To Equestria And Beyond (Rewrite In Progress)

by NightFurySpeedey8156

Chapter 13: Going To The Next Level

Ugh, this is hard! Thanks Emperor for making these instructions the most enigmatic thing ever!

Night Fury was lying in the patio of his house in the shade of an apple tree. It had nice flowers, the best from Ponyville, and some nice birds that Fluttershy donated on the condition he doesn't eat those birds. And even a look alike of some temple ruins that Twilight supervised and Applejack and her family built. But he wasn't enjoying them because he was trying to understand what the heck he was supposed to do with the instructions!

"Alright, let me try again." He said as he looked at the scroll. "In order to stare into something with no side effects, I must clear my mind. Be one with what I am staring at."

Be one with whoever I'm facing? What is that supposed to mean! Gah!

He threw the scroll at the wall. It wasn't just the staring technique but all the other ones too.

"I'm never gonna master this. Hmmm, I'm going to need some help. Maybe Twilight can give me some pointers. Yeah she's good at interpreting this egghead stuff. Alright Twilight here I come!"

-

Knock knock knock

The door of the Golden Treehouse opened. Twilight appeared.

"Oh hello, Night Fury! How are you doing? She greeted him warmly. "Some work crews are still building that museum. It will probably be two weeks before it's ready for the public."

"That's great news." Then Night Fury's expression turned sour. "Too bad it's not going as smoothly for me these past two days."

"Why, is there something wrong?"

"You see, Twilight, I'm trying to interpret this scroll. It has some meditations and calming techniques to prevent me from going feral."

"Well it's good for you to be interested in reading ancient literature! Finally someone to talk with about this subject!" She said, missing the point.

"I'm not here for some egghead spiel! I'm here because I need to know how to calm myself so I won't let what happened with the Crystal Empire happen again!" he said with some annoyance.

"Oh sorry." Twilight said now with a more serious tone. "Come on in! I'll look at this document. And rest assured whatever happens to you, I'm going to give you a solution."

However it turns out that Twilight, while she understood the literary techniques of this scroll, was not adept at applying these meditations to Night Fury.

"I'm sorry Night Fury, these are methods unfamiliar to ponies. It's very hard for me to be able to understand these things. Maybe if I were on the same level as Starswirl I could instantly give you an answer but even I am not there yet."

Night Fury felt more hopeless now.

"Well, I'm glad you're trying. I guess we'll both have to spend a few weeks or months or whatever to understand this scroll."

Twilight looked at the scroll again. And then she realized something.

"Wait! I might have someone who can help you with these things. Someone who is more proficient at these emotions and its relationship with magic."

"Who would that be?" Night Fury asked.

"Zecora!"

"Yeah!… Uh, who is that?"

"She's what is known as a zebra. She came from some far away land and lives in the Everfree Forest."

"Wow, she must be hardcore if she lives there."

"She has special knowledge of magic and spells that most ponies are not familiar with. She seems more experienced than me. Maybe she can help you."

"Alright, is she some grumpy old witch though? I wouldn't want to train with another rough person. I already had enough childhood trauma… ugh." He remembered Amethyst briefly.

"She is the exact opposite of grumpy. She is very calm. And very nice. She's also not that old, probably my parents' age."

"Well if you say I can trust her, then I'm gonna go find her! But the Everfree Forest? I don't know. I've already been through a lot last time I went in…." Night Fury said.

"I'll take you to her and show you the path. We'll get you two acquainted. SPIKE!!! Me and Night Fury are going to Zecora's! Keep watch over the library!" Twilight instructed Spike. "Come on Fury. Let's go."

-

Twilight and the black feline were walking down the trail. Normally the Everfree Forest was dangerous but Zecora lived on the outskirts and formed a path and made sure creatures stayed away.

Twilight and Night Fury finally made it to their destination.

"Well here we are, Night Fury. This is where Zecore stays."

"Wow…"

Even for Night Fury, a feline who lived in the jungle, the look seemed alien to him. Those strange masks for instance. He wondered what this Zecora looked like.

Knock knock knock

"Ah hello, it is nice to meet you Twilight. I hope you are doing alright." Zecora greeted Twilight.

"I am doing very well, Zecora. But I came for an important reason. Not for me but for a new friend."

"Ah I will be happy to assist, so they may be blissed." She said opening the door when she saw the large dark feline.

"Ahhhh, what is this?!" Zecora asked with intimidation as she got a spear out. "Get back, foul beast! You shall not have me for a feast!"

"Back off you, evil witch! You won't get me!" Fury said.

"Zecora, you've got it all wrong. He's an intelligent creature like you or me. His name is Night Fury and he came to ask for help."

Zecora at this point called a bit embarrassed at her inhospitality.

"A thousand apologies for my rudeness. I had never seen your kind in life. Except for some predators in my homeland or those manticores."

Night Fury was put off at first but he could see from her expression that she was not a fierce monster like he was expecting. She seemed like a nice mare.

"I can't blame you. This forest can be hard to make due."

After shaking hands Zecora got back to the point. "So what is that you require, if I may inquire?"

"It's… a long story." Twilight said.

"Very well, you may enter so that I may inquire." Zecora said going inside.

"Does she always speak in rhymes?" Night Fury asked Twilight.

"As far as I know, yes."

"Huh, I guess I'm not the only exotic one around Ponyville." He said as he went inside.

-

Twilight and Night Fury spent awhile sitting down by a table while explaining to Zecora, all the relevant details, including who the Speed Shifters are, some of Night Fury's life and how he got to Ponyville and so on. Zecora was quite amazed at this new stranger.

"This is quite impressive, something I've never heard of." Zecora said, astounded now realizing she was no longer the most exotic intelligent creature in Ponyville.

“Well, that’s what I've been getting from a lot of ponies. I can’t say that I’m surprised considering that I’m a foreign creature, but at least I have somepony to relate to.” Fury said, happy that he wasn’t the only one that was not from Equestria.

Zecora smiled at this.

"That is indeed true young feline, I hope our hearts will align."

“That’s all nice and dandy, but can we get back to what we were doing?” Twilight said with urgency. “We still have a job to get to.”

“Yeah, Twilight’s right. I still need to learn how to control my powers and urges. It’s starting to get embarrassing when I start drooling in public when I see a loose chicken and I start getting the stink eye from other ponies.”

Zecora simply nodded as if taking it all in. And then she responded.

"This conversation was part of the test, to find out the solution that is best." Zecora said.

"Wait, really-"

"From what I can tell you seem to have a very energetic and optimistic aura about you… which can also devolve into lack of discipline, lack of patience, lack of attention…"

Oh great, she’s starting to sound like my old teacher.

"And lack of concentration."

"Anything else you would like to add?" he asked, annoyed.

"Yes I do, but I will be through." Zecora quipped but then her face turned serious.

"In all seriousness, you should not be too embarrassed. Even though I am not a predator, I sometimes struggle with random unfairness.” Zecora admitted. "You seem to have a great level of integrity and willingness to learn. But it will take practice to gain the power that you wish to earn.”

“Well, I didn’t come here to just talk about my powers. Let’s get to it!” Night Fury proclaimed triumphantly.

"Alright, follow me to my private pond." Zecora motioned him to follow.

-

"Before we get into complex techniques like staring, we should start with something simple". Zecora took out a piece of ham. Twilight looked a little disgusted while for Fury it was like seeing a pretty lady.

"Oh yeah! That is what I call juicy!" Fury said, drooling slightly.

"Well, for your first assignment, you are to not rush forward to me and grab the ham. You will have to show some restraint."

Night Fury was a little grumpy at this.

"I've played tricks before, but this is just evil! Can't I have a little?"

"No."

Twilight looked at Night Fury worried. It reminded her a bit of how Spike was unusually greedy that one time.

"Zecora," Twilight whispered. "I think he's about to grab the meat! How are you going to get through to him?"

"Just trust me, my young friend. I have a method for this."

Night Fury despite trying to stand still just couldn't resist and took the meat and ate it.

"Awww yeah mmmm! That was good." He said to himself with a mild predatory voice. "So how about we start the test now… Oh. Dang it!" Fury said.

"So it seems you are too fixated on your carnal fixation. You must distract yourself from that sensation."

Normally Night Fury was not a well focused fellow. He often ignored things that bored him. But gets obsessed with things he loves.

"Alright try this, Night Fury. Let us try again with another piece of meat. Only this time, this one is even more juicy. Resist if you can."

Night Fury tried to resist but he went for it again and gobbled it up but it was different. It was…

"Ewww! What the heck is this meat! Blech! What did you give me!" The carnivore asked with indignance.

"You see this meat is actually something I put a bit of my secret "sauce" in. You must associate your brain with a feeling of disgust. When you see a piece of meat you are not supposed to eat, imagine it was a horrible piece of trash." Zecora instructed.

"Do we have to do it this way?!" Night Fury whined. "Seriously, I'm starting to think you're trying to poison me!"

Zecora simply giggled.

"Well, the best medicines are poison if you think about it. A small disease in your body will protect you from a larger disease later on. But enough metaphors. You asked for my help, and now you will have it."

Zecora once again showed Night Fury a piece of meat. Zecora used a potion on this meat that makes it impossible to tell if it is delicious or horrible.

"Oh, I really want it… No it could be absolutely disgusting! You remember how it happened! But it could be the best thing ever! No you are mistaken!

"I want that meat!" Night Fury gave in. Zecora simply bonked him on the head with her staff.

"Ow. Well that didn't work…"

"On the contrary, you spent twenty seconds longer contemplating. This is a good thing! We will keep doing this until your instincts have enough willpower to resist. We will keep doing this exercise for a few hours. So let us begin again!"

"Fine…."

The training went on for several hours. Night Fury would still give into the meat, but the time he spent refusing the temptation became longer and longer. Twilight had to admit she was impressed, she would have never expected him to show such great progress. Maybe she should bring Spike next time and have him trained.

"Okay, let us do this one more time." Zecora said, pulling out a full bone-in ham and presenting it to the feline in front of her. "Go on Night Fury, now is your time to shine."

It was the most glorious piece of meat he had ever seen. At first he was tempted but somehow he didn't have the urge. It was beaten into subconscious how disgusting this piece of meat could be. He just felt like not eating it. He did salivate in his head but he looked perfectly normal and even focused on Zecora instead.

Clap clap clap

"Well done young cat. You have done much and that is a fact. You have done much to train yourself. Here you can have this piece of meat now. Let yourself eat."

"Yahoo!" He ate the meat with joy now. Voraciously, but this time with no guilt.

"I'm so happy for you, Fury. You're making a lot of progress."

Night Fury smiled. "It wasn't easy, but now I can tell that Emperor I have it all figured out! And the best part about it is that I did it all on an empty stomach!"

"Um, excuse me. "Figured out?" We have only started." Zecore reprimanded him. "This was just the first step to having basic discipline. But from what I read in those meditations, this will still not be enough for high stress situations when angered and with powerful techniques. You can now go into Ponyville and see meat without causing a fuss, but this will not apply in battle."

Night Fury's smile disappeared instantly.

"Oh I see. Dang it. Alright, well I might as well keep going if I made it this far already." He said with a bit of exhaustion. "What's next?"

"Our next lesson is about staring. When you were staring at the cockatrice, you became extremely feral. For actual combat like this we will need extra techniques like meditation, hypnosis and even a few potions to perform correctly." Zecora stated.

"Okay well, whatever those mean, I'm all in." Night Fury said getting ready.

"Alright then, in order for you to stare correctly you will need something to focus on." Zecora said. She took out a wooden statue of a cockatrice and placed it in front of Night Fury.

"Is this the creature you had problems with?" Zecora asked.

"Yeah those creatures… they made me feel so uneasy inside. When I was facing them I felt like I was facing Sombra himself. Metaphorically speaking. I'm amazed how a small creature like that can have that effect on me." Night Fury commented.

"It looks right into your soul. That is why. When it turns ponies into stone, there is almost a horror looking into its eyes that our body gives up."

"Well Zecora, that's where the problem lies. Because when I looked into that thing's eyes, I didn't get turned into stone, but I did go into what felt like a more vicious state of mind. Seriously, I went so ballistic that I ate a whole flock of them!"

"I see…" Zecora said rather calmly at such news simply drinking her herbal tea. "Your mind instead of surrendering since your species is not able to be made stone, your mind went into a combative state. In many ways, the cockatrice won just like it would with a pony even if the results were different."

"What are we gonna do about it then?"

"Patience. Young one… Alright here is what you will do. You will look into this pendulum, watch it sway side to side. For your hidden problems shall finally arise."

Night Fury remained doubtful how looking at something like a little kitten would look at a piece of string.

"How is this little clock going to- Ah never mind let's just see what happens." Though Fury was skeptical, he knew Zecora was an expert.

"Look into the pendulum. Look into it. Your mind will be threatened by this cockatrice statue thinking it is a real one. I will count to three and shall be so. One… Two… Three!"

All that time Night Fury felt a little funny but he didn't notice anything.

"Huh, I wonder what happened." Night Fury said a bit confused.

Zecora then looked at Twilight. "Bring me one of the Cockatrice statues. And be careful this might get a bit messy until we finish our job."

Twilight nodded and brought along the statue. Night Fury saw it and instantly covered his eyes.

"What is that doing here?!"

"What will you do, Night Fury? How will you defeat it without losing your mind?"

"Well I-"

"You must stare into it. But this time you must recite the meditation in that scroll while you are doing it."

"Will this really work?!"

"Trust me, young one," Zecora reassured him.

Trusting Zecora's judgment, he looked into the fierce monster's eyes. He gazed at it once again feeling both fear, anger and carnivorous pleasure.

"Okay here I go… Nashi rashi ura. Kuza jari yasha. Izoron umara uja…"

He kept on chanting this ancient language older than him. He started to feel a little more in control now..

Hey maybe this is working.

"Jazara ush jero garu. Shara jenti kumru. Ezu jazu… Ahhhhh!!!"

Twilight noticed Night Fury was getting overwhelmed by the energy going through his body.

"Zecora he's reached his limit! Let's destroy the statue now!" Twilight said panicking

"Very well." She said throwing a pot of potion infused water that melted the statue. To Night Fury it looked like the creature turned into goo at first but then he noticed it was simply sand.

"Oh my… Gee, hypnosis is kind of scary in what it makes you think… But what happened there? I was doing well at first." Night Fury wondered aloud.

"It seems the Cockatrice also felt scared and tried to attack you mentally and you were shocked by it. You have to expect the unexpected." Zecora stated.

"Let me take a little break. Gee, this will be even tougher." Night Fury said with deep breaths.

"Do not be afraid. We will get there. Take a little nap. And when you are ready and relieved we will continue. I have a room in case a traveler comes along to the lodge."

Night Fury went in and laid down, to finally get relaxation.

Meanwhile Twilight was still worried.

"Do you really think this will work, Zecora? A cockatrice is a fierce animal to resist."

"Well we can at least try. I do have a good feeling though. Even though he is not the most disciplined, he will do anything for the sake of his friends. And that is a good start."

Twilight smiled at this. She was ready for this.

"In the meantime, we should look through more of this scroll and other books on meditations." Zecora said.

Twilight agreed.

-

After a nap. Night Fury felt hyped and ready. Whatever Zecora had in mind. He was ready!

"Look out cockatrice. Here I come! Or in this here I don't come!"

He went to Zecora and Twilight who were reading books when they noticed him.

"Are you ready?" Zecora asked.

"You bet I am." Fury said confidently.

The three went back to the training grounds with Zecora wielding a pendulum.

"Alright, all I have to do is say that ancient stuff right?"

"Agreed."

He drew the cockatrice again and repeated the meditation this time being a bit more aware but the cockatrice stared back and Fury couldn't take it again.

"Dang it!"

"Again."

Every time it seemed to be a few seconds longer. But after 15 seconds, he seemed like he just could not get past this.

"I don't get it, why can't I do it?!" Night Fury said in frustration. After ten tries he couldn't get past the fifteen second marker. Meanwhile Zecora seemed to just nod off. He got a little angry at how little Zecora was saying right now.

"Why isn't this working Zecora! I've been trying my hardest and I still haven't been able to do it? How am I supposed to win this?"

Zecora finally broke her silence.

"Do not fear this was not all in vain. For I was able to notice some things. Even when meditating you are afraid, and you feel like you need to fight back. So how about when you stare instead you try to not just feel like a victim but as if you are trying to transform the cockatrice's mind. Think about it as if you wanted to turn it into stone."

"Really? I don't know if that'll work." Fury said nervously

"You won't turn it into stone. But you will gain dominance over the cockatrice. Remember you are not powerless."

Zecora looked straight into his eyes.

"Think of it like you are trying to overwhelm the beast with your meditations, something it cannot stand."

"Well, these meditation techniques are supposed to be the source of my ability to change my form. I guess I'll just have to give it a try."

"Good, and do not be too afraid. Just remember it is not invincible." Zecora said. As she got her pendulum.

After hypnotizing Night Fury again, she showed him the cockatrice statue.

At around fifteen seconds it seemed the same at first but Night Fury then meditated forcefully trying to get the thoughts in the cockatrice's head.

For thirty seconds they were struggling and struggling until finally the cockatrice could not stand it and ran away in complete horror.

The living creature turned into sand and afterwards Night Fury could not believe it. He actually conquered that stupid chicken thing.

"Heck yeah, take that you foul fowl! Ha ha! Get it?"

Twilight rolled her eyes for the bad pun but still congratulated him.

"This is wonderful news. I am so proud of you so far." Twilight said, giving him a hug.

"Aw thanks. I wouldn't have been able to do it without your brainpower and Zecora's mentorship. As much as I respect my own trainers, they were not often as patient as you guys." Night Fury admitted. "Even my father Obsidian was a little hasty."

"Patience is something that has to be trained just like your war against your animalistic side." Zecora stated.

Night Fury truly felt proud of his accomplishments. It was already nighttime and he couldn't wait to tell the emperor his accomplishments. Maybe the stoic emperor will finally admit Night Fury was indeed worthy.

"You know Zecora, I thought at first you were a little creepy but you're very cool!"

"Night Fury!" Twilight scolded.

"Ah, I appreciate it. Everyone thinks I am a little odd. I'm sure you were the same to a lesser extent." Zecora said.

"You know because you came to Ponyville first, I think Ponyville folk are open to other creatures. I can't imagine what they would have thought if I had been the first to come before you." He said with a chuckle.

Zecora chuckled back.

"We are quite similar. Please come again soon."

"I will, my dear zebra friend. Maybe not just for training but just for fun, especially with your potions. See you later!"

Twilight and Fury both walked back. Both satisfied with the training experience. But they were not the only ones satisfied. Someone was watching.

"Interesting. Night Fury is an interesting fellow with his personality. I think Prince Blueblood will want to know…"

-

Night Fury had finally awaited his prize. Not fish, not meat, not even cake but a long sleep. He was going to wind down and fall asleep.

He was wondering what he would dream about. Maybe about himself being Chief of his own tribe. With a certain alicorn as his wife. "What am I even talking about?"

"I do not know what are you talking about, young one." said low masculine voice

He turned around and saw it was none other than Emperor Snowdrift.

At first Night Fury was a bit annoyed Snowdrift showed up just as he was about to wind down. But then he realized he had something to show off.

"Um, what I was really talking about was how I did it! I really accomplished my assignments."

"Fury I cannot read your mind. Be more specific"

"I no longer look like an idiot in front of meat. Even the best. And cockatrice stares don't make me turn crazy anymore. I used your meditations! You made it hard to understand but I was able to figure it out!"

"Ah you did so. I am impressed with your scholarly improvement."

"Okay it was with the help of some friends who read it for me and summarized it."

"I should have known," he said a little disappointed how he is not as scholarly as he would have liked, but he put that aside. "But you have reached a milestone, young one. I'm pleased that you have made some progress." He complimented albeit with a somewhat distant tone.

A little progress? He did not see what I had to go through! This emperor is a tough nut to crack.

"So does that mean you can tell me that secret of yours you were going to tell me?" Night Fury asked curiously.

"Ha ha ha ha ha." The emperor laughed. "No. You have not even scratched the surface of Speed Shifter techniques. There is so much more for you to master before I fully trust you with my assignments."

"Awww. I was hoping to finally get to that point." Hr said annoyed.

The emperor, realizing he was being a bit dismissive, put a paw on his shoulder and assured him.

"Listen, I am glad you are making great progress, but learning these things takes time. I can't just snap my claws and give you all the secrets of our kind. That information is for you to discover on your own. It may be a long while before you get to fully understand who and what you are. It may be weeks, months, even years before you come to a solid conclusion."

Night Fury began to frown as he heard the emperor's words, he wasn't expecting him to say that it may take years to gain full control of his powers.

"But, I sense that you will be able to gain this information much faster than any other Speed Shifter. I have a feeling that you, Night Fury, are the next generation of the all powerfuls. For someone who lacks training and book knowledge, you make up for it in sheer potential. And that is far more important."

Night Fury smiled at this.

"Thank you, sir. I'll keep on doing my best."

"I know you will." The emperor replied.

"By the way I'm curious emperor, have you ever seen any zebras in your lifetime? You know, black and white equines."

"Hmmm, I might have seen a few merchants selling exotic goods to Silverblue City. But I cannot remember too much about it. But if you could find out more, I would be happy to hear."

"Okay. Well, that's all I have to say for now. I will be your emperor."

"Stay alert and be willing to learn more."

"That I shall!" Night Fury replied.

And now finally Night Fury got to truly wind down and have his own dreams.

Comments

[Hilord17]

11413497
I believe he/she is talking about the story's description. It says 'NightFury'.

[NightFurySpeedey8156]

11419414
Ah, I see. I'll have that fixed right away! Thanks for the tip.

[Luckyfanisaac]

"Fury I cannot read your mind. Be more specific.(——"

"Awww. I was hoping to finally get to that point." He said annoyed.