oh you little tramp! Cadence said to herself. She didn't take her appearance as seriously as Rarity. But she would not take an insult to her mane she proudly groomed every day. "Oh and I almost forgot… You're so scrawny that I'm pretty sure your skeleton is literally made out of twigs, looking like a walking tree." "Oh snap!" Spike said. "Get it, snap? Never mind." "Oh really? Well speaking of trees, you probably hide behind a lot of them. Because you're so obsessed with seeing random people kiss, even if they were already married to others!" Fury said. "Well I…" "Well, to be honest, Cadence," Twilight said. "You do get a little trigger happy with romance." Not you too, Twilight! It seems as if the real next game was Cadence and Night Fury dissing each other. Everyone was paying close attention to this epic battle of words. "By the way, those chapped lips of yours need major attention. I kind of feel bad for Shining Armor, seeing as he has to taste the desert with those wasteland smackers you give him on a daily basis. Your kisses probably get sand in his mouth!" Fury smugly said. Cadence was silent for a moment. "Uh Cadence?" Twilight asked. "Heh, I guess I won this round. Time to eat some ca-" "You dare insult the Princess of Love's kissing ability?" Cadence asked with an unusual amount of anger. "You can insult my mane. You can insult by bones. But… you… do… not insult my kissing!!!!" Cadence said with yellow glowing eyes. Uh oh… I showed some red to the bull! "Oh relax, Cady, it's just a joke. I bet you give Shining Armor the whole thing-" "SILENCE!" The furious princess shouted. "Do not deceive me, you little cretin! I will not stand your insulting of my abilities in love. I am a superior being of love! My kisses have put my husband in such a way that you cannot imagine!" Oh great Fury really did it now. Twilight said to herself. "Fury. I am sure that my abilities of love are far superior to anything you could give! Do not mock me!" Cadence warned. Fury let the words sink in and it stung. Bad. "What do you mean by 'Far superior than anything I could give'? You tryna say that I'm beneath you? That my love is null and void compared to yours?! I was just trying to get you back, but now that you insulted my relationship skills, that just hurt! Not… Cool!" Fury roared out with equal ferocity. "I just wanted to have a relaxing time." Fluttershy muttered. "Thanks for the tip, Ms. Love princess! Now I feel like I don't deserve the princess that confessed her love to me! I'm gonna go take a breather." Fury went out of the room and slammed the door. Cadence went out the other door, same as Fury. "Is this why you called your son Night Fury?" Luna asked his parents. "Well at least partially. Fury has a way of getting really competitive." Obsidian said. "He doesn't take no for an answer," he chuckled. "Indeed." Black ice replied. "I wonder where he got that from?" Obsidian smirked. Black Ice gave a glare at her husband but then calmed down. "So when are Fury and Cadence going to make up? I still haven't even eaten the cake yet!" Pinkie cried out. "Trust me when I say this, Ms. Pinkie Pie… Fury isn't going to want to make up. When someone disrespects what he cares about, whether it be me, his father, or anyone else he cares for, just like Princess Luna, he holds a very tight grudge." Black Ice said. "What can we do?" Fluttershy said. "I don't want to see them grow apart." Obsidian then raised his paw as if coming up with an epiphany. "I have an idea. If we want them to resolve their differences. It might be good to have them take out another game!" The father said. "Only with less comebacks." "Hmm," Twilight thought. "Let's see." She thought of a bunch of games from hockey to checkers, but she needed something less intense. "Wait, I got it!" Applejack said. "How bout we go with a friendly game of tag? When I was a lil filly and got mad at my brother, my parents made us play some tag! It's real fun and not too stressful!" Obsidian nodded. "This sounds like a good idea. Young lady. Nothing beats the anger more than a quick little run around!" "Then it's settled!" Twilight said. "We will give them a new game: the Game of Tag!" – "Okay everyone, the next game is tag. I'll choose a random name from this hat and they'll be the tagger. You better stretch out, because this is a game of agility and speed." Twilight announced. Everyone prepared themselves for the game, Fury especially, he was more invested in this game than anyone else. This oughta be fun. I hope I get to be the tagger, so I can beat the brakes off of Cadence! Of course Cadence was still not one to back down. She was ready to face her opponent head on. You be prepared, Night Fury. You better not underestimate someone who has flown many races before. Don't get cocky! "Okay, is everyone ready? Here comes the name pull." Twilight said, digging through the hat to pick out a name. She pulled one out and read it aloud. "Princess Luna!" "Oh, how delightful! It's been so long since I've played this game. For I was but a juvenile last I partook in such an event." Luna said with glee. "Okay everyone, the rules are simple, but they have a twist to them. The tagger must tag all players in order to win, but if there's still other players still untagged by time's end, they win. Now here's the twist… With every player the original tagger eliminates, they join their team and must aid in their pursuit to tag all players. Now that we have the rules set, everyone take your positions!" All of the party goers took their spots out on the front lawn, Luna standing in front of them with a determined look on her face. To the surprise of many, Luna was in the mood to compete. She was going to give it her all. Especially to give her love a good time. "I will be as swift as lightning today." Twilight looked at all the eager, serious or sometimes nervous faces of the contestants. "Alright, is everyone ready?" Everyone said yes. "Then let the chase begin in 3, 2, 1, GO!" Twilight shot magic up in the air indicating the game was to begin. Everyone scattered from Luna. Who shall I catch first? Luna asked herself. It seems reasonable to go with the easier ones for now. The princess of the night saw Fluttershy, who she assumed to be slow. But was surprised when trying to flee. Luna galloped quickly in order to tag the shy pegasus. "Tag!" Luna said. "Join me, shy one, on our quest for fame and glory! Well at least amongst ourselves." "Oh okay." Fluttershy said hoping she would be able to get away and not have to chase anyone. The two kept on running towards the contestants. "Who will we catch next, Princess?" the shy pegasus asked. "Look, there's Fury. Let's try our luck. He will be a useful ally." Luna spoke. The two went towards the cat who was surprisingly calm as he leaned up against a tree in idle. "Better start running, Lightning Bug. Here I come!" Fury looked behind him and jumped as he saw Fluttershy with his fillyfriend rapidly closing in. "You'll have to catch me first, moonpie!" He said as he started running towards them. Fluttershy and Luna both were thinking why he would be running at them and not away, but their thoughts were soon erased when Fury made a daring jump over their heads. "Na na na boo boo, you can't catch me!" Luna urged Fluttershy. "Come, shy one! We must make haste!" Luna said, pushing Fluttershy forward. They both were running quickly to tag him but Fury, as expected, was faster than they could possibly imagine. "Princess Luna, we'll never be able to catch him!" Fluttershy said. "I suppose you're right. He may not be allowed to use his powers, but his physical prowess is nothing to scoff at. Perhaps we should find a way to stop him?" She wondered aloud. She was then notified of another player running parallel with Fury, a familiar pink earth pony with a fluffy mane. "Pinkie! You're here too!?" Fury asked. "Yep, I wanted to get chased! It's just so fun to have so much pressure on you!" Pinkie giggled. "Well, that is true. Hey, I'll start climbing the house and sneak inside while you distract them, Okay?" "Okie Dokie Lokie! I have a special knack for people noticing me." She said with a devious grin. Pinkie all of a sudden stopped and faced the two chasers. "What in the world is she doing?" Luna asked. "Knowing Pinkie, I'm not quite sure." Pinkie gave them an answer. "You guys look hungry. Get ready for my pie bonanza." Pinkie pulled two pies from her mane. "Oh no." Fluttershy said. The pink party pony lobbed pies at them at the speed of ten pies per second. The two were struggling to avoid them. Fluttershy got hit by one of them and had to remove it quickly. "It's so tasty. But I know it's also wasting my time!" Fluttershy said in tears. "Okay Fury, come on!" Pinkie shouted as she got low to the ground. Fury ran at her as fast as he could, jumped on her back… "Alley Oop!" And let her launch him through an open window into his villa, giving him a break from the chase. "Thanks, Pinkie! I owe you one!" He said as he disappeared into the building. "You can always count on me!" Pinkie replied. She turned to continue her activities, when she saw a piece coming right into her face. "Mmmm!" Pinkie Pie ate the incoming piece with ease. "Oooh tasty!" Luna kept on flinging the pieces of pies back at Pinkie before she could recover. Even Fluttershy was trying albeit nervously. Even still Pinkie was still throwing pies although less accurately now with all the pies lobbed back at her. Luna and Fluttershy decided to flank Pinkie on both sides. They kept running and running, avoiding Pinkie's pie onslaught. And finally they managed to take her down. "We have caught you, Pinkie Pie!" Luna said. "S-sorry if we hurt you, Pinkie." Fluttershy apologized. "Aw, phooey, that was the best pie fight I've had in awhile! You know how to throw a good pie, princess!" Pinkie said cheerfully. "Thank you, Pinkie Pie. But we must hurry if we are to capture Night Fury!" Luna said. – Fury calmly walked down one of the halls in his villa, conserving his energy for when he needed it next. He could hear the other players being chased and taken down one by one, specifically his friends as he heard their distant chuckling and laughter as they were caught. He then heard someone coming from the opposite direction to him and went into a running stance, ready to take off at a moment's notice. The player, or players soon made themselves visible and Fury was relieved that it wasn't any tagger, but rather his parents. "Hey son! Pretty competitive, eh?" Obsidian said. "You bet, dad! But I think I've kept some distance from them. I bet people like Pinkie Pie are keeping Luna occupied with her fun." Fury chuckled. "Oh, that pink pony." Black Ice said. "She has so much energy! I can't imagine how she can keep going without getting tired." "Trust me, mom. When it comes to Pinkie Pie, she is a whole 'nother level of energetic!" Fury chuckled. "Wait, I hear someone coming!" Black Ice said. The three Speed Shifters prepared themselves to run, but were shut down by the sight of a pink princess. "Relax you two, it's just Cadence." Fury said with a somewhat unamused look. "Ah hello, Fury." Cadence greeted him with a bit of a glare. "Hello, Cadence." giving a similar expression. "Listen to me, you two." Obsidian said. "Before you say anything, we have to work together to make sure we're not caught." "Don't worry I was already thinking that." Fury admitted with a serious tone. "So, Princess of Love, what shall we do to stop them from coming?" "Don't look at me, I'm just a scrawny, brittle-boned, dry-lipped princess according to you. So why don't you think of something?" She said with a passive aggressive tone. "Okay, stop it you two!" Black Ice said. "I know you had a bit of a fight earlier, but now is not the time to get at each other's throats. Your highness, I understand you take pride in your relationship with your husband and don't appreciate the backtalk, but that was no place to disrespect his relationship skills at all." "But he-" "No buts about it, young lady!" Black Ice yelled out. "You will apologize for causing such negative feelings and you will cooperate. Do I make myself clear!?" Cadence jumped at this, she had never heard such a motherly scolding ever since she was a teenager and her aunt Celestia did it. She was scarier than Night Fury. She reluctantly apologized. "I'm sorry, Fury. I want to cooperate with you." Fury looked smug. "Heh, glad you could see it my way." But Black Ice was not going to accept her son's back talking. "Oh don't get so cocky, young man! You're just as guilty!" She said sternly. "Fury, I get that you didn't like being embarrassed in front of the whole party and you wanted to get your revenge, but just because you lost at a game, does not give you the pass to defame and disrespect her life and appearance. Some of it may have been innocent comebacks, but some of it was just uncalled for. How would you like it if someone else made fun of how you looked and your relationship with Princess Luna?" Black Ice said. "Well I would not feel so good…" Fury admitted. "Exactly," Black Ice said, pointing at her son. "We are not children anymore! And we must deal with our issues in a civilized manner! So, Fury, I think you know what to do." "Okay." He whimpered. "I'm sorry Cadence, I was just so caught up in getting you back for finding me and embarrassing me that I got personal with my insults. I don't think I was right to do that." Cadence's expression seemed to soften up a bit. "I understand. I'm sorry too, Fury. Sometimes I take love a little too seriously." Cadence said. "Yeah you kind of do. But I do the same." Fury said. They both laughed. "Friends?" Fury handed his paw out. Cadence instead hugged him. "Friends." She replied. "Awww, that was sweet, you two. But I'm afraid that I have to bring this to an end." A new voice said. The voice sent shivers down Fury's spine as he knew exactly who it was. He, Cadence and his parents looked behind them to see the rest of the party goers, led by Luna, standing right behind them. "Well, I-I'm glad you enjoyed it, sweetie. But there's just one thing left that I have to do." He gulped as Luna leaned in. "And what might that be?" She asked and got her answer immediately. "RUN!" Luna jumped out at him. Luckily the Speed Shifters and to a lesser extent, Cadence had enough experience to know how to dodge and run out the other way. "So Cadence, I would like to ask, do you have any ideas?!" Fury asked. "I'm working on it! Let's just keep running!" The four victims kept on running through the hallway. But at the end of it they got an unpleasant surprise. "There they are!" At the end of the hall, The Mane Six stood ready to tag them. "Uh oh. Uhh… Quick, down the stairs! And hurry, we've got an entire crowd on our tails!" Fury said. They ended up in the basement. It seemed safe but they knew they would be trapped. "How are we going to escape now?" Obsidian asked. "I'm not sure… Wait! If they're going to come downstairs." Fury had a mischievous grin. "Let's let them have some fun with all the equipment down here." "Ah the classic trap I see." Obsidian said. "Good idea!" "Okay! Dad, grab those rakes! Mom, the pathway lights! As for you Cadence, how about we use these garden hoses and give them a… 'Monster surprise?' " "Oh, now you're talking Fury!" She said with a smirk. "Let's give them something to remember!" The four kept the doors locked. It would take some time for the chasers to be able to open them. But they were certainly trying their best. Fury, Obsidian, Black Ice and Cadence all set up several elaborate boobie traps. Instead of trapping animals they were for trapping taggers. – "Hey, come on out you guys!" Rainbow said. "Just accept you're our new prey! We got Applejack some new horseshoes, and we're gonna burst in at any moment!" "Guys, you don't want to come in here! There's something big and bad in here with us! I'm not kidding!" Fury said. "Likely story, Lightning Bug. Applejack, break the door through!" "My pleasure, your Highness!" She gave a running start, turned around and bucked the door down. The taggers all went inside. But something seemed strange. "It… it's so dark." Fluttershy said. "Oh darling, it's no big deal. We just need to turn on the lights." Rarity said, trying to find the switch. "Ah ha I got something!" She turned the switch but something else happened. "Ahhhh!" Rarity screamed as it turned out she was hanging upside down. Luna used her glowing spell and saw Rarity hanging there in a net. "Help me, darlings!" Rarity pleaded. Rainbow went up to help her. They accepted that they would have to rely on Luna's mild glow instead of full light. But for Rainbow when she went up something else happened. "Hey I feel something strange. Like strings?" Rainbow was wondering what it was. Shoot Rainbow was suddenly flung to the edge of the upper part of the wall. She was struck by some sticky web. She couldn't escape. "Rainbow!" Fluttershy cried out. "Don't worry about us! Get those guys!" Rainbow said. Luna led the others to the parts of the room. They could see some flickering lights on the floor, wrapped up in garden hoses. Luna made an attempt to push the tangled mess out of the way, but to her surprise, it pushed back. "What?! W-what was that?!" Luna asked. She heard something resembling laughter. "Who's there?!" "Oh Princess Luna. You may be powerful, but you have never faced me!" said a horrifying deep voice. "I am the Princess of the Night! Whatever you are cannot possibly scare me compared to what I have faced!" Luna said, trying to show defiance. "That is rather cute, but I must say that I am much more." The voice said, now sounding like two speaking in unison. The tangled mess began to rise, the pathway lights giving a clear view of the features of the being. It had four arms, two sets of ears, a horn, sharp fangs, and most intimidating of all, two smudged and distorted heads that looked like they had been melting in the sun. Luna and the others behind her looked in terror. Everything was silent for a moment… then… ROARRRRRR All of a sudden, several explosions of gas happen around the creature. Meanwhile the creature itself had red glowing eyes and seemingly red magic. "Ahhhhhh!" Everypony decided to get out immediately. Even Luna. They were not ready to face this great beast yet. Rainbow and Rarity were for some reason out of their traps but decided it was best not to face this beast lurking in the basement. They all ran for their lives out of the basement and to safety, panting heavily as they caught their breath. There was a pause in any speaking before a familiar yellow flag of magic and a concerned princess of the sun came to inspect the chaos. "Is everyone alright?! I heard a loud roar and screaming!" Celestia spoke. "Yeah, but just barely!" Applejack said. "We saw somethin' scarier than anything I've ever seen before!" Everypony described to Celestia what the image they had just seen. "It was so horrifying!" Fluttershy said. "I don't know what that was supposed to be!" Celestia thought about it. "Are we certain it was a monster though?" "It was a monster! A horrifying one at that!!" Rarity said. "Luna, does it not seem a little too convenient that those four came down there and there were some traps and some strange unexplainable gas explosions." Celestia said logically. "Now that you mention it, yes, it does seem quite strange. And another thing, why wouldn't they come running to us when they heard we were coming?" She thought. "Unless…. They were trying to stall for time. And be able to escape from the basement, while we were away!" Luna had finally realized what was going on. "Curses, we were so close! They probably escaped by now!" Celestia calmed her sister down. "Now, now. They might think they've won. But there is still time. And if they want to ambush us, we will return the favor." Celestia said smiling. "While you were in that basement I was keeping track in case they did escape and I know which direction they are going." "You are right, sister. Come every bone, let us take what is rightfully ours!" The crowd cheered as they heard their princess lead the charge to victory. – Out in the courtyard, the four survivors were laughing at the show they put on in their brilliance. "That was amazing! I can't believe we pulled that off!" Fury laughed. "Did you see the looks on their faces?" "Yeah, I never saw them that scared ever since they faced Sombra!" Cadence said. Obsidian and Black Ice were also laughing. "I have to agree, that was an amazing plan! I didn't know how you pulled it off." Black Ice said legitimately impressed. "Well mom, you know that made up monster you made me believe in? That's how I did it!" "Made up monster? You've got to tell me about this." Cadence encouraged. Fury blushed as he went on. "Well, when I was a kid, my mom made up this vision of the infamous 'Tickle Monster' for me when I was sad or upset. She told me it was a pink, fuzzy, octopus creature that used its not eight, but twelve arms to tickle grumpy kids like me. Of course, the twelve arms and the fuzzy pink parts should have been a dead giveaway that it was made up, but with my wild imagination, I was set straight quick!" Black Ice nodded with a certain pride. "It was one of the few ways I got you to actually go to sleep on time." She said, "I will admit it's nice to know that that inspired you to make a successful escape." She smiled. "Ah yes. I also like what you did with the fireworks and the traps for catching prey." Obsidian said. "Yeah, you're right. And mom, you were so wrong for making me believe that a twelve armed, pink, fuzzy octopus was an actual thing!" "Keep talking and I'll make it a real thing. You'll never be able to escape!" Black Ice said with a frightening grin. Fury wondered if that could actually be possible. A pink fuzzy octopus… I would be more surprised if it didn't exist with the amount of weird creatures I've seen around here! Everyone else had a good laugh at the laid back feeling. Then there was a change in the atmosphere, a distinct change. The ground started to rumble and shake, all four of them feeling the jostling force. "Is this some sort of prank, Fury?" Cadence asked. "If it is, it's not from me!" Fury said. "What could it be then?" Obsidian asked. The sound got louder over time. It felt like some great beast was coming. They looked over and saw that the rest of the party had caught up with them, but there was a new arrival that had the four survivors nervous, Cadence and Night Fury especially. "Well, it looks like we got some new friends." Obsidian said sarcastically. "How did you find us?!" Fury asked. "I thought we threw you off track." Celestia lightly laughed. "Well if you need to blame someone, blame me. I had a feeling you would pull off some escape plan. So I did a little…spy work." Celestia said. "Dang it!" Fury said. "Well it doesn't matter. You still aren't gonna catch us. We can still dodge you guys!" "Is that so? Well, let us see how you do." The crowd stares down the four survivors, the group of friends doing the same. The air was crisp with competition, the wire down to a thin strip. Quiet was the surrounding area as they stood their ground. But now was the time for action. "Alright, let's do this! CHARGE!" Fury and the others charged forward. But before they got into contact Obsidian used some baking powder to conceal their movements. "Where are they?! I can't see!" Rainbow said. Celestia simply chuckled. "Nice try. But it won't be that easy. Fluttershy, Luna, Rainbow Dash, flap with me!" Celestia commanded. The chosen few flapped their wings and blew the cloud of powder away. They expected to catch the escape in progress, but all they got was Fury standing still. "Do you not realize we have you cornered? It's a bajillion against one, whiskers!" Rainbow said. Fury only laughed. "You think I care about what you guys do? I'm a rising god amongst my people. I am The Raging Storm, I am The Next All Powerful, I… Am… Night Fury!" He called as he raced forward and rebounded off of a tree that landed him on his roof. "You want to test your luck? Then come on! Face the god I am and fight me!" He took off without another word. "He's getting away!" Pinkie cried out. "A god among your people?" Celestia asked. "Very well. But… if that is so, then you are facing another, one with far more experience!" She braced herself, ready to chase down the all powerful feline. Night Fury soon rejoined his parents and Cadence in his front yard. "Not bad huh?" Fury said. "Eh, I guess it was pretty good for getting yourself out of a mess." Obsidian teased. "Aww, just let me have this." Fury said. Cadence looked behind to see a large princess coming towards them. Fast. "No time for talk, Cadence to get moving!" "Right, let's split up! Cadence, with me. Mom, Dad, you two go with each other! Good Luck!" Fury called as he took off with the princess of love. "C'mon honey, let's go!" Obsidian said as he directed his wife in another direction. Celestia ignored them though, she was after the real prize. "I'm on your tails, you two!" The Princess of the Sun yelled out. To Fury and Cadence's displeasure she was gaining on them. "Any ideas?" Cadence asked. Fury looked to the side and saw the pile of pies from earlier. "Ah ha! Let's give your aunt a sweet slaughter of pie slices! Shall we?" Cadence smiled. "With pleasure." Although the two were nowhere near as fast as Pinkie Pie in throwing pies, they were able to throw some good ones at Celestia. "Ah! Curses! I'd prefer them to be cakes, thank you very much! Even if they are cherry filled!" Celestia said. "How do you like them pies, Princess of Cakes?!" Fury called out. Celestia decided to assert her dominance by skidding to a stop, and eating one of the pies in one gulp. "As much as I like cake, pies are good too." She said as she continued her charge. "Ah crabapples, that was the last one! We have to keep going!" Fury said, Cadence nodding in agreement as they took off once again. They made a run for the side gate that led to the pool when they saw the lunar princess chasing Fury's parents. "Mom, Dad! Slide and smash!" Fury called. His parents nodded as they increased their speed. "Slide and smash? What's that?" Cadence asked. "An old trick from my childhood. We slide under Luna while they do the same to Celestia, they crash into each other, and we make a break for the pool gate!" "This could be risky." Black Ice said. "Yeah, but it'll be riskier if we don't do something!" Obsidian replied. Black Ice knew it was their only choice and decided to wait for the right moment to slide. Patience, I just have to wait. When Luna and Celestia were in opposite directions and closing in, Obsidian and Black Ice both did a slide. Cadence and Night Fury did the same and watched as the shock on the sisters' faces grew. Time seemed to slow down, Celestia and Luna both wishing they had thought this through, but it was too late. "Oof!" "Aah!" A thunderous boom sounded off as the two speeding sisters collided in mid air, falling to the ground in a dizzy heap. Both pairs winced at the sight but didn't dwell on it as Cadence and Fury went through the pool gate and Obsidian went with Black Ice to the front yard. "We're doing pretty good huh? They might control the sun and moon. But the bigger they are, the harder they crash!" Fury laughed. "I have to admit, you Speed Shifters sure know how to make a grand escape." Cadence said. Then they heard a voice. "1 minute remaining!" Twilight called out. "This is it, Cadence, one more minute to victory and bragging rights!" "I can practically smell the saltiness of my aunt's as they watch us so our victory dances!" She said. There was a sense of honor and glory emitting from the two as they thought about their victory, it felt like the heavens were about to open up and bless them. Then there was a scream from the front yard that got their attention. The two ran over to an open window nearby and saw that Black Ice had been caught by Luna. "Mom… Nooooo!" Fury called. "Don't worry, baby, I'll be fine." She replied. Soon after, Obsidian dropped to the ground from the sky above as Celestia hovered in. "That takes care of you. Ah, Night Fury, how are you?" Celestia said with an eerie grin. "What?! You were supposed to be down for the count!!!" "You are sorely mistaken, my love. We may have taken a hard hit from that fancy trick you pulled, but we are just as tough as we are graceful. We have gone through far worse than that. Now, Come to mama!" Luna called as she took off towards the window, her sister following suit. The two remaining players let out a synchronized scream as they took off in a fit of blind panic. "Run!!!" Fury said. They tried to make for another window. They made the jump outside and ran like they never had before. The two sisters followed close, chasing them with crazy smiles as they rounded a corner and saw the crowd waiting for them. Once they were within sight, they made their move. They dove into the two players and sent all four of them into a crazy, out of control spin. "Uh oh." Fury said, seconds before making contact. "Woahhhhhhh!" they cried as they were spun around like a tornado. And then they split. "Ayeeeeeeee!" They split apart and were flung several feet. They felt very dizzy. "Oh boy, I can only see stars now. Whoa!" Fury and Cadence felt very dizzy. Eventually they recovered after a little while. "Now that was a twirl." Fury admitted with a chuckle. "Yeah you can say that again!" Cadence said still trying to recover. "Wait a second, does that mean you guys won?!" Fury asked. "Please tell me we went over the ten minute mark!" Celestia shook her head. Fury hung his head. "I can't believe I lost to a cake stuffed marshmallow with toothpick legs!" He called. Everyone gasped at the sharp jab. "Fury! Have some courtesy!" Black Ice said. "Well she does like eating cake, and she is the same color as a marshmallow and her legs are kinda skinny. No offense." Fury said playfully. Celestia's eye twitched. "Okay then, bring it on!" "Gladly!" Fury said as he went for Celestia and they started to go at each other in a cloud of dust. "You should just accept your defeat, young one!" Celestia said, having him in an armlock. "I have triumphed over you today!" "You may have won that battle." Fury said. "But I'm still the king of tickles!" He said using his tail to tickle Celestia's nose. "Ahh ahhh… achoo!" She sneezed loudly and launched into the air, crashing down with a thump. "Well done, lightning bug, you've done well." Luna said. "Oh you think you're safe? I think not, C'mere!" He grabbed Luna by the tail and dragged her to her sister. He tied them up with his tail and stood them up straight. "You really think I'll show you mercy just because you're my girlfriend? Not! So how about you go talk it out while going for a spin!" He said deviously, unwrapping his tail and spinning the two sisters like a dreidel. "Ahhhhhh!!!" The two screamed. "So this is what it feels like to spin!" Celestia said. "Not quite as pleasant as I thought." "I concur, sister!" They both spun and spun. Twice as long as what they did with Fury. And to add a little fun, Fury also grabbed them and rolled them like a bowling ball. "Have fun!" Fury said. Celestia and Luna rolled and rolled until they hit some barrels like bowling pins. They also felt incredibly dizzy. They may have powerful entities but even they felt a bit hazy and dizzy. "Your lover sure knows how to throw." Celestia said. "I have to agree, he does have a fair bit of strength." Luna said, her head still spinning. Meanwhile, Fury was laughing so hard that he was crying. "Hahahahahaha! Oh wow, I haven't laughed so hard in ages. Ohh… Oh I think I'm gonna have a tummy ache!" Celestia and Luna seemed unamused at first, but then Luna smiled. "Ah, too much like my sister I see." Luna teased. "Wh… what are you talking about?" Fury wheezed. "Oh just that you two have a bit too much of a sweet tooth." She chuckled. "You two need to calm down with the sweets. I'm just saying." "Well, at least I try to slow down. But I have no doubt that your sister would give herself a wicked tummy ache without any remorse." Fury chuckled. "Oh wait, she does that anyway. And besides, didn't you show me her photo album after Twilight's coronation? I vividly remember you showing me a picture of her getting a tummy ache from some vanilla ice cream." "Come on Night Fury, show some pity on your foes!" Celestia said, blushing. "Says the princess who didn't show me and Cadence any pity. Sorry, but you reap what you sow! And I had to throw you like I did that Cockatrice in that Truther incident." Fury said. Celestia had no idea that her own sister had leaked their childhood so willingly, she never could accept the fact that as a child, she did give herself many stomach aches. "How could you tell him this, my sister!?" Celestia asked. "Sorry, but it's not like you didn't reveal any secrets about my life. Like how I still have a stuffed animal or my teenage poetry. It's a suitable punishment." "Awww, poor Celestia. Such a well known ruler falling victim to a bit of a tummy ache! Oh, the humanity!" Fury laughed as he fell backwards onto Celestia's chest. Everyone after a while had a good laugh though. They talked about how their tactics and strategy went. "I'm sure your parents probably enjoyed this party." Cadence said. Fury nodded. "Yeah, it must have been a blast. Literally Heh." "You bet we did." Obsidian and Black Ice said. "This was an amazing party. You truly made us feel at home here." Black Ice spoke with a smile. "Yeah, this was wicked! I've never felt so young at my age." Obsidian added. Fury blushed at his parents' compliments. "Awww, thank you guys. I just wanted to make you feel at home in Equestria, like how everyone else made me feel when I first got here. And I think it worked out great." He hugged his parents with a smile. "You are such a sweetheart!" Black Ice said, hugging back. "Thanks mom, but I can't say the same for you. And you know why? Well, how about you explain why I found one of your bags tucked away in one of my guest rooms?" Black Ice immediately went wide eyed and as she saw the offending item. Obsidian turned to her with narrowed eyes. "Oh…" Black Ice blushed. "Ice…" "Well, I was just curious what my son's house looked like. And especially that furniture. I-I guess I left that by accident…" "Accident, huh? So you left your bag, tucked away under the bed, unzipped and half empty with your stuff set across the room to check out the furniture?" Fury said accusingly. "And did I forget to mention the finely laid out toiletries on the sink in the walk-in bathroom? It's almost as if someone was planning on moving in…" He said with a fake surprised tone. She giggled nervously but inside, her mind was in panic. Obsidian smirked. "So honey, who's the liar this time?" Obsidian asked. "Who's the sneaky little trespasser? Hmm? She stuttered. "Well, I… um I-I…" "Remember what you told me, Mom? Liar liar, tail's on fire." "Well-" "Well? Is that all you have to say, Mother? Hmmm?" Fury asked inquisitively. Black Ice finally sighed and gave up the act. "Alright, you got me. I wanted to have that great expanse of a house to live in!" She cried out. "I have been living in too small of houses almost my whole life. It's so beautiful, so grand, so touching, so exotic." Fury and Obsidian rolled their eyes at her melodrama that could rival Rarity. "I used to live in one of those houses! But then my father lost his money foolishly and I got stuck in a small house! I think I've earned my right to live in the guest room! It's not even like I will take up space!" "So stuffed animals, new pillows, custom curtains, personal toiletries, books, a collapsible night stand, and a new set of sheets and blankets isn't taking up space?" Fury said with a raised eyebrow and an unamused look. Obsidian shook his head. "Oh sweet mother nature…" He muttered. "Well back in my day, mister," she said to Fury. "Children lived with their parents even into adulthood! Perhaps you would do well to understand that! After all I did feed and raise you, boy." "Oh no you don't! You're not starting that nonsense 'I carried you for nine months, you owe me!' type argument with me! I'm completely fine being independent and don't need you that close by. And I know exactly what you would do if I did let you move in," Fury said as he started to list the things his mother would do with the fingers on his paws. "You would start cooking my meals for me, tell me when I should sleep, how to make my own house, coming to all of my formal functions as my forceful plus one, and I don't doubt that you would start to plan my dates with Luna! Heck, I think you'd even be crazy enough to start bathing me!" Fury yelled out. By now, the party had turned their attention to the feuding family. "Well, um, I wouldn't do all that." Black Ice tried to defend herself. "I would just give you advice. And help around when you are going on adventures. Doesn't that sound good?" Fury knew this was a trap. "Nice try, mom. I know how loud your advice is and as for your help, I'm not quite sure if I would trust you with my room and its belongings. I'm sure you would help out with my comics to leave room for your own boring magazines." Fury argued. "Oh come on, Ice, this isn't okay!" "You're right, it isn't! Having such an ungrateful son that doesn't love his parents! Youth these days!" Black Ice said crying dramatically. This was the thorn that broke Fury's back. "If I didn't love you, I probably wouldn't have come for you two! And judging by how forceful and judging you're being right now mom, maybe I should have taken dad and left you!" He said loudly. Everyone gasped, the chatter falling to an immediate silence. There was silence in the air. Obsidian immediately intervened. "That is enough, both of you!" He roared out fiercely. First he looked at his wife. "Dear, this is absolutely ridiculous. Your son does love you! But that does not mean he will do everything you want from him! He can still love you even if you do not live with each other!" Obsidian said. Black Ice looked away for a moment. "I-I just wanted to be close to him. And make sure he is protected. I haven't seen him in awhile after all." Black Ice said softly. . "Well you didn't exactly put it softly as is. Just because you carried him for nine months and took care of him, doesn't give you the right to demand things from him. In all seriousness, we both owe him for saving us." Obsidian added. Black Ice's face softened up a bit. "I-I see." Black Ice said reluctantly, accepting the truth. "But I don't want to ever be without him again." "Mom, I'll still visit you. And you'll still visit me." Fury said to his mother. "That's never gonna change and we'll have plenty of fun days like today. But I have my own destiny and my own life." Black Ice softly nodded. "You're right, my son. I apologize for my immature behavior. I taught you to be mature and yet today I was acting like a cub." She looked down on the ground. "Can you forgive me?" Fury smiled and hugged her. "I already have." Fury said, giving her a big hug. "Hey, you three! You almost forgot about the cake, we've still got some for ya!" Pinkie Pie cried out. "Come and get some." Fury looked with greedy eyes. "I can't wait to have the first bite. Or maybe me and Luna." "Who says you two will get the first bite?" Obsidian said with his wife, giving him an unusually cocky smile. Fury knew what they were planning. "Oh I see. Back to the old days. Well no offense but you guys are a little old. I think I will definitely get that cake first." Fury said. "Excuse you?!" Black Ice giggled. "Do you think we are that out of date?" "Definitely, especially you, mom. Oh my back, it's such a pain to deal with! And my poor, poor paws! So many aches and pains, oh why must I be this old?! Nyah!" Fury mocked in a grandmother-like voice. His father laughed at this but was silenced by her look of disapproval. Then she looked at her son. "First of all I do not have that many back pains!" she said. "And second of all I AM NOT OLD!" "Well you may not have that many back pains, but you sure eat like you're old. Constantly stuffing your face like it's your last, Jelly Belly." Fury said as he recalled his mothers nickname. She was about to respond ferociously, but strangely closed her mouth, stayed quiet and smiled. "You have quite a sense of humor my boy." She said with a strange level of happiness. "You seem quite confident." She's never this relaxed, especially when the nickname comes up. Obsidian remarked in his head. "So let's see if you can say all of that as I leave you right in the dust!" Black Ice said loudly. "Let's see how you can match your elder with experience!" Obsidian nodded. "Yeah kid, you have a long way ahead of you. We've been at this longer than you have." "Maybe, but I don't think I'm that far off." Fury said as he took off so fast that he quite literally disappeared in the blink of an eye. "What the- Where did he go?" Obsidian asked. "I'm on mom's head." Black Ice and Obsidian looked up and saw a black chickadee perched on top of Black Ice's head. Black Ice was surprised then impressed. "I didn't expect you to be able to transform so quickly and into something so small this young!" "I've been practicing for a while now. Not to mention that I've had a little help from the emperor himself." Fury bragged. "You mean Emperor Snowdrift himself?" Obsidian asked. "Yep, but that's a long story. I'll explain it to you guys later. Because…" He flew off his mother's head and transformed back to a feline. "Me and Luna have a race to win!" He said, preparing himself. "We'll see about that, sport. Let's show him, Black Ice." Obsidian said confidently. "Agreed!" She responded. "Three, two, one… GO!" Fury called out. Everyone burst into high levels of speed waiting to have the first slice of cake. Fury and Luna were already ahead. "So far so good! See ya old timers!" Fury said. "They can't beat us!" But Luna noticed a speeding black aura coming towards them. "Um, Night Fury, I think they're catching up." "Not for long…" Fury started charging up, his energy flowing more aggressively than ever. He let his parents get a little closer to them as he readied his next move. "What was that about us not catching up, Fury? Because I'm pretty sure we're on your tail!" Obsidian said. "Yeah, for now! Later, chumps!" Fury called as he took off and disappeared with a flash, leaving a trail of electrical energy behind him. But he didn't just disappear like he took off in a straight line, he disappeared like he had teleported. "This boy, when did he learn to do that?!" Black Ice said aloud. "I guess he must have gotten a lot of experience. He is quite powerful but he hasn't won just yet. I've got an idea for us to win." Obsidian said. Black Ice gave a nod. – "Did the emperor teach you this?" Luna asked as she tried to catch up with the speeding bullet. "Only the basics, but I've been doing a bit of practice lately." Fury said. "It's an old escape maneuver that he taught me, it was mainly used to distract our enemies with the flash and change direction quickly. For some, they can only use the flash to their advantage and run. But those who are specially trained in using it can actually teleport! You unicorns and alicorns aren't the only ones who can do it!" Luna could just imagine how powerful he could be against creatures like dragons. She realized Equestria had a strong ally with them. "Hmmm, I thought I heard something. It sounds like something is running with us." Fury looked back and he saw a small squirrel blasting through the air. It went past him. "That was weird. Wait, that color! That's… Mom?!" The squirrel landed and transformed into a Speed Shifter. "What the heck?!" Fury cursed aloud. "Raw power is only one part of being a Speed Shifter. Clever plans are the other. Your father flung me into the air while he himself was going quickly." She said looking behind. "You're right, Mom. That's why I can do this!" Fury increased his speed and caught up to his mother. He dug his left paw into the ground and spun around, and out of the blue, his tail glowed red and turned into a lightning rod, extending towards Black Ice. His tail wrapped around hers and pulled her backwards as he made the full 360. She was immediately flung backwards and was left in the dust as Fury's tail detached from her and returned to normal. "Nice try, mom. But I have my own special tricks!" Fury looked on ahead and saw he had a quarter of the way to go. "Yes! Almost there! That cake is gonna be mine!" Fury yelled out. Everypony around him was astonished by the speed of this black and red blur. "Holy Toledo, did you guys see that?!" Rainbow asked. "His tail turned into some sort of electric lasso!" "Sure did, that was mighty impressive! He might just be a better roper than me!" Applejack added. "My sister is keeping up with him quite well, but he is starting to pull away from her." Celestia said. "You said it, auntie." Cadence chuckled. Then she saw something. "Wait a second, do you guys see that purple light? I know that isn't Fury's aura because he has a red aura." "Wait, I think I can see who it is!" Pinkie chirped as she pulled a pair of binoculars from her mane. "It's Fury's dad, He's catching up to them!" Meanwhile for Fury he looked back, and knew that aura. "Oh no. I know that color!" The purple aura finally caught up. "Hey son, you doing alright back there? Your mother did some good stalling to give me time to catch up" Obsidian said with a cocky smirk. "What?! I thought you forgot about how to do that from being in camp." "Son, do you really think that I would not do some sort of training? Even back at camp, I was finding ways to train! I'm not going to just be some old geezer who can't catch up with his son!" Obsidian boasted. Fury's eyes narrowed as he saw his father start to pull away, but he had one last trick. "Okay then, you want to see the power of generations? Well you've got it!" Fury took off towards his father, leaving his girlfriend behind. His father moved left and right to block the pass from his son, but he was expecting that. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and went for it. "Let's go!" With a smile from ear to ear and determination in his heart, he jumped and backflipped over his dad. Obsidian looked up and his jaw dropped with everyone else's as they saw the action movie stunt take place. Everyone was shocked to see Fury do this, it was the first time anyone in Equestria did a backflip while at ground level and at speed. "Woohoo! Yeah!" Fury landed right back and now he was only a few seconds away from his destination. "I won't let you win that easily!" Obsidian said, speeding up. Both Speed Shifters were trying to avoid rocks and getting the other to get off track. Everyone was wondering which one would make it. Now, Fury had enough. He was tired of his parents trying to upstage him and was about to put them in their place. "Okay, that's it! You wanna play, dad? Let's play!" Fury yelled as he dug his paws into the ground and started to slow down rapidly. Obsidian didn't expect him to do that and out of reflex, started to look for an escape route. Fury saw his father looking for a way out and stopped him, dragging his rear right paw in the dirt to kick up some dust. Obsidian started coughing, his vision being obscured by the dust. Fury took this opportunity and used it to his full advantage as he began to charge up. I'm about to do it. I'm about to do the move that our ancestors boasted about. He closed his eyes. He chanted the old tribal language of those before him. He felt like he was in a river of energy and he was absorbing it all. I feel a little sick from this… No! I have to keep going. Almost there. From the outside it looked as if he was stuck in a red electric fire. They even saw him briefly levitate a few inches. But then it was followed by him stopping on the ground. His eyes glowed an eerie color. "BEHOLD, THE POWER OF MY ANCESTORS!" He cried out. Then what happened was first silence. Everyone blinked and he seemed to be gone. But one second later they heard the loudest sound in a while. CLAP! A red lightning strike came down from the sky and hit the ground. Then, they saw Fury's aura burning through the night as he thundered down the path. They saw Fury going faster than what anyone could possibly have imagined. He was already closer and closer than ever before. His father couldn't believe his eyes. In all his life he had never before witnessed such a feat he had thought it was only possible in legends of old. "Yeah! I made it! Woohoo! I'm the champ alright." Fury said as he did a victory dance. Black Ice finally caught up with her husband. "Honey, are you alright, I thought I heard some loud noise!" His wife said. "Y-yeah I'm alright." Obsidian said not looking at her and instead at their son. His body was glowing a fierce red hue, electric pulses firing off in waves around him as he held a powerful stance. His body looked the strongest it's ever been. To everyone around, he truly looked like a god amongst them. "W-what is going on with Night Fury?" Black Ice asked. "Wait, Is that what that sound was? Was that you?" Obsidian nodded. "Black Ice, I think our son is something else. Something beyond normalcy. Almost like a god. Like those Speed Shifters of ancient times!" They both were quiet. "Hey you two! What are you waiting for? Let's go chow down! You might have lost but I'll let you have the third and fourth slices." Fury said to them. "Third and fourth? Who's getting the second?" Black Ice asked. "I think you know who…" as if on cue, Luna landed next to the still glowing feline and wrapped a wing around him. "Fury, I know not what happened. But I can tell by your smile that you won." Luna said. "Dang straight, Moonpie! We showed those old fogies a thing or two!" Fury said, putting his arm around Luna. "He didn't just do that, auntie Luna, he pulled off a sonic boom! The first one on ground level! That's a first in Equestrian history!" Cadence piped up. "Yeah now that was the most awesome thing I have ever seen!" Rainbow exclaimed. "You should have seen it! It was like he was burning then he went woosh! It was like a land rainboom!" Celestia chuckled. "The more I'm around you Speed Shifters, the more you impress me." Celestia said. "Did you know you were going to do a sonic boom?" "I didn't know it was going to happen at all! It was just… instant! I wouldn't be surprised if that broke a world record or something." Night Fury said. His stomach growled. "But you know what, enough talk about that. Let's chow down on some cake!" Fury said. He was about to walk in but first. "Before you go young speedster," Celestia said. "It seems Twilight has something to say." Twilight quickly rushed to him with several papers. "Fury, with my careful calculations and my knowledge of the book of Equestrian World Records, you have surpassed the record for fastest land creature with your sonic boom on land!" Everyone cheered for Fury. "Wow I was just kidding about the world record, but dang. I guess I just did! Woohoo, Ha ha ha!" He said, joyful at this victory. Celestia stood in the middle of everyone. "Citizens of Ponyville! Today you bore witness to a feat that has not been surpassed in centuries. Ambassador Night Fury the Speed Shifter has gone quicker than has been thought possible on land. Just as Rainbow Dash mastered speed in the air. He did so on land." "Woo hoo!" said the crowd. "You go, Night Fury!" cried out Rainbow. "And for that reason," Celestia brought a certificate and signed his name. "I declare you, Night Fury, the World Record Fastest Land Creature." She even gave him a medal for speed. Everypony cheered even harder for Night Fury. "Night Fury!" "Night Fury!" "Night Fury!" Fury almost felt like he wanted to cry tears of joy. "Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it! I love you all! Well, I can't really say that when you know who is present." He pointed to Luna, who blushed. The crowd chuckled at this. "But… you guys really have been so encouraging. You've given me a real home and helped me to find my family. I feel like I would have been so incomplete without you guys. Even if I'm the fastest guy on land, you guys hold the record for the coolest new people I've ever met!" The crowd cheered for him. "Congratulations, Lightning Bug, you've truly made your place amongst us all." Luna said. "Thanks Luna, and you know what? I've been neglecting something else for a while…" "What's that?" Luna asked. Fury walked up to her and tripped her by her back legs, holding her around her back and looking into her eyes like he was salsa dancing with her. "I've been neglecting how I've truly loved you all these months, and I'm gonna fix that… with this." Fury said, leaning in and kissing her on the lips. "Awwww!" said the ponies around them. Luna relaxed into the kiss and enjoyed it. She finally separated and gave him a soft smile. "So wanna reap the spoils of victory in the form of cake, my Moonpie?" Fury said, nuzzling her. "I agree with that. Let us make haste!" Luna said as the lovers moved into the house. Night Fury was truly happy. His parents looked at him with great happiness. "Honey, I think he is starting to reach his full potential." Black Ice said. "Yep." But Obsidian looked a little worried. "Is there something wrong?" His wife asked. "No, it's just that… There's something special about him. And others beside us might find that out too someday." Obsian said. Black Ice nodded. "You're right. We need to make sure he's safe and prepared for what this new power and burden will give him." She said. He didn't want her to worry too much, so he lightened the mood. "Heh, yeah, romantically and regularly. Seriously, he's got a good looking girl. I can only imagine how his powers would react if her highness decided to… give him a little tease." "Oh boy," Black Ice chuckled. "I would pay to see that. As long as Luna doesn't go too far, of course." Obsidian laughed. His wife still had a protective instinct. "Come on Icey," he said, holding her paw and nuzzling her neck. "Let's go enjoy a good feast." She smiled and they both went inside Fury's mansion. There were still future things to adress, but for now, it was a time of joy, love and feasting. A successful family reunion.