//------------------------------//
// Chapter 41: A Search For Speed Shifters 
// Story: To Equestria And Beyond (Rewrite In Progress) 
// by NightFurySpeedey8156 
//------------------------------//

Fury was back at camp. He along with Twilight, Fluttershy, Cadence and the guards were checking their inventory, including gifts from yaks for the Snow Shifters. 

He had to admit, he felt quite confident. He had just made peace with the yaks and now he was about to go on this journey to the Snow Shifters. But he also knew these Snow Shifters were even more unknown and mysterious and they don't even know their exact location. So he was extra focused on getting ready, much to Twilight's delight.

"Okay everyone, do we have our extra hay that the yaks gave us prepared?" Twilight asked.

"Yep, we got a whole bunch of that dry old stuff you herbivores like for some reason." Fury confirmed.

"And do we have those jewels at the ready?" Twilight said. "We will use them as tokens of our friendship with these people."

"Oh indeed, darling! I made sure they were all well polished." Rarity said. "Oh, it would be a shame to part with such beautiful-"

"Don't even think about stowing one of them for yourself, sugarcube." Applejack said. 

Rarity pouted in defeat.

"Heh, I guess I'm not the only one who likes to stow things away." Fury chuckled, packing the last of the jewels and hay into the wagons. 

"And Fury, you have the map to the mountain where the Snow Shifters were last seen, right?" Twilight asked. Twilight asked, getting a nod from the black feline.

"Yep, got it! Let's just hope this thing is accurate, I don't want to end up going in the wrong direction and getting lost." Fury said, showing the map. 

Twilight nodded. "Well if that's the case, then we will be off soon. According to the map, we have a few valleys and snow storms to get through, along with a few cold rivers. Everyone, watch your step. And we will try to reach the mountain by sundown since it's fairly close."

"Great, nothing like some ice water to make you question your decisions and your paw placement." Fury said, visibly shivering.

Fury might have gotten used to the cold of the air. But to be cold and wet, was something that his body was not ready for. Especially since the cold winds up there were so chilly that they were able to freeze water almost instantly.

"That's why we have our long staffs ready just in case someone goes into the cold water. Also ropes and grappling hooks for climbing. And of course, medical supplies." Twilight said. "Just watch yourselves and you'll be okay." 

"So raise your hooves or paws if you have any questions." Princess Cadence said.

Night Fury was the first one to make his inquiry known. "What's the count on our hot beverages? We'll need some heat on the move if we're gonna keep from freezing. More you guys than me, but the concern still stands."

"Well let's just say there is a sufficient amount for all of us but too much. We won't casually drink it until we start to get a little chilly so save it for those times." Twilight said.

"Well, with that I think we are ready." Cadence said. "Get ready everyone! We leave now!"

Fury was thrilled. But he also felt some tension at these legendary Shifters. 

I wonder what these Snow Shifters are like. I hope they are friendlier than the Shadow Shifters, I don't need all of that drama right now.

Fury thought to himself as he hooked himself up to the front caravan, gave a salute to his friends and the Yaks who were staying behind and led the trip away from Yakyakistan.

–

The weather was brutal for the most part, the wind beating down on the smaller but still manageable convoy. Fury and the other soldiers pulled the wagons as well as they could through valleys, brief but terrible snowstorms and thick snow. Soon enough they came up to an ice lake that stretched on for a while to the convoy's right side. The ice looked relatively thick and was coated in a thin layer of snowy powder, almost like powdered sugar on a pastry.

"Now that's some thick ice. I've never seen an ice lake before, let alone touched actual ice outside of some ice in a cup of lemonade on a hot summer day. I'd never have guessed that you could walk on it." Fury said, marveling at the ice lake as they passed by.

"And that's what we're going to be walking on." Cadence said. "Alright everyone, whatever you do, follow Twilight who has the map. Whatever you do, do not deviate from the path Twilight goes on. We probably shouldn't have any problems but be ready for if any of us go into the water."

"Let's just hope we won't end up having to book it for our lives if the ice cracks." Twilight added. "Okay everyone, follow me."

Twilight guided the long line of wagons slowly onto the ice one by one, rolling into the thick ice that covered the lake. But not too much later did she have to help a certain someone get used to walking on ice.

"Woaaaah…!" Fury yelped, his paws slipping all over the place before falling on his tummy with his legs sprawled out.

"Fury! Are you okay?!" Twilight asked looking back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Like I said, I've never walked on ice before." Fury reminded her, trying to stand up and failing.

"Cadence, give him a little help." Twilight said, not wanting to move out of position since she had to lead the convoy.

Cadence flew to him to steady him. Although it was tough to fly with all the wind going on. "Don't worry. I gotcha. Come on, up on your feet." 

The pink alicorn hovered above the feline in distress and pulled him to his paws again, holding him steady so he could keep his balance.

"If only this wind weren't so intense, we could fly over this!" Fury said. "There's got to be some sort of way I can keep my balance."

Just then, Fluttershy gave her two cents. 

"I don't know if this helps, but maybe you could use your claws to dig into the ice for balance." The shy pegasus suggested.

"Hmmm, great idea Flutters!" Fury said, not wanting to slow down progress by having Cadence pin him down. 

The black cat extended his claws and dug into the ice. A small shiver went down his spine as the cold ice came into contact with the sensitive appendages, but that didn't stop him. 

"Okay, my claws are pinned and I'm good to go! Let's keep it going." Fury said confidently. The convoy kept on going with their journey across the lake, Fury taking a spot at the very back so that they could keep up the pace and not have to slow down just for him. Cadence and Fluttershy would be in the back of the wagon to keep an eye on him in case things turned bad.

So far the journey was much easier for Fury. Not having to control steps, not slipping at all. So far this was not too bad. 

"But my claws are still cool…. Hmmm, maybe I'll use a light amount of energy to heat my toes up?"

Fury used a bit of his energy to heat his toes and felt much better. Everything was smooth sailing so far. And yet over time, the blizzard was getting worse. Worse than expected.

"Ugh, are we almost there, Twi?! This snow is pounding my fur like crazy and I can't see a thing!"  Fury called out over the harsh wind and snow.

"We just have a quarter of a way to go!" Twilight said. "I have no idea why the blizzard is so intense! This map says it's usually calm here! It's like some Windagos or other creatures are making it hard for us!"

"Well, just keep going. We don't seem to be having problems so far!" Cadence said. Her words would ultimately jinx them in their efforts.

An extra strong gust of wind came from one side and blew the rearmost carriage to the side. Fury took note of this and used his claws to keep them steady, but where he would place them would be a big mistake.

Crack…

"Uh… am I the only one who just heard that crack?" Fury asked.

"Nope, I heard it too." Cadence said. "Twilight! The ice by Fury is cracking!"

Crack!

"You've got to get onto dry land! Fast! Go ahead of the rest of the convoy and run!" Twilight commanded just as the first batch of ice went below into the water.

"I may not know how to control my powers on ice, but I've gotta get this wagon out of here! Cadence, Fluttershy… Hang on!" Fury said, fully igniting his power and heaving the wagon behind him with his claws being the only thing keeping him from skidding.

"Grrrrr! This is not my idea of a winter vacation!" Fury lamented.

"Fury, just leave the cart!" Fluttershy said. "It's too much for you!"

"No, I'm not leaving you two! If I go down, I go down knowing I did what I could!" Fury kept on going, pushing himself to the max as the ice cracked and fell behind them. 

Just up ahead, the snow bank of the other side came into view, signifying that solid ground was ahead.

"We're almost there, just hang on!" Twilighted cried out.

Fury was relieved at this news but it didn't make pulling the cart any easier.

"Let me help you push it!" Cadence said to him.

"Stay back!" Fury commanded loudly. "This one's on me! I'm pulling this cart, I'm leading the charge, I'm the head of the spear! It's my responsibility to do this, not… you!"

"But it's so heavy…"

"It doesn't matter. I have the power of the Speed Shifters on my side, I'm going to use them the way they were meant to be used! Now stay back and let me handle this!" Fury yelled as he strained against the weight of the wagon to get to the nearing snow bank.

He internally called upon his ancestors for power and strength, letting everything else fade away as he only focused on getting to the other side. He could sense through the vibrations that the cracks were getting closer as he ran, catching up to the carriage slowly but surely.

But he wasn't going to let that happen as he made one final push to the point of no return and finally made contact with solid ground on the other side of the cracking ice lake.

"Ayayay, I guess this place has it out for me! Heh." Fury said while breathing heavily. "But at least me and the cart are safe." 

Everyone sighed in relief. "Thank Celestia, you're safe."

The rest of the convoy soon followed suit and got to the other side, the rest of the cracking ice falling behind them and leaving a lake of cold water. Fury felt relieved that he made it safely across, but now he was truly tired. He was emptied of any energy he had left and the cold wind didn't help, but he didn't say anything and put up a fake expression of calm to keep his friends from worrying about him and holding them up even more.

Gee, I thought I was ready for this climate. But even I'm not used to this. How do these Snow Shifters live? 

He shook his head. 

No, what am I saying? I'm plenty fine! This is nothing! I'm not gonna let a mild chill get to me.

Then he saw Cadence approaching him. "Fury, you're too cold. Here, you can have this coat."

"Cadence, back off. I'm fine. The entire reason I'm out here is because I'm proving that not only Speed Shifters are strong, but that we can be friends with other creatures. I don't need warmth, I need to set an example." Fury argued, standing tall. At least, as tall as he could in his tired state.

"Come on Fury, you're freezing and cold."

"Look, I'm fine, okay? Just go back to the convoy and I'll take care of this wagon." Fury said sternly. Cadence wanted to press him further, but deemed it unnecessary as it would only hold them up.

"See, everything's alright."

"Well, if you insist." Cadence replied.

And so the Convoy finally reached the other side of the lake. They were in a hurry, from having spent time with the precious incident. But if they hurried, they could make it before evening.

They continued their journey along the snowy land in search of the Snow Shifters' home. Walking slow but with a decent speed, they watched their surroundings for anything that could remotely hinder their progress. And before long, they came to see a sort of compound in the distance that was guarded at the gate.

"That must be it! We're here!" Twilight said. The group traveled the remaining way to the compound and stopped just before I the gate, two Speed Shifter guards standing at either side with white and blue armor and spears.

So we're finally here.

"Halt! Who goes there?" One of the guards spoke. Twilight stepped up and greeted them.

"Greetings, Speed Shifters. I am princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, coming with the intentions of making peace with your tribe." She said calmly, but the guards stood firm.

"Oh really, what exactly could you and the rest of these weaklings have to offer to the glorious Glacier tribe?" The other guard spoke.

"Gee, is everyone in these snowy lands miserable and condescending? I gotta teach them a lesson like with the yaks."  Night Fury said, stepping in to assist Twilight.

"Hey, show some respect! You're speaking to someone higher up than both of you!" He said sternly.

"And what position could be higher than the guards that stand before you? You don't even look that powerful or important." The guard said. 

Night Fury took offense to this and uncoupled from the wagon, walking up to the guards and standing tall.

"Oh trust me, my very existence stands far over the both of you. Feast your eyes on this!" Fury said, turning around and exposing his birthmark. Once his mark was in view, the two guards gasped at the sight. They had no idea that they were standing in the presence of the current All Powerful Speed Shifter.

"By the gods' grace… It's you!" One of the guards said, shocked. "Snowpuff, get the Chief and let them in! She'll want to see this."

The guard who was addressed saluted and went inside to alert the chief. Fury smiled at the sight of his status meaning something.

"Nice to see my birthmark be of use to me." Fury said, thinking back to his time with those raiders going after him and his parents.

"Are you sure you're ready to talk to someone like her?" Fluttershy asked. "What if she is horrifying like that Pyro Flare?"

"Then I'll treat her like Pyro if worse comes to worse. Otherwise, let's be polite and make ourselves out to be friendly." Fury said. 

Everyone entered through the gates. And there they saw what appeared to be igloos and menacing masks and statues erected around the village made of ice and snow. Everyone looked big compared to how Night Fury's tribe would do things. Clearly strong and used to living out there. 

The residents of the town looked at the new group with suspicion, feeling somewhat threatened by the new entries into their domain. The convoy stopped outside what could only be considered the chief's hut, the large doors of ice and intimidating structure giving that away almost instantly.

The other guard popped out of the front door and jumped at the sight of Night Fury once again, her anxiety at an all time high in the presence of an All Powerful.

"P-please, If you would f-follow me…" She stuttered, waving them inside. Twilight, Cadence, Fluttershy and Fury separated themselves from the convoy and followed the anxious guard into the hut. While the outside was made of pure ice and snow, the inside was surprisingly well furnished.

There sat paintings nailed into the walls of ice, carpets lining the floors with the occasional pot, window, pedestal or fainting couch.

"Wow. For a hut that's basically a giant igloo, this place is quite well furnished." Twilight acknowledged.

"You're right. It's almost like Canterlot Castle but scaled down." Cadence said.

They continued walking down the halls until they made it to another set of double doors, at which point the guard turned around to speak.

"One moment please." She squeaked, entering the doors quickly and beginning to speak to someone on the inside, although muffled.

"Have you brought them here? And are you sure it's him?" An unknown voice spoke.

"Yes, they're here. And I am sure that it's him. He even bears the mark, Chief." Said the guard. A moment of silence rang out for a few seconds before the chief spoke.

"Bring them in. It's time that I get to see who the title was passed down to." The chief said. The door opened once more and the guard peeked her head out.

"The chief will see you now." The guard said. She opened the door fully and the group of four got a full view of the chief's chambers. The chambers were made of pure ice, but the area inside of it was decorated with carpet, cushions and shades.

Whoever this chief was, she truly was not some minor chief but one with majesty.

"Ah, so you have arrived." said a feminine voice.

They looked upon the Chief with awe. Her fur was ice white and her eyes were a bright blue. She wore what looked like a crown, but it was more of a headpiece covered in cloth and fuzz. She also wore a chest piece that was made of some sort of ice/metal hybrid alloy, decorated with pearls and a central snowflake symbol. 

Among the four of them, she instantly laid eyes on Night Fury.

"So, is what my guard said true, young Shifter?" She asked him.

"See for yourself." Fury responded, turning around and revealing his mark to the chief.

Her eyes opened up widely at this. She got up from her throne and walked to Fury. She then reached out and felt his scar.

"Uh, Chief, what are you…?"

"So, you are indeed the one. The new All Powerful!" She said with awe. 

"Wait, how do you know about this?" Fury asked. "Our people don't even know each other."

"Because… I am your predecessor. Your title was once mine in the past, and now it's yours. I've been wanting to meet you for a long time." She said in a wise tone, one similar to Emperor Snowdrift. "Please, tell me your name."

"Um, of course. My name's Night Fury. I come from a village called Thunder Hollow, southeast from here in the jungles. Of course I now live in Ponyville with ponies. They're pretty cool." He said, sounding a bit nervous now that he knew he was standing in front of the previous All Powerful.

"I see. Well, to add to the introduction, My name is Snow Globe. I am the current chief of the Glacier tribe here in our city of Snow Henge." she said, eyeing the ponies. "I'll assume you took care of him well. I trust you had a pleasant journey here."

"Uh yes, it was very pleasant." Twilight said concealing the true struggles of travel. "Very nice and not brutal."

The chief looked back at Night Fury's face and noticed he looked a little weak, his body slightly saggy and his stance swaying from side to side. He looked tired and drained.

She had a light laugh. "Do not lie to me, no outsider can feel pleasant with our climate. We Snow Shifters are built for this. And I'm assuming you encountered our oh so pleasant blizzards."

"Not to mention we almost sank to the bottom of an ice lake." Cadence blurted out.

"Now I know how that one yak scout felt." The chief said with a laugh. 

Twilight and Fury blushed at this. But at least she had a sense of humor. 

"Well, you've been assimilated to our ways. Welcome to our realm. Please, allow us to get you warm and comfortable. Especially you, Night Fury. You look tired and drained, let me personally care for you while you're here. You look like you could use a snack." Snow Globe said.

She clapped her paws and some servants came.

"Treat our guests to a fine dinner, won't you?"

Quickly, an army of speed shifters servants brought forth cushions and a table. The servants silently grabbed the ponies and Fury and placed them by the table. And then the servants brought forth the dish of the day: mackerel for Fury and some hay for the ponies.

"Enjoy your meal." She said.

"Uh, thank you." Twilight replied, seeming a little unsure of what to say.

As they ate, they noticed the food was odd but strangely delicious. Fury figured she was expecting them. 

Fury was unsure what to think of this elegant beautiful lady. On the one paw she was extremely hospitable and had a sense of humor. But on the other paw, she also seemed to be a bit of a mystery especially since she's a bit slow to explain why she wants them, he felt like she was hiding something. Was she truly hospitable or was she goading him into a false sense of security?

In this search for answers, he decided to start up some small talk. 

"So, what made you want to meet me? Was it a thing of envy? Jealousy? Just a random thought?" He asked.

"Fury!" Twilight said.

Snow Globe lightly giggled. "Straight to the point, I see. Maybe a little jealousy at first, but now more curiosity. Curiosity of who this new All Powerful would be. The one that replaced me."

"Well you got your answer. But I want to know, you said you were the All Powerful once? So you just lost your power all of a sudden?" Fury asked.

"Not necessarily. When I decided to live my life in peace and quiet, I willingly relinquished my godly powers and title to give myself somewhat of a retirement. I do still have the usual abilities of our kind, speed and transformations of the like. But relieving my status as All Powerful just… how should I say… downgraded my powers a bit." Snow Globe explained.

"I see." Fury said. "Did you know who would have this power? Did you know it would be me?"

"Well, yes and no." She replied. "To relinquish my powers, I had to ask Emperor Snowdrift himself to assign it-"

"Woah woah woah, hold on! You got into contact with the emperor as well? How?!" Fury asked, surprised that she had done that.

"Very simple, Fury. When one becomes an All Powerful, they have the ability to commune with the emperor. But only those with the scar can do so." She said, showing him her own scar. A snowflake at the top of her right shoulder.

"How did you do it? Is it just natural? A special meditation technique?" 

"Considering how you yourself talk to the emperor, I think you can figure out how I and other All Powerfuls did it." Snow Globe said.

"Through a spell scribbled on a piece of scroll that was secretly hidden away in a memorial, sat inside a temple within the Silver Blue?" Fury said.

"I did indeed get a scroll that gave those instructions. But, I don't remember anything about the Silver Blue housing an alternative to the one I received, let alone one that was casted via a spell. Please tell me, how did you find it?"

"I wanted to learn more about my heritage. About the past. And the ponies had rumors of an abandoned ruined city in the Everfree Forest with artifacts that were to be used in a new part of the Ponyville Museum. So, with the assistance of another princess, we ventured out into the unknown to find this city with the charted path of old explorers that came before me."

"Once we found the Silver Blue and went into the temple, we found Emperor Snowdrift's memorial where a scroll was hidden that bonded him to whoever spoke it aloud. Ever since then, his spirit resides within my subconscious mind to be spoken to through my dreams or summoned at my command into the living realm." Fury said, showing a few pictures of his travels to her.

Though she tried to stay composed, Fury could tell she was clearly amazed. She continued. "Well it's not everyday one finds the Silver Blue itself. Truly you are blessed to have rediscovered such a wondrous place. For me, it was much less glamorous. One day, when my father was the chief on a meeting with another village, some strange messenger in a cloak from the south came in with a strange scroll. It contained a message from the emperor himself, designating me as the next All Powerful. The scroll was not a spell, but a meditation technique to contact him for guidance from the afterlife."

"My father tried hard to meditate but it did not work. He just could not communicate. And then I came across it, thinking it to be some exotic curiosity. My father did not tell me what the scroll was and wanted it secret. But when I read it, I felt like a new Shifter. I felt like I had potential I could never have thought to attain. And thus I became an All Powerful. Though my father scolded me greatly, he still had me train to be an All Powerful."

"Hmm, that's a strange bit of history. For me, the spell I triggered joined his spirit with me entirely. He exists within me as a whole now that I am the new All Powerful. He guides me through my dreams when I sleep and meditate, teaching me new techniques every day." Fury said.

"I can… summon him if you would like to speak to him again." This offer caught not only Snow Globe, but the other ponies off guard. She didn't know what to say. Could he actually summon the spirit of the emperor into the living realm to speak with her?

"It's one thing to communicate with him through meditation, but for an All Powerful to see him in real life? You are not just telling tall tales are you?" 

"Watch me." Fury said simply. He closed his eyes and focused on his subconscious mind, projecting his thoughts through his energy. As he glowed a harsh red, a bit of his energy split off from him and formed a silhouette of a Speed Shifter. Within seconds, the silhouette took shape, adding a cape, long teeth and a face that was now recognized as the emperor himself in a holographic state.

Contrary to her calm, somewhat playful demeanor, Snow Globe's jaw dropped. Right in front of her eyes sat the spirit emperor himself, casted into the mortal realm by Night Fury's energy.

"Oh Great Emperor, is… is that really you?"

Emperor Snowdrift opened his eyes and took in the new landscape now that he had been summoned, looking around at the eyes that were locked onto him. Laying eyes on the familiar face of the previous All Powerful Speed Shifter, he acknowledged her.

"Yes. Yes it is. It is a pleasure to see you alive and well, Snow Globe." He spoke.

She had a light smile. "Likewise, master. I had no idea that you could be summoned into the living realm."

"I suppose there is something new to learn about All Powerfuls every day." Snowdrift replied. "Especially with those of high curiosity." He said, looking at Fury.

"I guess you could say that I have a bit of a wild imagination, right? What's living life for if you don't wonder about the more mysterious things that happen within it?" Fury asked.

"That is quite true." Snow Globe said. "You probably had more curiosity than I had in my life for sure. I commend you for that."

She then turned to the Emperor. "So, what is it like having your spirit be directly connected to an All Powerful, master?"

"Well, it definitely feels like there is a weight over me. I feel a bit tired and drained from being connected to another. Especially someone who is far more active and temperamental than you, Snow Globe."

"Yeah, that's kinda my thing." Fury said.

The emperor continued "However, I am fine with that since I am for one, old. And two, I know that my power is in good paws. And that Fury will make sure to use it for good. Especially since he now knows you. With powers and knowledge that are far older than the jungle shifters."

"Eh, I wouldn't say that our techniques are that off the rails. Watch this." Fury focused on himself for a moment before extending his tail into a red electrified tentacle.

"Since when could you do that?" Fluttershy spoke up, marveling at the long bright appendage.

"Well, I've been practicing in Ponyville especially after Blueblood tried to get rid of me but my mom taught me these techniques since I was a cub. Although admittedly, I did more running with my dad. But it's been very useful for me in a pinch. After all, speed isn't so helpful to fight a big yak chief. But that's another story." Fury said.

"I see. So you have two talents: lightning and transformation." Snow Globe said.

"That's not all I have. I also have a third skill." Fury said, smiling deviously as he curled his electric tail back and quickly struck Twilight's flank by surprise.

"Eep!"

"Quick reflexes, hehehehehe." Fury chuckled, his cheekiness on full display.

"Very impressive. It works well with your quick fighting style. Though I know one talent you seem to be lacking in: showing good manners." She said with a light laugh.

"Yes, I had to learn that the hard way." The Emperor said. Twilight, Cadance and even Fluttershy nodded along.

"What's the fun in having good manners? Life isn't a string of written rules that you have to follow. Lightning makes its own rules, carves its own path. And besides, that lack of professionalism is what got me my popularity in the first place. Not to mention my current love interest." Fury said.

"Ah young love." Snow Globe said. "I remember when my husband first charmed me."

"Yeah, let's not say young love. You know that princess that helped me find the Silver Blue? Let's just say, she's been around for a long time." Fury said, revealing a picture of him getting a kiss from none other than Princess Luna herself.

"Is this… the Princess of the Night? You are dating the one who controls the moon?" Snow Globe asked with curiosity.

"The one and only Luna herself. She's been my one and only sweetheart for almost a year now, she's loyal to me and I do the same for her. I wouldn't take any other creature to fall in love with." Fury replied, looking a bit dreamy eyed.

"It seems for all your power, you have a tender heart. That's good. I would not want someone heartless to have such an important power." She said, smiling genuinely.

"That's why we all love him. He's kind, gentle, funny and sweet… every single one of us ponies find him to be perfect in every way." Cadence said, getting a blush out of the black feline.

"Awww, Cadence… you're making me blush." Fury whimpered, seeming embarrassed.

"Well, except when he decides to be naughty and steal food from the pantry. Or when he likes to prank my husband."

"Hey!" Fury snapped, now trying to hide his face. "You do it too sometimes." He mumbled.

Snow Globe was quite amused and charmed by the new guest. Despite their clear opposite personalities, Fury could tell she was friendly and not the cold distant chief he was expecting her to be.

"Well, now that I've been thoroughly embarrassed by the pink fuzzball…"

"Like you're one to talk, coal dust." The love princess shot back.

"Alright you two, save the childish bickering for later." The emperor said, a little annoyed. "I think that will be all from me. I think I am ready to return to my humble abode. Night Fury, if you would."

"As you wish, emperor. Till we meet again." Fury said, snapping his claws and beginning to absorb the holographic emperor back into his mind.

"Farewell, my former apprentice. And be of good help to Night Fury." He instructed.

"I shall carry out your will, master." she said, bowing to him as the emperor then vanished before their eyes.

"Well, I'd say this went swimmingly!" Twilight said. "Perhaps we should have a tour of this town to familiarize ourselves with your domain? It would prove useful for later reference if you ever decide to open trade routes between kingdoms."

"That would be a wondrous idea, Miss Sparkle. But first I would like to ask our Speed Shifter. What brought you here exactly? I'm sure you did not grow your fur long and suffer our cold for small talk. You must have a bigger reason." Snow Globe asked, curious as to why he appeared here.

Fury nodded. "You guessed right. It was actually the Yaks of Yakyakistan that asked for my appearance. They not only wanted to make an alliance with Equestria through me and my friends, but they also wanted an alliance with Speed Shifters as well. They wanted me to speak with you and the rest of the Snow Shifters up here to possibly get some answers as to your true intentions."

"Don't be alarmed, they only wish to see if you are friendly. They actually want to form an alliance between Yaks and Snow Shifters as well." Fury explained.

"Really? I was always wondering what those yaks' intentions were. We kept ourselves rather isolated for a while. But we decided to do some exploring. I will admit, I might have misjudged the yaks. I was worried about how… to put it lightly… brutish they might be. And how they might attack us. They certainly liked to 'smash' for whatever reason." The chief said, sounding concerned.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, the Yak prince knows not to mess with me. At least now that I fought him in a show of honor and strength, gave him bruises and gashes ponies would faint at, and made him bow to me in defeat." Fury said, looking a little smug.

Snow Globe was silent for a moment. "Your idea of earning the yaks' trust was to brutally maul their leader? Is this what shifters of the south consider to be diplomacy?" 

"I wouldn't say maul. More like… repeatedly striking their leader with such force and blatant disregard for any sort of moral standing that every soul in the vicinity of the fight feared my very presence." Fury said, almost too casually for comfort.

The normally calm queen had a look of utter worry and confusion on her face. Fury found it a little amusing.

"Not used to this type of diplomacy, eh? Well, don't you worry. The yaks actually respected my lack of mercy. I knew them being such warriors, they would know the need to go all out. So we're now buddies! And you will be too!"

Snow Globe was pretty shocked to hear this actually worked. "Heh, well, it's most certainly not how I would have established relations. But as long as it works, I guess that's all that matters, I suppose."

"Night Fury isn't that scary most of the time." Twilight said. "He's more adorable most of the time than terrifying."

"Says the one who looked like you were about to pass out at the very sight of me." Fury defended.

"Oh really? Then would you like to explain why you are currently loafing like a house cat?" Twilight said with a cheeky grin.

"Hey, it's comfortable and preserves warmth! A pony like you would never understand how nice this feels."

"Ahh, you're right. I don't understand the helpfulness of such a sitting arrangement. But perhaps I should provide some more… extensive evidence." Twilight said. Fury immediately understood what she was doing and went on the defensive.

"No, don't you dare! You'll regret it!" 

"Will I regret this? No, I don't think so." Twilight said as she got close to him, got her hoof under his chin and revealed his ultimate weakness. His purring.

"You little… (purr)… oh it feels so good." Fury said in a daze.

Purrrrr…

The black cat was left in a state of forced sedation as he purred quietly with Twilight supplying the source.

"That's a good boy." Twilight cooed, moving to his ears.

"Ah you figured out our greatest weakness, Twilight." Snow Globe said walking by the two. "The feeling of being caressed. Isn't that right, mighty warrior?"

"I… don't want to… talk about it. Leave me alone." Fury managed to say, still a little distracted by the stroking and scratching.

"It's one thing to be petted by a pony, but have you wondered what the feeling of a Snow Shifter is like?" She said, putting her paw on his neck.

Fury felt the cool feeling of her. It was like being in cool water or feeling a cool breeze over his fur. It felt so strange to a lightning Shifter like himself, yet he felt a certain calm at the touch of her paws.

"At this point, there's no denying it. With all of the terrifyingly brutal and merciless thoughts that run through your mind, you're still just a big ol house cat at heart." Cadence said.

"Too bad Luna isn't here to see this, she would be falling for you on sight with this amount of cuteness." Fluttershy added, giggling slightly.

"Aw shaddup." Fury said, annoyed. "Females and their love for cuteness." He muttered.

"I think he's learned his lesson, we can stop now." Snow Globe said.

Snow Globe then got back to business. "Well, son, I'm glad to have met you. I think I have a few more things I would like to share with as an ex-All Powerful but for now, I think we are done. You should see our village and see if you are impressed by it."

"Good, because I can't take the cuteness overload anymore. Well, I guess I can't say it's all bad. At least you don't know about me being ticklish." Fury blurted out, immediately covering his mouth in surprise that he let such a critical secret slip.

"Well, young one, you have just sealed your fate." Snow Globe said, giving a devious smile. "I know exactly how to utterly annihilate you in ten seconds." 

Fury then smiled. "Hah, you'll have to catch me first! Watch this!" Fury said as he readied to dash. But when he tried to get away, he found himself to be locked in place.

"Wait, I'm not moving. I can't move!"

"Do you think that me petting you was the only thing that happened? My powers gave me a liquid I can control with my will. And I command it to freeze your paws to the ground. You're stuck." She said smiling. 

"And don't try to use your energy to melt the ice. I've frozen up the parts of your body that create extra energy. You're completely helpless." She said with a smug face.

"Heh heh, you Snow Shifters are pretty powerful. And yet you are also peaceful. So peaceful you might consider showing mercy to those you've captured?" Fury said, sounding hopeful.

"You misunderstand. We like to take things carefully and slowly, but that doesn't mean we don't have a warrior instinct. We are Shifters after all. And right now, I'm feeling the instinct." She said, putting her paws under Fury's belly.

Fury knew with her powers, it would probably be the worst tickling he ever had.

"Hang on! What if I gave a bunch of our exotic piranha stew?! Or what if I gave you some of my mom's pawmade rugs?!" He bargained, pleading with his life for his release.

"Perhaps I could accept those offers… but seeing the great young warrior being brought to his knees suits my current mood more." She said with an almost bloodthirsty look that matched what Fury had.

"Oh come on!"

"Time for your day of reckoning!"

She then proceeded to rapidly tickle his belly, energy going through Fury's nerves. The chill and tickles was something he never thought could ever be combined. But he knew now what it felt like. 

"Oh ho ho ho ho ha ha ha ha! Ooooh! Make it stop! Is this some kind of sick torture?!" He squealed, trying to pull himself away to no avail.

"No, I'm just playing with you sweetheart." She said smiling. "I see why your friends say you're more adorable than vicious, you just crumble at the slightest touch. You're like a giant kitten."

"I am not like… ha ha ha ha ha! Me and my big fat mouth! Someone negotiate with her!" He said looking at his pony friends.

The others were too busy laughing to listen to his pleas. Even Fluttershy was amused.

"Curses! What will it take for you to ha ha ha release me!?" Fury asked.

"Perhaps once you admit you're not as invincible as you boast, I may consider letting you go." Snow Globe said, attempting a bargain.

"Over my dead body." Fury said, trying to stand his ground.

"Oh I wouldn't go that far, I would just keep tickling you like a toy for hours to come. Would you like that more, young one?"

"Gosh, you're smug." Fury cringed. But he could not resist the tickling of her any longer. It was too much for him.

"Okay okay, fine, I admit that I'm not the strong one I boast about. In reality, I'm a bit of a softie on the inside that actually has a thing for food and sleeping. There, you happy now?"

"Very much darling." She said, stroking his neck. "I shall release thee from your frozen prison."

He saw her eyes glow blue and all of a sudden he felt free. He could move again. But he felt wet.

"My special water came from my paws. It was what froze you in place. Since I have deactivated it, not it cannot be used to freeze you. It will dry off in thirty minutes." She said, giving a cheerful smile. 

"And it's left me wet too. It's a good thing lightning and water work in harmony just as much as they can be enemies." Fury said. He lit himself up and ignited his energy. Small water droplets started to float off of his wet fur, leaving him dry and leaving the water in suspended animation.

This surprised both the chief and his pony friends, especially Twilight.

"Of course, the friction between water droplets inside clouds creates lightning! And the electric charge of Fury's powers can manipulate the water around him because of water's extreme conductivity. It's genius!" Twilight said, geeking out in full.

"Thank you very much, Twilight, I appreciate your oh so rare compliments about me." Fury said, smiling. "Oh and by the way, Chief Snow Globe? That was quite fun actually! Here let me give you a little gift."

Fury gathered up the moisture around him. Forming it into a small cloud and shooting it toward the Chief. 

BOOM!

"Oof!" Snow Globe said, a bit shocked both literally and metaphorically. As the lightning from the cloud went through her.

"Now, we're even." Fury said, smirking. 

Snow Globe's fur was slightly upright now. However despite the initial shock, she was not as affected as Fury expected. She was clearly quite powerful to resist all that lightning so much.

"Very clever. I shouldn't have thought you would not have vengeance on me. I'll have to get my hair done again." She said, looking at herself in one of her icicles.

"Like I've told ponies in Equestria, I make sure no one thinks they're above me. Because 1: They know they're not. And 2: They know that I'll put them in their place. Even Celestia herself isn't safe from me setting my standards around her." 

Snow Globe was silent for a moment, simply staring at Fury. 

Then she spoke up. "That is good to be able to resist anyone who is too dangerous. But I will say this. You are still not quite there yet in terms of power. After all, I was able to freeze you thoroughly." 

"Don't need power to make it clear to someone that you don't take any nonsense. I'm the chosen ambassador for Speed Shifters for a reason, and that reason is that I have the ability to use well thought out arguments to prove my point instead of just asserting dominance." Fury said, changing his tone and looking serious. 

"It's how I got to be so popular with ponies. With ponies, I use more charm and wit. Unlike with yaks where I knew they were more warlike. I know enough to tell the difference." Fury explained. "And all that about you freezing me? Maybe I'm not there yet. But from the time I first met ponies to now, I've grown much stronger. And I know that next time, I'll grow stronger through sheer will till I can defeat you and prove I am worthy as your successor." Fury said with all sincerity. 

Snow Globe had to admit that she was impressed with his diplomacy and serious tone. With this ability to know when to act casual and/or serious, his life could have a very fortunate and prosperous outcome. Though, she could still sense the child-like silliness within him. He may have been given a very important and impactful role in benefiting Speed Shifters as a whole, but she could tell that he was one for the sweeter and more fun things in life.

"Well then, I can see why you were chosen as the next All Powerful, young one. If you ever need my help to get stronger, then just come see me. I have a whole bunch of scrolls unknown to your kind." She said smiling again.

"I'll make sure to pay a visit once this is all over, Chief. But what are we standing around for? Let's get on with that tour, eh?" Fury said.

"I can't wait to see all the sites here! This town is amazing!" Twilight said.

"See you, Chief! And just know one day, the  next time I give you a cloudy gift, you'll feel like a roast duck and not just having a bad fur day." Fury said with a smirk, before leaving the room and waving.

"We shall see, young one." She said, waving back.

–

The snow and wind were light around the town the group of four were exploring, giving them some much needed reprieve from the hectic outside world. Along their route, vendors and huts made of ice lined the streets, giving way to the passing by of other Snow Shifters moving along with their day.

"Wow, this town sure is a different realm compared to Thunder Hollow. I feel like I stepped through a portal into another world." Fury said, taking in the fascinating surroundings.

"It's amazing a whole civilization could be built with just ice alone." Twilight said in marvel. "I wonder if this place has a library. I would love to see how it was built."

"Of course the first thing you search for is a library, Twilight. Oh so predictable." Cadence joked, getting a snicker out of Fury.

"Oh come on. You can't blame me this time! Just look at this ice! Have you ever seen anything like it?" Twilight asked. 

"I guess I can see what you mean. This actually is something worth getting interested in…unlike your Starswirl obsession." Fury said.

"Thanks." Twilight said a bit unamused.

Fluttershy spoke up. "I just wonder what wondrous beasts there are? According to the yaks, they talk of exotic beasts not seen in Ponyville."

"Uh Fluttershy… you might want to take a look to your right."

She turned to her right. Her jaw dropped at the sight of what appeared to be a giant furry insect. It was multiple shades of blue and also appeared to be walking on two legs. It was almost like a dragon in posture but more secretive with its makeshift hood and cloak that wrapped around its entire body except for its hands and feet.

She immediately went to get a closer look, standing a good distance away from the group of around seven that were congregating nearby.

"Oh my goodness, these creatures are beautiful!" She said, almost sounding like a child with her enthusiasm. A middle aged male Snow Shifter nearby noticed her interest and approached her.

"A beautiful sight, aren't they? These creatures are some of the most common to appear up here." The Shifter said.

"Wow, that's amazing! What are they called?" Fluttershy asked.

"Glacies Lepidoptera." Fury stepped in, looking on at the creatures in front of him.

"Um… Gesundheit." Cadence said, thinking he had just let out some sort of weird sneeze.

"Wha- No Cadence, I didn't sneeze!" Fury chuckled. "That's just their scientific name."

"Glacies Lepidoptera, Ice Moths. We learned about these in school back home. Ice Moths come from a far off land called 'The Frozen Vale'. A place in the heart of Equestria, forever caught in a snowy downpour because of their magic. Ice Moths have the ability to breathe ice and create superstructures out of it, which is why they are so accustomed to the cold." Fury explained. "I guess that explains the unusually strong blizzards we had when getting here."

"They're also Asexual." He added, catching the ponies off guard.

"Night Fury! Do you have to talk about such a private part of life so openly?!" Twilight spat out, thinking he had just said something foul.

"Wrong again, brainiac. Sheesh, for a pony who's so smart, you'd think she'd actually know a few things about animals." Fury said, chuckling at her reaction along with Cadence and even Fluttershy, considering she is familiar with animals.

"Asexual just means that they don't need a mate to reproduce. They do it by laying eggs and waiting a month for them to hatch, then you have a full clutch of up to seven or eight new Ice Moths ready to greet the world." He explained, pointing to an already laid clutch of eggs being taken care of by one of the moths.

"Oh my. I did not expect these creatures to be able to reproduce that way." Fluttershy said, fascinated. "Amazing how such majestic beings live among the Snow Shifters."

"It's a good thing we can actually communicate with them. While there are a select few of them that can actually speak fluent English, most just communicate through making ice sculptures of their thoughts, clicks, whistles and screeches." The Snow Shifter explained.

"Oooh, I wonder if I can get in touch with one of them so I can use their DNA later." Fury said, looking eager to have their powers at his disposal. "They're not aggressive to strangers, are they?"

"Well they can be a little suspicious of strangers. They like to protect themselves. So you should approach with caution." The Snow Shifter said.

"Easy peasy. I mean, I had to meet Fluttershy so I'm already used to handling a delicate species."

"I'm not that delicate." Fluttershy muttered.

For Fury, he walked up close to the majestic beast. It turned to see him approaching. Fury almost jumped at this, but he kept his cool. 

"Hey, don't worry. Good boy. You're a cool boy." He said softly.

Alright, time to see if those classes about these things were actually worth something.

He said to himself. He let out a breath and began to speak in clicks and whistles to try and communicate with the Ice Moth.

The ice moth responded back with sounds resembling Fury's. Once standoffish and loud, the creature got softer and calmer after a little more exposure to the natural world. After a little back and forth with the Ice Moth, it eventually fell silent with the ice moth holding a hand out to him.

Fury and the others on the sidelines were amazed that he actually made friends with the creature and got it to agree to give its DNA. Fury gave a smile and shook its hand, letting out a few final clicks of gratitude before waving a goodbye and heading back to the group.

"I can't believe it, I actually got them to give me their DNA willingly! Maybe going to school wasn't as bad as I thought…" Fury said, thinking back to his younger years.

"Nah! That place was boring and lame, I'm glad I never have to go back to that place. Nohoho thank you!" He blurted out, immediately going back to his carefree state.

"Just when I thought Fury grew up." Twilight sighed

"Please Twilight, with an attitude like his, he never will." Cadence chuckled.

"Okay, enough talk. Let's see what this DNA has to offer." Fury said. He charged his energy and began to transform right in front of his friends. His form went bipedal, his paws becoming long hands as his aura went from red to blue. A long hooded cloak stretched down to his legs and covered most of his body, his face turning blue and his eyes becoming more bug-like. Finally, his mouth formed a sort of grate, like the breathing apparatus on a gas mask.

Once the transformation was completed, Fury took a sigh of relief and content, a bit of icy mist coming out.

"Well, judging by your expressions, it looks like the transformation worked. What do you think? Would you say I look cool as ice?" Fury said in an altered voice, giving a slightly chilly breeze.

The other ponies shivered at his breeze.

"Aside from the corny pun, I guess it's pretty neat." Cadence said. "Who would have thought these types of creatures existed just a few miles north of the Crystal Empire."

The older Speed Shifter looked impressed. "Ah transformation. You've done quite well. Most shifters of the jungle don't use transformation or at least not as well as you. Impressive."

"Well, I guess it figures my mom, Black Ice, knows this technique. She often bragged that she was descended from 'Those of the north'. I thought she was just boasting at first, but I guess she really did have distant ties to you guys and carried on that transformation magic." Fury said.

"Interesting. Interesting. But let's get back to you." The Snow Shifter merchant said. "If you really are worthy of transformation, prove yourself with your abilities." 

"Give me a challenge, and we'll see what these moths can do." Fury said eagerly.

"Well for one thing, let's see you fly. That cloak is actually just their wings and antenna wrapped around them to keep covered and hide away their more dominant shape."

"Oh so right now I'm just an average big bug. You know nothing crazy. Just minding my business. Then suddenly…"

He opened his not one, but two sets of wings, revealing a majestic pattern and radiance and his full muscular body. The others looked in awe when he took flight.

Woosh!

Fury noticed it was a different feeling from a bird. It was much slower to go place to place. But with one little flap he produced so much wind that it blew the snow away in that little area.

"Wow. So now I can see how strong these guys are." Fury said, impressed. "These fellas must have been why the blizzards have been so crazy. Not very fast fliers either, I guess these quad wings are better for getting off the ground and gliding than keeping up speed."

Fury was still curious of what he could do. "Anything else these bad boys do?"

"Try breathing ice! Make something out of it!"

"Oh boy, here goes nothing." He gave a deep breath through his nose and blasted a cold and icy ray out of his mouth, instantly creating a large ice structure with jagged edges. 

"Okay, that's step one done. Now comes step two!" He confidently proclaimed. He floated down to the ice structure and began to trim away at the ice, scraping ice around the structure to form smooth curves. With each second, his pace increased, creating more icy mist as he quickly scraped away at layers before he flew back a few feet to reveal a homemade ice statue of Cadence.

"Ta daaaa! What do ya think?"

Cadence was amazed at the sculpture; it looked so accurate to her. "It's gorgeous. You are quite the craftscat. The mane flows in the wind, my wings are so big and flowing, and my cutie mark is so accurate. Though a little bigger than I thought. Wait. That's not the only thing that's big…"

Her enthusiasm quickly transformed into disappointment when she saw the back side of her. Which was more plump than she would have liked. Cadence realized his true plan.

Meanwhile, a now grounded Fury was snickering behind her with all of the maturity of a six year old. 

"Thanks Cadence for the compliments. Especially on the accurate part. It was my biggest focus." He said, cackling like a witch.

"I should not have expected any less from you, Fury. I guess I was the silly one to think you would make a genuine sculpture of me." Cadence said, rolling her eyes.

"Thanks! I'll take that as a compliment, Your Royal Rump Majesty." He joked, bowing.

"Why you little…!" Cadence snarled as she leaped at Fury and began to cover him with snow and tickles.

"Ha ha ha! Dang, even snow moths are not immune to the dreaded tickles!" Fury laughed, squirming around as Cadence did her worst.

Meanwhile the snow shifter ignored most of the arguing and fighting and was more interested in the sculpture itself. He seemed quite impressed with the accuracy, save for the rear side of course.

"It looks like you have shown your skill, kid. It's a nice statue albeit a bit primitive and raw. But I'm sure with time you will be able to make an even greater sculpture… Hey are you listening to me?!" 

Cadence was still harassing the mischievous shifter. And both did not hear a word he said.

"Hey can you two stop playing around?! I'm trying to offer my critique." 

"Yeah, Cadence, you're not letting the poor guy make known his thoughts!" Fury said with a bit of smirk.

"Wha- I'm not… but you're… Oh for Pete's sake! He was the one who started it by making my butt unrealistically huge!"

"Just trying to convey the truth like a real artist!"

"I'll show you tru- Mmmmmh!!!"

The snow shifter proceeded to freeze their mouths shut. 

"Ah that's better. Are these two always like this?" He asked Twilight and Fluttershy.

"Like siblings in the middle of a family reunion. And I should know considering she married my brother." Twilight said.

Fury got annoyed with the ice mask and tried to pull it off. But in doing so, the ice shattered and a very sharp piece gashed his face and drew blood.

"Ow ow ow! Bad idea, bad idea, ahahahaoow!" Fury yelped. This got the attention of his friends, especially Cadence and Fluttershy who were very concerned with the amount of blood that came from just one ice shard.

"Oh my goodness, Fury, are you okay!? That is a lot of blood!" Fluttershy said.

"That's another skill we Snow Shifters have. To capture others easily. If they want to escape, well they will face consequences. But I don't want you to suffer those consequences. Here let me melt that ice away."  The Snow Shifter held his paw up and melted the shard easily.

"Oh my goodness! Here, hold still, I will wrap the wounds up." Fluttershy said getting some bandages from her first aid kit.

"Wait wait wait, I'll deal with this." Fury said. He held up a claw and charged it, shooting a small red laser out of it and instantly cauterizing the wound.

"There, good as new." Fury said.

"I guess I didn't know your lightning powers could bring healing." The Snow Shifter said.

"Eh, the lightning itself isn't really the culprit, just the heat that comes off of it. All it takes is a little heat to cauterize an open wound. Just enough to stop the bleeding until we can get some proper care. That's one of our techniques." Fury said. "Very helpful in a desperate situation and when you have no medics nearby. Of course if it's too deep, it'll only slow down the problems but that's still an advantage."

"Very impressive." The Snow Shifter then melted the ice around Fury.

"Mmmmmm." The pink alicorn mumbled.

"Oh you too." He proceeded to melt the ice around Cadence's muzzle, allowing her to finally speak.

"Oh thank goodness. I was shivering there! Oh gosh I would not want to be a prisoner here."

"This entire camp would be a pile of flesh and ice before I'd let that happen to any of you." Fury said simply.

"Awww that's sweet… and slightly disturbing. I guess I'll forget your remarks this time." Cadence said.

"But we both know that won't last for long, don't we?" Fury said with a charming smile.

"True. True. And I'll be sure to be alone with you next time you do that." Cadence said with a smirk.

"Alright you two. Now pay attention." said the Snow Shifter. "I'm just going to admit it. I'm actually not just a merchant. I'm one of the Overseers of the snow moths. Our fair lady Snow Globe asked me to see your abilities more and you seem quite successful so far. If there is anything else you would want from me please ask or I can point you to some other luxurious place in our gracious city." 

"Hmm… how about a place to stretch my speed and give myself an open run? I've basically had no place in Equestria to really open her up." Fury asked.

The snow shifter showed them his map. "If you go north of this town, you will see wide expansive plains. It is barren and has no trees. It is a place where some of our runners practice. As a matter of fact, I think I saw a group headed out there now."

"Perfect! I need to stretch my legs anyway. You guys wanna come with?" Fury asked.

The other ponies agreed. Cadence was of course interested in how fast one could go, while Twilight and Fluttershy were interested especially in the landscape of the area. So, they all went out to find this special barren spot to not only stretch their limbs, but to find out what Snow Shifters could really do.

–

After a few minutes of walking north, the four friends caught up to the group that was said to be out there. They seemed to be prepping for a run around the plains, stretching and practicing their maneuvers for the upcoming dash. Snow Shifters of all ages were lined up in the fresh snow. Some looked around Fury's age, others were closer to Black Ice and Obsidian. There was even a mother with her toddler in a special holder on her chest with goggles to protect their eyes.

"It seems like this is quite a popular place." Twilight commented.

"I can tell. There's such beautiful scenery." Fluttershy responded. "I can even see some reindeer in the distance!" She said with excitement.

"Yep. That all is really cool. But looks aren't everything. I came here for one reason. And that… was to go fast. Maybe I'll chat with some of these folks about running on these plains." Fury said walking up to some athletic looking Snow Shifters relaxing. One of the females who was stretching noticed the oddly colored Shifter next to her. He obviously wasn't from here, but he was the same as her, so what's the harm in chatting it up?

"Hey there, you have a peculiar color. And I don't think I've seen you before. Are you from another village?" She asked.

"More like a completely different part of the world. Speed Valley, Thunder Hollow. You heard of 'em?" Fury asked.

"Wait… Thunder Hollow?! You're from way over there? It must have taken years to get here! I never thought I'd see the day I'd see one of your kind." 

"Nah, I didn't come all the way from there. I've been living in Equestria for a while, I just came here for some business. I'm actually the only Speed Shifter ambassador that the princesses recognize and trust."

"No way. Wow, you got approval from them? I just think of them as legends. But I guess your hooved friends say otherwise." She said, astonished.

"Yep, but I'm just here to stretch my legs and run." Fury said. "Oh! And did I forget to mention this little thing?" 

Fury turns around and shows his famous mark to the Snow Shifter. She was in so much shock she fell to the ground.

"Y-y-you're an… All Powerful?" She asked, almost frightened. She got back up. "I'm sorry, I should have shown you more courtesy, sir." She said bowing. "I am glad you have graced us with your presence."

Fury looked disgusted at the formality though. "Ugh, not again. Don't ever call me 'sir' or say 'graced you with my presence'. I might have special powers but I'm just a Speed Shifter that likes to chill, relax and play pranks. I do not need to be thought of as some haughty snob."

She stopped bowing. "Wow. You're not exactly what I expect an All Powerful to be like. You're so casual. You talk just like me and my friends. I thought the next All Powerful would be elegant and sophisticated like Our Fair Lady Snow Globe."

"Please, I am not some kind of high ranking god. I'm just a casual dude that's a major foodie and a bit goofy… even though I hate to admit that." Fury said, flushing a light shade of pink.

"Uh huh." She replied. "Well you're an interesting guy. Anyways, the name's Avalanche."

"Night Fury, pleasure to meet ya. So, how about we get this run underway?" Fury said, prompting Avalanche to nod and get to her paws.

"Alright, let's do this! C'mon guys, let's get ready to go!" She called out, getting the rest of the group to line up for the initial take off. Fury decided to motivate his own group and called to them as well.

"Hey girls, last chance to get in on this before the take off! Who's coming with us?"

He didn't even hear Fluttershy respond since she was busy petting reindeer. Meanwhile Twilight was caught up in her own studies and research, writing something in her notebook. But Cadence seemed interested.

"I'll come along on this trip. It's been a while since I've given my wings a real workout, and I am a bit out of practice too. I guess I could use the exercise." The pink princess said.

"Glad to hear it! C'mon, everyone is about to set off." Fury said, waving in the direction of the group. Fury and Cadence lined up next to Avalanche who was on the far left of the group. Looking over, she noticed Fury and his princess friend.

"Never thought I would have a pony race with us, much less one with both wings and a horn." She admitted.

"Not all alicorns are so prim and proper. As a matter of fact, it's because of Fury's careless attitude and funny approach to life that me and my aunts decided to change our perspective on our presentation to the public." 

"Well, if that's the case, you guys are pretty charming. But…"

She then assumed a stance for running. "Don't expect me to go easy on you two. I've been racing my whole life in the snow and ice. We snow shifters have to discipline our bodies to not slip through sheer meditation. Will you two be able to make it through?"

"I managed to make a nocturnal princess my girlfriend. I don't do easy." Fury said, getting low to the ground. Cadence also assumed a stance and stretched her large wings for what felt like the first time in years.

"Same for me. I've dealt with a coup against my kingdom and restored a whole extinct empire. I think I'm pretty well suited." Cadence said with a smirk.

"Well then, may the best racer win, your highness." Avalanche said, facing forward to call out the start.

"Alright, here we go! Three…"

Everyone got close to the ground, prepping for a fast getaway.

"Two…"

Fury's eyes went slitted, his large teeth exposing themselves as his predatory instincts took over.

"One…"

He let out one final breath, feeling his entire being power up to full capacity as he stared off into the white plains ahead.

"Go go go!" 

The once barren plains puffed up with white snow as the competitors sped through the snow. All the shifters, the reindeer and even ice moths looked on at this speedy competition.

The group of speeders raced along the snow, kicking up the white powder from under them with immense force. Being the All Powerful Speed Shifter he was, Fury took an early lead, his red aura being like a beacon on the snow.

"Boy this feels so strange, running on this light powdery snow." Fury admitted. "But I can handle it, I just have to keep my claws down and my head up."

"Don't think you've got a lead on us yet!" 

Fury noticed both Avalanche and Cadence catching up and passing him. 

"What the-? How did you two catch up so fast?!"

"Sorry, jungle boy, but your claws aren't meant to run in snow. We snow shifters have been practicing and have adapted to these environments." Avalanche said.

"Even for me, I've practiced running in snow especially ever since I've become ruler of the Crystal Empire. You never know when you need it." Cadence said.

Fury felt a twinge of annoyance at the fact he was losing at something he was supposed to be good at, especially to a hoity toity pink princess.

"Oh okay! Now you've got me fuming!"

Cadence and Avalanche were not afraid of this and scoffed at him.

"What are you gonna do about it? Hmmm?" Cadence asked.

"Yeah, you don't even have skills in snow running. And your feet are so big and bulky, they sink in the snow. What can you do?" Avalanche asked.

"Be quiet and bow down to the real champion." Fury snarled. He charged his energy a bit more and dug his claws deep into the snow, using the anchor point to launch forward in a subsonic blast of air and snow.

"I don't have the training for the snow, but I got one thing you two lack." 

Fury looked intently at them. "Pure will. And you're about to find out what that means… right… now!!!"

The last thing the two saw was a red zap of lightning before Fury took off on a straight shot and left a wall of light powder behind.

Avalanche was in awe at this sight. "By the gods… what is that?!"

Cadence gulped. "Let's just say Fury is now… really… hyper. Like lightning that burst out of a bottle."

Fury sped through more quickly and in this energy he finally caught up to the two and went past them.

"Sayonara, ladies! I've got a race to win!" Fury called out, giving a salute before turning back around and taking off. 

"Hey!"

"Now, now, Your Highness, Fury is going pretty fast, true. But let's see if that speed will help him when he encounters all the pits and divots and occasional trees." Avalanche said, giving her a nudge.

"I thought these were plains!"

"Only the first parts. These next parts will test one's reflexes. Lightning shifters might be fast but they might not have the focus needed to avoid the obstacles ahead." Avalanche said with a smirk.

Up ahead, Fury was having a carefree time at the head of the pack. He felt like the fastest thing alive.

"Ahh, nothing like putting someone in their place by showing off my power. It's not the most polite thing, but I don't care since they were so dang smug." Fury said, looking out at the route ahead. He then noticed a strange change in the terrain, a change in angle to be precise.

Wait a minute… is that a ditch!?

At the last moment he jumped over one ditch only to land in another ditch. He extended his claws and hung over the wall of dirt and snow. He let out a sigh of relief that he didn't bite the dust and pulled his head over the edge. Looking out into the white plains of the mountains, he saw a certain spot of pink getting closer to him.

Ah crud, the royal racer's closing the distance! I've gotta get on the move!

Fury looked behind him and saw another ledge on the other side, which would enable him to get out of his predicament. Hanging onto the edge of the wall, he dug his rear set of claws into the side, giving him the grip he needed to look back and leap to the other side to grab it. 

In his ears, he heard the flapping of wings and pounding paws against fresh snow. He knew they were closing in and he had to get up and out of there. Gripping the top of the ledge, he used his hind legs to push him up and over, getting him back on solid ground and allowing him to get back on the move.

"Did you have fun down there, pal?" The snow shifter asked.

Fury smiled. "As a matter of fact, yes. Yes I did. And now I'm going to have fun beating you again! See ya!"

Fury dashed past Avalanche and into the lead, pushing his limits as he got back into the lead. But as he got into the lead, he saw another crazy sight. A downward slope of snow.

"Woah woah woah, downhill incoming!" Fury said, his fight or flight kicking in. In a split second, his mind chose flight for some reason and locked up his legs, making Fury hit the brakes in front of the entire group.

"Hey, what are you doing, dude!?" Avalanche said, but it was too late. The Snow Shifters and Cadence collided in one big group, skidding towards the slope and eventually going over the edge. Everyone slid down the snowy slope at high speed, slowly spreading out as the lack of control forced them into an unpredictable game of chance.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!" Avalanche cried out

"Get control!" Cadence cried out.

"Woo yeah! Hang ten!" 

Fury's initial shock quickly turned to excitement. To him this was like a water slide but even funner.

"We're gonna crash down! And you're having fun now?!" Avalanche asked in confusion.

"Uh… yeah! That's how we Shifters out in the jungle get down and dirty! Nothing makes us feel more alive than when we're just about dead!" Fury said in a carefree tone.

"Heads up, tight turn up ahead!"

"Just hang on!" Fury said.

Fury turned everyone away from rocks in front of them, and proceeded to dodge other obstacles.

"Alright! That's what I'm talking about!"

At this point, the Snow Shifters were about to question him more but resisted for now. He seemed to at least know how to get them on track. But they still wondered, what kind of guy this was.

As the terrain smoothed out to a slight decline and allowed them to slow down some, although without stopping, Cadence decided to spout out some of her own questions about her feline friend's motives.

"Fury, you confuse me. You are in an environment you are not familiar with, that is not conducive to your style of running. And even went downhill. And yet… you're not even dreadful of this?" 

"It's just a way for me to destress. To be honest, after all the things that have been bugging me these past few days… adjusting to my parents finally returning to my everyday life, dealing with the questions and concerns of ponies still skeptical about Speed Shifters, dealing with being an All Powerful… it's just a way for me to just not care about something for once." Fury explained.

"Even going downhill at breakneck speeds?" Avalanche asked.

Fury gave a smirk. "You know for a girl named Avalanche, you sure don't seem like you like daredevil stuff. But to answer your question, I've been through way worse. And a little risk of injury? Big deal. I'd rather have fun with my life than live dull and safe." Just as Fury said that, he noticed a steep slope incoming that seemed to lead into some tunnels that looked like ice flooms.

"And it looks like the fun isn't about to end. Hang on…"

"Well, I guess we have no choice but to trust you." Cadence admitted.

"That's the spirit!" Fury said, taking the dive onto the slope and letting everyone else follow. As they went down into the tunnels, the floom filed them all into a line and guided them down into the depths.

They entered a dark cave. But it was just bright enough to see because of all the ice that reflected what little light there was. It was truly impressive. They even saw some frozen animals from olden days.

"Woah, is that a wooly mammoth? Talk about prehistoric preservation. And did I just see a squirrel holding an acorn?" Fury pointed out. Up ahead of him, he saw that the slide split into separate slides as they seemed to get even steeper and actually lead upward somewhat.

"Everyone, get ready for a big ride!"

Everyone braced themselves as they slid up as quickly as they went down. Ahead of them were slides that went in all directions before all converging. 

Each one of them was taken on a different route. All except for Fury and Cadence who ended up together on one slide.

"Looks like we're together on this ride, Cady." Fury said.

"All the better for us." Cadence admitted.

"Well at least the crazy part is over." Avalanche said with a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, but it looks like we've got another destination to hit. Look, there's light up ahead." Fury pointed out, a bright light waiting at the end of the slide. As the group gradually slowed down and exited the cave and entered the outside world, they got a glimpse at the most majestic sight they had ever seen.

Through all the craziness they had been through in the caves and ice slides, they would have never expected to end up here. They stood on a high cliff, slightly above the clouds where the sun sat perfectly on the horizon ahead. A soft wind blew them on one side, moving the clouds slowly across with ease.

"Wow. Look at this view. I never would have guessed all of that slippery ice would have carried us up here." Fury said with awe. "Although I bet you've been up here before, Avalanche, right?"

"I've been far up into these mountains before, but never far enough to be above the cloud layer. I honestly can't believe what I'm seeing." Avalanche gasped breathlessly. Then, there was an approving coo from the Shifter cub that was still attached to its mother down below. Supposedly, they had returned to their original starting spot before the slope.

"Mommy look at those creatures over there! Up there!"

"Oh my! I can't believe it. These folks actually found a way to get up there!"

Fury had a great grin as he waved at them. He felt so privileged to be part of this slide. It was like a theme park. Then, he noticed a part in the clouds. Looking down, he saw Twilight and Fluttershy down below, not having noticed them up above. He also saw a hole in the ground on the cliff they stood on, it looked a bit like a final slide down to the bottom.

"Hey guys… I've got a really stupid idea."

"Gee, what else is new?" Cadence said. "What do you have in mind?"

"Nothing much. Just a grand finale to our ride. We can't finish it off too easily." Fury said with an eager smile. "You can't finish off something as crazy as this without something that'll seal the deal. There's an ice tube that goes down through the mountain again and out towards where we started. One final wacky slide down to the finish line anyone?"

"Awww, I kind of like the peaceful atmosphere-" Cadence was about to say before Avalanche gave her two cents.

"You know what, Fury?" Avalanche said. "You're crazy but I kinda like that. Way funner than my ex boyfriend. Let's do it."

"Okay, on my count." They all surrounded the hole and looked down. It was dark and steep, but who knew what was down there?

"One… Two… Three… Geronimo!"

"Wait, let me brace myself first-" Cadence tried to intervene and give herself a few seconds to prepare, but it was already too late though. She was yanked down but Fury and the large group were already heading down the steep tunnel.

"Whoaaaaaaaa!!!" 

"Hang on!" Fury said.

It was a bumpy ride. Everything went by so fast. No one could understand what was going on. 

Then before they got too used to it, the path curved to the right and then to the left.

"Maybe I shouldn't have eaten so much fish!" Fury admitted.

"You better keep that in! I'm not getting fish guts in my mane!" Cadence said, not wanting to get covered in whatever Night Fury had for lunch. As they continued to slide at high speed, Fury decided to slow down a bit and get close to Cadence.

"Ya having fun, Cady!? This is crazy!"

"Personally I don't even know what I'm feeling! I've been to amusement parks but not like this!" Cadence said.

"I'll take that as a yes. But, we can make this even better!" Fury said, sneaking his tail around one of Cadence's hind legs and throwing her for a spin.

"Wahhhhh! Let me go!" Cadence cried.

Avalanche was now laughing her heart out at this sight as Fury spun her around while going downhill.

"See? New experiences!" Fury said.

"Oh poor princess." Avalanche giggled. "This jungle shifter's wrath knows no bounds. Thank goodness your fixation is on her and not me."

"Oh, is that so? Well maybe I should add to the mix, because we're all gonna be dizzy by the end of this ride!"

"Wait wait wait, I was just kidding-" Fury did not care. He wrapped his arm around her waist and proceeded to go around and around.

"You're trying to get yourself dizzy too?! What kind of wacko are you?!" Avalanche said.

"Simple. I'm me. Night Fury." He said with a serious but calm expression. "And I say we go like a merry go round! Yahoo!!!" He said, switching to hyper enthusiasm.

With every turn, they all felt like they were getting thrown about in a whirlpool. Everything was shaking and spinning around out of control and nothing was stopping them. At least not yet, but that would be changed soon as a glimpse of outside light was seen and a big snow pile sat waiting for their dizzy arrival.

Thud!

A cloud of snow appeared causing a mild wind. Everyone came to see what it was from. And the clouds cleared and they saw a collapsed trio.

"Whoa, everything is all spinny!" Fury said, trying to get his bearings. "Hehehe, everything looks really funny."

"Fury! Princess! And you! Are you alright!?" Fluttershy said as she approached them worried for their health.

"I think I am." Cadence said, also dazed and dizzy. "I'm wondering if I'm alive though."

"Am I in a different dimension?" Avalanche asked.

Twilight came nearby. "Hold on, let me take care of this." Her horn glowed and her magic affected all three. Their eyes glowed before going back to normal.

"That's better." Cadence said, rubbing her head.

"What in Equestria were you two doing?" Twilight asked. 

"Let's just say that we got in a race and we got to a certain cave. And then stuff went crazy." Avalanche said. "When I said it was crazy but fun, I was not expecting that type of crazy and fun."

"Uh, you're welcome! I just treated you guys to my personal five star coo coo crazy fun frenzy! Ya probably hate me for it now, but that doesn't matter to me! I've dealt with it before!" Fury said, fully expecting to get flames for his craziness.

Avalanche however unexpectedly laughed. "Oh Fury! You think I hated it? No. I had a blast!"

"Yeah yeah, I know I'm just a troublesome- Wait, come again?" 

"I said… I had a blast! Did you honestly think I would be upset about something so crazy yet fun?" Avalanche said with a raised eyebrow.

"Somewhat. Especially from the hoofed herbivores over here. My antics weren't exactly the most… accepted back home either. I'm used to others saying that my way of fun is dangerous and not good for me. Which is true to some degree, I guess." Fury said, thinking back to the times he was lectured about his crazy type of fun.

"But that's what we like about you, Fury. You have energy few others have. You made me feel like a filly again." Cadence said. "Sure it's crazy and insane, but I like that about you."

"Really? I honestly expected to get a lecture on responsibility and proper ethics like I did in my younger years. I may be energetic, but I didn't exactly get a lot of love for it from most besides my parents."

"Eh, I've gotten used to it. And besides I have advisors if I want seriousness." Cadence said. "But with you, I can lay back and relax."

Avalanche nodded. "Yep. Even us Snow Shifters are a little too reserved to do what you do. And frankly… I find that daring and exciting… kind of attractive." she said with a sultry voice. "Maybe we can go have a few drinks to cool down…"

"Yeah, sorry sweetheart, but this feline is already taken." Fury said, tossing his picture of him and Luna to her so she didn't get any ideas.

"Awwwww… so much for my luck." 

"Sorry, you're cool and all. But for me, the only lady on my mind is the Princess of the Night," Fury said.

"Straying away from current and past love interests, Cadence is right. You don't have to worry about judgment anymore, you're one of us. To be honest, us ponies are a bit 'Insane in the membrane' ourselves." Twilight admitted.

"Are you sure? Because I don't think that's the case."

"Oh for crying out loud, do we have to spell it out for you, fuzzball? Just come here!" Cadence said, grabbing a hold of him and rolling back into the snow pile.

"Oh shoot. I forgot. You're gonna do that." Fury said, intimidated.

"What's this guy talking about?" Avalanche asked curiously.

Cadance's smile grew large. 

"Oh just that he is a little… ticklish. And by that I mean very ticklish." Cadence said, smiling.

"Ha ha ha, you're serious? This guy?" Avalanche asked in amusement.

"No, she's lying! Don't listen to Cadence!" Fury yelled in terror.

"Hmmm, lying, you say?" Cadence asked. "Let's test that out." She said, moving her hooves to his belly.

"Please no."

"Too late!" Cadence then went to town on Fury's underside, scribbling her hooves all over him to get his laugh to emerge. And with no delay, said emergence of his laugh did not take long as he immediately tried squirming his way out of her grip

"Ha ha ha ha ha. I didn't even do anything this time! Ha ha ha ha!" Fury said laughing.

"Hey, you were the one who said you didn't feel like we liked you for your crazy attitude and goofy energy. I'm just trying to get you to realize the truth." Cadence giggled.

"Well, you did kind of made us all dizzy." Another Snow Shifter pointed out. "I'm glad I didn't eat anything or I might have thrown up. So you get what you deserve… including from me." She said walking up to him.

"Oh come on, you two admitted it was fun, doesn't that count for anything?!"

Avalanche nodded, "Oh it does, don't  get me wrong. We just want to spread the unexpected fun right back to you." She said, placing her paws on his stomach. "Right into your gut! Frozen tickle time!"

Combined with Cadence's tickles, it made Fury feel all weird and wobbly. It didn't help that he was still a little dizzy from the spin. Vengeance was not pretty.

"No!!! Not again! I'll give you a bunch of salmon if you let me go, Avalanche! I admit I'm a bit too modest about my relationships but please, just let me go!"

"Maybe. But I feel like I need a little more…" Avalanche said.

"Uh, you can have some of my cookies that I brought along from Ponyville."

"Still need more convincing." She said mischievously.

"What else could you possibly want from me!?" Fury pleaded.

"Hmmmm, I think to make it fair, me and Cadance will give you a little spin just like you did to us." 

"Wait, we all got spun around already though." Fury reminded them, looking a little perplexed.

"This time we would grab your arms and spin you around like the moon around the earth." 

Fury was horrified at this. Could his stomach endure so much?

"Can't I just write an apology letter?" Fury begged. But the Princess Of Love was not satisfied.

"I'm afraid that's not an option. Now hold still!" Cadence and Avalanche grabbed his forelegs and heaved him out of the snow pile he was previously in. Holding him steady with all four paws on the ground, they took one side each and prepared to spin him.

"1… 2… 3!!!"

Fury was spun around with the combined force of two physically powerful creatures, just like a marry go round. 

"Ohhhh, I'm gonna be sick!"

He felt queasy. He felt like his stomach wanted to escape from his body.

"Isn't this fun, Fury?!" Cadence asked.

"Pretty awesome, huh?" Avalanche added.

"No! Uuugh… I'm going overboard. Hurpfh!"

Going at the speed of himself was normally fun, but not like this. He felt like he had to find a way to finish this. His stomach sure felt that way.

"Ooh boy, that didn't sound too good." Avalanche said.

"Uh, Avalanche? Cadence? I think you better let him go now." Twilight said. "He looks like he could um… lose his lunch soon."

"Okay, I think we gave him enough fun today." Cadance and Avalanche released the ultra dizzy Fury from their clutches. He slowed down and came to a stop quickly, but what was a spinning black blur was now a green faced, sickly looking feline with a swirling tummy.

"Oh, you girls really got me this time. I guess we're even. Wait! I feel something coming!" Fury moaned, his belly making an affirming sound.

"Oh no, get out of the way!" Cadence said. 

"Too late!" Fury said, grabbing them. "Here it comes!"

But then all was heard was his belly rumbling. Until it stopped and was replaced with laughter.

"Gotcha. Ha ha ha! You should have seen the look on your faces!" Fury said.

"Dang it. We fell for that one!" Avalanche said. "You really are a sneaky runt, aren't you?"

"Yep! I might not always start out winning but I make sure to make the ending… worth it." Fury said with a laugh.

Eventually the laughter spread to Cadance and Avalanche as well as Twilight and Fluttershy. But soon, Fury would face another problem. 

"Well, I guess I can't say it was all worth it. Ugh, I feel super weird. I think something's stuck in there." Fury said, pounding his chest a few times to try and dislodge whatever it was.

"Ugh, the fish up here is delicious but dang, it really clogs up the pipes a good bit! Anyone got a solution?" Fury asked.

"Ah, of course!" Avalanche said. "In these lands, we have a special elixir that can be made that helps relieve anything that 'Backs up the pipes'."

"Oh please, oh wise mistress of knowledge, let me have it!" Fury said dramatically.

Avalanche proceeded to reach into her backpack and pulled out a clear bottle of purple liquid. "This oughta clear up whatever's stuck down there. Here, take a swig."

Fury quickly took the bottle with no thought and chugged it down like his parents' life depended on it.

"Oh boy! I should've been a little slower with that. Dang, this is one strong potion!" Fury said.

"I never knew potions could be found in bottles." Twilight said. "Fascinating cultural difference."

Fury then felt something bubbling in his gut. "Heads up. I think I'm about to let loose."

"Oh gee. Please let it not be too strong. Please let it not be too strong. Please let it not be too strong." Cadence whispered to herself.

"I think we should cover our ears." Avalanche advised. The ponies did so.

Fury pounded his chest a few more times to try and dislodge whatever was stuck. Thankfully, that did something. But what would happen as a result would be rather… loud.

Uuuurrrrrraaaaaaap!

His large belch created a small shock wave throughout the snow field. Those in the city could hear it and even yak scouts who were on patrol miles away, were caught off guard by the loud sound.

"Yak think Snow Shifters have issues," said one guard.

When the loudest belch in recorded history was over, Fury was finally at peace.

"Phew, excuse me! That was a big one!" Fury said. "Well, on the bright side, I don't feel clogged up anymore."

Twilight, Fluttershy and Cadence jaws dropped. They could not comprehend what just came out of the mouth of their feline friend.

"Um… what… Did I just see?" Fluttershy asked.

"I think we just witnessed the power of a Speed Shifter's stomach." Twilight said with a shell shocked expression.

"Wow Fury. You really… let it go there. Do Speed Shifters always burp like that?" Cadence asked.

"Okay, I know what you ladies are thinking and no, this is not normal. Yeah my belches can be loud but not like this! This is what happens when one eats too much, gets too dizzy and drinks that mystery potion." Fury said. "Definitely the nicest potion I ever tasted though."

"By the way, Avalanche, what type of potion was that? I've never seen a potion contained in a cider bottle." Twilight asked.

"That's because it wasn't actually a potion. It was just some leftover grape soda I had stowed away. But from the absolute monstrous roar of a burp that came out of him, I'd say that 'potion' worked its magic." Avalanche said with a wink.

"YOU GAVE HIM POP?!?!" Cadence, Twilight and Fluttershy asked, with the latter apologizing for her outburst. From the wild reaction the three ponies gave to the reveal, both Avalanche and Night Fury began to laugh.

"Wow, I wouldn't have guessed you three to be so aggressive about that! Are ponies usually like that in Equestria?" Avalanche asked the black feline next to her.

"Oh trust me, there are ponies in Equestria that are even more dramatic than these three combined! Just take my friend Rarity for example. She was so shocked by a lopsided sombrero, that she manifested a fainting couch with her magic just so she wouldn't have to faint on the 'Absolutely dirty and repulsive' dirt path she was standing on!" Fury explained, mimicking the fashionista's voice to emphasize his point.

Avalanche laughed like no tomorrow after hearing the ridiculous story. She could not even comprehend such absurdity from ponies. Even Snow Globe with her grace and elegance would not be repulsed by dirt.

"Oh come on, you three can't be that bad! He's fine, isn't he?" Avalanche asked.

"Heh, sorry I guess I just thought using soda with someone would cause some disaster. We ponies don't usually unleash our magic with big outbursts." Twilight admitted.

"See what I mean? Ponies are so proper and distinguished. Pfft, what a lame species." Fury said half jokingly. "Thank goodness you Snow Shifters aren't that bad. I was worried you would be some of the hoity toity types like in Canterlot. But I guess you're a Shifter through and through."

Cadence felt a bit offended by Fury's very blunt representation of ponies and decided to speak up. "Oh, so us prissy ponies don't have the ability to get wild like you and we're a 'Lame species'?" 

"Hey, in my defense, I've had ponies say that my breathing was 'Gastly' and 'Aggressive'. You really think I wouldn't want to rip on you guys a bit after hearing that come out of a pony's mouth?" Fury asked.

"Well, I guess I can see what you mean." Cadence said. "We ponies can be a bit too clean in our ways."

"Though not all of us. Definitely not all of us like Rainbow." Twilight said.

"Yeah, that's why she's the coolest of you guys. You should take after her chill and cool attitude more. Just sayin'." Fury said with a smirk.

Cadence chuckled a bit. "Okay, Mr. Cool Cat. But I think we should be going back to Snow Henge soon. The sun is coming down after all."

They saw the sun partially under the snowy hills. It was a beautiful sight but it would be getting dark soon.

"Well, I guess that was a fun time." Avalanche said, stretching her arms. "You jungle shifters go all out for sure. I guess you won this race. To be honest, I never thought I would be going into that cave. Maybe we can see each other again sometime."

"Oh trust me, once we get this diplomatic trip down and we get alliances rolling, we'll be visiting each other like we're best friends!" Fury said, feeling extra excited. "And JUST FRIENDS, don't get any funny ideas."

Everyone with a cheerful look walked back into town. It was an enchanting sight before them. They saw the moonlight and torches reflect on the ice sculptures.

"I bet Rarity regrets not coming here." Fury admitted. "She stays in a tent, thinking she is away from the harsh, while missing on this beauty."

"To be honest, I'm glad she's not. Can you imagine how hard it would be having to get her away from all the glamorous ice just to focus on the task at hoof?" Twilight said, imagining the chaos that would ensue.

"You're right, that would be a problem. Besides, I'm already a couple of hoof fulls for you guys to deal with!" Fury chuckled.

"Well at least you're honest." Twilight admitted. "Anyways, maybe we should go rest up for tonight."

"You're right, Twilight. Especially Night Fury, he looks like he needs his nap time." Fluttershy joked.

"I know you did not just say I need my nap time…" Fury said, eyeing the yellow pegasus.

"Even a big strong All Powerful needs some good dreams. When we go make you'll have a nice bed to rest in and lay back. And some nice food too." Fluttershy said, patting his head. 

Fury grumbled something under his breath, most likely something vulgar before speaking. "Okay fine, ya got me. Let's just get there and… (Yawn…)"

Before he could finish, a yawn escaped his fang filled jaws as he lazily leaned up against the pink princess he was walking next to.

"Looks like Fury's tuckered out. I guess using all that energy in that cave slide really drained him." Cadence said with a quiet laugh.

"Yeah… I guess…" Fury moaned sleepily. "It was worth it though. Totally worth it."

"Let's go back to the palace. Snow Globe said she has rooms for us." Twilight said, leading the group back there.

They finally made it to the palace. They knocked on the door and at first, no one answered. But after waiting for a few seconds, Chief Snow Globe came to their aid.

"My apologies, everyone. I was just handling some… recent news." She said adjusting her headdress.

"Oh that's quite alright Fair Lady Snow Globe." Fluttershy said bowing. "We were just hoping you have some room for us to rest." 

"Oh of course, we have some guest rooms in here for you." Snow Globe said.

"And perhaps you should save the best for the speed freak over here. The poor thing is just so sleepy weepy." Avalanche cooed, pointing out the black feline who was leaned up against Cadence and nodding in and out of consciousness.

"Awww, what a precious creature. I believe he is in need of a beauty sleep. Servants! Escort our jungle shifter guest to the best quarters! Make sure the best is nice and he is treated to the highest of quality. Quietly though." She ordered.

And so, Fury was transported to a bedroom with frescoes of past heroes of Speed Shifter history. It was spacious and was decorated with many jewels. Not to mention the bed was the biggest of the ones in the building. The servants and his friends assisted in getting him comfortable, laying him down on the bed and letting him stretch out.

"There you go, nice and comfy. Feeling cozy, big guy?"

"Ohhhhh, yeah yeah yeah. Ohhhh…" Fury muttered quietly, seemingly without hearing the others.

"He really is just a big softy under all that confidence and craziness. I just might have to visit this Ponyville place once this is all over." Avalanche said, taking advantage of his sleepy state to scratch his back and listen to him purr for the first time.

"That's Fury in a nutshell. All tough at first but soft and cuddly on the inside." Fluttershy said. "Well he is pretty fluffy on the outside too. Don't mention that to him though."

"Okay everyone, let's leave him to get some sleep." Cadence said.

Everyone finally left him in his sleep. They were all eager to go to bed in their rooms too. But Cadence decided to stay back a bit, going up to Fury and giving him her best foalsitter goodnight kiss on the forehead.

"Nighty night, fuzzball. We're all here for you, don't forget that." She whispered, tucking him in and taking her leave to get some sleep.

As Cadence was leaving the room though, she saw Twilight standing still, still observing the chief pacing around.

"Twilight, are you worried about her? We can do this tomorrow." Cadence said, stretching her arms.

"I'm fine, Cadence. You know how she said she was handling some… recent news? Well, it can't be good news if she's pacing like Celestia was after finding out that Fury had been almost assassinated by Blueblood." Twilight said. "You can go to sleep. I still have enough energy to find this out."

"Well, if you're gonna listen in, then I might as well too." Cadence said.

Twilight came up to the unusually anxious chief.

"Um, Lady Snow Globe? Are you alright, was the news something dire?"

Snow Globe wanted to deny the severity of the news to protect them from the truth. But with the two who were in front of her being princesses, she couldn't keep up the facade.

"Okay, I will admit it. The recent news that I was handling wasn't as innocent as I initially put on. I just received a letter from one… Princess Celestia?"

"Celestia? What would she need to send a message all the way up here for? Perhaps she's checking up on our progress? Maybe she's sending a letter on behalf of her sister to check on Night Fury?" Twilight asked.

"Unfortunately, this letter isn't anything related to a lonely partner checking in on their other half. Come and see."

Twilight and Cadence looked at the letter with great scrutiny.

Dear Chief Snow Globe,

I am assuming my student, niece and the Speed Shifter ambassador have arrived. But this message applies for you and them.

These past two days have been littered with multiple wildfires in Equestria. They seemed to have been from a centaur known as Lord Tirek and one of the Shadow Shifters known as Pyro Flare. Night Fury defeated them once before the two villains escaped and disappeared into the wild. But they seem to have returned to have their revenge. Thankfully, with Night Fury being gone from Equestrian soil for the time being, our land was spared in the search for their target. But in that absence, they have gone on a set path that was led by rumors of his location given by supporters of my nephew Blueblood, who has also had his own conflict with the ambassador in the past.

From what both my sister and I have heard from our troops, the two were spotted heading north and into the mountains. I have no doubt they are going to be looking for Night Fury up there to have their bloodthirsty revenge. In the meantime, please let him and his companions know of this news and prepare for battle. I have a sneaking feeling that both Tirek and Pyro Flare are more than what we faced before now that they've had time to regroup. Me and my sister will also be arriving at your settlement soon to establish a front line and help with the battle.

Whatever comes next, I wish for you to know that Night Fury's protection is of absolute priority from this point forward. Guard his life like it's the most precious thing ever to grace the planet and keep him safe. He may just be the one thing that can keep not only your tribe, but the entire world from falling into a nightmare-ish warzone.

With good luck and well wishes,
Princess Celestia of Equestria.

The two princesses were in shock.

"It can't be." Twilight muttered. "They're already back in action?! And they know where we are too?! No. No! This is not the time. Not the time!"

"Twilight, calm down. Everything will be okay." Cadence said, patting her. "Just breathe in and breathe out."

Twilight tried her former babysitter's technique and felt a bit more relieved. Bit only a tiny enough to have coherent thoughts.

"We're so sorry we brought this problem of ours on to you, Lady Snow Globe." Twilight apologized.

"It's alright. I understand. I used to have calamities Celestia spoke of when I was your age."

"At the very least we'll leave town tomorrow so as not to get the Snow Henge engulfed in these problems." Twilight said. "You don't want to get involved with our Shadow Shifter problem."

"I'm afraid it is too late for that now." Snow Globe said. "We cannot risk Night Fury being discovered and killed on your way back down the mountain, it would be too hefty of a cost. The most we can do is hunker down, wait for their highnesses to arrive and wait for them to come for us. It would be better to give Night Fury as much time to center himself and get his power at full capacity rather than forcing him to get surprised and risk all of your lives as well. Besides, our fortifications are quite strong. We will be safe for now."

"Thank you, you're too kind." Twilight said with relief. "But can I ask something? Have you ever heard of these shadow shifters?"

"In our early years, the Shadows Shifters were our greatest foe. Though, we never considered them a rival tribe. More so, a religious extremism group. They were those who always talked about how the gods above would right the world's wrongs and purify the gene pool to allow for Speed Shifters to fully flourish."

"They believe that the All Powerfuls such as Night Fury, would restore the glory of Speed Shifters to what they were before and guide us to a brighter future by wiping out all of those who trespassed on our grounds and purifying the world of inferior blood. I assume your friend has told you of our existence in Equestria before ponies colonized and founded the nation?"

Twilight nodded. "He did. And from what I heard, they were eventually rejected and they formed their own tribes in some distant forests. They always kept their locations secret, though they would often perform raids on the tribes who go against this dogma."

"You would be correct. The Shadow Shifters take pride in 'Cleansing the world' to purify the lands we once called home, which is why we have ultimately shut them out and made them our greatest enemy. Thankfully, they were not as adept at surviving the cold as we were and moved away from our cold climates." 

"But it seems they have gained different means of pushing their agenda. Most likely, they recruited Tirek to sap Night Fury's power and use it for themselves. No doubt they deemed his recent actions in gaining ponies' trust and admiration as 'Impure' and now want to strip the godly power of our ancestors away from him as they now most likely see him as unworthy." Snow Globe pondered aloud.

Twilight was chilled at the idea of facing those two again, probably far stronger than they were before. And so soon as well. But Twilight knew she could not waver now.

"Well then, as the Princess of Friendship, I promise I will do all I can to resist this scourge and help Fury to not have his power taken away. With Celestia as my witness, they will not win!" Twilight said.

"The Crystal Empire is my kingdom, I will not leave it to fall to their clutches. Neither will I leave Night Fury to be subjected to the twisted minds of these religious extremists. He is within my responsibility to keep him safe, and I will uphold that until I am no longer functioning." Cadence said.

"Well, in that case, I shall be ready too. We will do our part to fight this scourge just as our ancestors have done." Snow Globe said. "You have my word."

With all three in agreement, they no longer had fear but courage in their hearts. 

"I guess we'll break the news to Fluttershy and Night Fury tomorrow." Cadence said.

"Wait. What about the Yaks and the others back in Yakyakistan?! They'll be all exposed to those two, won't they?!" Twilight said with worry.

"Fear not." Snow Globe replied. "Even hours ago I sent some guards to find them and bring them into the city. It might be awkward to tell them to leave their site. But I'm sure they will come in a few hours. We are all fine for now, young lady."

Twilight was relieved at this.

"Get some sleep, you two. You will need it for tomorrow." Snow Globe said. "Good night."

And so the two went to sleep with a mixture of fear and hope in their veins. Twilight knew no matter how strong she was, in the end, it would all rely on Night Fury.

"We need your help, Fury. We really do…" Twilight whispered to herself as she went to bed and drifted off into the dream realm.