To Equestria And Beyond (Rewrite In Progress)

by NightFurySpeedey8156

Chapter 15: The Start Of An Uphill Battle

It was an unusually noisy day for the mostly quiet village of Ponyville. Everyone was in anticipation of the new museum's opening. The mayor intended it to be a lavish ceremony with a marching band and some of Rarity's designs to make this museum Equestria renowned.

There were ten more minutes before Night Fury would give a speech and the museum would open for the public.

Twilight was pacing around. She was getting nervous. Their roles are not just important locals like Spoiled Rich but even ponies from the highest echelons of society, including all three princesses.

"Gee Twilight, you look like you've seen me in a meat eating food competition." Night Fury joked.

"Sorry, I'm just a little nervous. This is one of the biggest events that I've ever had to plan." Twilight said, sweating bullets.

"But I'm gonna be the one giving the speech, you shouldn't be nervous at all. If there's anypony that should be nervous right now, it's me."

"Really, you seem pretty calm." Twilight raised her eyebrow confused.

"It may seem that way on the outside, Twi, but I'm really just panicking on the inside. This is my best chance to get other ponies to see that my kind isn't just a vicious bunch of savage beasts!" Twilight now saw Fury was just as worried. No, actually more so even though he tried to hide that.

"And I'm just wondering what might happen if I mess up. What if I get banned, what if Equestria decides to invade the Speed Shifters? What if Equestria decided to take us as slaves!?" Night Fury said pacing around the way Twilight once did.

"Night Fury! Calm down!" Twilight said in a reversal of roles. "Listen, you are a well spoken creature. I know I might seem annoyed at some of your, um… quirks." Twilight tried not to say childish "But you really have shown a willingness to mature and improve. People seem to be drawn to your personality. Don't ever underestimate yourself." Twilight said, putting her hoof on his shoulder.

Night Fury started to feel more calm in turn.

"Who are you and what have you done with Miss I Don't Want to be Tardy!? Night Fury teased her.

Twilight rolled her eyes but was still grinning.

"Well, I guess we all are complicated. Anyways just do your best, okay?" Twilight asked.

"That I will."

Spike then came in.

"It's time! The marching band is almost done!" Spike announced.

"Okay, I guess that's my cue. Wish me luck."

"Oh trust me, you won't need it!" Twilight encouraged. Night Fury walked to the edge of where the curtain hung up on stage, watching Mayor Mare walk out to begin the ceremony.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts, I'd like to welcome you to the grand opening of the new Museum Of Speed Shifters!" She announced, the crowd cheering as she spoke. "I'd like to thank you all for coming to see this beautiful project come to life. I can only imagine what grand artifacts will fill these halls as we seek to learn and celebrate this new species and their official reveal to the world of ponies. And to begin a new era of friendship and understanding."

Night Fury had to admit that he didn't expect to have gotten this far without any hiccups. His life has been going rather well. From just a humble creature attending a wedding to making history as the first of his kind to make themselves known, he was surprised that he hadn't had anything major go wrong. But that happiness would soon be demolished as somepony was preparing to make all that he worked for null and void.

"Well, without further ado, it is my pleasure to welcome to the stage the one who started it all. Ladies and Gentlecolts, I'd like you to give a big round of applause for Night Fury!"

The crowds excitedly clapped and cheered for Night Fury as he slowly walked out on stage.

So far so good. Fury said to himself.

Night Fury cleared his throat. He was ready to present the newest sensation of Ponyville

"Hello everyone, I'm sure you had a fun time! This summer you must find comfort but where I come from this is basically freezing weather." He said, pretending to shiver.

This made the crowd laugh.

"But it turns out my ancestors were tough folks like you when it comes to the cold! In fact they came from around this area! And sadly these more cold felines have either passed away or moved to the jungles, not that I'm complaining, the jungles are a fun area."

Another laugh. It seems his casual relatable speech strikes a chord with the down to earth people of Ponyville. As nice as Canterlot is, the people can be so stuffy. It's like seeing a whole bunch of people who act like the Emperor but without the wisdom and with more shallowness.

"But anyways, I'm getting ahead of myself. Today you and your kids will learn about our people. We are a confusing bunch of folks, but we also have built great monuments in the past. And we have big dreams of friendship and unity. And maybe one day with your help our great Feline Empire can be restored!" He proclaimed.

"Yay!!!!" Everybody around cheered.

"You go, you big strong cat!" Lyra cheered

"Isn't he handsome?" Roseluck yelled, swooning slightly.

"Ladies, ladies please, there's enough of this piece to go around~"

Twilight rolled her eyes a bit about how casually flirting he was, although Rarity seemed to blush.

"Alright, enough chit chat! Ladies and gentlecolts! I present to you, the great, the grand and the old fashioned Museum of Speed Shifter History!" Night Fury announced, letting the curtain behind him reveal the exhibit.

Cheers and applause roared out of the crowd as the curtains pulled back, but those praises were soon silenced as a static noise filled the room as what looked like a recording crystal projected a screen into the air and a shadowy figure revealed themselves to the crowd.

"Greetings, ponies and speed shifter ambassador. Before I get to our true program, allow me to introduce myself." A deep voice spoke. "You may call me, The Truther."

"Lame!" Vinyl cried out.

"Hey, I think it sounds cool! Someone who finally gets me! For the truth!" Lyra said while Bon Bon facepalmed.

"Enough!" the mysterious figure stomped on the ground. Clears throat. "My apologies. I simply wanted to state my shared passion for Mr. Night Fury's history. I wish to also participate."

Night Fury thought he looked and acted a bit unnatural, but he seemed weirder like Pinkie Pie and a cockatrice. And besides he welcomes any volunteers giving any secrets about the ancient Speed Shifter history.

"Well, I will just say welcome, sir. I didn't know that you were a part of the program." Fury said, still on edge with this new appearance.

"Oh, let me assure you. I'm not." The mysterious figure said, making Fury become more nervous and the crowd start up with soft murmurs of concern. "I'm here to expose the truth about you and your kind."

"Um, Twilight, I don't see any 'Truther' in this list of volunteers." Spike said, looking at the list.

"I don't recall him either. Someone, probably a conspiracy theorist, seems to want to disrupt the ceremony. Get the museum security to find who placed it. I'll turn it off and calm everypony down." Twilight said to Spike. Spike ran off to go get security while Twilight watched the projection with growing concern as she moved to try to deactivate it.

"Alright Mr. Truther, I have no idea what your agenda is," Twilight said, "but this is supposed to be a pleasant ceremony of educating the people. You can reveal your supposed 'truth' later." Twilight said as she tried to grab the crystal with her magic. But nothing happened.

"What the- It won't move!" Twilight said, struggling to move it.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! A commendable effort but no. The people of Ponyville deserve to know the realities of Night Fury!"

Twilight tried to grab it with her hooves and it was stuck like glue. She even shot it with a laser beam and it still did not work. This must be some magic resistant crystal meant to stay in place. Unicorns her age were still not strong enough to disenchant these things easily.

"Are you quite finished, Miss Sparkle? Because it seems I simply want to participate in the historical conversation and you are stopping me from doing so. How rude."

Twilight was not amused at this smug mysterious troublemaker.

"But enough build up. Ladies and gentlecolts and our dearest Night Fury, prepare for a fun history lesson!"

"Twilight, where is this going?" Fury said, now completely scared.

"I have no idea!"

"Well, figure something out! All of Ponyville, delegates from Canterlot, And the princesses to top it all off are watching this!" Night Fury said with panic.

"Ahhh, so their royal highnesses are present? That makes this even better."

"Listen Fury I'll get the princesses and research about how to deactivate the crystal, maybe even see Zecora. Just stay calm." Twilight said as she ran to find the princesses.

"Now that she is out of the way, let me show you what I've truly seen from this so-called 'Trustworthy feline'." The figure said as he showed a recording of Fury training with Zecora.

Oh no. Not this. Anything but this. Night Fury felt panic in his heart; this was not something ponies were supposed to know until everything was under control.

Dang it! I should have kept a better track of my surroundings for spies!

The flashbacks showed Night Fury chewing threw statues. Everypony heard details about how Speed Shifters had a predatory side. How they can turn vicious. And even that they overthrew the normal felines in the wilderness.

"Now you see, my fellow ponies. These Speed Shifters are nothing but trouble! They're dangerous creatures that could tear us apart with just a stare!" The crowd gasped and murmured more, now in a more scrutinizing manner. Fury's heart was racing as he saw all the images of him being predatory; he was completely stunned by what he was seeing.

Wait, he still hasn't shown me tearing through meat. As long as he doesn't have anything like that to put against me, I'm fine! Fury said to himself, but he was completely wrong.

"Are you frightened, my fellow ponies? Well it gets far worse!!!" He then showed Fury tearing some carcasses apart.

"Those are just for training!" Night Fury said.

"Training, yes… for what though? So that you may feast on our pony flesh! Our delicious, succulent flesh?"

The crowd was now in an uproar. Mare, stallions and even foals were angered by the images they had just seen.

"He lied to us. We had a killer in our midst the whole time!"

"Yeah, I don't want to be neighbors with somepony who can sneak up on me and take me out! "

"Don't be naive, he will eat my own foals!"

"I don't know what to think!!!"

Night Fury was now in tears as he saw what was unfolding before him, and he was completely stunned by what he had just been exposed for. He looked out to the crowd and saw the princesses looking at him with different expressions. Cadence was in pure shock, she was slack jawed at what she was seeing. Celestia had a look of disappointment on her face while shaking her head, she couldn't believe he would be so out of control. And finally was Luna, she had a more relaxed but still concerned expression. Night Fury could tell that she at least was feeling sympathetic for him, but the other two were out the door when it came to his supposed actions.

Before anypony could do anything else, Night Fury's instincts kicked in and told him to run. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He jumped clear over the crowd and ignited his powers as he burst through the museum doors and ran towards his villa while sobbing. Luna felt bad for her friend and tried calling out to him, but it only fell on deaf ears.

"Fury, wait!"

-

Night Fury was both sad and angry that this happy event became a massive tragedy.

"How did this happen?" He said to himself while running. "How could everything turn out so wrong?!"

Night Fury finally stopped, realizing he was in the Everfree Forest and nowhere near his villa. Now knowing where he was, Fury just sat down and sobbed quietly against the whistling wind and the other creatures that roamed the forest. He couldn't believe that after all that he's done, he's basically been made public enemy number one! He started getting flashbacks of when his parents were kidnapped and he was crying. He felt like he was completely powerless and that he failed who he was as a whole.

"I failed. Oh how I failed!" Night Fury wasn't sure what to do now. Maybe he'll just stay in these woods away from ponies and from the Speed Shifters since he disgraced the good name that he was working towards.

But while he was thinking of all that, a familiar voice cried out.

"Night Fury!!!!"

He knew that voice. The regal voice of the Princess of the Night. What was she doing here?

It doesn't matter. Night Fury said, about to try and sleep this nightmare off.

"Night Fury!? Night Fury, there you are!" Luna said. "Night Fury, how dare you run off like that?! You should confront this injustice to your name!!!"

"Princess Luna, I'm not in the mood to talk. Just leave me be." He spoke into a pile of branches and leaves he used as a pillow. "This whole ordeal is just too much."

"But still, you ran away like a coward. You can't just avoid what you don't-"

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT, I WILL RIP THAT HORN OFF YOUR FACE IF YOU DO IT AGAIN!"

Luna took a step back at his words, that was the most aggressive she's seen anyone get, let alone him.

Night Fury realized what he just said.

"I'm sorry. I'm just… having a bad day. You know why I ran? It was because I don't want to cause anyone else harm. Look at me, I'm still not in full control of my emotions yet."

"If that is the case, once you feel better you must go back and prove yourself!"

Night Fury looked away from the Princess of the Night.

"Look, this stuff is crazy. I wanted that to be a secret that I still have some things to iron out with no suspicion but now everyone knows! I feel like I'm walking with no fur in a crowd. I feel like I'll just make things worse!" Fury said.

"Sigh, you see Luna? Unlike a lot of other Speed Shifters, I don't have discipline or emotional control. I made a mistake just by being me. If only I never stared at that stupid cockatrice or had these powers. I'm not worthy of them, I wish I was a normal feline-"

"Hey, don't say that." She said I'm a caring voice as she sat next to him and wrapped a wing around his side. He stopped his speech from that.

"Listen to me, I used to be hesitant too. When I was at the Nightmare Night ceremony, everyone thought I was like a demon." Luna's voice then softened in reflection. "I had given up the idea that I could be accepted by others, I thought my mistakes would not be able to change my fate…."

Then Luna turned from sad to determined.

"But I was wrong. Twilight Sparkle showed me that even if I gave a bad impression I could turn it around and make things right again. And now I am a beloved figure in Nightmare Night! And I now visit a bunch of children looking for candy. But that would not have happened if Twilight had not been there to still support me." Luna said, looking sincerely into Fury's eyes.

"Wow I sometimes forget you used to be a horrible tyrant, uh, no offense. I meant your other part."

"None taken. But I think you should do the same. It is not too late. You can work through this. So find a way, Night Fury. Find a way to stump that coward behind the cloak." Luna said to him.

The dark feline stayed silent and thought about this for a moment. He was still embarrassed and traumatized by this exposure. He was always a private feline despite his fun loving spirit. He felt like the world crashed down and that his former Ponyville friends would never accept him again. But if Luna, the dreaded Princess of the Night, the former Mare in the Moon, could gain back the trust of ponies, who was to say he could not?

"But, Luna, what if I fail to convince them?" He asked.

"Then you proved a mightier warrior not because you would win, but because you fought in the first place. And you can even try again later on and again and again. Be a warrior and stand for what you believe." Luna said in a speech that sounded like she would give to her guards.

Night Fury knew Luna was a great well spoken princess. But never did he feel so inspired ever since his own father.

"Well Princess, if you believe in me then I believe in myself. I'm going to show this stupid coward and the people of Ponyville I am not a monster! I am their friendly neighbor!" Night Fury said with determination getting up from the ground and cleaning himself up.

"But what am I going to do exactly?" Night Fury asked. "How am I going to win the ponies back?" He pondered a bit.

Luna thought about it too.

"Well first of all, perhaps we should see Twilight Sparkle. She might be able to clear your name!" Luna suggested.

"Yeah, and I think we should go see Celestia and Cadence too. After what happened, I think it's only fair to apologize to them for having to see me like that. Especially your sister, she looked pretty disappointed."

"I am sure my sister will understand. So yes we should go find them now. Let us make haste!" Luna said.

"Right. Look out Truther! You don't mess with us!"

-

Twilight was exhausted. She was trying to calm the crowds down, but they seemed to be in a panic about Night Fury. She wasn't sure what to do.

Then she felt a pebble being flung at her.

"Ouch! Who threw that… oh." She noticed Luna in the bushes motioning Twilight to talk to her. Twilight asked the guards to keep the crowd from rioting.

She went in and found Luna and the target of derision, Night Fury.

"Luna, Night Fury, are you alright?! Did they hurt you?!" Twilight said with worry.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Physically that is. But that's not important. Listen, we need your help clearing my name."

"What do you want me to do?" Twilight asked. "Wait, I know! You want me to tell them about that training you did, right?"

"Yep. I don't know if it'll work, but it's my best shot." Fury said.

"Okay of course, I only watched the training with very little actual training. Hmmm. Wait! We can get Zecora to help! Ponies trust her now and she knows more than I do about these states of mind." Twilight said.

"It's sooner than I would have expected to see her, but yeah let's go!" Night Fury raced to the Everfree Forest.

"Hey, wait for us!" Twilight cried out.

Once they got to Zecora's residence, they explained all the strange and disastrous events of the day.

"Hmmm, it is quite unfortunate that they see this training as a sign of regress instead of a sign of progress. I know from personal experience how some creatures are quick to misjudge." Zecora said.

"Yeah, that's for sure." Twilight said, rubbing her neck awkwardly at that comment.

"But I have a method for this commotion."

"Well, I hope it works. Because not only do I have to convince an entire crowd of my innocence, but two princesses as well!" Fury said, clearly distressed.

"Wait a moment, I do not understand. Did the ceremony not meet Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence's demands?"

"Let me tell you, Zecora. To say that this situation screwed up my friendship with them would be an understatement. I did not exactly tell them about my… predatory instincts." Night Fury said.

"Hmmm, I suppose I understand wanting to keep this a secret. But it seems this Princess Celestia probably wanted to know to help you. And felt betrayed that you did not reveal that." Zecora said.

"Yeah, I can see that…" Night Fury admitted.

"So what is this method of yours, warlock?" Luna asked, getting to the point.

"We must prove you have improved more than before. It seems the recordings did not mention so much the parts of your improvement, only giving the most incriminating parts." Zecora said while sipping her tea.

"You must face… the cockatrice again." Zecora said.

Night Fury was not sure if she was joking or not.

"Good one, Zecora! But seriously we need a real solution."

"That is the real solution, you dolt." Zecora said bluntly.

Night Fury realized the zebra shaman was serious.

"Really?! Listen, I know I trained well against fake cockatrices but… I don't know if I'm ready to actually show off these abilities!" Night Fury said worried. "What if this one is strong enough to overwhelm me?"

"One, we have no choice. We have a small amount of time. And we need to prove they can trust and you are ready. They might have been fake cockatrices but they showed the amount of discipline you are capable of, young feline." Zecora said proudly. "I know you can do it. Just remember what I said about the meditations."

"O-okay." Night Fury said.

"Good. It just so happens I have a King Cockatrice in my basement. I will go get it."

"You have a Cokatrice in your basement?!" Twilight and Fury asked surprised.

I shouldn't be surprised. He said as he saw a dark box with fierce sounds inside.

"This one was badly hurt and I attended to its needs. In three months he will be ready to leave. But until then, make him useful to you. Preferably with no eating him if you would please."

"I promise I won't eat him." Fury said, cutting the passive drool escaping this muzzle. "But enough talk, we have a job to do. First, we get the town back on my side. Next, we get Celestia and Cadence back on my side as well. And finally, we group up and find out who this Truther is. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" Everyone said

Night Fury knew what he had to do. Everyone agreed to go to the town square to announce the Challenge.

-

"Where's that predator?! He had better be out of our town!" said one pony.

"If he's planning on attacking us, then we'll fight back!"

The guards were keeping the ponies from trying to hunt down Night Fury or at least drive him out. Everyone seemed manipulated by the Truther telling them to be ready for the threat. Of course there were others who liked Night Fury who were arguing with those against. It was chaotic. But suddenly there came something to shake things up.

"Everybody, I'm back! It's your friendly neighbor Night Fury reporting." he said with Luna, Twilight and Zecora by his side

"Ah I see Night Fury… have you come to get revenge on me for uncovering your plot? Perhaps eat me like a manticore?!" One pony said, almost like he was trying to bait him.

"No." Night Fury replied. "I only ask this, that I be given a chance to prove that I am not as you say 'like a manticore'. I'm just a humble creature coming from humble beginnings."

The ponies around him didn't budge.

"Very funny. Like any creature that's born with issues like yours can do any better." One mare snootily said, triggering Night Fury a bit.

"Hey, don't you dare bring my parents into this!" He snarled.

"Fury, relax! That'll only make things worse for you!" Twilight said, not wanting to jeopardize their only chance at winning the town over. "Just calm down and let me talk to them." Night Fury was still rather heated with that comment on his birth, but decided to let his friend address the crowd as he stepped back to where Luna and Zecora were standing.

"Everyone listen to me! You seem to doubt Night Fury because of how dangerous he is, isn't that right?!"

"Yeah, I don't want him to go bananas and have my hide for a snack!" said one pony.

"Well, what if I told you all that as someone in that recording who was there, that I saw Night Fury? And this Night Fury did struggle with these psychological states, but the point was for him to improve and to become a better part of society. This Truther had conveniently left out the parts of how he conquered his instincts!"

The crowd started to wonder. Twilight was a trusted member of the community after all and they knew she had been an eyewitness to training. And it was obvious to a colt that the crystal left some parts out.

"Yeah right, like anything that looks like him is going to be friends with me! He's just a jungle dwelling freak!"

"Hey!" Fury growled, Showing his fangs as he heard the emphasis on him being just a thing.

"He's smart enough to manipulate and gaslight three innocent creatures! How do we know he did not threaten them to give this information! Or perhaps… Princess Luna has betrayed us again and cooperated with Zecora and the Speed Shifter to threaten our dear Twilight!"

The crowd murmured once again.

"Now you're just resorting to lies, sir!" Twilight said. "And you should be ashamed for suggesting our Princess of the Night to be lying! And this friendly zebra too!"

Everybody was now more confused.

"But as I was saying, here's the challenge!" Twilight said. "In this box is a cockatrice."

The crowd gasped as they looked away.

"It's alright, nothing will happen to you, it's covered." Twilight said. "All of you will be behind glass that the cockatrice cannot see and affect you. You will witness Night Firu and the cockatrice in a staring competition. If Night Fury does it without going feral then you would just have to admit he is safe and is a neighbor." Twilight said, laying out this challenge.

One pony opposed it.

"Ridiculous, we already know the real answer! Come on everypony, let us just ban this beast from our presence

"Are you sure? How will you ponies truly prove whether Fury is guilty? This test will put an end to the divisive attitudes."

The crowd then decided this was a competition they wanted to see.

"Alright,'' said a particular guest. "We'll see what you do with this cockatrice. If you win, you might consider yourself safe. But if you lose-"

"You'll have my head or I'll have to leave Equestria forever, got it. Let's get this over with." Night Fury said, eager to clear his name. He nodded towards Zecora who opened the cage to reveal the King Cockatrice, ponies gasping as the horrific creature was revealed.

"Here is how this will work," Twilight said, explaining the rules. "Night Fury has to intimidate the cockatrice off this colored circle," She said, using her magic to draw a circle in the sand and illuminate it. "If he can get the cockatrice out three times without trying to eat it like those recordings showed, you will have to give him back the respect he deserves."

"It's a deal," said one of the ponies. "We'll see what you are made of."

Night Fury entered the arena with cockatrice.

"LET THE GAMES BEGIN!" Luna declared.

Night Fury circled the chicken snake, observing it. He knew that this one was bigger and stronger than the ones he had faced before, but he wasn't afraid.

"Alright, let's do this." He said, readying his first attack. "Alright everyone, you wanna see me take this thing on? Well, get ready for a show!"

Fury jumped at the Cockatrice, claws extended as he intended to nab the thing by the neck.

"Rawwwwwwkkkk!!!" The cockatrice dodged the Speed Shifter as it was about to bite Night Fury's neck.

Oh no you don't! Night Fury used one of his paws to force the aggravated monster away.

Again they both circled each other. Night Fury realized he had to trick cockatrice. Night Fury looked like he was lunging at the cockatrice, the birdlike creature dodged but Night Fury showed his real attack and grabbed the creature's neck.

"Hah! I gotcha! Now, to send you flying!" Fury said enthusiastically, using his tail and spinning the creature rapidly in circles above his head. "One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to make this chicken snake go!"

Fury then launched the cockatrice far out of the ring and high in the air. The crowd was amazed at his efforts and actually started cheering for him. Fury felt happy that he was starting to win the town over, but it wasn't over yet. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Celestia and Cadence joined the group and were watching the show, but they weren't making any moves. So Night Fury decided that he was gonna turn up the heat.

"Oh, you guys think that was good? That was only one out of three!" He said to the crowd. "Hey Princess Luna, bring that thing back in here and set up round two!"

Luna used her magic to grab the wrathful cockatrice. Meanwhile The Truther was looking quietly overhead with intent.

He seems very confident going toe to toe with this cockatrice. This is not good. I thought he was going to be defeated by it already. Curses! But luckily, I have something that can tip the balance in the boss's favor. Or someone who can do so. You Speed Shifters aren't the only ones who sneak around. I have the Manipulator.

As Night Fury was hyping himself up for the next match, some mare bumped into the princess. "Oops my apologies, your highness. I was in a rush."

Luna simply ignored this average mare simply because she was more worried about Fury. But little did she know, this was all part of the plan.

Heh heh, oh I was in a rush but only to see the Cockatrice overwhelm our poor kitty cat. The Manipulator said to herself.

When Luna put the Cockatrice back in with Night Fury, very confident he could defeat it, showed the crowd his self control and careful techniques instead of barbaric displays of violence.

"Bring it on, chicken! Bakaw!" He mocking the cockatrice while pretending to be a chicken. But what he didn't realize was this cockatrice was getting enraged. Its anger was unnatural.

As the crowd cheered for Night Fury, the cockatrice lunged almost as fast as a Speed Shifter and Night Fury dodged it from biting the neck but it did bite his paw.

"Rahhhhhh!" Night Fury cried out in pain as he tried to get it off of him. He tried shaking it off and finally he successfully got it off and Fury went to the edge of the circle.

What the heck was that? He asked himself. It was way too fast. I couldn't dodge it! It's like I was fighting another speed shifter! Dang it, I have to be more careful now.

Fury has little time to think as the fowl lunges itself at him again.

"Oh no you don't!" He decided to lunge at the cockatrice again, ramming it down on the ground. It was hard to keep it down. Fury started to feel the tension and was quite nervous now.

Focus, Night Fury, focus, it can't do anything too bad. He told himself. Poor choice of words for the cockatrice then dished out its signature move, its stare.

Oh great! Not now! Fury said to himself.

Fury knew if he didn't want to turn into stone, he would have to stare back. But was he really ready?

Only one way to find out.

The two were looking into each other's eyes and into their very minds. Fury felt overwhelmed. He felt his fight or flight instincts kicking in. Would he turn into a monster again?

No! Nice try, chicken! Night Fury said to himself. He remembered the meditations he said to himself back at Zecora's. Though he is afraid he feels is getting back control. That's when it happened.

Now's my chance! The Manipulator said, readying the bamboo tube that she had stored in her saddlebag with her magic. She aimed for Night Fury's back, took a deep breath, and…

Foomp!

Fury felt something prick him and start digging into his back, he ignored it but his mind did not. He now felt all of a sudden fear and doubt again even after his incantations and meditations. He just couldn't resist. Would he become a beast again?

No no no! This is impossible! I can't fight back now or I'll become feral! Curses! Am I going to turn into stone?!

Night Fury rather than winning started to become part rock starting from his hind legs. His heart began to race and his mind went blank, he was completely stunned by the fact that he may become feral that he couldn't finish the battle. Luna on the sidelines took notice and became concerned, her friend seemed to freeze up. Whatever was happening to him was putting her on edge.

Fury began to petrify, he started to hyperventilate as his vision began to tunnel.

"Night Fury!" Luna cried out. "Call off the competition!" Luna, Zecora and Twilight all came in to try to get the creature off.

"Ah I see. As you can see even the so-called great warriors can be bested by a cockatrice! So much for his instincts!" The Manipulator said, sheathing her dart shooter and walking away into the crowd.

The challenge was canceled as Luna and Twilight put the cockatrice back in the cage.

"Night Fury!" Luna said with dread. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah totally! I'm only petrifying, nothing else!" He said sarcastically.

"Okay, do not panic! We must stay on track! But might I ask, what's that in your back?" Zecora asked, noticing what looked like a dart in his back.

"Is there something? I don't really care since I'm about to be a rock!" Fury said.

"It's a dart! Maybe it's what caused you to be weakened!" Twilight said.

"And that might explain why I felt a wave of fear all of a sudden while I was doing my stare! But can we get to saving me, I'm… starting to… go out." Fury muttered, starting to lose consciousness. "If I don't make it… everyone… thank you…"

"No no no no!" Luna said, everyone bearing witness to the worst possible outcome that he got overwhelmed by the cockatrice.

Luna was saddened. One of the few creatures who showed her any interest and had her open up was now a stone. She was devastated.

"Well as you can see, Night Fury lost. Just as I predicted he gave in to his instincts! He was not able to overcome the cockatrice-"

"SILENCE, FOOL!"

Luna roared in rage and the whole village felt a shock wave.

"Night Fury was not a beast here! He could have chosen to be a predator to survive! He could have chosen to feast on the cockatrice and to feast on you all! And yet in spite of all of the abuse and criticism you laid onto him, he surrendered rather than being a monster!" Luna declared loudly. After she calmed down, she walked near the hologram. "And today I realized it was not him that was the monster, it was you! One of these days, he will be avenged, Truther. And I will see to that."

Even the Truther with his sharp tongue was silent after hearing Luna's condemnation.

It was at that time the crowds looked and wondered about her speech. They realized he was the real hero.

One of the ponies decided to give the statue some flowers to dedicate to this statue. Most of the ponies seemed to understand that Night Fury really was their neighbor.

But this was not the end.

-

…
…
…

"Huh? Where am I?"

Night Fury noticed he was in some snowy blizzard.

"It's so cold. Wait? Where is everyone? Where is the cockatrice?! Why am I here?!" Night Fury asked himself.

He heard walking from behind him.

He looked behind him quickly, for he was not sure if it was someone who wanted to hunt him down.

"You worry too much, young Night Fury." It was the calm but strong voice of none other than the Emperor Snowdrift behind him.

At that point, Night Fury was confused. "Well now I'm not worried I'm just confused? Did I lose the fight with Cockatrice? Oh no, am I dead?! Am I in heaven with you?! It's too early. I need to come back! This can't be-"

Wack!

"Oh, will you calm down, boy?! Sheesh, you're more wound up than a rubber band! You're not dead, you're just in a dream state because of the petrification!"

Night Fury started to figure everything out. "Oh. Uh. Yeah. That makes more sense." He said with an embarrassed smile. "But that's still not good for me. I'm now a hunk of rock! I can't believe after all the training I lost to that stupid cockatrice."

Snowdrift placed his paw on Night Fury's back.

"Or maybe you actually won."

"What? Are you the crazy one now? I lost!"

"But you also could have become overwhelmed by your carnal instincts and endangered all of those ponies. But you didn't. You chose to sacrifice yourself in your moment of weakness. That is a true hero. I have seen too many so-called heroes who would falter and make the easy choice. But not you, lad, not you." Snowdrift said in an unusually proud manner.

"Well when you put it that way, that makes it a little better."

"No, it makes it much better. Whoever your family is, I'm sure they are proud." Snowdrift reassured him even if the emperor didn't know about his parents being missing. Fury had to admit he was right, his parents would be proud of him for being so determined to clear his name.

"I guess you're right…"

But then, Fury realized something.

"Wait a minute! When I started to petrify, I felt something prick me in my back. And I felt this overwhelming wave of fear flash over me! My friends said it was a dart. Someone must have drugged me!"

"Ah, that is a classic move by the dishonest cheaters of society. I wouldn't be surprised if you used it one time."

"Ha ha. Very funny. What's your point, sir?" Fury said annoyed at that joke.

"In all seriousness, that is unfortunate. And yet it seems the poison must not have been completely potent. For you are still able to talk to me. It is a good thing you have trained well or I probably would not be able to talk with you."

"Yeah, my dad always told me to keep fit." Night Fury said remembering how many times he would race even if it were by himself. "The poison must have flooded my mind and clouded it with emotions, but didn't completely paralyze it."

"Which is why I came to talk with you. I didn't come here just to congratulate you. I came to tell you, there might be a way to escape this petrification. When speed Shifters first established tribes in the Everfree Forest, the elders used a special technique for the strongly trained to escape the petrification. Through much practice, we developed a technique to escape."

Night Fury was pleasantly shocked.

"Wait, you mean there's a way I can get out of this weird dream state?"

"That is correct and I will teach you how to get yourself out of your stone tomb." Snowdrift said.

"That's amazing! What do I have to do?!" Fury asked eagerly.

"Alright, it is both simple yet difficult. You must summon all of your willpower to fight the spread of the petrification. Perhaps from someone who wants you at the moment."

Night Fury thought about it. The first thing that came to his mind was Princess Luna. Before he went away, he saw her tears streaming down her face. She must have been very affected by him.

"I have to go back. She needs to see me. I will go back!" Night Fury said to himself.

"Luna, thank you for encouraging me to fight against this Truther loser, even if they decided to be a big baby and cheat. Thanks for giving me the will to try again. I promise Luna, I will return. I WILL RETURN!"

As he said this, his body glowed a bright red, the electric pulses melting part of the snow.

"I WILL LEAVE THIS PLACE, AND I WILL MAKE SURE THAT I FIGHT FOR MY FAMILY AND MY FRIENDS!"

As he continued to speak his mind, he felt different. He felt like he was king of the world. He felt like he was not going to stay in the snow.

"It seems you have done well. Farewell Night Fury." Snowdrift said to him.

"I'll see you in the next one, Emperor!"

Night Fury then saw only black.

…

"Night Fury?! Are you alright?!" Said a voice, echoing in his head.

Night Fury opened his eyes. He had to look away from the sun's bright rays.

"Sun… Too bright… Need shade." He said weakly.

"Somepony get an umbrella or some clouds!" Night Fury saw a purple unicorn say.

He started to recover from his state of paralysis and began to see more clearly. He saw that he was lying on the ground, still sitting in the arena. He could hear a mirage of voices echoing in his ears as he continued to awaken. But most of all he noticed…

"I'm not stone?!" Night Fury said feeling his fur. "Hey, I'm not stone! Woohoo!"

Night Fury was quite relieved.

"So what happened, you guys?" Fury asked, curious to know what was going on. "It must have looked cool, huh?" He smirked.

"W-we saw you turn into a stone statue. I ran to the Library to find a cure for you. Nothing seemed to be happening. But ten minutes later, I saw that stone around you explode and you were just back to normal!" Twilight said with surprise.

"Cool. I guess the Emperor really was right."

"Night Fury!!!"

All of a sudden, he felt like he was being constricted. It was Luna giving him a big bear hug.

"Don't do that again! I thought you were gone forever! You turned to stone and and and…"

"It's okay, I'm back. But if that didn't kill me, I think my lack of oxygen might do the trick." Fury wheezed, his face now showing a slight shade of blue.

Luna instantly let him go. It was nice for her to hear his signature humor even in dark situations.

"My apologies. I was just so worried."

"Me too. But I learned a lot. And I think I've become stronger now." Night Fury stood back up. "Which is why, I have something to say. We haven't finished the game yet!" Fury said. "I want to face the cockatrice one more time!"

Twilight was shocked he would go through with this again after being part of such a traumatic event.

"Night Fury you don't have to do this. Everypony thinks you're a hero again. How about we just let things be done. You've been through too much." Twilight said.

Night Fury shook his head.

"Sorry Twilight, but I have to prove once and for all fairly that I have controlled my feral side and that without cheating I am to be trusted. If I let this go, maybe another stupid accusation will come up later." Night Fury explained. "And besides, I still have two princesses to square off my reputation with."

Twilight realized Night Fury had a very good point. She would probably do the same thing if she had his issues.

"Very well. But I am worried about any cheaters…"

"Well then how about we make sure that doesn't happen. Maybe put some guards up!" Night Fury directed. "That way they can't get out of this!" And then he whispered, "And if someone is suspicious, we'll know who to arrest."

Twilight was amazed. She knew he was becoming more and more mature, but she sees he has wisdom now. And solutions for tricky problems. She was kind of proud of him. He was starting to be like her a bit.

"Good idea, Fury. We'll make this a fair fight." Twilight turned to the others. "Alright everyone let's get this set up!"

The Truther looked in shock and dismay. Meanwhile the Manipulator was cursing
herself that her plan got foiled.

-

Finally everyone was in place with more guards and supervision. Everything was ready.

Night Fury had a score to settle with this cockatrice and he was ready to go all in. But he knew this time to be ready for anything. He was not going to be caught off guard even by a dart.

The cockatrice was ready to fight back.

"Ladies and gentlecolts, the final match between Night Fury and the Cockatrice! Will Night Fury overcome the battle of instincts? Let us find out!" The Mayor declared as she rang the bell.

Night Fury was in his battle stance ready to pounce on the cockatrice. But this time he decided to wait a little and to be "well mannered" and allow the opponent to make the first move.

The cockatrice moved in to scratch him with its claw and Night Fury moved to the side and once again grabbed the cockatrice.

Despite the initial surprise the cockatrice and him were struggling hard. But finally after some time the cockatrice decided to pull its signature stare.

Alright, this is it!

This stare was even more intense than before. Night Fury felt some nervousness even wondering if there would be another dart. But like before until he got that dart, he had his meditations in his head. And despite the intimidating situation, he stared harder than ever at the fowl.

Everyone around him was in awe.

Meanwhile the Truther and the Manipulator were looking in terror at Night Fury's level head.

And finally after much staring, the cockatrice cried and ran away out of the circle. It could not take it anymore.

"Yeah!!! Go Night Fury!" The crowd cheered him on. Everyone was ecstatic now.

"Oh, I'm not done with you yet!" Fury said, chasing the cockatrice down and grabbing it by the tail. Twilight and Luna became nervous as they saw him grab the creature. Was he going feral again?

The crowd watched with bated breath as he moved to the middle of the ring.

"Hey everyone, you wanna see a supersonic chicken snake?" He called out, the crowd giving a resounding 'yes!'.

"Okay then, say it with me now! One for the money…"

He held the cockatrice up high.

"Two for the show…" The crowd came, waiting for what was about to happen with excitement.

"Three to get ready…"

He tossed the creature into the air and crouched down into a jumping position.

"Aaand…"

"Four to go!"

As the crowd finished his sentence, he jumped up into the air and became eye to eye with his victim. He spun around quickly in the air and extended a leg, the crowd roaring below. He soon reached full power and looked the cockatrice in the face, grinning widely as he said…

"Nothin' personal, mate!"

BOOM!

And kicked the cockatrice with enough force that it actually went supersonic!

The whole crowd looked in astonishment and cheered like they had never before. Meanwhile the two conspirators looked with absolute misery at how not only was Night Fury in control of his mind, he was having fun!

"Hopefully Fluttershy didn't see that." Twilight remarked.

"Do not worry," Celestia replied, flying there. "A cockatrice like that is more than strong enough to handle that. They are surprisingly sturdy creatures."

Twilight gasped.

"Princess Celestia!" she said, bowing to her.

But Celestia did not come to see her, she came to talk with Night Fury.

"Night Fury!"

Night Fury was nervous. He was worried about Celestia and Cadence being less than pleased with all of the things going on.

"Oh um, hi princesses, heh." He said awkwardly. "I'm … I'm sorry about all the chaos that happened and that you witnessed. I should have done better-"

"You have done well, Night Fury. I was not aware of all of these feral instincts until Twilight told me about them. But even before I knew you were not evil, you simply needed to learn. I was going to help but then it seemed you had everything under control." Celestia congratulated him.

Cadence also walked forward.

"For me, I was unfortunately worried that you had a dark part to you. Maybe it was from seeing Chrysalis try to infiltrate that I became afraid of your dark side. I'm sorry. And now I see you are one of the finest young warriors I have ever seen."

Night Fury appreciated these compliments. "Don't worry about it, Cadence. It was crazy for all of us. And I probably should have told you guys earlier for help. How about we finish our museum tour?"

"I think that would be a very good idea. Some relaxation from all the rough goings of today." Celestia said as they walked to the museum.

"Impossible! He probably cheated!" The Truther declared. "Rematch! Rematch!"

Twilight was about to say something, but the crowd of ponies did it first.

"Get out of here, you liar!!"

"Get lost!"

"Truther is a silly name anyway!"

Twilight then came over. "That reminds me. With the help of Cadence and Celestia I found a spell to make this stone's power disappear. Farewell Truther."

"This is not over, Night Fury, the world shall see through your lies-"

Sizzle

And with that the stone was gone. While this was going on the Manipulator decided she would leave before she would be discovered.

"Finally, now the noise is gone!" Night Fury said. "Alright everyone, are you ready to check out the Speed Shifter museum!?"

"Yeah!"

And so everyone decided to finally after many hours of tension, step foot into this new museum.

Everyone now wanted to take pictures of all of the statues, the paintings and even amusement parks Pinkie and Fury suggested, even if Twilight was reluctant to pay for those amusements at first.

It was fun for Night Fury to explain all the bits of Speed Shifter history from their first settlements into the Jungles or the wonders of the Silverblue. It was a delight.

It was almost time for the museum to close but before it ended, Twilight spoke up.

"Wait everypony, there is one more attraction I wanted to show you all!"

Even Night Fury was wondering what that was.

They saw it was a photo of Night Fury staring into the Cockatrice.

"But that isn't even from the coast!" Fury said.

"Not yet. But ponies will remember this as a time when Speed Shifters showed that they were more than capable of being ponies' friends."

Night Fury smiled at this. Even if today was rough it was definitely funner than what he would expect a museum tour to be. What a day. He couldn't wait to go to the arcade to take his mind off this stuff. But he felt quite happy.

-

"Curses, you two have failed me!" a mysterious voice said.

"We are sorry sir, we did not mean to-"

"Enough! I made a mistake going in such a direct way. I should instead do as I did before. Not win the hearts of the rabble, but of those in charge." The mysterious figure walked to his suit.

"I will have to find another way. One less… confrontational. I think it is time that I get a bit more… political."

Comments

[Luckyfanisaac]

"Night Fury! Calm down!" Twilight said in a reversal of roles. "Listen, you are a well spoken creature. I know I might seem annoyed at some of your, um… quirks." Twilight tried not to say childish,(—— "But you really have shown a willingness to mature and improve. People seem to be drawn to your personality. Don't ever underestimate yourself." Twilight said, putting her hoof on his shoulder.

"Who are you and what have you done with Miss I Don't Want to be Tardy!?”(—— Night Fury teased her.

"You go, you big strong cat!" Lyra cheered.(——

She said in a caring voice as she sat next to him

"Agreed!" Everyone said.(——

You will witness Night Fury and the cockatrice in a staring competition.

"Ridiculous, we already know the real answer! Come on everypony, let us just ban this beast from our presence.”(——

Night Fury entered the arena with the cockatrice.

Night Fury realized he had to trick the cockatrice.

Did I lose the fight with the Cockatrice?