//------------------------------// // Chapter 26: Prankster Princesses // Story: To Equestria And Beyond (Rewrite In Progress) // by NightFurySpeedey8156 //------------------------------// Black Ice and Obsidian were enjoying themselves with a nice breakfast feast, the early morning sun rays filling the room with a sort of comfortable warmth in Luna's tower. Luna and Celestia were off with some politics to sort out. Luna assigned them to have a delicious breakfast feast. Black Ice was especially happy at her treatment in Canterlot. She loved the food and the aesthetics of the dining hall, truly adding to the experience of luxury. It reminded her of her own childhood in the dining hall to see a bushy-tailed Night Fury shuffling his way over. "Well mom and dad, you impressed with this place or what?" Fury called to them as he sat by them. "This is some great hospitality. Princess Luna sure knows how to please guests." Black Ice said. They all had a great meal. A good serving of fish for them. They talked about what they were going to do today. "So guys, would you like to go anywhere in Canterlot? Maybe the bakery. Maybe we can see the military. Or even Celestia's Palace!" Fury said excited by all the possibilities. "Easy, sport," his father said. "We can't go to every place today. We'll focus on a few." Before they continued, Princess Cadence came to talk to them. "Good morning, everyone. Enjoying your meals?" "You betcha! Luna's servants sure know how to make some good food for us! Another reason why I love her." Cadence giggled at this but then continued with what she was going to say. "So I heard you guys want somewhere to go, hmmm? Well I think I have an idea. How about you come over to Celestia's Palace? They even have a dance floor. I bet you two would love it." Obsidian and Black Ice seemed quite interested. "I would like to dance with my sweetheart," Obsidian said. "to prove we still have the moves." He winked to his wife who almost squealed in joy. "And I get to go see mine! So it's a win-win for us, huh dad?" Fury asked. "You said it, champ!" Obsidian said. "Today is going to really be a fun day. This time a little less crazy." Obsidian chuckled. But little did he know that he had jinxed them for the day. "Yep! No pranks this time!" Cadence nodded. "This will be a time to cool down." She smiled seemingly innocently. The Speed Shifter family finally finished their meal. "Well, I'm stuffed." Fury said. "Let's get ready to leave!" Fury and his parents walked out of the dining hall, leaving Cadence alone. "Heh heh, sorry Fury. But actually, I'm not satisfied with our little scuffle. For it is time for my retribution." She giggled devilishly as she followed behind them with a grin on her face. – Cadence, Fury and his parents were walking along the path that led through the palace gardens. The sweet smell of flowers filled the air as they strolled down the stone pathway. There was nothing quite like seeing the larger than life stone buildings built so elegantly. His parents were clearly impressed. "Wow, this has to be the most beautiful assortment of flowers I've ever seen." Black Ice said. "Yeah, it's been a long time since I've seen something like this. The last time I remember taking a stroll through a garden like this was when I was learning to walk back home." Fury said, reminiscing over his early childhood. "Those were good times. I hope I come back to see it again someday." Obsidian reassured his son. "Don't you worry. Once we deal with certain things around Equestria, we can go back together. I'm sure that we'll get a big welcome home from the rest of the Moonlight tribe." "Yeah, maybe you two." Fury huffed. "I probably won't hear the last of it from everyone else, especially oh dear Amethyst, the stuck-up one she is." He muttered. "She was a bit loud and abrasive, I will admit that." Black Ice chuckled. "Kind of like someone I know," Obsidian teased her. "Oh hush, Obsidian." She rolled her eyes but was still smiling. "I only do that forty percent of the time, she does it eighty percent." She giggled. They continued to walk through the gardens when a quiet rustling made Fury freeze. "Hang on, did you guys hear that?" Fury asked, there was then a small breeze followed by a voice. "Oooooooooh…" said a mysterious voice "Who's there? Show yourself!" Fury called out "I am the spirit of the Canterlot gardens, I have been awoken by your presence." The ghostly voice said. Fury instantly wore a smirk as he knew who it was, but decided to go along with it for the sake of it. "And what do you seek from our presence, oh spirit of the gardens?" Fury asked. "No need to fear me, mortals. For I am a friend to you all. I only wish to converse." The voice replied. Cadence and Obsidian were confused by the voice, but Black Ice seemed to be showing a different emotion. "W-what does it want?" She shuddered. "Oh come on, mom. Don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts?" "I'm not afraid! I-I'm just… concerned." She said meekly. "Y-you never know what spirits might want from the living!" "Do not fear, mother of Night Fury. For I only wish to make one request with your son." "And what is this request?" Fury asked, still smiling at the obvious trick. "My one request is…" … "Morning Cuddles!" Without a moment to spare, Night Fury was tackled by a blue blur that landed him in a grass patch. He looked up and saw that the so-called spirit wishing to cuddle was none other than his girlfriend, Luna. "Luna! Well well well. Trying to give us a scare, eh Moonpie?" He said caressing her ear. "Is this why you were gone this morning?" "Yes indeed, my Lightning Bug." Luna smiled. "I hope you forgive me for trying to give you all a fright." She smirked. "Oh don't worry, I think there was only one of us that got a bit of a fright out of this." Fury teased. Black Ice tried to hide her fear. "I was not scared, princess. I was merely, um… making sure you were not hostile. Yes. And you have proven you are, in fact, not an evil spirit." she said, trying to have some composure. Said composure would falter though as a light breeze grazing her back sent her into a frenzy. "Ahhh! You shall not take me, sky demon! Stay back!" She backed up with her claws ready to defend herself. Everyone around her laughed. "Oh honey," her husband laughed. "You shouldn't worry. I'll save you from the horrors of the breeze!" He said hugging her. "Oh come on!" Black Ice said. "I was only pretending to be scared." She defended, but no one was falling for it. "Hurry everyone, huddle around mom! We must protect her from the dangerous sky breeze, she may get possessed!" Fury cried out. Cadence and Luna continued to give the middle aged Speed Shifter a big hug. Black Ice looked unamused but they could tell she loved it too. "You all are going to burn in Tartarus for this…" She moaned with a bit of a laugh. "Says the one who came up with a pink fuzzy octopus creature to get me to go to sleep." Fury said bluntly. "Alright, fine! I guess we're even now, alright?!" Black Ice said. "You happy?" "Very much so, mother dearest." Her son smirked. "You all are being rather cheeky today." Another voice chimed. "Is this another of your pranks, Princess?" Black Ice asked. "No, it's just my sister walking to see us," she pointed at her sister Luna. "Oh. Never mind." Black Ice decided to be quiet for the moment so as not to show more embarrassment. Celestia walked by them. "How are you enjoying your walk to the palace?" "Well, we almost got possessed by Ms. Cuddle Demon over here…" Fury pointed to Luna, making her blush. "And we found out that my mom is a new target of a dangerous 'demon breeze'." "Hey! Keep that incident private!" Black Ice pouted. "Or what? This newly acclaimed 'Ghost wind' might possess me because of my transgressions against their kind? Ooooooh, so scary…" Celestia chuckled. "Alright, alright." Celestia said. "I must admit Luna, I am impressed with your little prank. You're starting to match mine" Luna chuckled. "I will admit I was only going for Night Fury. But it was fun nonetheless." "Well, we will have even more fun at my palace," Celestia said. "Tonight, we have a special ball. With a theme of tropical beauty in honor of Fury's parents. "Wow, an entire ball in honor of us?" Black Ice was amazed at the honor. "This is just amazing! With this luck, I may be able to truly grow. Start a career, maybe start a business, and maybe grow my family with some grandkids!" "Eww, mom!" Fury said. "I'm not ready to think of family yet! Me and Luna haven't even been a thing for a year yet!" "Son, you must understand. My family was a prestigious family. One of the most renowned of the Moonlight tribe. Then my father made some terrible choices and we had to sell our mansion. We lost all of our honor. But with your heirs, we may recover the honor that was lost! Oh please dear, do it not just for me. But for your father who never got to see what a mansion was like!" "I'm not that sad, dear. Not that I wouldn't like to live in one though…" Even her husband liked the idea a bit. "Oh dear goddess, there goes the guilt trip. And you say that I'm the one who's immature." Fury scoffed. Luna just couldn't believe what she was hearing. She cannot be serious! I have no plans to engage in romantic intercourse with him, let alone produce my own child! "Madame, I am not quite sure I am ready for such a momentous decision in my life." Luna said. "Oh you shall, princess. After all, the greatest honor of love is producing a baby. One of your heirs to carry on the family legacy. It's quite glorious if you think about that!" Black Ice said. Fury snuck his way towards Celestia and spoke to her. "Yeah, uh, that honor that you had for my parents? How fast can you make that a sole and singular honor?" He whispered. "Don't worry, Night Fury." Celestia said. "It will be a few hours but we do have some beautiful things to show off. Like the animals or the Wonderbolts flying over our palace." "Great, 'cause I'm in one of those awkward situations where I want to make it stop, but I can't because some of my chosen words may not be… Family friendly." "Leave it to me." Celestia said. She cleared her throat. "Oh look at the time!" Celestia said. "We're almost late for the Wonderbolt Air Show! A bunch of flying colors in the shapes of Equestria's best known monuments in the air. It will begin in twenty minutes." "Ooh, that sounds wonderful!" Black Ice said, forgetting about her future plans, starting to walk away. Fury sighed his biggest breath of relief along with his girlfriend. He was so happy, that he unknowingly kissed Celestia and hugged her. "Thank you so much, I love you for this." He sighed, still oblivious to the blushing alicorn in his grasp. "N-no problem, Night Fury!" "Come on guys, let's go see some flying!" Fury called, walking away. "Should I have said something?" Celestia asked Luna. "Not now, but later." She whispered as they walked to the viewpoint of the show. - "Up next is the Statue of Manehattan! The symbol of a city of great wealth and achievement," said the announcer. The Wonderbolts proceeded to use their colored clouds to make a lifesize cloud statue of a robed mare. The amount of detail was unmatched. "Woohoo! Alright!" Fury and his mother both cried out in excitement. "This is amazing! A work of pure art with clouds!" Black Ice said. "Pegasi are truly amazing." "True that, mom. Wow, I wonder what it's like to fly that high. The wind in your face, not a care in the world… it must be amazing to be able to soar through the skies like that." Fury sighed, thinking about his falcon form and his sub-par flying skills. "Are you alright son?" his mother asked. "It's nothing." He said. His father noticed this and had a good feeling about what he was so worried about. "Don't worry son. Transformation is a hard thing to do. But even harder when you have to think like the animal you're imitating. You just have to keep trying and trying. And just like a conflict with your loved one, you'll learn how to navigate it." Obsidian reassured Fury. "And I know you've got some experience, considering mom is a bit of a hothead." "I am not a hothead!" She bellowed. "Oh yes you are, sweetie. You've got the biggest temper out of the three of us." Obsidian smiled. "And how exactly would you prove that I'm a hothead?" "By your previous sentences?" Fury said bluntly. "Well I- hmph." She stuck up her nose knowing she lost the argument to see the Wonderbolts. "But seriously son, don't you worry. You've done so much already, the future is bright for you." "Thanks dad." Fury said. Then the announcer gave a statement. "Alright everyone. That concludes our Wonderbolts for the day. We hope you enjoyed them. But in an hour, we have a special dance. We hope you are there to participate! Have a good time, all of you!" Everyone seemed excited now. The big appeal of the Canterlot Palace. The magnificent dances. "This is it! I can't wait to be in such a beautiful setting!" Black Ice said. "Are you ready, my life?!" "You know I am, Icey!" Obsidian kissed her cheek. "Let's go inside! Come on! You two lovebirds come in as well!" He said to Fury and Luna. "Hey Moonpie, ready to take over the dance floor?" "Let's boogie, lightning bug!" Princess Luna said. While rolling his eyes at Luna's hip term, Fury held her arm and was ready to make this a night she would not soon forget. Cadence was strangely quiet though. Normally she would go crazy over something this romantic. But she was happy. But she was happy about something other than the dances. "Heh heh heh I hope you have fun. Because I know I will. Especially with you, Night Fury." Cadence said to herself. "Heh heh heh." - "My goodness, this palace is larger than any temple I've scoured through!" Obsidian said as he walked into the Palace. "You got that right, dad!" Fury said. "We're gonna pull out some cool dance moves today! Ain't that right, Luna?" She blushed. "Indeed my love!" She leaned on his shoulder. Celestia stopped the group. "Alright everyone. First we need to get you all dressed. Go into those rooms and you will have someone work on an outfit for each of you. And then you can dance your heart out." "Sounds good to me!" Fury said. "I wanna dress to kill. Not literally of course." "Indeed, I can't wait to see what you have on, shmoopie." Luna cooed. "You got it! Just don't be too excited when you see me, you might pass out." Obsidian made sure they got to the point. "Alright everyone. You can flirt later. Let's get dressed." Everyone went into the rooms. Celestia went to check other accommodations. All that was left was Cadence. "It's so sweet how they want to dance with each other. It would be a shame if someone decided to… have some fun." Cadence said, thinking of ways to get back at her foe Night Fury. Finally, after a few minutes, everyone was ready to dance. Fury was in a nice looking suit that had shoulder pads to make his figure stand out. His fabrics were exotic and from flung corners of Equestria. There was even a chain of turquoise and jade beads. He felt confident in his looks. But his jaw dropped on seeing his dance partner. She wore a flowing blue dress that was semi see through, allowing him to see some of her underlying features. The dress came with a pearl necklace and a star-spangled pattern that ran down the back of the dress. Luna took notice of the slack jawed feline and giggled. "It looks like you're the one who might pass out." She smiled at his surprised expression. He snapped out of his stupor and put himself together. "Can ya blame me? With how you're dressed, how can I not be." He said, giving her his paw. "You ready my lady?" Fury asked. "As ready as I can be." Luna replied. Everyone got onto the dance floor. Fury could see his parents were excited to be ready to dance. His mother looked like she was about to cry tears of joy at this event. "Oh look at you two, you look so cute together!" Black Ice cooed, making the couple blush. "You two are a perfect match, there's no doubt about that. You two are going to be happy together." Obsidian added. "Thanks pops." Then the DJ made an announcement. "Alright everyone, welcome to the Autumn Appreciation Ball! While we all may be themed in tropical clothing, this party is mainly in preparation for the changing of the seasons! For our Speed Shifter friends it's to celebrate the beginning of the Rainy Season, so let's get to it!" The crowd applauded and cheered. "Tonight is a very special night, because of two individuals who fought for their lives to be here tonight. By tooth and claw to fight for what they believed in. Ladies and Gentlecolts, give it up for Obsidian and Black Ice!" "Woo hoo! Alright!" The crowd called on. "Thank you very much. You, the people of Canterlot, have made us feel very welcome." Black Ice said. "And you have made us appreciate the opportunity to make new friends with different forms of life. We couldn't have realized that if it weren't for your efforts and your son's work to bring us together. Give it up for Night Fury, everyone!" Everyone applauded even harder for the beloved Speed Shifter ambassador. "Thanks everyone! You guys are the best and I hope for a big bright future for all of us. Both speed shifters and ponies alike. But right now, we got something important to do, and that is, dance and show off your stuff! We're gonna make this ball the time of our lives! Let's do this! Hit it!" "You got it!" The DJ played some nice slow dance music to start out. Everyone was slow but passionate with their partner. Fury saw how his parents despite their age looked into each other's eyes and how they had a burning love for each other. I gotta do the same with Luna. He looked into her eyes. To this song they were in each others' arms. They felt the warmness of each other. They touched their foreheads to each other. "You enjoying this, Moonpie?" "I am. I feel so whole with you. I feel like I have been with you for centuries. And I can never let you go." "Me too. And you better not let go when the next dance comes up." Fury said. Then the music stopped and the DJ made an announcement. "Alright everyone, now we've had a nice relaxing dance but get ready because this is where it gets really intense. It's time to show off your dance skills. It's going to get fast so get ready!" The DJ said. The crowd cheered on at this. Deep down, Fury was a bit nervous. He had danced slowly with Luna before. But to do some quick dances? That was a bit much. He looked at his parents and he saw them pulling the most complex moves with Obsidian picking up Black Ice and spinning or him releasing her while she twirled around. Could he really do something like that? Wait, why do I have to replicate them when I've got my own style? I'll show them what my generation has in store! He saw Luna's nervousness. "Luna. Don't look so shy because we're gonna show them what we got!" Fury said as he hugged Luna's waist causing them to stand up and then jumped into the air and span together. "What in the world are you doing?" Luna asked. "We're going to fall from this!" "No we are not Luna. Watch this!" Fury cried out as an aura of red energy formed around him. The force held the two up in the air and allowed them to hover. Luna had never felt such a feeling in her life and was strangely enjoying it. "Shhh… just go with the flow, my love. I'm right here." Fury said. "Let's do this." Luna nodded, still a little surprised at dancing mid air. But she started to feel more confident. Was it the electricity? Either way she held onto him. And they spun around but as they did so they produced almost a storm of red, blue and purple energy. Everyone down on the dance floor was amazed at the colors made. It seemed the two lovers were both glowing. "That's our boy!" Obsidian said. "I know! It's beautiful." As they witnessed the dancing pair. Fury and Luna felt confidence like they never had before. A bit daring, Fury and Luna spun around quickly. "Get ready for this one, Luna!" Fury said. "For what?" Fury let Luna go, making her go to the other side of the room. Luna was shocked at this. But before she crashed Fury jumped into the air, grabbed her front legs and spun each other again. "That was a bit much, Fury!" Luna scolded him. "But admit it, you kinda liked the daring stunt, didn't you?" He said as they slowed down a bit. Luna had to admit she was having the time of her life. "Yes Fury, I did." And then the music stopped. And the DJ spoke again. "Alright everyone, that was amazing! You all had some great dance moves but the stars of the show are none other than the Princess of the Night and the Ambassador himself! Give it up for our guests!" The crowd clapped and cheered for them. "Night Fury, that was amazing what you did back there!" Obsidian said. "That truly is using our energy in creative ways." "I agree. You did most beautifully. I was worried for a moment that would end with you falling flat on the ground. But I can see you knew what you were doing today." His mother said. "I am so proud of you!" She said, hugging him tight. "Aww, I'm glad you were worried about me. And thank you, I've been working on this my entire life and I think I've found the one that thought I was worth it." Fury said, kissing his girlfriend. "And you too, my love." Luna said. After they kissed, they saw Cadence. "Cadence, you missed out on so much!" Fury said. "You missed out on all our dance moves!" "Sorry I was just doing some, um, work. But I have to tell you about something and thank everyone for a great dance today." Cadence said. "I've already made a speech." "But don't you want to tell everyone how amazing it felt to be dancing with your love like that? Dancing on lightning?" Fury had to admit he couldn't resist showing off a bit. "Alright I'll do it!" Fury said. Cadence smiled. In her mind it was an evil smile. "Now that you're away from everyone, I can really finish this Rainy Season. Heh heh." Cadence walked into another room. Fury went on the podium. "Thanks everyone for such an awesome dance! We had a blast, literally!" The crowd laughed at his joke. "And I gotta thank Luna for all that electrifying dancing. You're a blast, Moonpie!" Luna smiled at this. "Anyways guys I hope you have a nice-" Fury then noticed Cadence left. A bit rude, she taught him manners and she defied one herself. Unless… Now that I think about it, while I was up there, I did see a box of balloons filled with water. Yeah. Oh I see. Very funny Cadence. He was able to see that Cadence was on the top level. So that was why you were gone. Well Cadence, go ahead and do it. "-uh day. Before I go though I have one last thing to show you." Then several dozens of water balloons dropped down from the box above. It was a few yards from Fury. "Ladies and gentlecolts, let me show you what my tail can do!" His tail took a spring-like shape and caught the first balloon. It slowed to a stop in his grasp as he looked in Cadence's direction with a smile. Releasing the first balloon, he got a direct hit on her flank. But he wasn't done. "Watch this" The tail spring bounced a balloon into the air. And another and another. Cadence was hit by every single balloon. "Ahhhh! STOP IT! I SURRENDER!" Cadence cried out. "You win this round!" Fury then moved out of the way of the last balloons. Cadence flew back down. "How did you know about my balloons?" "Well if you stuck around to see my sick dance in the air, you'd know I saw a funny looking bunch of water balloons. And you're Cadence, the Princess of Love. You would never turn down a time of dance unless you had something big in mind. So I figured you out, Princess." Fury said. "Oh, and one more thing…" Fury said. He held up a single claw and electrified it, a red hue engulfing it. Cadence was left confused as to what he was doing until he pressed it against her water-logged fur and sent rather tickly electric pulses through her body. "Ahhhhhhh. That felt weird." Cadence said. After she recovered from that shock "Oh come on! You already splashed me, did you have to do that shock?" "Why yes, I do. Don't you know that water is an excellent conductor for electricity?" He said, touching her again. "Which is exactly why you should not do that!" Cadence yelled. "Hey if you didn't wanna get shocked or wet, you shouldn't have tried to drop balloons on me. Keep in mind as a warrior I'm trained to be weary of threats. Especially from you yesterday." "You knew?" Cadence asked. "Who told you?!" "Oh I just had a feeling you wanted some payback. Don't think I'm that naive not to realize that." "Oooh, you little twerp! I'm gonna…" "What? Do what? Because I will go full force and make you wish you weren't right in front of me." He chuckled. Cadence was so blinded by her loss that she decided to take her chances. "You're not gonna do anyth-" before she finished, Fury dug his paws into her chest and ignited his powers, sending off the tickly electric pulses through her at full force. She tried to hold her ground, but she broke out and let herself slip. "Ughhhhhh! No more. You win this round! You got me again!" Cadence said. "Please don't zap me again!" Fury looked satisfied. "Very well. I guess I'm still the Champion Prankmaster. The King of Mischief." "That's not something you should be proud of." Black Ice said. "You should show more pride in being an Ambassador instead." "Mmmm, maybe, Ambassador but I like Prankmaster even more. Just saying." Fury said. "Well, it does show you are well aware of threats around you. It will be very useful against future enemies." Obsidian said. "That is true, and mom, you have got to lighten up! Seriously, you're being a major buzzkill!" Black Ice was about to argue, but then she thought about how it made him clever and skilled against future attacks. She imagined if it were an actual bomb. And then she realized Cadence did look pretty funny all wet. "You know what? Maybe you're right, Fury. I'm sorry. And besides it is a family honor to show how clever one can be against foes." Black Ice said. "Now you're talking, Mom! No one can mess with me, Night Fury. Well, except for Luna, but I don't think she can do much." He said bluntly. The crowd gasped as the words left his mouth and then he realized what he had just subjected himself to. "Oops…" "My dear Night Fury, is that a challenge?" Luna asked. "Hmmm?" "Uh no?" Fury said backing uo. "That was a mistake. Right, mom and dad?" "Knowing how Fury is, he meant it." Black Ice admitted. "Yeah that's how that boy is. Always saying what he means." "Guys!" Fury said, realizing he backed himself into a corner. "Oh, Treesap…" Luna used her magic to restrain to tie his arms and his legs separately and this time she tickled his belly. "No! Not again! Ahahahahaha!" Luna would not budge. She had to make him pay. "Cadence, are there still some balloons left?" Luna asked her niece. Cadence smiled. "Why yes there are. I'll be right back." "No no no no!" Fury said, still restrained. Now Cadence had a whole bunch of balloons. She went above Night Fury. "Now let's even the score shall we Fury?" Cadence said. "Please no!" Fury begged. The water balloons dropped on him. He felt wet like he was in a swamp. "Ah dang it! I'm so cold." Fury said while he was being ticked at the same time. "Hold on." Cadence said. "I have one last punishment for you. "Oh come on, what now?" "It's gonna be a shocking retribution." Cadence said. "Servants! Give me a rug." They did so. Fury wondered why she would need one. And then Cadence rubbed her hooves on the rug like there was no tomorrow. Fury then realized what she meant. "Wait, I'm sorry! I'll give you a bunch of cake I promise!" Fury begged. "Too late. Now hold still…" She then pressed a hoof to his belly and sent a shock through him. "Hahahahahaha, it feels sohohohoho weird!" He laughed. "Okay, that's it!" He proceeded to snap his magical restraints with his own energy. "You wanna get electric, then let's turn up the voltage!" He said as he pulled both princesses in and shocked them with a smile, making them laugh uncontrollably at the fuzzy feeling. "Not so funny when the tables are turned, now is it?" He chuckled. "Okay okay, we get it!" "Yes, we have surrendered in defeat! Now please let us go!" "Looks like I'm the king again!" Fury said. He finally let go, freeing the two princesses from their electrifying fate. "You have done rather well against me for who you were up against. But sadly I just cannot be matched in my trickster prowess." Fury said. "You just have to accept that fact. Nothing personal." Luna and Cadence looked quite annoyed at his smug bragging. They just wanted to really humiliate him somehow. But then, Luna remembered what happened that very morning and smirked. "Oh I think we've got you beat, just in a different way. You remember that little… moment your mother had about us?" "Oh brother, don't remind me." Fury moaned. "You know my mom's chanting is a pain to deal with." "And you did ask my sister to sort things out, is that right?" "Oh yeah, she handled that perfectly. Thanks Celestia, I owe you one!" Fury called to her. "But didn't you already thank her? In more of a… personal way?" Fury was confused. What did she mean? He liked Celestia but they were not that close. Unless… He finally remembered. Oh dear goddess… "Luna, that was not what you thought. I was just very grateful and got a little too… close. But you would have done the same thing in my position, am I wrong?" Fury defended, trying to throw her off. "No, you are not. Well except for kissing her. But I am her sister, I am practically obligated to give her my affection in such a manner. However, I am curious as to how you have that pass…" "Well… I… do we have to talk about this, Luna? The past is the past." "But why forget the past? Is the past not filled with valuable memories?" Luna smirked. "It is, but I say this particular memory can go on without any conflict." Celestia piped up. Fury looked to Celestia looking for hope. "Celestia! Thank goodness you're here. What we did was nothing too memorable, right?" He asked, hoping Celestia would get him out of this awkward scenario. "Oh, but this is a rather memorable moment. I haven't felt so special to somepony besides Luna in years! I must say, you truly have the magic touch." Oh great, she just had to say that. Didn't she? I am so dead… Luna shook her head. "You must have felt very special with my older sister, is that not true?" "No I do not!" Fury cried out. "Awww, how sad. I thought we had a connection." Celestia said with a sad face. "Oh what do you expect me to say now? That I'm willing to keep both of you?" Fury said unamused. "Well, are you?" Luna asked. "Grrrrrr! I'm out of here! Maybe my father will be more reasonable!" Fury said, attempting to walk out. "Oh no, you're not going anywhere!" Luna called, binding him with her magic. "You still have a debt to pay, and I'm collecting." Oh shoot. "What kind of debt am I paying? Can it be paid in snuggles, Moonpie?" He said, trying to woo her so he could escape his doom. Luna shook her head. "What you have done cannot be paid in snuggles. No. It must be paid in…" Luna smiled sinisterly, "Public humiliation." "Uh what are you talking about?" Night Fury said. He would wish he hadn't asked. "Let me show you." Luna levitated Fury and put him on the podium. "Citizens of Canterlot, behold our Ambassador of Speed Shifters would like to entertain you once more!" She lifted one of the paws of Night Fury. "He will give you sounds as you have never heard before." "Oh come on, not my paws. It makes me weird." He said to Luna. "Silence! I am the Princess and I order this deed to be executed!" Luna cried out. "And we shall assist!" Celestia added, waving to someone in the crowd. A few seconds later, Cadence made herself known and used her magic, clamping him down so that he couldn't move unless forced to. "So, our loyal subjects, are you ready to see what our ambassador has to offer you?" "Yes we are!" The crowd went wild. "Then here you go! Behold! Coochie coochie coo." Cadence said as she tickled his paws. "Ayeee heh heh heh!" Fury said, trying to restrain his laughter. He snickered and let out the occasional squeak which got the crowd's attention, but that wasn't enough for the princesses. "Trying to hold yourself together, hmmm?" Luna asked "Well how about you open up your feelings!" Luna then flipped him on his back, put her hooves on his stomach, while Celestia and Cadence had his paws and Luna levitated his tail. Fury realized they were going all out. Not one part. Not two. But many ticklish parts. "I promise I won't eat your bakery goods again, Cadence. I'll be your butler. I'll clean your toilets. I'll even watch your girly romance movies again! Just please don't-" His words fell on deaf ears. The three princesses proceeded to fulfill the deed. Fury couldn't even resist opening his mouth. He just had to let out the laughter from inside him. "Bahahahahaha! Not thihihihihihis again! I'm too important to get this sort of treatmehehehehehehent!" "Really, ambassador?" Cadence smiled in delight. "Is that why you ate from my wedding cake? Hmmm?" Fury couldn't even think clearly at this point; he just wanted it to disappear back to the Emperor or anywhere. Worst of all, he saw the crowd in an uproar. He even thought he saw a rainbow-colored pony and a dragon watching. Great, now they know. They're gonna keep bringing this tragedy up, won't they? "Well Fury have you learned your lesson?" Luna asked as the princesses stopped temporarily. "Have you learned to not be so sassy to your princesses?" She asked smugly. "Aw come on, it was just a joke!" Fury said. "Fair enough. But it's a joke that warrants another joke." Luna said, about to tickle him again. "Come on! What do you want from me?! I'll do it!" Luna thought about it. "I might release you if…" Luna pondered. "You treat me to a night of loving cuddling. You will not stop until I have said you can stop." "You monster that's… wait, what?" Fury thought he had earwax. "A night of snuggles with you?!" "Indeed." Luna smiled. "My lightning bug." Fury was ecstatic. "Yes my liege, and I shall not stop until you and I are fully satisfied!" He looked to the crowd. "You hear that everyone?! I will treat this lovely princess with the cuddles she deserves!" Fury called, the crowd roaring with applause. "Nothing pleases a crowd more than a loving romance." Cadence said. "Yep!" Fury finally got up relieved he was finally able to escape his ticklish prison. He turned to Luna. "So Luna my love, when would you like for me to give you your due diligence?" "Tonight. Not later, not the next night, tonight." "I couldn't think of a better time. Say, since I made the mistake of trading my affection to another, shall we make it a group of three to pay my debts?" Fury asked. "Three?" Luna asked. "Who will be the third?" She then realized who he was speaking of. "Her?! But why?" "Well, I made a rather uncouth action against her highness. I only believe it to be fair that she received just the same treatment for such disrespect." Fury joked in a posh accent. Luna was confused and unamused at first, but she realized he perhaps had a point. "Very well, Night Fury. We shall call her but if we have many join up, we might as well have all four do so. What say you?" She asked him. "You bringing Cadence into this?" She nodded. "Fair, I did turn the tables on her failed prank. I guess I do owe her." Celestia walked to him. "I heard you have some plans. Very well I look forward to your skills, Night Fury. I have had a sore back lately from all the work." "I don't think Shining Armor will mind me getting a little pampering. Let us see if those paw pads are good at more than just sneaking around." Cadence added. Fury was a little put off by the willingness of the princesses. "When I first saw Luna, I figured I would be lucky to even maintain prolonged eye contact with her. But now I have three princesses accepting my offer of pampering and cuddles? When dad said that I would have a future filled with otherworldly treasures, he wasn't lying." Fury laughed. "Well now shall we get going, ladies?" Fury asked. All of them nodded and went with him. Fury was both excited and nervous for his night with the princesses, but he didn't let that stop him from living the dream of a lifetime.