It was a nice cool morning in Ponyville, birds sang and roosters crowed to bring in the morning. Everyone was quite eager even the grumpier ones had a bit of a smile because they heard that there will be a great event today.
And no one was more excited than Night Fury. As soon as his ears caught the crow of a roster, his eyes shot open and he practically jumped clear out of bed. His day was here, his special day… his birthday. He immediately went to his bedroom window and let out a triumphant yell.
"Good morning Ponyville!"
Fury was getting anxious. He even dreamed about how awesome this party would be. He had a feeling Luna was to thank for that.
But he had an unfortunate revelation. He realized he would have to wait until noon according to what Pinkie said. He realized this would be harder to endure than when the Emperor made him memorize all the ancient Speed Shifter cities ever known.
"Man, that's gonna be a major test. But, I'm willing to wait it out for all eternity if I have to! I might as well get moving and enjoy the day while I have it."
After getting washed up and groomed, he was finally ready to go into town.
He was about to say goodbye to his parents, but he remembered they were gone for a few hours to buy some gifts for him. His mother forced her husband to buy many many gifts even though Fury only asked for one. But knowing her, she wouldn't rest until he was happily enjoying his special day.
Fury opened the door to his villa and took a deep breath, taking in the fresh morning air. Looking over the horizon, he saw that the sun was still rising and the sky was still slightly orange. But he knew that he wasn't too early as he could see that some ponies were already wide awake from his vantage point over the town.
Well, time to seize the day!
Fury charged himself up and raced into town, leaving a red trail in his wake before slowing down to a walking pace as he strolled through Ponyville. All around him, he could see ponies going to work and setting up shop for the day, getting ready for another fine day's work.
But unlike any other day, those ponies had a few extra words to spill.
First, he walked by the flower stand where the flower girl trio would set up.
"Happy birthday, Fury!" Said Roseluck, the other two giving him loving waves.
"Thank you ladies!" Fury said. Next, he walked past Miss Cheerilee.
"Happy birthday, Night Fury! I hope your day is as bright as you are!"
"Thanks, but it can't be as bright as you are today." He said with a wink.
"Oh you…" She said with a blush.
Then, he passed by Zecora.
"It brings me a smile, end to end. To say happy birthday to you, my feline friend." She said, her usual rhymes singing to him.
"Hehe, punctual as always, Zecora. Thanks!"
He kept on going. Waving his paw to other ponies as he passed by them and thanked anyone who wished him well.
He decided to have some tea. He sat down at a table outside the Ponyville Cafe When he finally got the tea, he was about to drink when he heard something.
All of a sudden he heard the sounds of wheels on dirt. Was it…a scooter? Coming right at him. Oh no.
"Gosh dang it, Scootaloo, I told you we shoulda stuck to country dancing!" Apple Bloom, sitting on a cart alongside a nervous Sweetie Belle.
"No way! Maybe when I'm old and hopeless! But I'm gonna make this jump now! Fury will be so awestruck! I bet he does this stuff all the time!" Scootaloo said.
"Ahhhhhh! Why do I let you two talk me into this stuff?!" Sweetie Belle yelled in horror.
Fury was able to hear this conversation. Scootaloo was approaching a ramp with a lake in the middle. Despite how crazy and dangerous this stunt looked, he just left it alone and sipped his tea.
Can't do anything about it, they'll figure out the consequences of their actions soon enough.
Splash!
The three swam out of the water.
"Hmmm, that was okay, but I need a little more speed. Let's try that again." Scootaloo said.
"Nope, I'm out of here! You're lucky my sister didn't see this!" Sweetie Belle said, taking off as soon as her hooves made contact with solid ground. Apple Bloom followed suit.
"Pegasi and their crazy ideas. Attaching a cart to a scooter" Applebloom mumbled. "Why can't they do something good, like gathering honey from beehives?"
"You're missing the point." Sweetie yelled, still shivering.
They all stopped arguing when they heard the laughter of a certain resident ambassador.
"Ha ha ha ha! I guess kids are the same across-the-board. Just loud and argumentative."
The three Cutie Mark Crusaders looked embarrassed.
"But to be honest, I really can't criticize you three when I was just the same at your age." Fury chuckled.
"Wait, you did?!" The three asked in surprise.
"You bet I did! I was just as loud and aggressive back then like you three are now. I would start fights for practically no reason. I remember when I fought with my best friend over a piece of cake at his 10th birthday party!"
"No way!" Scootaloo said. "Who won?!"
"Now now young lady, I have to lead up to it. Well basically me and him slid with pots on a small mountain slope. Normally Jade would always say how stupid I was for even thinking that. But for that day, he was determined to prove the cake was his. And so he accepted." Fury said.
He noticed the CMC were hooked, especially the daredevil Scootaloo.
"And so we raced down the slope, throwing snowballs to make sure we stopped each others' progress. Jade was nice but he was a bit smug, thinking he was the most skilled at fighting." Fury said. "I could tell by his cocky expression. He was in the lead but I couldn't let him have satisfaction. I had a diabolical idea."
The three fillies looked at him with all the attention they had to give, clearly enticed by the story being told.
"I decided that I was gonna give him a bit of a trip up. So I used my tail to snag his pot and flip him over! His pot shattered and he fell into the snow, gradually rolling into a snow boulder that grew bigger and bigger. And just a reminder, I was still a kid, so my powers were still a blank area at the time. So as he rolled over and over, I sped down the hill as fast as I could, letting him roll away into a tree where he crashed down and turned that snow boulder into a snow drift that he got stuck in."
Scootaloo smiled with awe, Apple Bloom's jaw dropped and Sweetie had a look of shock on her face.
"When I got to the bottom, everyone at the party cheered for me. They lifted me above their heads and cheered my name over and over, it was like I had just won the battle to end all battles! And at the end of it all, I got that slice of cake before he did and I've never let him live it down since." Fury said.
"Whoa!" the three fillies said.
"That… was… the greatest story ever told!" Scootaloo said. "Uh… besides Rainbow getting her cutie mark of course."
"I never knew you had such a wild childhood, Night Fury!" Sweetie Belle said.
"Hey, when you live in a forest like I did, you get used to anything happening around you." Fury chuckled.
"Man, I wish I lived in the forest like you." Scootaloo said. "I could have cool adventures just like my parents when they catch wild beasts! Instead I have to still be stuck with schoolwork and her highness Diamond Tiara."
Fury patted her on the shoulder. "Well just so you know, I had a bunch of bullies back then too, especially one in particular. Always underestimating me, Always putting my abilities down. I wasn't quite as strong as I was now." Fury explained. "But let me tell you kids, stick together. And don't listen to any of those blockheads. We got determination and the desire to improve. Way better than their natural talent they brag about. You got that, sport?"
Scootaloo nodded. "You got it. I won't let her get the best of us!"
Fury nodded. "Excellent. And you probably know this, sport. But listen to Rainbow Dash, she might be a bit cocky but she knows how to go fast. I've raced her a lot. And she'll take good care of you. I'll give her a vote of confidence for you."
"Awesome!" Scootaloo said. "We'll see you later, Fury!"
Applebloom and Scootaloo left arguing over which activity to do next. Sweetie Belle was about to follow them but not before Fury advised her.
"And Sweetie, knowing from personal experience, make sure you keep an eye on them. People like me and those two can get a bit wild. I needed someone like Jade or Twilight to tone me down. Make sure you don't let them get into too much trouble. Just a little." He said with a wink.
"Yes, Fury! I'll keep an eye on them! Bye, and happy birthday!" Sweetie went away.
"Those three, they're gonna be an interesting group when they're fully grown." Fury said to himself as he decided to take his leave and continue his walk around town. He moved along the border of Ponyville and decided to hang around the train station, nothing too exciting but not too boring either.
Fury always found it interesting how ponies managed to make steam power such a staple of their society, steam trains rolling along the tracks smoothly and fast like no other machine he had ever seen. He climbed up a tree near the tracks and sat on a branch, looking left and right idly as if he was doing some trainspotting. Just then, he heard the whistle of a train he knew too well.
"Oh here it comes! The coolest of them all!" Fury said with enthusiasm, he knew exactly what train it was. A Royal Train. Nothing could beat its size, its decoration or its colors. It figures it was bigger than other trains for it had thick armor to protect the princesses from attack from would-be troublemakers.
The large engine flooded the station with fresh steam, coming to a halt directly on the platform with relative ease thanks to the well built brakes. The doors to the coaches opened and one of the royal guards, which happened to be Shining Armor, stepped out to announce the arrival of the royalty on board.
"Their Royal Highnesses have come to grace you with their presence! Princess Celestia of the Sun! Princess Luna of the Night! And of course Princess Cadence… of Love." He said the last part with a bit of tenderness which Fury was amused by. The ponies on the platform cheered for the princesses as they exited the coach with grace, idly waving to their subjects as they would while making their way off the platform.
Fury watched as they walked across the platform and towards him, finding it funny how ponies went crazy at just the sight of them. He decided to get a little cheeky by dropping his tail below the leaves of the tree, allowing for just enough to be visible to them while the rest of him stayed hidden in an attempt to get some attention and birthday wishes.
The princesses proceeded to walk away from the crowd at the station and towards the town when they noticed a few ponies staring at what looked to be a small black tail dangling from a tree.
"Hmmm, how unusual. I've never seen a black vine before, let alone in a tree of this species." Luna spoke, looking oblong at the strange black appendage.
"You're right, that is pretty strange. No tree I've studied or seen has had black vines before, perhaps the unique climate around the area caused this?" Celestia added.
Fury just quietly chuckled at their confusion, not wanting to give himself away.
"Twilight might be interested in this brand new undiscovered vine. Perhaps I will collect it for her research." Cadence said, walking up to the vine.
All of a sudden, Fury felt some magic grad ahold of his tail.
"I think… I have been had." Fury said to himself.
Yank!
"Yow!" Fury yelled out, scaring Cadence into releasing her grip.
"Oh my, a screaming vine!" Luna said. "Very impressive. Even in the dream world, I have never seen such peculiarities. Let me hear it again!" Luna said, grabbing the "vine" with her own magic.
Yank! Yank! Yank!
"Oof! Gosh! Yow!" Fury yelled with even more pain from Luna's stronger magic.
"Ooh, it even makes different noises!" Luna said with excitement. Celestia was thrown off at the strange noises and looked closer at the tree. To her slight surprise, she saw something else through the leaves. Attached to the "vine" was a pair of hind legs, and attached to that was a plump body, front legs, neck, and head. All colored in black.
"Well this is a peculiar development." Celestia said. "There seems to be something else in this tree. It seems like a stray cat. The poor thing must be so scared to come down, let us help it." She said, breathing in, ready to use her full energy.
The hardest yank of them all came to the black cat in the tree. Fury could not take it anymore. His tail had endured enough tribulations as he fell out of the tree and into the open light.
"Woooahhh, oof!" He landed in a hard thump and kicked up some dust. His cheeky plan had gone south.
"Well would you look at that! That isn't a stray cat, it's a birthday cat!" Cadence replied.
"Ah our beloved guest of honor, Night Fury himself!" Luna said.
"Happy birthday!" All three princesses cheered.
Fury slowly got up. "Gee, thanks. You ponies sure know how to treat your birthday subject." He said, trying to massage his tail.
"Aww, did we ruin your little plan? Oh you poor thing, you must feel so terrible! Poor little baby!" Luna cooed, snatching him up and snuggling him.
"Ha ha, very funny, Moonpie." Fury moaned. Luna just giggled and kissed him.
"Happy birthday, my little Lightning Bug!"
Fury gave a smile. "Ah, I can't stay mad at you, sweetie! Thanks! I wouldn't have expected any less from you ladies."
Celestia laughed. "But to be fair, you would have done the same thing if it were mine or Cadence's birthday party."
Fury gave a cheeky grin. "You got that one right! In fact, I will learn from today so that I might have my vengeance on you ladies next time."
Just then, a multitude of footsteps could be heard approaching. Looking around, Fury saw Fluttershy, Rarity and his parents making their way towards him.
"There's the birthday boy!" Fluttershy said, giving him a hug.
"Thanks Flutters, I appreciate it!" Fury chuckled.
"There's my special boy! Happy birthday sweetie!" Black ice said, kissing him on the cheek.
Rarity giggled "Oh my, it looks like someone is very popular today."
"Yeah, that's for sure. Okay mom, you can stop pecking me on the cheek now, thank you!" Fury said.
"Ohh, but it's just been so long since we celebrated your last birthday. I want to cherish this." She said, nuzzling him.
"There's my boy!" Obsidian said. "It's your special day, champ. How do you feel?"
"Oh it feels refreshing!" Fury said, stretching his arms. "Canterlot has cool sites, but this place is closer to nature. Our kind of place. Not as busy, or crowded. And the ponies are more laid back too. Well most of them." Fury said with a chuckle.
"Even I would agree with that." Rarity said. "Canterlot is fabulous but if I stayed there forever, I would have gone insane. The relaxed nature of Ponyville is good for both comfort and creativity."
"That's saying something! Well, at least coming from a pony who faints at the sight of a summer hat being worn at the wrong angle." Fury jabbed.
"Hmph!" Rarity pointed her snout up. "Some creatures just don't understand how every little detail counts for an artiste."
"Like how you have a bit of spinach stuck in your teeth?" Fury deadpanned.
"Wait… Oh heavens!" She pulled out a pocket mirror and was surprised to see that he was right. She proceeded to quickly lick it up as ladylike as she could. "You got me that time, darling. But next time, you'll be the one embarrassed in a fancy restaurant. Hmph!"
Fury chuckled at the idea of the presentation being some sort of competition for her. But he had other things to think of.
"Moving on from the drama queen's tirade, I've got plans today! Pinkie told me yesterday that tons of little surprises around town will be waiting for me when I pass by. She also told me that they're not going to be made by who I might expect, so that'll be new." Fury said.
"Well, that does sum up Pinkie. Always doing the unexpected. I do wonder who it will be?" Fluttershy pondered.
"Well, I'm gonna go around town and find out! I'll catch you guys later. Heh, if you can keep up!" Fury laughed as he revved up, kicked up a hefty dust cloud which happened to be aimed at his mother, and took off back towards town.
She coughed for some time before the dust cleared up.
"Oh that Fury. Even when he is older, he's still young deep down." She said shaking her head but with a smile.
"Aren't we all, dear? Well, more me that you but still…" Obsidian chuckled.
"Are you calling me old?!" Black ice shot back.
"No no, not at all… I'm just saying despite how young you look, you have the attitude of an 80 year old. You darn whipper-snappers keep off my property!" Obsidian mocked, using an older sounding voice to emphasize his point.
"Oh really? Well you have the attitude of a 14 year old! I can see why Fury likes to always be late and sneak out at night!" Black Ice shot back.
"I'm sorry, Black Ice. But as the oldest pony out of my six friends and your son, I have to say that you do fit that description, darling." Rarity said.
All Black Ice could do was just huff a disgruntled sigh as she was put on blast for her attitude. She couldn't actually act that old, could she?
–
Meanwhile, in the streets of Ponyville…
The residents of Ponyville saw a swift red aura slipping through the streets. They knew him long enough to know who it was. They greeted him as he passed by.
"Happy birthday, big guy!" said Cloudchaser as he flew by the cloud she was sitting on.
"Today's your special day, Night Fury! Go out and enjoy it." Mayor Mare said as he passed town hall.
"I may be a grump sometimes, but even I have to say it. Happy birthday, champ!" said Crankydoodle, a grumpy but nice donkey Fury had met not too long ago.
All the while, Fury waved and gave his thanks to all he raced by. This was very different from what he was used to, but he was getting used to it all the same.
But he had no time to chat. He wanted to find the hidden party planner.
Alright, Pinkie said my first clue was that the first surprise was music related. And I know only two musical roommates in Ponyville with those talents! Time to make a visit!
He quickly looked at his map and made a run for DJ Pon3 and Octavia's house which doubled as a place to request musical events. This would be the first time he would be meeting the two outside of their performances as he had never met them off stage.
He made his way up a dirt path to where he saw the peculiar house. Bushes around the house were shaped like musical notes, the pattern of the path below his paws looking like a music sheet. The door was shaped like a cello and the paint was split in two. On one side, neon blue was painted across the house with the occasional purple stone to accent the walls and dark brown hay for a roof. That was most likely DJ Pon3's side. On the other were more mellow colors. brown, black, a bit of yellow. Most definitely Octavia's side.
As he approached the door, he noticed a sign on the door that was colored in his signature look, black and red.
Follow the signs around the back. We'll be waiting for you, birthday boy.
Much love,
Octavia and Vinyl.
Fury scrunched up his muzzle in confusion. Who was Vinyl? Maybe a friend of DJ Pon3? Either way, he had a surprise waiting for him and he wasn't gonna delay any longer. He looked to the left and saw an arrow pointing along a stone path that led behind the house.
He walked up to the rear door and knocked.
knock, knock, knock.
After a few seconds, the door opened revealing a gray earth pony with black hair.
"Oh hello sir! Just the guest we expected!" Octavia said with a bow. "Please make yourself at home."
"Thanks Octavia. And just call me Fury, we're not on stage." He said as he went inside. Just like the outside, the inside was split in two. On one side, many classical themed accessories and instruments lay on display. The other, plastered with neon posters and lights with a DJ turntable and subwoofers to boot. Right now, he and Octavia were the only ones seemingly in the house.
"Quite a place you got here." He said looking at both sides. "I knew you and DJ-Pon3 were roommates but I never thought one could go as far as to split it literally in half!"
Octavia chuckled. "Well, we fought for a while on the interior when we owned the house whether to be more classical or more techno. But we finally agreed to just have two sides. One for her. And for me."
"Cool! But I have to ask… I saw on the sign somepony named Vinyl was here. He or she a friend of yours?" Fury asked.
"Why yes she is. Not just my best friend but also my business partner and roommate." Octavia said.
"Roommate? So there's three of you?" He asked, his ears flopping over in a very odd way to express his confusion.
Octavia then had a look of worry.
"Oh no. I might have said too much." Octavia said, shifting nervously.
"About what?"
"Um I mean… like you said, good sir, there are three of us. Vinyl, me and DJ-Phon3… I mean DJ-Pon3-"
"Up up up, stop right there. I can tell you're lying. Besides, only two beds, only two parts. Unless this mysterious Vinyl is in the attic, I think there are only two of you eccentrics." Fury interrupted, a smile growing on his face. Octavia sighed and let out a small chuckle.
"Okay, you got me. It's just that Vinyl made me promise not to let it slip to somepony out of caution of them leaking the secret. Which is why we get almost no visitors or go out in public besides our separate performances." She admitted, almost looking disappointed.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it. We all slip up about things sometimes, and that you just did is one of them. I'm sure you can clear things up when she shows up." Fury said with a caring tone. "And don't worry, your secret is safe with me." He said with a wink.
"Let's hope Vinyl is the same way, because here she comes." Octavia said, pointing through the window to a white unicorn with blue hair approaching the front door.
They heard the door unlocking.
"Awww, chill out." Fury said. "As long as you don't tell her, she won't know. Besides, she's mute so she can't scream at you like my mom does."
"Uh y-yes. Of course." Octavia said. They both saw the doorknob turn and in came DJ Pon3. She stepped into the main room with her usual goggles on her face and headphones resting on her ears. She flopped on the couch.
"Ugh! Signing autographs can be a real hassle! All the ponies I have to keep quiet around are insane! So, is he on his way ye-" She turned her face to Octavia, only to see her accompanied by the ambassador himself
...
Silence penetrated the atmosphere like a sword through a soldier. Vinyl and Fury stared into each other in silence. Fury's jaw dropped at hearing what he just heard.
DJ Pon3 can talk?! I thought she was mute!
Fury said to himself in shock as his jaw hung low.
Oh no! My secret is out.
Vinyl screamed internally as well as Fury in confusion.
"Whaaaaaa-" Fury's jaw gaped as he was completely stunned by the new information that was flooding his mind.
"Octavia, what is he doing here?!" Vinyl asked, knowing the gig was up. "Don't you know I have a secret to keep?!"
"Uh… He showed up earlier than expected. I couldn't just make him stay outside!"
"Yeah, you coulda let him out there for five minutes!" Vinyl yelled. "I have fans that would wait hours to take a picture with me!"
Octavia then was angered too. "Well, it's not my fault you didn't bother to look at what was going on inside before opening your big mouth for five seconds!" Octavia shot back. "And besides, you know good and well what day it is!"
"You listen here, Miss Fru Fru-"
"Okay okay ladies, chill out!" Fury said, having a belly laugh. "Ha ha ha, you sound like me and my mom arguing over staying up late!" Fury then walked to Vinyl.
"Look, if you have any grievances, take it up with me. I was here when I shouldn't have been and I heard something that I shouldn't have. I'm kind of an impatient guy. If you want, I'll leave and come back later. I'll keep your secret to my grave. It may be my birthday, but I'm not someone to intrude into personal lives." Fury said, beginning to leave.
"Wait!"
Fury turned around.
"Look, I'm sorry to both of you. Please come on in, uh Fury was it? Since you already know, we might as well talk now about our plans." Vinyl said.
Fury went back inside. "Awesome! I was hoping that I wasn't coming here for nothing! So, Pinkie told me you've got my first surprise for me?"
Vinyl had a smile on her face. "Oh you betcha, bro! You will not believe how cool this is gonna be!"
"I believe I lost some sleep hearing what Vinyl was doing these past three nights." Octavia said. "Apparently some ponies can't wait till morning."
"Oh come on Tavi! You know how genius doesn't listen to little obstacles like sleep." She said, with the last word in an Octavia like accent.
"See Vinyl, you speak by language! Night is a time when the cool stuff happens! And wait, Tavi?"
Fury just laughed at the funny nickname. "Hahaha! Tavi!? That's so adorable! Ha ha!"
Octavia blushed. "Vinyl, I told you not to call me that! I am a professional violinist at Canterlot! Not some little filly!"
"Now we're even when it comes to secrets, Tavi Wavi." Vinyl said in a baby language.
"Dang, and I thought I was savage." Fury said. "I can't believe I'm saying this, Vinyl, you're even cooler than I once thought. If you actually did some talking, maybe some jokes, your fans would love you even more!"
Vinyl then looked more serious.
"Sorry, kitty cat, but my reputation is already sealed. I let my sick beats do the talking. Unlike Miss Classical over here who lets her music knock ponies out."
"Ha! Octavia's music is full of lullabies." Fury said, sounding as immature as ever to Octavia's unamusement.
"Oh, how witty. Like I haven't heard that oh so insightful critique before." Octavia said, rolling her eyes. "You two surely were made for each other."
"Hehe… Hey Vinyl, look. It's a snooze fest with legs." Fury chuckled.
"Yeah, maybe she should add a pajama outfit and a night cap to her act." Vinyl laughed.
"Oooh, I'm going to get my revenge on you two! Especially you, Night Fury. I'll have to figure out your weakness before you leave." Octavia snorted. "But first, we have a birthday to celebrate."
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot! So, do you fine ladies mind telling me about this secret surprise?" He said, whispering the last part. Octavia and Vinyl smiled at each other now that they were about to reveal the surprise they had for him.
"Why, yes, Mr. Fury. We offer you a divine musical experience for you today!" Octavia said unusually excited. "Follow us, Ambassador and you shall see true glory!" Octavia ran to the backyard.
"Is she always this cheesy?" Fury asked. "She sounds like those opera ponies Twilight and Rarity gush over."
"Either that or boring. But when she is this poetic, you know it's something great." Vinyl now had a big smile. "And believe you're gonna be blown away. Literally!" She and Fury went to the backyard.
When Fury walked outside, Octavia unleashed the curtain.
Fury's jaw dropped as he saw the curtains draw back to reveal a stage with both classical instruments and a DJ turntable with subwoofers on top.
"Um, what am I looking at? Did you guys get your instruments mixed up?"
Octavia and Vinyl both laughed.
"Oh you silly kitty." Vinyl said. "Nope. This… This here is true art." She said walking up to the machine. Octavia did the same. They both stood at their respective positions and nodded to each other before prepping their song.
"You ready to party, Octavia?" Vinyl asked.
Octavia smiled confidently. "Let's make music."
A smooth beat began to play as they both started to play, Vinyl with her beats and Octavia with her violin, the sound immediately catching Fury's attention.
🎶Life moves so fast…🎶
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
🎶Let's take our foot up off the gas…🎶
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
🎶Slow down the motor and relax! Have fun, be wild, and love…🎶
🎶Soaking all the little things up!🎶
🎶I just wanna make you smile for me, smi-ile for me!🎶
🎶All I wanna do is make ya-ya-ya-ya…🎶
🎶Make you smile for me, smi-ile for me! Everything is better when ya-ya-ya-ya…🎶
🎶Smi-i-ile! Smi-i-ile!🎶
(All I wanna do is make ya-ya-ya-ya…)
🎶Smi-i-ile! Smi-i-ile!🎶
(When I do, I do it with ya-ya-ya-ya…)
Fury was completely captivated by the bold music that the two played, so much so that he had to dance to it.
"It looks like our guest enjoys this very much." Octavia said.
"Hey, Fury, you think this will do well for your party?!" Vinyl asked.
"This'll do way better than just that! I love it! Man, if only I could take music like this with me every day!" Fury said.
"Say no more pal! I got just the thing for you." Vinyl jumped and galloped to him. She took out a pair of headphones and put them on Fury's head.
"Woah, what are these?" He asked with some fascination.
"Just the greatest invention known to ponykind. Headphones!" Vinyl said. "Brace yourself."
"For wha- Whoa!" The music felt more amazing. It was so close and personal. He started to dance around and headbanging to the music. "Awesome!"
"Now you understand true sublimity." Vinyl said. "Gotta get that music all in your ears, ya know?"
Vinyl that turned off the music on a rectangle she held in her magic. "This device will help you flip through songs, play and pause songs, as well as helping you to stay cool when listening to them. I have plenty of these things around. And since you appreciate true art unlike some ponies… You get this stuff half off! But only this time."
"I'm okay with that, stuff as good as this doesn't come cheap! And besides, I'll be able to get replacements if I have to anyway now that I know these exist." Fury said excitedly, giving her bits.
"But, these headphones don't really fit my style. Let's see if a little Speed Shifter energy can turn the tides." Fury said. He took the headphones off his ears and ignited one of his paws. He looked at the currently white and blue headphones with a bit of distaste, but he was about to fix that. With one touch, the color of the device completely changed. Going from white and blue to red and black. They had the opposite color scheme of his body, but they looked amazing. And to add to the personal touches, he added a black lightning strike mark on each side to mimic his birthmark.
"Whoa, that's pretty rad! How did you do that?!"
"Ah, just one of the perks of being a Speed Shifter." Fury said.
Octavia showed interest. "Wait you make this any color? If so, I would like my headphones to be more brownish like wood."
"Ah ah ah, sorry sweetie. Just like your friend, my services aren't free." Fury said cheekily, reiterating what he was told earlier.
"Ah, of course," Vinyl said, getting some bits. "Here you go, Fury."
"Okay. Here we go!"
Fury used his energy to change the colors from white to brown. It had a design of oak wood. Fitting for a more traditional mare who dealt with wooden instruments.
"My word! It is glorious! Thank you so much! I guess I can forgive your snide comments today." Octavia said.
"I wouldn't count on that. Now that we've gotten to know each other a little bit, I can loosen up a bit. And trust me, when I get comfortable with a new friend, they don't exactly get a very courteous or polite companion. Go find Twilight or Rarity if you want one of those."
Octavia sighed. "Oh great, as if Vinyl wasn't hard enough to deal with."
Vinyl laughed "Sorry, girl! That's just how life is!"
Fury then looked at Vinyl. "And by the way Vinyl, don't think I'm just referring to Octavia. You are also fair game. Just like with your weird purple shades that make you look like an alien. Beep boop, take me to your radical leader!"
"It's not weird! It's the raddest thing ever! Who wants to see someone's boring eyes?! It gives a sense of mystery! Who is that mare? That's what it's all about."
"And the answer to that would be an alien! Better not show those around Lyra!" Fury replied. This time, it was Octavia's turn to laugh at his jokes.
"I guess you're not as innocent as I thought you were." Vinyl said.
"Well, that's what you get for being friends with me. Ain't no one getting special treatment." Fury said, pulling out his clue map. "Okay, next stop is… Bon Bon's Bountiful Candy Cove?"
Fury licked his lips at that. If there was one thing Ponyville made that was tasty, it was candy. Taffy? Chocolate? Bon bons? He had to find out.
"Well, I'd like to stay and roast both of you more. But I gotta dash. But seriously, thanks for the music, girls! I look forward to it!" Fury said. "Bye!"
He dashed off to which the musicians waved at him.
"My glasses don't look alien-like, right, Tavi?" Vinyl asked.
"They're not that alien-like… compared to all of the equipment you lug around." Octavia said with a smirk.
"Whatever! I'm gonna do some practice!" Vinyl said walking away.
–
As Fury ran through town with his new headphones on, listening to the most odd but catchy beats he had never heard before, he wondered what Bon Bon and Lyra had in store. He had met up with the two on his second day in town, coming to their candy shop to try out some of their amazing sweets. They were much less secretive than Octavia and Vinyl. Besides Sugarcube Corner, he frequently went there to grab the occasional set of chocolate or pack of gummy bears for a snack. To the point where he was considered a regular.
As he came up to the shop, he removed his recently acquired headphones, paused the music with the device he was given, and went inside the door to the shop with a bell ringing upon entry.
"Yoo-hoo! Lyra, Bon Bon, you here?" Fury called out.
"In a minute!" Said a squeaky voice. The voice was from Bon Bon. Fury never understood why she had so many voices. Was she an actor?
Bon Bon finally arrived. "Oh hey there Fury. How are you?" She looked a little worn out, probably from making candy.
"Uh, pretty good. Pinkie gave me this clue map to lead me around town to my birthday surprises. You're the next stop, so whatcha got?"
"Okay, do I have a treat for you." Bon Bon said. "Feast your eyes on this statue!"
She unveiled a curtain to reveal a sculpture of a blue Cragodile.
"This was made from a mixture of hundreds of blueberries and raspberries combined! It took a whole week to get the sculpting and sugar ratio just right, but it was worth it! What do you think?"
"It looks great but looks can be deceiving! There is only one true test." He approached the statue, took a deep breath and licked its neck like a cat drinking from a water bowl. He kept on licking it.
"So I assume you like it?" Bon Bon asked. "Ahem?"
"Bon Bon, you hit it right out of the park with this one! This is even better than the Canterlot's candy! You know how to do it!" Fury said to her pleasure. "Maybe I'll have another lick…"
"Sorry, ambassador." Bon Bon put the curtain back on. "But this is meant for the right time. You can have the rest for the actual ceremony. Patience is a virtue."
"Awww, but it's so good!" He whined.
"Try having it now and see how your belly feels when you go to the party with nothing left." Bon Bon said. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to make this. All the grueling days, all the hard work, all the times I had to keep my roommate from having one little lick. And I am not going to let you waste it in one sitting."
Fury wanted to object to the statement, but he knew she was right. Bon Bon smiled at his pouty face and embraced him.
"Oh, don't beat yourself up about it. It'll still be as tasty later as it is now." She reassured him.
"Okay I'll be a good boy and wait my turn." Fury said. "Well, as long as it will be here then, I'll be fine."
"Good. Now, your next stop is Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie and some of your other friends will be there to show you the rest of the treats."
"As if this statue of solid candy wasn't enough, I got another treat from Pinkie herself! Well I'm leaving! See you at the party!" Fury said, rushing out to head to Sugarcube Corner.
Bon Bon had a sigh of relief. "No one has any patience these days. Right, Lyra?!" She said throwing her wooden spoon at Lyra who ran away from the sculpture.
"Eeek!" She squealed as she scampered away and left Bon Bon to sigh in annoyance.
-
Fury ripped through the streets and slid into Sugarcube Corner. He opened the wooden doors to the shop and made his entrance.
"Birthday boy's here!"
All of a sudden a pink blur came racing from the kitchen toward him and constricted him.
"Hi there Fury! I was getting so excited! I can't wait to show the candy I have! I bet you were waiting for forever because I know I was! This party is a party I have sword that I would make great and I shall not fail y-"
"Pinkie, let him go!" Mr. Cake said.
Pinkie let the surprised Speed Shifter go. "Whoops, got a little excited there."
"Yeah, that's for sure." Fury said with a chuckle. "But whatever, I understand. Today is a big day for both of us. I can't imagine having to plan all of this just for me. So, where's everypony else?"
It was empty in the building, an oddity for a normally busy place like this.
"They're out getting presents and other things for your party! But for now, you've got some birthday snacks to test out." Pinkie said, leading him to the back where all of the goods were. Once inside, Fury was greeted with the most variety he had ever seen in regards to sweet treats. Cupcakes, Apple Fritters, Candy Canes, Fruit Punch… And to top it all off, a six layer birthday cake under a tarp for the big reveal at his party.
Fury was salivating at this point. Bon Bon might have one tasty work of art. But Pinkie went with quantity and variety, as should be expected from Pinkie. He had a hard time picking which one to go for. But he was eyeing the tarp wondering what was under it.
"Very nice, Pinkie. Very nice tarp too. Maybe if I just examine it…."
"Woah, easy big guy!" Pinkie said, stepping in front of him. "I may be a baker, but this big baby is reserved for the party. You and your tummy will have to wait."
"Aww, rats! First, Bon Bon's candy Cragodile statue and now this?! Ugh! Ya know, for a birthday party, the rules are pretty strict." Fury said.
Pinkie chuckled. "Oh Fury. Parties are one of the most special times ever for a pony. I might be as different from Bon Bon as a melon is from an onion, but we both abide by a code of satisfaction. We both know delayed satisfaction is the best satisfaction. The yearning, the smells, the feeling of not being able to eat it yet! Once you finally do it, then you shall feel truly at peace!"
"You know that's not helping me. I'm even more impatient now!" Fury said, salivating and his stomach grumbling.
"That's the point! The entire point of holding the best stuff for last is to make you want it that much more! Once you get to the party, it'll taste better than it would have beforehoof." Pinkie explained. "But enough talk, let's see what you think of the treats I made!"
Before the famished Shifter could say anything, Pinkie brought him various baskets of treats he saw before.
"Alright, big boy. Time for your appetizers. Select your food!"
Fury sighed in relief. Pinkie was not cruel enough to leave him hanging. But there were so many choices. He had to think.
After thirty seconds of hard thought, he spoke. "Hmmm… I'll try… the Candy Canes first. I've never actually had one before." Fury said. He took in his paw one of the curved sugary sticks and licked it. The sweetness of the striped candy danced on his tongue like a firework, popping with flavor.
"Mmmm! That's really good! It's like a really thin popsicle. But it doesn't melt and it doesn't give me a brain freeze." Fury said, continuing to lick at the candy cane.
"I know that brain freeze feeling way too often! It makes me go all over the place! Mr and Mrs. Cake had to calm me down before I destroyed any glass." Pinkie said.
"Heh, I can only imagine how that looked!" Fury laughed. After finishing off the candy cane with a final lick and a crunch, he took another moment to look for his next test. After a few seconds, he went for the cupcakes.
He took out a cupcake with red icing and ate it. The sweetness and texture was like nothing he had ever tasted. He had to admit, it was better than his mom's cupcakes.
"Wow, this cupcake is way sweeter than the ones my mom used to make! Did you use buttercream instead of whipped cream?" Fury asked.
"I did! How did you know?"
"My mom always used whipped cream for her cupcakes and they never were really that sweet. But to be honest, I'm not surprised she did use it. I mean, can you imagine the chaos that would come from a Speed Shifter cub on a sugar rush?" Fury laughed.
Pinkie Pie giggled at the thought of a red blur just speeding around on a sugar high. "Hehehehehe, don't worry. Your worst sugar rush was probably still better than my best. Isn't that right, Mrs. Cake?"
Mrs. Cake cringed. "The carnage… Oh the carnage."
"Wow. Was it really that much?" Fury chuckled.
"Imagine a pink tornado bouncing off the walls after having one too many licks of icing." Pinkie said. Fury thought about how that would look and could only go wide eyed at what his imagination came up with.
"Oof, talk about a tough day." Fury said with a crooked smile. He finished off his cupcake and went for the apple fritters next. Picking up one, he tossed it into his mouth and was treated to a warm surprise. The crunchy crust and the gooeyness of the apple filling made him hum with delight as it warmed up his belly.
"Mmmm… it's so warm and gooey. It makes me feel all fuzzy on the inside." He giggled, doing a little happy dance.
"That's the spirit!" Pinkie said, dancing alongside him. "How can one resist celebrating such delights?"
"Exactly! You know what, Pinkie? You're one of the coolest ponies around!" Fury said.
"Oh silly, Ponies are warm blooded!"
"No I meant- you know what? Never mind. What matters is the culinary delights." But then Fury remembered. "But I think I'm gonna stop before I get stuffed! I've got one more place to go, don't I?"
"Yeppers! Your last stop is on the edge of Ponyville to check out the games that are planned for the party. After that, it's a sprint to Town Hall for the grand finale!" Pinkie cheered. "And by the way, a certain crystal couple is in charge of that."
"Ahh, I gotcha." Fury said, winking at her. Pinkie then took a cup and dunked it in the fruit punch before putting a top on it.
"Here, take some fruit punch for the road!"
"Thanks, I'll probably need it after all the craziness of the party I'll go through." Fury said.
"And you would be right about that, my little rookie in partying." She said, patting his shoulder. "Just remember, do not fear. But embrace the random!"
"I'll take that to heart! Later Pinkie!" Fury said, bursting away fast from the fruit punch he had.
"See you at the party!" Pinkie called out with a huge grin.
-
At this point, the sun was almost at high noon. The time of the party. Fury was more excited than ever to have his birthday party, Ponyville style! He raced along the dirt roads to the outskirts of Ponyville in a hurry, only being able to imagine what games he would have at his party.
Oh boy, this is just so exciting! I wonder what's in store for me? Well, only one way to find out!
He said to himself as he picked up speed and ripped up the ground on his way to his final surprise.
Meanwhile Twilight, Shining Armor, Cadence, Rainbow Dash and the royal sisters all stood in wait for the special guest.
"I wonder how he's taking all of this. Finally feeling free for once in his life. His parents are safe and sound, he's gotten over his inner demons, all of his regrets are gone… he's come so far to be here." Twilight said.
"You are correct, Twilight. He has gone through so much just to have this happen in his life. I have no doubts that he will take it with grace." Celestia added.
"I just hope he isn't late for the party, he's got so much to look forward to." Shining said.
"Well it looks like you won't have to worry about that because here he comes!" Rainbow Dash said from the air. Within seconds, a red blur crested the hill and jumped into the air for a backflip.
"Woohoo!" Fury called out as he landed the backflip and fired away towards the group. His red eyes and trail burned brighter than ever, his paws kicking up dust like a tornado. As he got close, he turned hard and circled the group a few times before stopping.
"I'm going to assume you're very pleased today." Cadence said.
"You think?! I'm having the time of my life! I've got these new headphones from DJ Pon3, Bon Bon's candy Cragodile statue looks and tastes amazing, Pinkie's treats are as delicious as ever… and to top it all off, I'm jacked up on an adrenaline rush that's too crazy to explain! Hoo hoo wee!" Fury said, practically buzzing with energy.
Everyone had a chuckle.
"Okay okay settle down." Twilight said. "There's still a lot more stuff to do on our schedule. Just make sure you don't break anything."
"If I do break something, it'll probably be my own sanity. And forget the schedule, nerd! I've got my own personal timeline, and it doesn't involve you and your egghead calculations." Fury said nonchalantly.
"Sorry, Twi, but he's got a point. You gotta go with the flow!" Rainbow said, waving her arm like the wind.
"You said it, Rainbow! I'm gonna make this the time of my life!" Fury cheered. "Now, what's in store for me this time?"
"Perhaps you should ask the pony with the schedule." Cadence said with a smug expression.
Fury realized he fell right into a trap. He reluctantly agreed.
"You got me this time, egghead. Fine. What's next?"
"Thank you." Twilight said with a smirk. She then cleared her throat while looking at a scroll.
"Okay, so we have some games we will do before opening your presents. Some of the games include traditional pony activities like horseshoe throwing, an eight legged race, obstacle courses and… breathing fire?! I didn't add this one!"
"We can only wonder…" Fury said innocently as he discreetly spat out a quill he had in his mouth. Cadence gave him a knowing grin while he quietly shushed her.
"Don't worry, Twi." Shining said. "As long as we keep a careful eye on things, nothing will go wrong. Guards do stuff like that all the time."
"Okay." Twilight said. "There could be more games if we have time but those are the big ones. After we get worn out with games you can finally open your presents. And then we will clean up. Then we will take a walk. And then…"
"Snoooooore!" Fury moaned out loud at the stuff irrelevant to having fun.
"I think we understand, Twilight." Luna said. "But thank you for the information for my love's birthday."
"No pony truly appreciates order and careful calculations." Twilight muttered. "Alright, first on the list… the eight legged race!"
"So what, do I turn into a spider and race along a dirt track or somethin'?" Fury asked.
"Nope! Not even close!" Rainbow said. "You'll tie your legs to another pony with rope. That's why they call it a spider race. Yeah, weird, I thought the same thing when I moved to Ponyville."
Fury was confused. "What kind of game is that? That sounds like it would be suffering to move around! Why would someone restrict one's movement for a race?"
"That's the point." Shining said. "It's all about trusting your partner and coordinating with each other to win. It's like having a relationship but a whole lot less stressful."
"You can say that again." Fury agreed, the two completely unaware of the two princesses behind him and Shining.
"Can you repeat that for me?" Cadence and Luna asked at the same time.
They both looked fearful.
"Um, it was nothing, Moonpie." Fury said.
"Y-yeah totally just how awesome and not stressful relationships usually are!" Shining said.
"Oh really?" Cadence asked. "Well if it is so stressful maybe I will not be your partner for the race."
Luna nodded. "Same for Night Fury. I'll go with someone else."
"Not like I really care that much anyway." Fury said casually.
Shining had a different reaction. "No no no! Cadence, you and I are always in sync! I don't know if I can do this without you!"
"You pony husbands are pathetic, so much drama and emotion." Fury said. "Hey Twi, you and me?"
Twilight was surprised. "Really? You'd be interested in teaming up with me?"
"It's either your clutz of a brother, the blue speed freak or giraffe legs over there. I'm not exactly picking random here." Fury said, causing Celestia, Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor to flick their sight over to him and glare.
Twilight smiled. "I admire your selection choices. Very well, let's do it."
Shining got frustrated that Twilight is now not an option. "Oh come on! Can't I have a pony that I know well!?"
"You know Celestia well, why not her? And besides, you both are snow white and are emotional. You're the perfect team." Fury laughed, pulling no punches.
"That has nothing to do with spider racing! How am I supposed to do this with someone as tall as her?" Shining said.
"Well, commander, I'm sure you have had battles with less than ideal odds." Celestia said. "Perhaps you can be victorious here and now despite the obstacles."
"Well when you put it that way…. I'm with Celestia! We'll attain glory from being the winners of this competition!"
"Then it's settled! Celestia and Shining vs Cadence and Luna vs me and Twilight. Sorry, Rainbow Dash, looks like you're the odd one out." Fury said, but the blue pegasus shrugged it off.
"I never liked this game that much anyways. Teamwork is nice but not when your movement depends on your teammate. I'll just be the referee today." Rainbow said.
"Alright then. Twilight, tie us up!"
Twilight got the ropes and gave them to all the teams. She tied the legs together, making them quite close.
"Whoa, I dont think I'll be used to this." Fury said.
"Don't worry, you'll get comfortable soon enough. I'm not scary to you, am I?" Twilight asked cheekily.
"Yeah, really frightening." Fury said, annoyed at being the one roasted now. "But I will get used to this like you said. Especially more than those two." He pointed to Shining and Celestia awkwardly stumbling around.
"Wrong way, princess! Wrong way! Ow, my hoof!"
"Oh sorry, I forget my own strength sometimes."
Twilight cringed at the duo. "I see what you mean."
Then they heard a loud whistle noise from Rainbow Dash.
"Okay, everyone! Enough chit chat! Get in your spots and be ready for the race."
After awkwardly navigating themselves the contestants finally made it while Rainbow Dash explained the rules.
"Okay, here are the rules of the game! You have to coordinate with your teammate to make it to the finish line. No shortcuts, no cheeky tricks… I'm looking at you, fish breath!"
"Hey!" Fury huffed.
"And no splitting off from your teammate at all! Loyalty is what this race is all about after all!"
Rainbow then had something resembling a small cannon and pointed it in the air.
"On your mark… get set…"
BOOM!
"GO!"
A burst of magic shot out of her device. The three teams took off from the line and began to make their way down the track. Celestia and Shining Armor were left behind as their height difference and lack of coordination held them back significantly. Twilight and Fury took second place ast they started off at a slow but brisk walking pace, mostly to help the black feline get into rhythm. And lastly, Cadence and Luna were up ahead in first. They took on a slow trot at first but they seemed to be picking up the pace rather well.
"Those lucky two. Both being fully alicorns and being in sync with each other." Fury said, annoyed. "They already have an advantage!"
"Do you have any ideas what to- grrr, do?" Twilight said, struggling to move.
"We're just gonna have to watch our steps. It's a steady rhythm. One, two, one, two, one, two. All we have to do is pick up the pace and keep the rhythm."
"Okay I'll try." Twilight tried to do so but had a hard time.
"Hold on!" Fury said. "How about you think of a song, and try to march to the beat!"
"I… don't listen to a lot of songs." Twilight said, blushing in embarrassment.
"Figures." Fury thought what to do. Then an idea came up. "Wait, how about you listen to this."
Fury then sang a bit of the song he heard at Vinyl and Octavia's place.
🎶Life moves so fast…🎶
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
🎶Let's take our foot up off the gas…🎶
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah)
🎶Slow down the motor and relax! Have fun, be wild, and love…🎶
🎶Soaking all the little things up!🎶
Twilight liked the song and the beat of it. Eventually she was not worried and just stepped to the beat.
Now the two were finally moving ahead. They were finally closing in on Cadence and Luna.
"Hey, Moonpie! You missed me sweetheart?" Fury asked.
Luna and Cadence looked a bit shocked they caught up so quickly.
"Well, it seems we finally have some worthy competition." Luna commented.
"Yep. I shouldn't be surprised with your talents. But now the real challenge begins!" Cadence turned to Luna. "Let's gallop like we're fighting Sombra!"
"With pleasure." Luna said. The two ran faster leaving a path of dirt.
"We have to match their speed, Fury!" Twilight said.
"Yeah, let's hurry!"
Fury kept humming his song. And the two were still going quickly. But they feel like they might never be able to quite catch up to the two, they seemed to be too far ahead.
"We're never gonna catch up to them." Fury said. "Big alicorns have all the advantage with their long legs!"
Twilight while struggling had an idea. "Fury, you sure you can't use some of your speed magic?"
Fury looked a little nervous. "I dunno, I'm tied to you. I don't know if that would actually make things worse."
"Hold on… Is it possible you could transfer some of your energy to me?" Twilight asked. "Then we could both be in sync!"
Fury admitted she had a point. "Maybe but shifter energy can be really intense. I can only give you a little, maybe 30 seconds worth or your body will be scarred for life. We have to catch up within that time! You sure you're up for this?" He asked, unusually cautious.
Now Twilight looked a little nervous. Was this really a good idea? But somehow she felt the feeling of competition and she felt she owed Fury assistance for helping her to move in sync.
"You know what, Fury? I think we'll do just fine. I've trained for activities like this." Twilight said with confidence, her horn glowing, ready to absorb some of his energy.
"Well then, here we go! Get ready to feel electrified!"
Suddenly, a red aura enveloped around Fury. Twilight could feel how tingly his aura felt. She wondered how she would feel from absorbing this weird energy.
After taking a deep breath she absorbed his energy. And then…
Her cutie mark, mane and tail all glowed brightly. Her eyes turned a bright red.
Twilight breathed in heavily from all the energy surging through her. Was this what it was like to be a Speed Shifter?
"You okay, Twi?"
"Y-yeah. Let's do this! We don't have much time!" She responded while speeding up.
The two pushed harder as they increased their speed, eventually coming up close behind the leaders.
"Um, auntie? You aren't giving me any illusions right?" Cadence asked.
"No? Why do you ask?"
"Look behind us."
Luna did so and her jaw dropped at the sight speeding by. Both were surprised at not just Fury but even Twilight glowing red.
"I- is Twilight using Fury's energy?!" Luna asked, shocked.
"I guess so! But it doesn't matter, we're still approaching the finish line!"
They saw the red blur closing close to them.
"How does it feel to be like a Shifter, Twiley?" Fury asked.
"Let's just say I don't wanna do this again!" Twilight said, feeling the energy surge through her. "I can't hold for much longer! And they're getting close to the finish line!"
Fury had an idea. "Okay, my turn to be the crazy one. We're gonna have to jump while you still have that energy!"
"I'm not really good at that…"
"Just think of how I sometimes pounce on targets or enemies! You just gotta lean down on your back legs, like a jaguar and pounce on your prey! In this case the finish line! You got that?"
"Okay. Well here goes nothing." Twilight looked at Fury's posture with his back legs. She looked at her goal, the finish line.
"On my mark!" Fury said. "Three… two… one!"
Woosh!
From Rainbow's perspective as well as Celestia and Shining, they thought she saw a glowing red mortar shot bursting forward. The dirt of the race track blew away. They went almost at the speed of sound.
"We're almost there!" Cadence said.
"Maybe this will teach my beloved for his words." Luna said "Wait. What was-
Woosh!
Just as the two alicorns were about to touch the finish line, a red meteor-like substance burst through the finish line's ribbon. When it landed, it formed a small dust cloud and a slight rumble.
After the dust cleared, it revealed the two contestants Twilight and Night Fury, now no longer glowing.
"What was…" Cadence asked.
"...that?" And Luna finished.
Tweet!
"Well, I don't really know what happened! But Fury and Twilight won!"
Fury was quite excited. He dusted himself off to cheer.
"Heck yeah, we totally defeated you guys! I never thought I'd say this but Twilight officially graduated from the school of coolness! How does it feel like to be a Speed Shifter?!"
"Ugh, I'm never doing that again." Twilight said completely exhausted from all of the energy she endured. "Why did I let myself do that?!"
"Oookay, I'll leave you to recover." Fury replied, cutting the ropes with a claw and standing up to dust himself off.
"I must admit, I hadn't expected you nor Twilight to take us over for the lead at such a time." Luna said.
"Aww, it was nothing. I just gave her a few tips on how to be like me!" Fury said. "Now, you guys said I had some presents waiting for me?"
"Well it wouldn't be a birthday without presents." Cadence said. "But you sure you don't wanna take a break? That was a lot of stuff you did."
"My break will be in the form of seeing some awesome gifts that my friends generously gave me!" Fury said. "If I wait one more moment I might die. Let's get over there!"
Fury sped to where the party will be. With every step he took, the adrenaline piled onto him, pulsing through his veins as he raced through town. But with the adrenaline rush, he began to leave his friends behind.
"Wait for us!" Shining said.
Cadence was about to follow but saw Twilight. "You gonna be okay?"
"I'll manage. But for now, all I want to see is my friend finally feeling better than he was before this. Seeing him running happily without a care in the world and surrounded by the ones who took him in at his lowest point is all I care about. It's why I did something so crazy like absorb his energy."
"Oh Twilight, always doing things for others. Just try not to do this too often." Cadence said.
"You don't have to tell me twice."
"Here, ride on my back." Cadence said
"Thanks."
Of course Twilight knew the other reason. She wanted to know the mysterious adrenaline that Speed Shifters had. And even if it was painful, she does not regret knowing it.
-
Ponies from all over town gathered around Town Hall. Friends old and young, mares and stallions, adults and kids were waiting patiently for the guest of honor. Tables, streamers, balloons and snacks were all set up around the Town Hall to celebrate the birthday of Night Fury, no liberties having been taken for that authentic feel. At the forefront of this crowd was the rest of the Mane Six, most importantly Pinkie Pie. She was ecstatic about bringing in Fury's birthday party and celebrating her new friend, it was a dream come true for her to see him like this.
"Is he almost here yet?" Spike asked.
"He should be here soon with the princesses, Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor tailing him. I have no doubt he'll make it." Rarity answered.
"Gosh Pinkie, ys did all of this just for him? Not even I could have pulled a shindig off like this!" Applejack said.
"It's all a part of the plan, AJ! Once he gets here and sees all of us waiting for him, he'll have nothing else to do but enjoy it!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing in place.
"Night Fury is a true treasure to us all. No matter if any of us have met him or just passed him by, he will be just as special to us as anything else we hold dear." Mayor Mare said to the crowd.
Just then, the silence was broken by a sonic boom that caught their attention. As they all turned around, they saw none other than Fury himself racing through the midday sun towards his birthday party. Following a few feet behind him were Rainbow Dash, Shining Armor and the princesses who took some shortcuts to keep up. One at a close enough range, Fury skidded to a stop in front of the crowd and was shocked by how many creatures he saw waiting for him.
"Dang, I knew I made some friends. But I forgot how many creatures want to come to my party! Thanks everybody! How y'all doing?!"
Everyone cheered for him.
"Great!"
Fury had to cover his ears a bit. "I guess that answers my question."
Pinkie then jumped to him. "You're not gonna believe what we have for you! Come on!" She dragged the feline right to the main area of the party. Tables stood on either side of him with treats galore and games were set up all over the place. And to top it all off, Vinyl and Octavia were set up next to his presents with the music, Bon Bon with her saccharine sculpture and the cake with the sheet over it that Pinkie had prepared for him. A feast for the eyes.
"Now before you taste the sweet goodies and open your presents, you gotta do the rest of the games first!" Pinkie said. "Twily said we got three more games to go!"
"Really? Well, bring it on! What's first?" Fury asked. Pinkie giggled as she brought him to the first game.
"First up, The Dizzy Horseshoe Toss!"
"Okay I think it's obvious what tossing a horseshoe entails. But what's up with being dizzy?" Fury asked.
"That's the fun part! Before you get to throw your horseshoe, you get spun around really fast until you're really dizzy. The challenge is to see if you've got the skill to get it as close to that stake in the ground as possible."
"Fine by me. I always like to give myself a challenge. Let's do this!" Fury said.
After all the contestants were in position, Pinkie called up the first one.
"Alright everypony, the game is on! First up we have… Lyra Heartstrings!"
"Alright! Watch this, Fury. I'm about to show you what this game is all about." The turquoise unicorn said as she was held by the forelegs and spun wildly in a circle.
"Round and round and round you go. where you stop, nopony knows!" The crowd chanted.
She spun around quickly and after stopping, threw her horseshoe three feet away from the target.
After her was Applejack, Big Macintosh and Night Fury.
"And here we have it! Lyra, four feet away! Night Fury, two feet away! Applejack, one foot away and Big Macintosh right on the mark!" Pinkie said.
"Eeyup!"
"Aw shoot. I might be good at running but I guess throwing while dizzy is a skill!" Fury said.
"You did pretty well for a rookie! A lot of the time they'd hit another target! Like me… Bon Bon still hasn't forgiven me for that." Lyra said. "By the way if you ever have any secret society guys come after you, just use these babies and they'll be helpless!"
"Uh… thanks for the advice." Fury said as the next game was announced.
"Okay! Up next is… The Obstacle Course!" Twilight said.
"Now that's my type of game. Let's get in there!" Fury said. He got up to the starting line and noticed he was going up against Shining Armor, Octavia and surprisingly, Cadence.
"Wait wait wait. Octavia? You?" Fury asked.
"But of course." Octavia replied. "I may be one of the more… posh ponies that live in this town, but I don't back away from a good game! After all, running and jumping is an art in the same way as music!"
"Well I'll be! And Cadence, you too? You sure those lanky legs won't trip you up?" Fury joked.
"Real funny, Fury. I've been doing these obstacle courses when you were still in your mom's belly! I'm not gonna let all of my training go to waste today!"
"Doesn't that just mean you're… out of your element?" Fury asked.
"You shouldn't have said that." Shining said. "You've unleashed a monster."
"And she's looking right back at one! Don't forget, I was the top tree climber and dirt track racer as a kid. This stuff is within my skill set without a doubt." Fury boasted, puffing his chest out.
"Well then, I guess there's only one way to find out!" Cadence said. "Announcer, get the game ready!"
"Alright, one lap! On your mark… get set… go!!!!"
All four of them had to struggle to get ahead on the first turns. But a problem came when the first obstacle in the form of branches and logs on the ground came up.
Surprisingly, Octavia seemed very composed and calm and jumped with grace. Shining jumped more fiercely, using his previous guard training to guide him. Cadence bumped into one log after the other, she was less than enthusiastic about it and was continuing to struggle. Fury was more perceptive of the obstacles ahead and reminded himself of all the times he ran through the forest for fun with Jade. He had a big smile on his face. He was in his element. He knew Cadence might have more experience but she was not one with the woods like him.
Jumping from log to log, he made his way through the course with ease. Even cracking some of the bigger ones with his surprisingly heavy force on landing, shocking even Celestia and Luna with how much weight he could put into his movements.
So far it seemed like Fury had to hold the lead only a little more and he would win!
"You seem quite happy, Mr Ambassador." A posh voice said beside him. Fury looked to his left and saw Octavia matching him in speed.
"Well I have to admit I'm impressed. Being able to beat a princess and the commander of the royal guards himself." Fury said.
"It's all in the rhythm. Running is just like a song in that way."
"Good for you. But now this song is about to play for me. Sorry Tavi, you're not gonna win against the Champion of the Woods!" He sneered.
"We'll see about that!"
Fury and Octavia both ran through the fake woods. Jumping, ducking, even parkouring when required. Both of them showed extreme skill in navigating the obstacle course, holding nothing back when it came to taking home the win. But as the turns and curves filed out into a straightaway, everyone knew the outcome of this challenge immediately.
"Sorry madam, but it's time for the final movement of this symphony!" Fury said as he did what he did best and left her in the dust.
"No!!!!" The gray earth pony cried.
Fury went as fast as possible. Ocatavia might have been a passionate runner but he knew she was not born or breathed the air of the forest like him. Not to mention that he was built for running, with or without his powers. And with that knowledge in her head, she knew that there was no shame in letting him take the win as he crossed the finish line in first place.
"Fury wins!!!" Twilight called out. The crowd cheered for the Speed Shifter's triumph.
"That was awesome, Fury!" Rainbow said to him. "You really showed your skill!"
"Yep! I was born for this. I might not be able to spin around and throw a horseshoe, but I can certainly jump and run!" Fury said.
"Well done, Fury. I suppose even with my graceful stepping and athletic build, there was no beating the one who grew up with this type of challenge." Octavia said, bowing humbly in respect. "And besides, it's your birthday. I would be beside myself if I just took first place away from you on your special day."
"Aww don't worry, it's all in good fun. And anyways you gave a great challenge. Maybe not as much as Jade or ugh… Amethyst but definitely you were awesome. Way cooler than I thought originally, and definitely cooler than lovebutt."
"Hey!" Cadence called out from afar.
"The next game is… The Swimming Contest!" Twilight said. Fury wore a frown as he knew that swimming wasn't his best thing. As a matter of fact, he had only swam once as a child before giving up entirely.
"What's the matter, big guy?" Vinyl asked, walking up to him.
"The thing is… I've only swam once as a kid and that's it! I never really learned how to swim that well and this isn't exactly helping." Fury said.
"What? How can you not swim? Aren't you supposed to be some jaguar type dude?" Vinyl asked.
"Yeah, kinda. But we're not exactly known for our ability to swim, especially not me. As Spike would say, I put all my points into running and to a lesser extent, transformation. To be honest, I've never been swimming in my default form in forever! While us Speed Shifters can easily swim in different forms because of our internal instincts basically teaching us how as soon as we transform, we have to learn the skill ourselves in our default form. And I certainly did not." Fury explained.
"He is correct." Black Ice added. "Neither I nor Obsidian could get him to learn how to swim after his first attempt. He basically just… gave up."
"It's a shame, we always found water to be nice and relaxing." Obsidian said. "A way to cool off after running."
"Good for you guys. Not for me. To me swimming is just a lamer form of exercise that forces you to slow down. None of the freedom of the land. I am a proud landlubber!" Fury said.
"Well sweetie, now is the time to get over those thoughts! And besides, you wouldn't want to admit you're lacking in something on your own birthday, would you?" Black Ice asked.
Fury hated to admit it. But he knew she was right. He knew he had no choice now. He didn't want to be a party pooper.
"I hate it when I agree with you." Fury said. "Fine, I'll endure this blackmail on me."
"Excellent! That's my boy!" His mother said, rubbing his head. "You may grow to love the water and the cool feel! A nice break from the hot jungle." Black Ice said.
No wonder why she likes water so much. Ice is after all frozen water. Fury said to himself.
They proceeded to walk over to a custom made pool that was filled with clear blue water that shimmered in the midday sun.
"Ladies and gentlecolts! Get ready for the third game! Our contestants for this game are going to swim through this pool, both above and below the surface, to see who has the best swimming ability!"
Great. Underwater too. Just my luck.
"This game will include Fury, Rainbow Dash, DJPon3, Roseluck and Spike."
"Spike? You're competing?" Rainbow asked. "Aren't you a little young?"
"There's no age restriction. And besides we dragons have sleek, waterproof bodies. I sometimes like to find a few pearls under lakes. Besides, what better way to impress… the fine lady herself." Spike said lovestruck over Rarity.
"Hey, I can't blame you. I've got one of my own anyway." Fury said, looking over to a certain nocturnal princess who smiled back at him.
"Alright everypony. The game will now begin!" Twilight said.
Alright Fury, get yourself together. It's just a little bit of swimming, what's to be afraid of? You just have to… try and do something you never learned how to do in a competition. No pressure.
"On your mark, get set… go!"
Everyone was up and ready to swim. For Fury it was a bit of a weird feeling. He knew how to swim but it felt so strange. He felt slow.
And it didn't help so far that Rainbow Dash was an athlete and could outpace him easily. Fury struggled to find a good stride, paddling weakly along the surface.
"Uh… Fury, are you okay?" Twilight asked, having noticed him struggling.
"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just… ugh, a little out of practice is all." Fury said, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"It's okay we can all be out of our element. Maybe you just have to learn from those doing better than you."
Wait, she has a point.
He saw all Rainbow, Roseluck and Vinyl and even Spike swimming well. He saw their breaststrokes and how they swam.
"Let's see so if I just lightly tread the water like them…" Fury then swam but felt like he wasn't pushing enough water. He then noticed how Spike had his fingers closed, allowing him to swim greater distance.
Fury kept track of them and started to get the hang of it. He was now using his sheer will to get to the others. He was catching up now.
"This might not be as bad as I thought." Fury said to himself.
But then came the next challenge. There was a barrier that could only be crossed by going…
"Underwater." Fury gulped at this.
But he remembered what Twilight said and kept track of the others. How they breathed in, how they shifted their heads to go down. Fury saw them and understood the method a bit better.
"Looks like I have to take a deep breath."
He remembered back to what his parents taught him about holding his breath, making sure nothing got up his nose. And went right down. There was a certain fear in his mind of being in a state he could not breathe for sometime. He wanted to go back up, but he knew that would only take him longer. He might as well get this over with now.
He saw a hole which seemed to lead through a homemade tunnel and proceeded to go through it. He saw the other ponies swimming too. He saw the tail of Roseluck up ahead of him and increased his efforts to pass her, coming up on her left side before passing by and switching to the right when he passed Vinyl.
Hey, this isn't so bad… But I'd better get some air now.
He was finally out of the tunnel. And swam like a bullet to the surface.
Finally in the air, he took a deep breath and felt relief that he was back up but he knew he still had to catch up to the best of them all. Rainbow Dash.
"Hey guys, look! The black superspeed submarine has finally surfaced." Pinkie joked.
"Oh ha ha, a whole lot of talk for a walking piece of cotton candy!" Fury shot back, eliciting an 'Oooooh!' from the crowd.
"Wait, I'm cotton candy?!" She took a bite of her tail. 'Huh, I guess I am."
"Wait what?" Fury asked himself. "Never mind her! I gotta catch up to Rainbow!"
Fury went quickly to catch up with her. He did a usual doggy paddle across the surface, which actually was a lot easier now that he was bigger and having worked out more. Ponies cheered for him as he splashed along the surface, some giving him the occasional high hoof to congratulate him on his position. Even Luna gave him a few small but affectionate ear scratches as he swam by.
"Triumph over thine foe, lightning bug." She whispered to him.
"I'll knock 'em right outta the water." Fury smiled.
Meanwhile Rainbow was quite satisfied with her progress. She was getting close to the finish line albeit with a few obstacles. She took a glance behind her and saw a green hue under the water, most likely Spike and Night Fury on the surface paddling towards her.
"Not bad. I didn't expect those two to get so far. But it'll take a lot more to catch up to me!" Rainbow said before she swam even harder.
Spike finally came up for air, popping up next to the black feline.
"I will win this for my lady!" Spike said.
After their brief relief they both swam as quickly as possible to pass up Rainbow Dash. Fury was starting to get tired as he slowed down, trying to think of a way to keep up the pace. Then, he got an idea.
Wait, I've been using just four of my appendages all this time. I have a fifth that can boost me to victory just as easily as transforming would.
Fury thought to himself as he looked at his tail and began to spin it around, quickly stirring up the water and using it as a propeller.
"Woo hoo!" Fury called out as he got closer to the purple dragon ahead of him.
"What was tha-"
Splash!
After Spike recovered, his jaw dropped at the sight of Fury accelerating at a high speed to his target like an airboat.
"That was awesome! I mean… I gotta speed up!"
Meanwhile for Fury, he was closing in on his foe. He slowed down a bit to give her a few words.
"Hey Rainbow, feeling lonely yet? Need someone to talk to?" He asked, spooking the blue pegasus as she got a clear look at his new strategy.
"You're using your tail as a propeller?! I swear, you're crazier than Pinkie sometimes."
"I take that as a compliment." Fury said, smirking with a certain cheekiness.
"Well it doesn't matter because now it's time for the final obstacle course!"
This time there are some hoops above the water along with some cannon balls (non-hazardous, of course) that will disqualify those who touch them.
"Woah. Jumping through hoops while dodging cannonballs?! Talk about a major jump in difficulty!" Fury said, but he wore a confident face. "No matter, I can adapt to the challenge ahead. Just watch and learn!"
He dove under the water and disappeared from sight for a moment, leaving some suspense as he sat underneath the surface. Using his tail, he sped up the spinning and used the extra propulsion to leap clear out of the water and through the first hoop.
"Take that! Next one!"
He is about to do the same action again but he heard something first.
"Take cover!" Shining cried out from the crowd.
Fury dodged the cannons above the water but he also had to avoid the imitation mines that were attracted to his energy.
"Gee, how great! Whatever, just wait for a pattern to show up…"
Fury saw the cannonfire go in a certain pattern.
Just as soon as a cannon was shot he jumped into the next hoop.
"I'm almost there! Looks like I'm catching up to Rainbow. I just have to finish this last stupid ring. I'm sure it's nothing worse than the last one."
But he was wrong. It turned out he saw a fin.
"No… are you serious?!"
"Don't worry, it's just a dolphin. But if it touches you, you lose!" Twilight explained.
"I'm so relieved!" Fury said sarcastically, swimming frantically from the dolphin. The playful porpoise didn't see his fear as anything to be concerned about, it just wanted to play. As Fury reached the final hoop, the dolphin behind him made a few clicks of excitement in regards to finally getting to play with a new friend. But that wasn't the case.
"Okay Fury, just dive down and jump." He said to himself, taking one final deep breath. "Let's do this!"
"One… Two… THREE!" Fury said, just narrowly avoiding the playful but dreaded sea creature. He accidentally bumped into the part of the hoop but he got his body and he was free.
"How are you doing now, Rainbow!?"
"Grrrrr!"
Fury's jump allowed him to catch up to her. And eventually surpass her. He kept on swimming pretending he was a torpedo, like in those war comics Spike read. Going as quickly as possible. And…
"We have a winner!" Twilight announced. "Congratulations Night Fury of Thunder Hollow!"
Fury leapt out of the water and landed on solid ground while dripping with water, finally feeling better about his ability to swim as the crowd cheered him on.
"Nicely done, Fury! You managed to beat Rainbow Dash out." Twilight said.
"Twilight is right. You managed to get over your conflicted feelings about swimming and come out on top. I'm so proud of you sweetie!" Black Ice said.
"I must agree with your mother, Lightning Bug. You truly improved as time went on. You should be proud." Luna added.
"And I am proud, Luna. This was what I really needed to get my bearings, just a little friendly competition! And now, I get to do the best part." Fury said, a mischievous smile on his face.
"And what's that?" Cadence popped in. Fury took a large breath, standing tall on his paws before he let loose and rapidly shook all of the water off of him and onto everyone else.
"Ahhhh! Fury!" Twilight said
"My dress… ruined!" screamed Rarity.
"So cold!" Fluttershy shivered
"Hey look, I look like a wet llama now!" Pinkie said, giggling.
All of those around were wet, dripping with water that had come off the now dry Speed Shifter. It turned out that Speed Shifter fur retains a lot of water. Even so, he did not feel bad in the slightest as he laughed his heart out.
"Hahhahahahahaha! Nothing like the classic wet dog shake off!" Fury laughed.
"Ya know I train Winona NOT to do that around ponies." Applejack said, a bit annoyed that her new hat got wet.
"Well I'm not Winona, cowpoke! I'm Night Fury, a dry and now amused Speed Shifter." Fury said while he started moonwalking in style.
"You've been hit by… you got soaked by… A Smooth Criminal!" Fury said while laughing.
Meanwhile the others got out.
"Well I gotta admit you did pretty great." Rainbow said. "I gotta try that technique sometime."
"It's not easy but you'll get the hang of it."
Then Spike came. "Well I didn't win, but at least I got closer than I thought! Sorry, you two!" He said to Vinyl who had a blank expression and Roseluck who was crying at her failure as usual.
"So can we go with the presents now?!" Fury said. Pinkie practically activated like a party robot and leapt into action at the sound of presents.
"Of course, a birthday party isn't a birthday party without presents! Come on!" Pinkie said, leading Fury and the others over to the massive stock of presents. Fury was amazed at the mountain of presents that sat before him, ponies from all over town must have brought him something.
"Behold, we bring gifts! Go forth and open them!" Pinkie said.
"Oh boy! These are big boxes!" Fury said, having never seen such large boxes before. He took a look at the first one and read the tag.
"To Fury, from Rainbow Dash. I'm expecting something awesome from this one, RD!" He took out his claws and jumped to slash the wrappers and box. And what it revealed blew his mind.
"By the emperor's claws…"
He saw a black vehicle with red stripes in the form of flames. It had four huge exhaust ports and even those looked cool. It looks less bulky and more slick. Not the most durable perhaps but probably one of the fastest. The wheels also looked cool, colored a hot red with white writing on the tires.
"What… in the world… am I looking at?" Fury said with shock.
"Let a fellow speed junkie explain." Rainbow said. "This is what we ponies call a kart. You sit in the front and you drive quickly in it! Woosh!"
"Woah, cool! But, one question… what's this giant silver thing in the back? And what are those tubes?" Fury asked.
"That is an engine. It turns liquid called fuel into motion. And all that gas comes out these exhaust pipes. Imagine a carriage but quick and actually cool! You can actually race others in these and paint them to look like your style! Not to mention you can modify it to your liking by purchasing different parts from certain shops. And we figured this style works for you. So you understand now?" Twilight asked.
"You guys are amazing! I love it!" Fury said as he hopped into the driver's seat. "So, how does this thing actually work?"
"Let me show you how to work this baby." Rainbow said, standing next to him and his new ride. "That's the steering wheel, that's so you can turn left and right. And you see those two pedals on the floor? The one on the left is the brake and the one on the right is the throttle."
Fury looked down to where his paws were sitting and noticed the two pedals. But he also noticed a third that protruded out next to the brake.
"Hey, what's that one?" Fury asked.
"Oh, that's just the dead pedal. You just rest your paw on it whenever you're not using the brake so you don't leave pressure on it and wear the brakes out." Rainbow explained.
"Now, you can see a few switches down there. That one controls the headlights…" She said, pointing to a switch with a lightbulb on it.
"That's the transfer switch. That allows you to switch between two wheel power and four wheel power…" She then pointed to a switch with labels that said '2WD' and '4WD'.
"Woah! So it's like if I only used two legs and switched to four legs for more power and traction?" He asked.
"You bet! And to top it all off, that's the starter button that fires the engine up and switches the electric power on that'll light up those gauges. Those tell you how high the engine is revving, how fast you're going, the engine temperature and how much fuel you have. And the headlights will pop up."
"Wow, that's a lot to keep track of." Fury said, a little nervous with the new information.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it as you learn about it. But enough of me sounding like Twilight…"
"Hey!" The purple alicorn called out.
"Just press that button and fire her up!"
Fury nodded, excited at this device. "Here we go!"
Boop.
The engine started and rumbled with power, the gauges lighting up just like the blue pegasus said. Fury tensed up at first, but he got used to the feeling.
"So that's what it's like. It's like riding a Cragodile but less dangerous." Fury said. "Okay, next step. How exactly do I get it moving?"
"So, luckily since you're a beginner, this cart uses an automatic transmission. So all you have to do is hold down the brake and push that D button, which is Drive. If you need to stop, press down on the break like your life depended on it. And if you want to keep the thing in place after you're done riding it, press the P button to put it in Park. That'll automatically lock the wheels up so it won't move." Twilight explained.
"Okay, good to know. But what's that N button for?" Fury asked.
"That's Neutral. That disengages the connection between the engine and the driveshaft and allows you to move the kart freely of its power source. But you'll only need it if you run out of fuel and need to get it somewhere that has some or need to move it around without the engine."
"I dont think I'll be that desperate." Fury said. "I'll keep my fuel about me. And what is this R? Is this Run as in go very fast?"
Twilight let out a giggle at that. "No, that's the Reverse button. That switches the direction of the driveshaft and allows the cart to move backwards, although the speed in that gear has been limited with magic. Us ponies learned that the hard way when we made the first few generations of these carts."
"Okay, I think I'm ready to get this baby moving!" Fury said. He proceeded to press the brake and push the D button, hearing the audible click of the gearbox shifting gears.
"Now Fury, this is your first time operating a kart like this, let alone of this power. So I recommend you ease up on the gas and take a few slow laps around town ha-" Before Twilight could finish, Fury floored the gas and pushed the engine to redline while kicking up dust. The black Speed Shifter disappeared from sight and left the party with just the sound of the four stroke engine revving high as it got further away.
"Uh… I think you lost him when you said 'Slow'." Rainbow Dash said.
"Thank you for your input, Rainbow." Twilight said. "Well, now that he's taken his new kart for a joyride, we might as well get a view on where he is before something bad happens."
Twilight lit her horn and projected a screen that immediately locked onto Fury's position, which happened to be him racing through the town at high speed with his new set of wheels. She also piped the sound through the screen and all of them got the sounds of a four stroke engine revving at high and the gears shifting smoothly.
"Well, at least he's driving on the large main streets. So far he seems to be safe." Twilight said with relief.
"He also seems to be on an adrenaline rush, look at his face." Rarity piped up. Fury's face was wide eyed, the veins and in his paws visible as he gripped the steering wheel for dear life while flooring the gas.
"Hey, that's how I look when I have a bunch of candy!" Pinkie said.
"Do you think he's scared?" Fluttershy wondered aloud.
"I believe he is having a moment of pure shock." Celestia spoke up. "This is the first time he has ever gone this fast while in the open air that wasn't under his own power. He's currently in a state of shock that this machine made by us could be nearly as fast as him, his body working autonomously of his mind to keep him from crashing as the adrenaline clouds his judgment and temporarily blinds him from the outside world as everything he's ever known is rewritten an twisted into a new reality."
"Very poetic, dear sister of mine." Luna said with some worry. "I hope Fury will be safe."
"And we'd better make sure of that! Those of us who can fly should follow after him, ready to catch him if he goes out of control." Twilight said. "Come on! Let's go!"
Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Cadence and the Royal Sisters flew to his approximate location and also by hearing the noises of the kart and excitement. As they closed in on his location, they saw that he was getting close to Sweet Apple Acres.
"Oh my… I hope he won't crash." Fluttershy said with worry.
Fury, on the other hoof, was completely oblivious to the fact that he had an aerial escort behind him. He just gripped the wheel and drove. He took notice of the more muddy trails that lead through the orchard and decided that he would need more traction.
Okay, time to see if that transfer switch really works.
He looked down at the dash and flipped the switch. In an instant, he felt the force of the engine switch from the rear wheels to all four. The kart jerked a bit as the power was sent to all four wheels, but Night Fury kept it under control.
"Looks like he flipped the transfer switch. He's going for the trails between the trees." Rainbow Dash said, guiding everyone else down to around his level as he rode through at a decent speed.
They saw Fury drive down the rough dirt road, the suspension getting quite the workout on the rougher terrain. Fury seemed to have let up on the gas a little, casually cruising through the orchard with one paw on the wheel and the other hanging off the side as he rolled through the muddy trails at a comfortable pace.
"Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this. This isn't so bad. Nice sun, nice seat and nice wind." Fury took a deep whiff of the air through his nose. "Ah, gotta admit them their apple trees really take the cake! Yee haw!" Fury said, imitating Applejack.
"That was a terrible accent, thank goodness Applejack didn't see it." Cadence said.
"Whatever the case, he seems to be under control." Twilight said, sounding confident.
Those words would cause karma to strike prematurely as Fury noticed a small red button on the side of the steering wheel.
"Huh, what does this button do?" Fury asked. Rainbow Dash instantly recognized the button from the air and panicked.
"Uh oh…"
"Uh oh what?" Twilight asked. The blue pegasus was wide eyed and silent for a moment before saying…
"I forgot to tell him about the turbo boost." That statement got the attention of all that were flying around her. Especially Twilight, who immediately started panicking.
"Are you kidding me, Rainbow?!" Twilight called out.
"Hey, don't get on my case! It was your design specifications that you gave to the shop we got it from!" Rainbow Dash defended herself. Just as the purple alicorn was about to make a move, Fury decided to finally find out what that mysterious button did.
"Well, here goes nothing." He said. He pressed the button and heard a loud hiss from under the floor.
"Huh, maybe that was just an extra exhaust pipe. But what kind of kart would have a button operated exhaust-" Just as he finished speaking, the engine of his kart went crazy. Revving higher than ever as four sets of flames shot out of the exhaust pipes and his kart took off.
"Whoaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
"We can talk about whose fault it was later, we need to chase him down!" Luna said.
"Right!" Rainbow and Twilight said as they followed Fury.
Fury ripped through the orchard at high speed, the wind holding him back in his seat as he accelerated. Despite all of the chaos that came from the turbo boost, he remained calm and controlled his emotions.
Okay Fury, you're doing good. Just keep your cool and control the kart.
The small boost soon dissipated and the flames disappeared as he kept the wheels straight and the gas floored. He noticed a turn up ahead of him and had to act fast if he wanted to keep himself going. Using his strength, he yanked the steering wheel to one side. The kart turned sideways as it skidded along the path, dirt and mud flying from under the wheels. As he got close to the turn, he pumped the gas and got the kart to drift around the turn in the exact same manner as he would have if he was running.
Wow, that was a little too close. And yet… I feel thrilled! I feel alive! For being a vehicle, I feel like this vehicle is an extension of me.
Fury was amazed at what glorious ride he had, it was one thing to run like he had since his childhood. He was used to that. But having to learn how to drive this vehicle and keep it under control was like learning how to walk, run and speed shift all over again.
Just then, his ears flicked back. He was picking up the sound of flapping wings, but they weren't from a bird. With the sound of heavier force and gusts of wind that he could feel above him, he could tell it wasn't a something… but a someone, multiple someones in fact.
"Twilight, Rainbow, I can hear you guys above me. And don't think I can't hear you too, Moonpie. Oh and the other two." He said with Cadence unamused at his dismissal of herself.
"Is that so? Well we heard you go several miles per hour while going into Sweet Apple Acres!!! Did you not hear me when I said take it slow?!" Twilight asked him.
"I don't do slow, brainiac! Speed is everything! And I'm especially not slowing down for a nerd who can't keep up!"
Before Twilight said anything else, Cadence intervened.
"Okay, that's enough you two. Listen, what matters is that Fury is alright."
"But Cadence-"
"Although I will say, Fury, you could have at least tried to understand the vehicle before driving it that fast. Did you think you knew the vehicle?" Cadence added.
Fury was quiet at first. But then he spoke.
"Yeah. Yeah I did."
"But you never even rode it before." Fluttershy said.
"No but I know what going fast is like. You see, ever since I was a cub, I knew there was a joy to running. I wasn't great at it at first, but I loved it and got better and better. And while I'm riding instead of running, it's the same concept. After all, like a kart, I know I have to slow down to make a turn." Fury explained.
"Heh, sounds like me." Rainbow said. "You just know it. Know the thrill."
"Yeah, that is true. Though I gotta say I'm sorry, Twilight for my attitude. I was a little jumpy from all the riding. I won't be that crazy next time. Just a little." Fury said with a chuckle.
The others looked with amazement. Even Twilight was fascinated at his mindset. What is it about these Speed Shifters?
"Well I guess as long as you're safe. Just make sure you learn your lesson. Let's get going." Twilight said, wanting to save questions about Speed Shifter psychology for later.
They rode through Sweet Apple Acres and eventually returned to the party, Night Fury following behind the group as he skidded to a stop next to the rest of his presents.
"So, what other secret treasures do we have here?" Fury asked as he unsheathed his claws and looked for his next gift. "To Night Fury, from Cadence. Oooh, this should be good."
He slashed the wrapping, opened the box and the gift turned out to be…
"Whoa! Is this a statue of the Emperor fighting a Windigo?!" He said, impressed at the dynamic pose of the blue crystal sculpture. "And it's made of crystals?!"
"The best sapphire in the Crystal Empire." Cadence said. "These are quite rare and would normally be used for royal buildings. But for you, we figured you were worth it."
"I Love it! I'm gonna put this in the backyard when I get the chance." Fury said excitedly. "Okay, on to the next one."
He then noticed a very strangely shaped present with all types of colors. Unlike the straightforward sculpture, this gift was crooked and misshapen almost as if a newborn made it. He was confused as to how such a misshapen thing could exist, at least until he saw who it was from.
"Huh, no wonder this one is so weirdly shaped, it's from Discord." Fury said. "Speaking of which, where is that giant floating lizard?"
Then he felt the ground beneath him shake. All of a sudden, a large candy cane rose up from the ground like a huge column. Then the curved end turned around and revealed a familiar face.
"Oh, were you looking for little old me? How wholesome!" Discord said with fake tears.
Fury held on until it stopped growing and looked down to see that he was a good couple of feet off the ground before confronting the chaos god.
"Yeah, yeah, real creative, snake head. What took you so long to show up?" Fury asked as he slid down to the ground.
The draconequus turned back to normal and answered. "Oh you know, just some chores. Had to teach a certain waiter from a fancy restaurant about how to have good manners. And he just kicked me out. I just wanted to improve the architecture. No one appreciates the beauty of banana columns" Discord said with sadness.
"Oh you poor persecuted visionary. What would the world do without your genius?" Fury said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, let's just see what your crazy butt got me." Fury said as he tore open the weird gift. The wrapping seemed to disintegrate as soon as he touched it, progressively getting thinner and thinner until a small red metal glove with what looked like a stone inside was revealed.
"What's this?" Fury asked, picking it up.
"That, my furry friend, is a Warp Topaz. I made it myself. Just a fun thing to wear. Not too impressive. Just nice to show off to your friends." Discord said with a cheeky grin.
"Cut the modesty, Discord. I know you never give this to me just to wear it like an earring. What does this thing actually do?"
Discord chuckled. "Let's just say… it'll take you places."
"Okay, care to elaborate?"
"Where's the fun in that? Instead of me spoiling the surprise, how about you use it yourself? Just focus on a special place you've visited before." Discord said. Fury wanted an explanation, but decided to just wing it. Even if he didn't want to admit it to Discord, he did find the unexpected more fun.
He put the glove on his right paw and realized it was a perfect fit, no loose ends anywhere. He held it out and focused on a place to go, The Crystal Empire being his location of choice. The Warp Topaz began to glow red, coating the glove with his energy as he held his paw up, created an energy ball and threw it out.
Once at a good enough distance, the ball of energy burst open in the middle of the crowd that formed a portal that no doubt led to the Crystal Empire. At that moment, Fury realized what he had been given.
"Sweet mother of Equestria… This thing creates portals to wherever I can think of." Fury said in shock.
"Impressive. Is it not?" Discord said in tourist clothing. "I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid!"
"Wait, so this makes it so I can teleport anywhere?'" Fury said.
"Just like a unicorn. You might find it quite handy. But there are a few rules, a few provisos, ya know?" He said looking like a lawyer. "You can only teleport to places you already know and have been to. Also you can only use it once per day." Discord explained. "And also it has a tendency sometimes to… unexpected places near where you envision. Always close but never exactly where you think it will."
"Well let's fix that, shall we?" Fury said. He gripped the Topaz with his other paw and ripped it out of its holding. Using his energy, he held the jewel tightly and lit it up. Electricity sparked and red light flooded the crowd's eyes as he modified the Warp Topaz.
Once done, he placed it back where it belonged, sporting a brand new permanent red color instead of the previous orange.
"There. I broke the teleportation limit and changed its magical signature to not only be directly linked to my memories so I don't have to focus as hard on the location, I also completely eliminated the randomizer that your magic produced to increase the accuracy. You see, Twilight isn't the only one who has a way with energy." Fury said with a smug grin.
"And just so you know, the emperor sends his regards."
"But, but, but, but…" Discord stammered, completely baffled by the power exhibited by him. "Gah, you tricky little cheater. You've got no respect for ways of chaos."
Fury just laughed at him.
"Do you even comprehend who you are standing in front of? I represent the chaos of lightning! No rules… no set path… no limit to my potential. I am what lies between life and death, calm and crazy, the known and the unknown. I am Night Fury, All Powerful Speed Shifter, one of the living gods that stand on your society besides the rulers that care for all life as we know it. Nothing is out of my reach… not even the God of Chaos."
Discord looked away. "Hmph, whatever. I have others that are more fun to play with then you! Enjoy your gifts, Mr. Chaotic! I'll go to my dimension where things are more fun!" He said as he snapped out of normal existence. Fury just chuckled and looked at the crowd.
"You see, everypony? He's just jealous that I've bested him in what he's held to his title for eons… Asserting Dominance. I know how you all see me. A saint that will guide Equestria to a bright future, one of a very limited few that hold powers that resemble something close or even better than the goddesses that rule this land and others beyond with grace and poise. I've even heard some of you see me as a living god just like them. Well let's set the bar here. I may not see myself the same way that some of you do, but I know how and why."
"You all think of me as one of the few in the world that holds a modest tone towards others in regards to status and power. And you are right in some ways, for I'm not one to put myself above others, I prefer to be casual. However I will always stand up for myself and others whether they like it or not. If someone has some stupid rules, I'm not letting it pass. Even with the chief at my village, I didn't hesitate to say if he made a stupid decision. My All Powerful status is not to denigrate others, but to protect others. Oh, and to party like crazy with folks!" Fury said.
The crowd was almost teary eyed at the beautiful speech from the feline. All except Pinkie Pie and Rarity who were rightfully balling their eyes out at his beautiful words. He stood tall as his words sank in, all clearly inspired by his dedication to his cause.
"It looks like I struck a chord. Maybe I'm better at this speech than I thought. Okay, enough sappiness! Let's get on with the party folks!" Fury yelled out.
The mood changed to jovial again. They all cheered.
"Yeah!!!!"
Over the next few hours, the party raged on. Music blasted through the subwoofers of DJ Pon3, presents were ripped apart and revealed to hold great treasures, ponies laughed and played like there was no tomorrow. But most of all, Fury was at his peak when it came to his ever changing life.
Now, more than ever, was the point of no return. The one thing that sealed the deal, the only thing that would bring the best of the best emotions out of any creature to exist. The Happy Birthday song. Ponies gathered around the main table where Fury stood at the head, ready to hear the sweet sound of friends and family singing happy birthday along with finally receiving his special birthday cake. There was even an orchestra out here including Octavia.
"And now may I have your attention?!" Pinkie proclaimed. "Let's give our buddy a treat for the ears!"
Everypony became silent for a moment. Fury wondered exotic pony tradition these guests had in mind for him.
First the trumpets began to play, followed by the flutes, bass drums, tubas, and cymbals. And then came singing.
🎶Happy Birthday to you!🎶
🎶Happy Birthday to you!🎶
🎶Happy Birthday, dear Night Fury!🎶
🎶Happy Birthday to… You!!!🎶
Then a large table with wheels rolled quickly to the surprised Speed Shifter. Removing the tarp on top revealed a huge white cake with an assortment of rainbow colored dollops of icing, small figurines of him, his friends and the princesses decorated each layer of the cake.
"Woah! Talk about huge!" Fury said, amazed by the giant cake.
"Blow out the candles!" Pinkie cried out.
"Wait what?"
"Hurry, just do it!"
He blew them quickly, thinking it was an emergency. But it turned out everyone was cheering instead. He figured it was another of those exotic pony customs.
"Happy Birthday, Fury!" Pinkie said. "Now your patience has been rewarded. So eat up!"
Fury was now witnessing the beautiful delicious cake. He had people sing him a great song. He had great gifts. And all that was left was for him to dig in.
Fury smiled. "With pleasure, Pinkie."
He grabbed the biggest slice he could grab and took a bite. Within seconds, his world lit up with different flavors, textures and emotions that felt amazing.
"Mmmm! This is delicious! You guys have got to try this! Come on and have a bite!" Fury said. "And limit yourself, sunbutt!"
Everyone came in to eat and all had a delectable experience. But not Rarity and Cadence.
"What's the matter, you two? Cakephobia?" Fury joked.
"No it's just we are on a diet. And we will abstain from today." Rarity explained.
"Yeah, maybe we'll eat cake another day." Cadence added.
Fury shook his head. "Ugh, you two are such prudes! Come on, you can't really be that worried about showing a little pudge? I mean, look at me, I don't exactly have the tightest body myself but I don't mind." Fury said, picking up two slices of his cake.
"Besides, it's a festive occasion! Of course you're gonna eat sweets! It's just wrong to deny yourself a good time because of your body image. Now, take these slices of cake and enjoy yourselves, ladies."
"Eh, we'll think about i-" Cadence said.
"Too late!" Fury threw the two slices at their mouths. At first shocked, they started to like the cake.
"The texture, the flavor. It is so utterly divine!" Rarity said as she gulped down (elegantly) the slice of cake. "I must have more!" Rarity said, running to the cake.
"Eh, I guess I can have some sugar fun today." She said, also eating cake.
"Now that's what I'm talking about." Fury said. He then heard hoofsteps behind him and immediately changed directions to get in front of a certain solar goddess who was getting a bit too close to his cake.
"Nice try, sunbutt. But my ears are too powerful to let your cake addicted gullet slide past me. You already had more cake than five ponies combined." Fury chuckled.
"Do not underestimate me, young one. This cake is delicious and I am not willing to leave until I have become satisfied. Move away so I may consume it." Celestia said with an authoritative voice.
"Yeah, I don't think so. Sweetheart… " Fury cried out.
"My apologies, sister. But I must stop you." Then all of a sudden, Luna appeared, pouncing on her sister and holding her in a chokehold.
"Luna, if you know what is good for you, let me go!" Celestia said, desperately eyeing the cake.
"What is good for me is making sure my lover has some cake to spare by the end of the day. Your stomach has no power over my actions." Luna stated.
"Thanks for the assist, sweetie." Fury said, kissing her on the cheek as Celestia was struggling to get loose.
Fury then saw Twilight enjoying herself when he walked over.
"Well well well, if it isn't the egghead finally letting loose for once. Perhaps I should tell the scientists in Canterlot to preserve this version of you, we most likely won't see this for eons." He joked.
Twilight rolled her eyes yet chuckled. "Well, even someone as high strung as myself can enjoy a party. I must say this was quite fun. And even a bit educational for me."
"Really? You sure those brain waves of yours weren't scrambled in the chaos of my birthday? You could be a zombie! OoOoOoOo…"
"Really funny. I'm sure Spike would love those jokes too." Twilight said annoyed. "But seriously, I've learned more about how Speed Shifters are attached to speed and the world beyond. Our scientists have struggled to understand the strange energies that drive the magic of our world. And you are in tune. You are fascinating."
Fury chuckled. "I guess that explains why those yaks want info about us Shifters. We aren't exactly normal creatures. And believe it or not I'm still learning too. Even me unrandomizing Discords gizmo, I didn't know about its energy but I felt and knew what to do like that chaotic energy was talking to me."
"I see." Twilight said. "After today, do you think you'll be ready to face the yaks and learn more of these mysterious ice Speed Shifters?"
"I guess so. But there is one thing that I've always wondered about… can ponies be just as ticklish as I am?" Fury said with a mischievous smile.
Twilight's jaw dropped. "We were just having a serious conversation about your people!"
"And we still are! I honestly had that question for a long time!"
"You're something else." Twilight said, shaking her head. "Well I'm sure someone like Pinkie can answer that question."
"The problem is she's having fun with the other guests. But you're close by and having nothing to do. So how about I help you with that?"
"Oh shoot." Twilight tried to fly away but Fury pounced on her before she did so.
"No! Let me go!" She cried.
"Ah I see you have a little bit of a pudge in that belly. Must be all the hayburgers. Maybe I'll help you with that problem." Fury said as he got his paws out and tickled her stomach.
"Ah ha ha ha ha! I thought being an alicorn would make me immune from this stuff! Ha ha ha ha!"
"No one can resist a good tickle, not even a goddess. I've overpowered you and I have the ultimate control, nothing can stop me now!"
"Oh yeah? What about power in numbers? You do realize that I'm not the only one who knows your weakness, right?"
Fury looked nervous. "Heh, heh, you're just bluffing. I have no weak spots."
"Oh really? Then what if I did this!" She said using her magic to tickle his underside.
"Whoa whoa wa ha ha ha ha! Stop it!"
"Now who is the ticklemaster, All Powerful!? ha ha!"
Fury and Twilight were both laughing and being tickled. The question was who would let up first.
"Come on Twi, you're just one pony. Regardless of your alicorn power, nopony can just go at it alone."
"Then what if someone else comes along?" said a voice behind them that made him freeze up.
"Cadence!"
"Uh oh." Fury said.
"So you thought you could be your boastful self without some consequences? Well, Fury, are you ready to face two opponents because here I come!" Cadence jumped at Fury.
"No no no no no, get away!"
slam!
Cadence proceeded to tickle him at his weak points.
"Curses! Foiled again!"
"Well, ambassador, do you yield? Or must I tickle you even more?"
Fury was in an uproar.
"Ah ha ha ha! Okay okay you win! Just let me go, you two! Ah ha ha!"
Cadence and Twilight had a look of satisfaction and finally released him. Fury sat up and caught his breath, letting his body catch up. But instead of accepting defeat, he held his head up and revealed one of his eyes was lit up.
"I'm not going d-down that e-e-easily. An entity s-such as myself doesn't back down." He said, his voice glitching like a broken robot.
"Well Twilight, looks like we've got a boss battle to get through." Cadence said.
"Okay, let's do this!" Twilight added. But before they could get to the boss fight, another entity stepped in.
"I doubt that will be necessary." Said Luna, sitting next to Fury. "I can get him to repent."
She reached out and grabbed him, pulling him in and getting eye to eye with him. And with one fell swoop, she unleashed her own attack. A rapid fire kissing barrage.
"Ah no, not the kisses! I can't win with all this affection!" Fury said.
Cadence had a smile of pride. "Yes, it looks like my secret advice to Luna worked. No stallion can resist the secret Kissing Barrage technique! Just ask Shining."
"True, but let's not get distracted. Let's get revenge on him!" Twilight said with Cadence agreeing.
These two went in for the offensive, practically jumping on him and hugging him tightly. The mix of his girlfriend's affectionate kisses and his friends' hugs was too much for him, his face went red and he was left defenseless to their attacks.
"Ha ha! This was supposed to be my comeback! Ha ha ha!" He wanted to get up but his body was telling him to submit to the goddess of the night's affection.
"Well, my Lightning Bug, do you wish to surrender or face further humiliation? It is your choice, my dear. Perhaps I should kiss your little toes too…"
"Not there, that's so sensitive!" He said while laughing out loud.
"You asked for it, brave soul." She barraged his toes with kisses. Even just the littlest kiss made him tingly. And he could not contain his laughter.
"What if I used my magic to enhance the sensation? Get ready for a rapid fire volley of kiss-"
"Okay okay, I surrender! I can't take it anymore!"
Luna understood his grievances and stopped her barrage, Cadence and Twilight releasing their grip. Luna then just held him close to her as he calmed down and stopped laughing.
"Hmph! Why do I always have to get teased?" Fury huffed, puffing his cheeks out in embarrassment and frustration.
"Well Fury, if you started a battle, just expect the other opponent to see it to the end." Cadence said. "In this case your end."
Fury grumbled in defeat as he saw Cadence and Twilight's smug victory faces.
Luna however, did not let this slide. "Now now, no grumpy faces will be present when I'm around. Especially on your birthday."
Luna said, giving him a peck on the cheek, far milder than what she was giving Fury a few seconds ago.
Fury's face immediately lit up. "With you, Moonpie? How can I?" He said, giving her a kiss.
Fury then laughed hard. "But you know what I still kinda won."
Twilight was confused. "But you just surrendered."
Fury smirked. "My test was to see if you were ticklish as I am. And my hypothesis was correct, so I still won. Maybe not bonus points but still a victory." Fury said, sticking his tongue out.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Fury, are you ever going to stop being so childish?"
"Nope, I plan on keeping my youth as long as I can. Unlike marshmallow butt and her wine aged mother."
Cadence chuckled. "I see that respecting your elders is not something you will have either."
Fury smiled. "Hey, I respect them plenty. I just make sure no one thinks they're too high up to be my prey."
Twilight shook her head but still smiled. "You know what, Fury? You might be childish and fairly annoying. But I would never have so much fun without you. I hope you never change. Well at least not too much."
"Glad to hear it. Just be ready when I decide to go all out for revenge, bookworm." Fury said with a sinister smile. But Fury's expression changed.
"Now do we have a party or not?! Let's get back right in there!" Fury said.
"I just hope Celestia didn't eat all the cake." Cadence said.
"Oh don't worry, I've got it covered." Fury said, rubbing two of his toes together to create some energy before flicking it backwards. The small spark surprisingly managed to hit Celestia, who was just about to make another heist attempt, right in the flank and make her whinny in shock (No pun intended).
"Gahhhh! Come on, just one more bite or maybe two…" Celestia said, trying to reach for more.
"No! Bad Tia, bad!" Luna said while taking away her last slice.
"Sorry, Princess Celestia, but you have to moderate yourself and allow others to have the rest." Twilight said.
"And Twily calls me immature. At least I know how to share." Fury said with a laugh.
Cadence and Luna had a good laugh with that. Even Twilight suppressed a small chuckle.
"You will rue the day you denied me my cake, Night Fury! You will rue it!" Celestia declared, but Fury just brushed it off.
"Yeah yeah, keep making excuses. Now do all of us a favor and keep yourself from packing more plump on your rump, sweetheart." Fury said.
Before the furious princess could make a retort, everypony heard a microphone ping. They looked to see Pinkie with a loud speaker.
"Alright everyone, we've had our sweets. But you know what's even sweeter than the sweetest sweets? A friendly or romantic dance! So grab your partners and get ready to boogie! Especially you, birthday boy, you're gonna be moonwalking with the moon princess!"
Fury was not expecting this. And yet his heart was thrilled. A dance with his fillyfriend.
His parents seemed to be excited for sure.
"You go for it, tiger!" Obsidian said.
"Remember the dance moves I taught you!" Black Ice added.
Fury was more confident than ever.
"Well, my lady, shall we?"
Luna bowed. "With pleasure, my handsome runner of the night."
The energetic music stopped and was replaced with some romantic tunes. Everyone grabbed their partners and made their way to the dance floor for a little tango, Luna and Fury being among them. They got up on their hind legs and began to swing, going back and forth with the rest of the crowd to the sweet music being played.
"This has to be the best day I've ever lived. Nothing could ever compare to how I'm feeling right now. Well, at least anything but the first time I laid eyes on you." Fury said, his voice soft and low
Luna smiled. "Oh, you charmer. I remember when we went to sneak a slice of Cadence's cake like we were children. And even after several months, you're still that mischievous speed shifter I grew to love. I hope you will be with me forever."
"As if there was any other pony that could match the beauty of the one dancing with me right now." Fury hummed. He looked over to the edge of the dance floor and saw Celestia by herself, just idly swaying to the music with no partner. Fury decided to make her day and give her a chance.
"Hey, looks like the sun needs a little boost. You don't mind if I go over the horizon, do you?" Fury asked. Luna looked over and saw her lonely sister on the sidelines.
"Go ahead. But don't get too comfortable, I'm still your lover." She chuckled. Fury smiled as he let her go and went over to the sun goddess.
Celestia smiled. "You owe me another cake tomorrow."
Fury rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, I will. Gee, I never knew the goddess of the sun could be such a glutton. Especially since you basically have no pudge on your underside."
Celestia wanted to make a comeback but decided since he would give her what she wanted, she simply did her task.
As the sun got smaller, shadow enveloped the whole of the dance floor. All of a sudden, glowbugs flew and lit up the scene. He had to thank Fluttershy for that later.
Fury then proceeded to treat Celestia to his best dancing, giving her the occasional twirl and leaning catch as they went about their way.
"Giving me a little entertainment?" Celestia asked.
"Hey, you're the one who did this cool moon trick. I think you earned a bit." Fury said.
"Ahem. Are you done, Fury?" Luna asked a little unamused.
"Oh dear…" Fury squeaked, daring not to face the one who was casting a shadow over him under the moonlight.
"You're mine!" She said, giving him a deep kiss. "Do you understand me?"
Fury smiled. "You fell right for my trap sweetheart." And then he kissed her right back.
"Oh bother and drat, I wanted my dance as well!" Celestia whined.
"Well, he's my mate! So go get your own, you loner." Luna huffed.
"Ladies ladies! Let's settle this like adults. Well, an adult and two multi-millenia old rulers. I think I can get you both what you want." Fury said. He took a few steps back and focused on his energy, glowing a hot red as he projected something off of his body. That thing being a holographic double of himself.
"Hey, hologram me, you think you can take one while I dance with the other?" He asked.
"You got it, Fury!" Said the hologram.
"Thanks, Fury!" Replied the original, hi-fiving the other.
The two Royals Sisters were both confused. But before they could say anything, the two felines came to them.
"Shall I, Moon Pie?" Asked the original.
"You ready to get it going, Tia?" Said the hologram.
The two looked at each other. Then shrugged their shoulders.
"Why not?" They both said, accepting the strange fellow they were dancing with.
And so the two pairs danced on. A true day of joy.
Everypony and Fury knew they were going to be dealing with a big adventure, perhaps bigger than any other before.
But for now, they decided to be thankful for what happened today. Especially Night Fury, feeling like the luckiest creature on the planet to have gotten a chance to celebrate his birthday with the ones he cared for the most. But his journey was not over, as he had an important trip to make that could possibly alter not only the relationship between Yaks and Speed Shifters, but the entirety of Equestria as a whole.