To Equestria And Beyond (Rewrite In Progress)

by NightFurySpeedey8156

Chapter 29: Funny Foodie Festival

In Canterlot's renowned race track, though it was closed to the public now, there was a black blur running through.

Woosh!

Night Fury was jumping over obstacles and trying to surpass his speed limit. After all, he didn't have a lot of time for training ever since he went to Canterlot.

"Hoo! I think I'm good for now." Night Fury said, wiping himself with a rag. Night Fury sat down on a seat in the stands, he was getting hungry. Even eating energy bars wasn't enough.

"I need something bigger than these tiny bars. I have to go chow down! But where?" Fury said, wondering about a place beside Celestia or Luna's kitchens. He wanted something new and more common.

"Well it's a good thing we finally found you!" A voice called. Fury looked up into the still early morning sky to see none other than his girlfriend and her fellow royals hovering in.

"Hey there ladies! Come to check me out?"

"Hey, we were looking for you all morning. You just straight up left." Cadence said. "Of course the one who was really worried was Luna."

The three princesses landed on the ground.

"I was just wondering if someone had kidnapped you. I just felt a bit worried." Luna said.

Fury simply laughed at this notion.

"Oh please, if anyone tried to even get near me with those intentions, they wouldn't be able to be found. Ever." He said casually.

Luna smiled at this.

"That I do not doubt." She replied. "So am I interrupting anything?"

Fury shook his head.

"Nope, I just finished. But instead of a desire to run, I have a desire to eat. All of this working out has given a serious case of the munchies."

"Wow, how surprising." Cadence chuckled.

"Yeah yeah yeah." Fury responded. "But I want something to eat. But I need something less royal and more average. More new. There has got to be a good restaurant around here or something." Fury said, looking impatient to eat already.

"You have any ideas where to eat?" Fury asked.

The other princesses scrunched in thought. There were so many places to eat in a large city like Canterlot. But which one was the best?

Celestia then remembered.

"I know the perfect place for you. Somewhere with a lot of treats. We call it Canterlot's Food Mine. You will find all sorts of delicacies there."

Fury instantly rose up. He was looking forward to this.

"Great. Count me in! Time for some culinary excavation." Fury said, racing off in a random direction.

The black feline sprinted in excitement. Then he went back. "Uh, where is it exactly?"

Celestia rolled her eyes. "How about you just follow us?"

"Yeah, that sounds like the better plan. Let's roll." Fury chuckled, transforming into his falcon form. The three princesses and Night Fury flew off towards their destination, all expecting the best of the best in the culinary arts.

–

As the clocks reached 10:00 am, all four friends came to a landing spot on top of one of the castle towers. Looking down, Fury was astounded by the amount of vendors set up on the streets below. Different bakers, cooks, grillers and more lined the city limits. Celestia began to speak.

"Night Fury, welcome to Canterlot's Food Mine. A place that holds every culinary innovation you could think of." She spoke.

"Yes indeed, it has much potential to do your appetite justice. At least, I assume so." Luna added. Fury gave her a side eye as he heard her. Was she making a joke about his big appetite?

"Yeah, it has everything! It has fancy food from overseas, casual grilled food, new innovations, and much more." Cadence explained.

"You are right, Cadence. But you almost forgot one thing, it's also where you got your big appetite." Celestia teased.

The pink alicorn's cheeks blushed. It was something she always got a bit too addicted to.

"Yeah, that's one of the reasons I took up racing so often." Cadence said.

"Ah you shouldn't feel too bad," Fury said. "You'll get fat from having a baby like mom so you don't have to fight it!"

"Oh no you didn't…" Cadence's face scrunched up.

"Oh yes I did! Call it karma for you teasing me about my appetite. And besides, you could plump up a bit. Seriously, I can almost see your ribs."

"And for your information, I have a perfectly fine figure nowadays! Being a princess means you have to be physically adept after all."

"So your definition of 'physically adept' is looking like a glorified skeleton with a thin layer of pink fur that makes you look like you just rose from the dead?"

"You should be careful talking about death. It just might happen to a certain someone if you don't-"

"They say death catches up to everyone… Heh, he can certainly try." Fury interrupted. Then came an announcement from down below on the street.

"LADIES AND GENTLECOLTS! TODAY WE ARE HOLDING OUR ANNUAL EATING COMPETITION! DO YOU FINE, WELL DRESSED FELLOWS THINK YOU CAN CHALLENGE THE GREAT CHAMPIONS?! COME ON DOWN TO PONY JOE'S AT NOON AND TEST YOUR LIMITS!"

The words eating and competition together drew Fury's attention. He forgot what he was talking about.

"What is that?!" Fury asked, pointing to the gigantic foods such as a pony sized pretzel or a multi fruit pie.

"That, my feline friend, is heaven." Cadence sighed. The royal sisters rolled their eyes in amusement of the two foodies, they were obviously enticed by the giant foods.

"Well what are we waiting for, let's get down there and test out the grub!"

Fury sped quickly to Pony Joe's food haven and the sights did not disappoint him. It was a heavenly sight. He could even see the cooks doing their jobs.

Bakers were kneading dough. Chefs were frying asparagus in oil. And even chocolatiers were carefully sculpting their statues made of chocolate.

"Holy mother of Equestria, I've never felt so good seeing all of this food in my life!" He said, sniffing the air and taking in all of the new scents around him. The three princesses soon caught up to him and we're just as impressed.

"Well, here we are! Since you guys brought me here, why don't we all go around and try out what's cooking? The least I can do is invite you guys along with me."

Princess Celestia smiled at this. "It's nice of you to try out such valuable delicacies. Donut Joe and his ancestors have always had a great pride in their culinary craft. But be warned, you might just lose yourself amidst the wonders of the foodstuff here. I have seen too many lost souls in my millennia of living."

"I think I can handle whatever weird, exotic foods you ponies make. And besides, you all make a habit of teasing me about my appetite anyway." Fury said.

After making some tough mental decisions, Fury ran over to the bakery. He had many choices of bread. But he was curious how sweet bread could be.

After asking the bakers for some slices of sweet bread, he decided to taste one. And his mind was enamored at the sugary goodness combined with the texture of old fashioned bread.

"You must like it very much, huh, kid? It's a family recipe!" The old fat but strong baker asked. "We bakers carry all this dough around just to make some good loaves."

"You bet I love it!" Fury said.

"Well if you love that, you better try out the other foods!" The baker said. "A bit of cheese combined with that could be a nice addition!"

"He's not wrong," Cadence said. "A bit of cheese with some bread can make all the difference. Seriously, you have to try a charcuterie, they have all types of cheeses to enjoy bundled up in one." Cadence pointed to all the cheeses.

"Wow, those look pretty good. You wanna do this together?" Fury said.

The princesses nodded with absolute certainty.

"Then let us go for part two." Fury walked slowly but excited for the next culinary delight.

"My good stallion, I would like your whole charcuterie. I want to indulge myself in these delectable flavors! I will pay anything for those."

"Well, since I can tell you are a good connoisseur of fine dining I will give you a discount. Not everyday have I seen a creature like you show such interest in cheese."

Fury got ahold of the array of cheeses. Even for Speed Shifters, cheese was considered a rarity. So to Fury, to have all of these was almost as good as eating smoked salmon.

"Now this is what I call 'Culinary art'. Since this is my first time, I'll try something simple and sample the swiss."

He tasted the strange white cheese of many holes. He took some time evaluating the flavor quality like any good food critic.

"Eh, it's good. But it's not the intense flavor I was expecting. I want more flavor! I want something to tickle my taste buds!"

Cadence had heard his plea.

"No problem. Try this." Cadence showed a much more deep yellow cheese. There was a pungent aroma around. "Have some sharp cheddar, something more intense."

"Phew, sure has a smell to it!" Fury said, a little taken aback by the smell.

"Don't worry, it won't kill you. Just try it." Fury cautiously took a bit of it. And his eyes widened. The sensations of smell and taste intensified in his mouth. He had never thought cheese could be so pungent.

"Oh my goddesses! This cheese is my kind of thing! You can't get any better than this! You ponies sure have some special knowledge."

"Oh but there is more to it." Luna explained. "You must take a look at the weirder side of the festival. I promise you, it will blow you away."

"Really? Okay, Moonpie, let's try this place out. I don't know how this can get any better though."

But little did he know it did indeed get even better. The three friends walked further into the festival, many more creations catching Fury's attention. But one vendor in particular made him stop in his tracks. He walked up to the elderly mare's stand and read the sign above.

"A thousand year old eggs?! How in Equestria does something like that even exist?" He said in amused shock.

"To make a long story short," Cadence said. "Long ago, a farmer placed some eggs in his fiance's garden so he could impress her. But it was too hard to find and got buried in ash, sea salt, and other natural spices. But a thousand years later, a stallion was cleaning out the area. He happened to stumble upon these eggs and decided to try one. And he gave it to his angry fiance and she cheered up and they married. And it's been regarded as a culinary art ever since." Cadence explained with Fury eager to hear her lore about food.

"Wow! If this amber colored egg is that popular, I've gotta try one!" Fury said. He hopped up onto one of the stools and had one egg placed in front of him. He took a sniff to get his bearings, but he instantly recoiled at the very pungent smell.

"Woah! By the mother of the sea, what kind of smell is that?!" He complained, covering his snout. The two sisters laughed while Cadence blushed at her blatant lack of warning.

"Oh! Uh, did I forget to mention that those eggs have a very strange and strong smell?"

"Yeah, ya did! And I don't know what kind of stallion would think these would be good love gifts!" Fury wheezed.

"Well the smell might be a little unusual, but it actually tastes pretty good. Go ahead, Lightning Bug. Just pinch your nose and eat the thing. Unless a little egg makes you fearful." Luna said.

"I'm not scared of this little thing!" Fury stated, not wanting to be conquered by an egg. "I'm going to try it!" He said, though a bit nervous.

The black feline grabbed the amber colored egg and raised it to his mouth. The other princesses waited in anticipation as he popped it into his jaws and chewed on it. A few seconds later, Fury was enjoying the taste.

"Huh, it actually doesn't taste that bad. It tastes like blue cheese and sea salt. It was a little strange at first. But I think this might be a favorite. Maybe I oughta show my mom!" He said as he swallowed the egg.

"I knew you would like it. The smell of something doesn't always determine the taste." Luna said. Fury smiled at his lover's kind words, but he soon lost focus as another smell was picked up by his strong nose.

"Are you picking up something else?" Celestia asked.

"Yeah, I am." Fury then began listing off what he smelled. "It's a combination of things. Noodles, eggs, celery, parmesan cheese. And is that some sort of broth I'm smelling?"

Fury went up and walked once more to some less exotic but no less enticing noodles known as ramen.

"Woah, is this what ramen looks like? Looks pretty tasty." He said, taking in the smell.

"Oh yes. This is a very common combination of items in the food industry. Mainly starting with Neighponese ponies starting the famous trend not too long ago." Luna explained. Fury was immediately hooked.

"Cool! How about we grab some?" The other princesses nodded in approval as they all walked up to the vendor.

"Excuse me, good sir. We would like four bowls of your finest ramen please." Celestia spoke.

The vendor agreed and proceeded to make the ramen. Fury looked with interest as the cook boiled the water. Then he dropped some mushrooms, a special sauce known as soy sauce, some pepper, seaweed and other ingredients. He even saw the mysterious substance known as tofu and many other ingredients. Soon enough, all four bowls of ramen were done. The vendor gave a bow to the four of them as they sat at the wooden extension of the vendor.

"Hey, what are these weird sticks?" Fury asked, holding up said objects.

"These are chopsticks, you use them to grab food and put it into your mouth. Observe." The vendor used his chopsticks and grabbed and ate a mushroom.

"Yeah, here's the problem with that…" Fury held up his paws and gestured to his lack of a horn. "It's not so easy for us non levitating types. What am I supposed to do with two sticks?"

"Allow me to help you, my lightning bug." Luna said. "I used to have an ancient version of ramen when I was a young filly and chopsticks have not changed since then. Let me show you."

She grabbed chopsticks. "To grab them you must simply do some trial and error. You will grab it with the right instinct eventually. It may take a long long time, perhaps months but it will come to you."

"But I want the food soon, not in months. Wait, I've got an idea!" Fury said excitedly. He grabbed the two chopsticks and held them in one paw. Activating his power, he began to quickly fiddle with the sticks.

"What are you doing?" Cadence inquired.

"Using my speed to try every single grip to find the right one. Work smarter, not harder. Let's see… nope, nope, nope, close but nope…" He continued for a few more combinations when he finally got a good enough grasp. "Ah ha! I finally did it. Are you impressed, Luna?"

"Most definitely, my love." She smiled at his accomplishment.

"Alrighty then, time to try this out." Fury carefully dipped his chopsticks into the bowl and extracted some noodles with a slice of hard-boiled egg. He placed the food in his mouth, slurped up the noodles hanging out of his jaws, and let out a breath of satisfaction as he chewed and smiled at the savory taste of the egg, noodles, and cheese dancing on his taste buds.

"This is awesome!" Fury proclaimed as if he were in Rainbow Dash's body. "This is so tasty." He slurped some noodles in. "It's a crime that this is not in our village!"

"It's really good, isn't it?" Cadence spoke. "This is my favorite type of noodles. All of the different flavors, the beautiful presentation, the flawless mix of the ingredients. It all just sings to me, and my stomach." She giggled.

He slurped down the egg. "Can it get any better than this?"

"Oh we aren't done yet." Cadence said. "I know something with a lot of stuff in one little bite. Follow me."

Fury and the princesses came across what looked like pastries with a brown covering.

"What is this? This doesn't look that appetizing. "

"Why these are none other than dumplings. They are stuffed with a whole bunch of ingredients but the flavors will mix and burst onto your tongue." Cadence said.

Fury took her advice to heart and ordered some. The cook then placed a plate of the small pouches in front of him, sliding some chopsticks next to them. Thankfully, he had a better understanding of how to use them and set himself up before taking one dumpling and eating it.

"Well here goes nothing." Fury put it into his mouth and…

"Mmmmm, this is some good stuff. They pack so much into this! Who would have vegetables that could taste so good! It has an amazing flavor and texture. It feels like I'm eating little pockets." He complimented. "AH!" He was preoccupied with the tasty food.

"You seem to be enjoying the festival well enough." Celestia remarked, glad that was enjoying it.

"Oh yeah, this is the best festival I've ever been to! If I ever go back home and try to make peace with my tribe, I have got to introduce you to Chief ThunderClaws." Fury said. He then saw something strange to his left.

"Hey girls, take a look over there." The three royals followed his lead and we're surprised to see a fairly new vendor. He was a bit plump with a curly mustache, he looked like he was baking something. But it wasn't any dessert of any kind.

"Hmm, that's peculiar," Luna said. "He seems to be trying to make something new."

"Well, c'mon. Let's go see." The group of four walked up to the vendor as he was just finishing up his creation.

"Ahh, si, new-a customers! And-a royalty too, It is-a pleasure." He spoke in a heavy accent, bowing his head. "I see you are-a quite interested in what we call pizza." The group of four stood there with confused looks, they had never heard of such a food.

"Wait what now?" Fury asked, confused.

"A pizza, a glorious a-dish of cheese mixed with tomato sauce. It-a melts in the mouth. It is also highly adaptable in that you can put any ingredients on from mushrooms to black olives."

"Huh, sounds interesting. How many have heard of this new food in the block?" Fury asked. The vendor sighed.

"Unfortunately, nopony has-a taken even the smallest a-glance at my masterpiece. I have just created this on my own through years of-a preparations and brainstorming. I was-a hoping one of you could give me and my dish the benefit of the doubt." The princesses and ambassador felt bad for the vendor, all he wanted was for his new creation to be noticed.

"Well count your lucky stars, my friend. Because we're gonna make your creation famous! Celestia, Luna, get together and bring in a crowd. Cadence, you and I are gonna do a taste test."

Fury proclaimed. The other royals nodded to his plan as they set it in motion in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"Come one, come all to see this newest food creation in Equestrian history. Come and see as Princess Cadence and Ambassador Night Fury taste this new food and give their opinions of it!"

The crowd were intrigued. What was this mysterious new food? Would it fit Fury and Cadence's liking?

"Well Cady, looks like we got this large disc to eat."

"Let's give this out best, Fury. Although with this nice aroma from this pizza, that won't be hard." The vendor smiled as he saw the crowd that had gathered, he was rather excited to have a live audience. He sliced the pizza eight ways and served one each to the taste testers.

"Okay, here goes nothing." Fury grabbed the slice of pizza by the crust, after having grabbed under the slice didn't seem to work, and ate the slice. He chewed slowly and let the flavors mix around. Fury said nothing.

After some time of silence, Fury finally spoke.

"This…" Fury said. "...isn't good."

The vendor looked disappointed.

"This is one of the greatest things I have ever had in my life! Seriously, where was this my whole life!? The cheese and the sauce. It just *mwah* mixes all so well. Cadence, what about you?"

"Mmmm," Cadence hummed. "This is quite delectable. Just mmmmm. This is a true treat. Civilization seems to have advanced centuries after I ate this."

The vendor was overjoyed now. He had the approval of some of Equestria's most renowned public figures.

"You hear that everypony? This pizza is the greatest thing we've ever had!" The testers said in unison. The crowd cheered as the verdict was made, absolutely swayed by the high praise from the two.

"Now what are you folks gonna buy today?" Fury asked the crowd.

"The pizza!" The crowd called out.

"Then go get it!" Fury said pointing to the vendor.

The crowd ran like crazy for this newest taste sensation. The guards had to calm the crowd down a bit, but overall, everyone seemed to enjoy this experimental new dish.

"Oh thank you, my friends!" The vendor said to the princesses and Fury. "I was-a wondering if I should just give up. You gave me some nice exposure!"

"You're welcome." Cadence said. "But remember. If you have some new food, work on your advertising. Perhaps get someone famous like an actor or in this case, us to try out your food."

"Oh I will, your highness. Now, please excuse-a me, I have some new customers to serve!" The vendor said in a happy voice.

Fury was stuffing his face in all of the pizza. "I wonder if I could add some new toppings to this pizza. Maybe fish. I heard one person even say pineapples, although that sounds weird."

"Maybe you should take notes for later. Right now, how about we move on to the drinks?" Celestia suggested.

"Wait, they have new drinks here besides water and lemonade?"

"You bet they do! Come on, we'll show you!" Cadence waved a hoof in the direction of the drinks. As they made their way through, Fury looked around at the different drinks he had never heard before.

"Smoothies, Fruit punch, cider, juice… I've never heard of any of these, let alone tried them."

"Well now's your chance, lightning bug. How about a look at the cider?" Luna directed him towards the cider. Fury walked up to the cart and saw multiple barrels full of the stuff. Then the vendor made her appearance, which happened to be a familiar one.

"Applejack, you're here too?"

"Howdy, Night Fury! I'm just here sellin' the family's pride and joy, Apple cider. Made from apples."

"Is it like apple juice?"

"Ha ha. Nope. This is for the grown ups. This apple cider has a strong pungent flavor. It's what the pioneers used to drink. Just don't drink too much, or you'll be wobblin' around on your paws like jello in a tornado!" Applejack said, chuckling.

"Well I don't know what that feels like," Fury said, a little confused over her countryism. "But as long as I have a little at least, I think I'll be okay." He said, grabbing the cider. He took a sip from the tankard and pulled back, the taste hitting him like a stone.

"Hoo boy, you were right, this stuff packs a punch! How does Rainbow Dash guzzle this stuff down so much without looking like she got thrown into a whirlpool?"

"Oh it took some gettin' used to!" Applejack said. "She used to go in some crazy mood when she had this. Sometimes she would make a mess on the floor." Applejack remembered unfondly. "But she got used to it overtime and knew she just won't stop asking me to make some for her. I still have to limit how much she has before she gets all funky."

"Puh, I don't doubt it!" Fury chuckled. He then took a look at the clock overhead and saw that it was getting close to noon.

Huh, it's just about noon, the eating contest starts then. Hey AJ, you gonna be there too?"

"You betcha. We apples have big stomachs. The biggest stomachs in Equestria. And we ain't gonna let that reputation be lost today. I'm gonna eat and eat today!" Applejack said.

"Well Applejack." Fury looked at her. "You better be ready to defend that reputation. Cause I'm going in too! My mom always said I ate a lot. And it will be no different today."

Applejack had a competitive look on her face.

"Is that a challenge I hear, partner?"

"You're darn right it is." Fury said. Just as the challenge was declared, the clock struck twelve and the announcer for the contest rang in.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts, get ready for the greatest eating contest of your lives. Come on down to Pony Joe's and watch the show!" said a very excitable announcer.

"Well, it looks like that's our cue." Fury said. "Don't go crying when you see how much food I can scarf down."

"Oh don't get too cocky, whiskers, I'll be right behind ya!" Applejack called out as she readied herself for the contest.

–

Ponies from all over the city gathered at Pony Joe's, waiting excitedly for the contest to begin. Five seats sat in front of a large table with a plaid cloth over it. It was made clear that this contest was not going to be easy, and most of the ponies stayed away from entering fearing they would be conquered by the food. But those five seats would soon be filled as there were some brave enough to take it on. The announcer came on and welcomed them all.

"Hello Canterlot! Thank you and welcome to the Canterlot Food Mine Foodie Frenzy!" She said, the crowd roaring with applause.

"Today, we have five contestants ready and waiting to show you all their might in the best way possible. By eating as much as they can! Before we begin, I would like to say thank you all for coming to this festival. For years, this has been a tradition of our city that has never been broken. And everypony I see standing here is just part of the reason why we keep it going! With your love, donations and participation, this festival shall continue for generations after us!" The crowd roared out again in gratitude. The people of Canterlot were glad that they could help in maintaining a long time tradition. The announcer spoke again.

"Now, without further ado, allow me to introduce our contestants! Up first, coming from the rural farmland of Ponyville, she has had a long time running with a family legacy of good apple cider. And with that legacy, she has also made it known that she is no lightweight. Coming all the way from Sweet Apple Acres, give it up for Applejack!"

Applejack approached and came to the table greeting everypony. "Yeehaw! I'm gonna eat like a lion gone hungry!"

"Next up, another one coming from Ponyville. Though he isn't a pony like us, he still has his ways of making friends with all of us. Through his efforts to show us that his kind aren't as dangerous as we seem through sacrifice, pain, and strength, he has effectively won us over. Everypony, put your hooves together for our Speed Shifter friend, Night Fury!"

Everybody cheered loudly including a certain vendor as Night Fury waved and pointed to the crowd. "Aww yeah, I'm about to show you all what being a Speed Shifter is all about!"

"Our third contestant is a rather surprising one. She has protected us for generations upon generations of pony kind, standing tall over our heads as she swore to protect us. Though she may be royalty, she can still put on a show! Give it up for our own goddess of the sun, Princess Celestia!"

Everyone now cheered louder than even the others and chanted her name. "Long live our Princess!" Celestia bowed to them. "Thank you my subjects. I have served you in protection and governance and now I shall serve you in a good show of my abilities to eat like manticores!" The crowd cheered for this.

"Coming in at number four, we have another beloved princess. Though she may have turned to the dark side in our past and swore to engulf our Equestria in eternal night, she has returned to show us that she has changed for the better! With the help of the Mane Six, we can all be together as one with her in her beauty and grace. Not to mention a certain feline got her around his paw…"

The crowd let out a scandalous 'Ooooh', causing Fury to blush. "Yeah yeah, we're a thing now. Get over it, ya dramatic plant eaters." The crowd laughed as he shot the insult at them.

"With that said and done, everypony give a warm welcome to the guardian of dreams, Princess of the Night, Princess Luna!"

The crowd once again cheered while less fervently than Celestia, it was still clear the people still appreciated the princess of the night. She bowed humbly. "Thank you citizens. I am not the voracious eater my sister is. But just as I conquer nightmares, I can conquer the hordes of food that challenge me. Come forth with thine food!" Luna called out, raised her hoof defiantly.

"And finally, our fifth contestant. Coming from the far reaches of the Crystal Empire, she has made herself known as a caring, lighthearted ruler that has compassion for our woes. While her achievements may not be as great as the royal sisters, there should be no mistake that she has made just as important contributions to our species as any other creature here. Please give it up for the ruler of the Crystal Empire, The Princess of Love, Princess Cadence!"

The crowd cheered loudly for the Princess of Love as she waved to everyone. She had a nice smile.

"Thanks everyone! I can sense the love in the air today. But right now, while I love my husband, today the only love I can think of is this love for all your great food! May I be worthy to have all this delicious food!" Cadence called.

The crowds were now excited at these five worthy contestants ready to battle it out on the dining table.

"As you can see we have five remarkable contestants! So here is the goal: You must eat as much of the food in front of you in 20 minutes. If you stop for whatever reason, you must try and start eating again in 10 seconds or less. Whoever eats the most out of the five shall be the winner of this contest and have the honor of Food Champion of Canterlot! In front of you are a selection of some Canterlot's greatest foods. But be ready. For your tongue might love it but your stomach may say otherwise. Will you have the willpower to forge ahead?!"

"Yes I do!" Fury said confidently. The other contestants, while silent, appeared likewise confident in this endeavor.

"Alright then, let's get started! Contestants, take your marks!"

I've proven myself as a warrior recently, but can I prove myself as a food champ too? It's time to do so.

Fury looked closely at the food. He felt his mouth water. He could taste the food even before eating it. He knew in his heart he was ready.

"Here we go in Five…"

"Four…"

"Three…"

"Two…"

"One…"

"Go go go!"

The contestants chugged down the various food items closest to them. With Celestia, a huge cake. With Luna, a moonpie. With Applejack, multiple apple fritters. With Cadence all sorts of chocolate dishes. And Fury, they started with their new favorite food, the pizza.

Gee what's so bad about this challenge? Fury thought to himself. I get to have all this great food.

Fury finished eating the pizza and moved onto eating some Moonpies, just like his girlfriend. He looked over to see his competition and saw that none of them were holding back, which only made his appetite grow as he kept going.

"Mmmm, this is amazing! I think I've got this in the bag already! Hey AJ, you sure you're not feeling a tummy ache yet? You little cowgirl?" The audience let out an 'Oooh!' at the diss to the orange earth pony. Though she got caught up in the flaming for a moment, she didn't let it stop her.

"Oh you best watch what you say, sugarcube. I've done this more than you, little kitty cat." She shot back

"Oooh, we've got some smack talk on the field! 40 seconds in and our contenders don't seem to be slowing down, what a show! Let's see how they're doing!"

Everyone was all eating like no tomorrow. Though Luna was more composed than the others who were going at it like wild animals (Save for Night Fury, of course).

"Ahh, Princess Luna. You seem to be taking it easy. Please, for the record, why do you think this strategy will work?"

Luna smiled. "Right now, it seems I am not eating at the same frequency as the others. But I know this will help me. After all, if you eat too quickly…"

All of a sudden, Fury seemed to stop eating. But why did he stop?

Hiccup!

"Oh come on, now?!"

"Ooh, looks like Night Fury got hitched with the hiccups! Can he recover to keep up the pressure?"

Oh gee! I don't feel good. It's all bubbling up.

Wait… why try and let it pass when I can clear it out!

He looked around the table and thankfully, they all had been provided with a few cases of cider to wash down the food. He grabbed one bottle and began to shake it, raising the pressure of the air inside.

"And we have our first pull of cider! And it looks like Night Fury's shaking things up, what's he gonna do?" He took the metal cap off of the bottle and quickly chugged it till empty. He felt a slight bubble in his stomach before he let it all out.

Uuurrraaaaap!

"Ahhh, that's more like it!" He said as he went back to eating.

"What a brilliant move by the ambassador! He used the bubbly cider to cure his hiccups, a truly amazing use of intelligence!" The announcer said, the crowd cheering for Fury as he regained his appetite. The announcer then moved on to Cadence who was indulging in some chocolate eclairs.

"It seems the Crystal Empire's ruler loves her sweet delectable eclairs. And what's this? She's dipping them in the cake itself?! Impressive how she can eat two food types in one!"

"While I do love some good chocolate, I like to savor it more so the gorge on it. I've been called a choc-aholic many times throughout my life just because of it, but I don't mind it as long as I get to keep loving it." She said, continuing her onslaught.

Then came the first major change in the contest.

"What's this? It looks like our Apple cider seller is having some issues!" The other contenders looked over and sure enough, Applejack seemed to be slowing down.

"Remember folks, you step away from the table or stop eating for longer than 10 seconds, you're out of the running!"

At the five second mark, Applejack took a jar of zap apple jam and poured it on an apple fritter. And ate it up. The audience gasped.

"I cannot believe it! Applejack ate all of that zap apple jam! If I had that much, I would probably be knocked right out! That apple mare must have had that her whole life!"

"Oh so you wanna bring it back from the brink? I'll show you what I can do!" Fury declared. He took a glance at a vanilla cake that sat in front of him and grew a sly smile. He made his move by tossing the cake upwards, jumping up, slicing the cake into ten slices, and landed back on the ground as he swallowed them one by one.

"...Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten! Ten slices of cake in one go, that's a whole new level of crazy! This Speed Shifter sure has his way of giving us a show! What do you think, folks?"

The crowd answered through their hollars and approval.

"Night Fury! Night Fury! Night Fury!"

Celestia looked at Fury with jealousy. How could someone like him show more love for a cake than her? She could not let this be tolerated.

She grabbed two towering cakes, levitated them and shot them in the air and she ate all the layers of the cake as they dropped back down.

"Holy mackerel, two six layer cakes at once?! I must be going coo coo with what I'm seeing! Looks like Princess Celestia had it out for Fury's little trick!"

But while Fury and Celestia were almost daring each other with their eating, another contestant was doing differently.

Now let us see our Princess of the Night. And… uh oh. She seems to be eating a bit more slowly. Is she losing her appetite?" The crowd was stunned as she proceeded to slow her pace. She was taking slow bites out of a cherry pie as she slowed down, trying to stay in the game. But soon enough, she couldn't handle it and tapped the table.

"Ohhh, and the nocturnal princess has tapped out! What a performance from Princess Luna, give her some love y'all!" The crowd applauded as she made her way past the other contestants and off of the stage, only to hear her lover speak to her.

"Ya did great, Moonpie. Don't feel bad that you didn't last long, you held out pretty well. And that's why I love you." Fury said, giving his girlfriend a messy, frosting covered kiss on the cheek.

"Awww, so sweet to see love blooming even in competition. But let's get back to the action! We're 2 minutes in and we still only have one competitor out of the game, these hardened food warriors sure can hold their own."

Fury and the other ponies were all proving the announcer right, everyone was going harder than ever. Especially Night Fury. But he also noticed the others' determination, including the apple farmer herself.

Gee, she might be shorter than a princess but she sure can eat. I can't let her get to me though. She probably underestimated just how much I can eat. Oh but you'll see Applejack.

Another two minutes flew by and the four competitors were still going at it. Until a certain sun princess started to turn a green shade. Everyone seemed to take notice of this.

"What's going on? The princess of the sun seems to have lost her drive for cakes! What a shock indeed! But even the craziest cake fanatic has their limits." Celestia slowed up as her face went green, she was not feeling too good. She even tried to take a few bites out of another slice, but it was just one bite too many as her cheeks puffed up and she ran away to the nearest bathroom.

"I guess even the Princess of the Sun cannot conquer the tyrant known as cake! She has done well, but her time is over! She is out! At least she will be with her sister in this defeat."

After Celestia came out of the bathroom, her face seemed disappointed. But Luna was there to put a wing over her sister and Celestia smiled.

The crowd was tense seeing the three surviving contestants of Applejack, Night Fury and Cadence. They all kept going, though they were all beginning to slow down themselves. Applejack of them all, was starting to think that it was time to call it quits. Even she had to admit that she might be out matched.

Well I gave it a good run. But as I learned from before, I don't have to worry about gettin' first place. Besides this ain't rodeo.

Applejack said to herself. With one more apple fritter down her gullet, she tapped the table and made her way to a bronze metal.

"And our apple farmer is out. She had done a mighty fine job as they say in Ponyville, and I can say that she still deserves the bronze medal. We wish our apple farmer a good time. But we still have two competitors left, The Princess of Love and the Speed Shifter Ambassador! Who will be going home with a silver metal and who will reel in the gold? Let's find out!"

Fury stared at Cadence. And Cadence did likewise. They both looked fiercely at each other. They knew this was the big one. Whoever could endure would be the Champion.

"Just dont give yourself a tummy ache yet, lovebird! It wouldn't be as good to do my victory dance with you whimpering like a filly." Fury teased his rival.

"Oh don't count your lucky stars just yet, fish breath! I've still got some room left! Don't forget, you're facing the Princess of Love. And I love food! I bet I love it more than you!" The crowd gasped at this scathing response. As for Fury, he was not amused at that.

"Nobody gives me that talk, you pink, pretentious Mama's girl! You wanna fight in the big leagues? You'll get one alright. So let's go!"

Fury took two sweet bread loafs and put 10 types of cheeses between them. And ate it.

For Cadence in turn, she took five apples and dipped them in chocolate fondue and dropped them into her mouth in rapid succession.

It was as if each one was trying to outdo the other in how much food and how much daring each one would have.

"Hoowee, we've got a major grudge match going back and forth. Who's gonna stay in the running, who's the one going down?! Oh, the pressure is getting to me!" Everyone in the crowd was on edge, waiting with baited breath as the two kept duking it out for the honor of the gold.

9 minutes remained and they weren't letting up, giving no leeway. But one of the two would be going out. In a strange act of confidence, Fury stopped eating and stared at Cadence.

"Night Fury stopped eating, and the 10 seconds have begun! What are you doing, you crazy cat?!"

"I'm waiting for the moment that I win this thing, these ten seconds are all I need! Isn't that right, Cady?" Fury said smugly.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, I've got my strength still." She said, continuing to eat.

"Not for long. Because I'm about to win this thing in three, two, one…"

"Urf!" Cadence grunted, dropping her chocolate covered eclairs from her magic and holding her stomach. She started to feel funny, her stomach feeling as if it were swirling. She stayed up for a few more seconds, Fury's time out counter almost out until…

Thud!

"I don't believe it! Cadence went farther than contestants would dare. She went out fighting, and now she is nursing a serious tummy ache. Great effort from Princess Mi Amore Cadenza! But this year's victory goes to the one and only… Night Fury, Ambassador of The Speed Shifters!"

The crowd cheered for the victorious Night Fury. Everyone ran up to him and carried him.

"Three cheers for Night Fury! One… Two… Three!" They bounced Fury.

"Hold it! You're gonna make me feel sick." Fury said, feeling very full and going back on stable ground. He decided to make his way to Cadance who was now standing up, although on wobbly hooves. The other contestants followed his lead and faced the pink pony princess with a bulging belly and red cheeks.

"Well Fury, it looks like you won this round. Not bad for someone who just started his first eating competition." Cadence said weakly.

"Eh, it wasn't too bad. All I had to do was focus on the food and not feeling full. It's all a battle of the mind, not the body. I guess all of those mental activities the emperor and Twilight had me do was worth it. But from what I'm seeing, you're up against a battle of your own with that tummy ache." Fury chuckled.

"Ugh, yeah. That's for sure. Once I get back home, I'm gonna have a lot of explaining to do once Shining Armor sees me. Heh heh." Cadence said, walking away. "Nice job Fury. Nice job."

"Thanks!" He felt ecstatic as a pony handed him his reward. Fury stepped out onto the edge of the stage to face the crowd, the announcer beginning to speak.

"To everyone who came out here today, just know that because of you, we have had yet another successful Canterlot Food Mine festival this year. And today is no different from previous years. But instead of it just being a place to enjoy food, we have turned it into a place to make friends. We've made friends, family, and even love here at this very festival because of your continued support and admiration. And even though this may be the end of a great day's fun, it's not the end of a generational appreciation for the contributions to each other. Give it up for our champion, everyone!"

The crowd clapped and cheered for Night Fury, champion and Slayer of Food.

"Thanks everyone, this was one awesome contest! I love you all!"

"Is that so? I didn't know you had a relationship with the whole city." Luna said. Fury blushed at that statement.

"Luna, you know that's not what I meant! I don't even know how that would work!" Fury defended himself. "I'm just telling my adoring fans I appreciate their support."

"In what way? Emotionally, physically? Or maybe both?"

"Ugh! I'm outta here, I've gotta go pack my bags for the ride home anyway." Fury huffed, racing off with a red face that matched his aura.

Cadence simply laughed at this ordeal. "Oh come on Luna. You know your Lightning Bug would never betray you."

"Hmmm, maybe. But I still am not used to him having all those adoring fans. Maybe I am just a little bit possessive." Luna admitted. "And besides… I guess you could say that is my own way to defeat him, even after losing." Luna said with a chuckle.

Cadence laughed while rolling her eyes at this strange conversation.

"Well we better give him and his parents one last farewell before they leave for Ponyville. As for me, I will leave for the Crystal Empire, especially with the Equestria Games going to happen in a couple of weeks. I have to be ready for that!" Cadence said.

"I gotta go back to Ponyville too!" Applejack said. "And now that I think about it, what would Fury think about entering the Equestria Games? Rainbow Dash is looking for a dirt track runner for the new road race event they're introducing this year."

"I believe Night Fury would be quite pleased with another challenge." Celestia said, approaching them. "Of course, you should ask him to see if he is ready for another competition. Or if he would rather relax in his mansion."

"Of course, this is his decision after all. Let's meet him at the train station and ask him then." Cadence suggested. The other princesses and Applejack nodded at the idea as they made their way to the train station.

–

"Alright, that's all of our bags ready to go. I'm gonna miss this place, it was truly the perfect destination for a vacation. Truly a beautiful place." Black Ice said, almost crying as she looked up at Canterlot's skyline.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, mom. But like you've always told me, all good things must come to an end." Fury remembered, throwing a leg over his mother.

"Yes. Of course." Black Ice said. "We do have to savor it while it lasts."

"Speaking of savoring, how was the eating contest, Fury? That gold medal around your neck tells me it was a good time." Obsidian pointed out.

"Oh yeah, it was a blast! I had no idea I could eat so much, but I'm not complaining. Although, it wasn't my type of competition. I'll have to find something else to fill that hole." Fury admitted. "After all, eating is supposed to be for relaxation not the competition itself."

"Well then, it's a good thing we caught up to you to propose a solution." Cadence said, walking up to him along with the other ponies.

"As much as more food would sound nice, I think I'll pass on that." Fury said.

"What, no! Listen, it's about the one and only Equestria Games!" Cadence said.

"Equestria Games? Never heard of it."

"You see, everypony knows that it's the greatest athletic competition in Equestria. Players compete in flying, javelin tossing, wrestling, racing and other activities to prove their skill." Cadence said.

As soon as Fury heard the word racing, he knew he was in.

"Of course if you would rather have a break in Ponyville, then we can-"

"I'm joining these games!" Fury said with no hesitation. "I need to work off all this food I've eaten after all."

Obsidian chuckled. "Ah you always have something you want to do, eh?"

"You bet so dad! I can chill out later. I wanna get some good ol fashioned competition in. So where are these Equestria Games supposed to be?" Fury asked.

"My home of course. The Crystal Empire, if you remember Fury. It's now lively thanks to you and the Mane Six and Spike."

Fury remembered his time battling Sombra. He was glad to hear the formerly dead city of crystals was now revived.

"Wait. Did you just say… Crystal Empire?" Black Ice asked very curiously.

Cadence nodded.

"Well then, I'm going to! Obsidian we are going to the Crystal Empire to watch our boy!" Black Ice said enthusiastically.

"And to see all the jewelry you can buy, right?" Obsidian smirked.

"Well um… that's… part of it." Black Ice admitted.

"Trust me guys, you'll be surprised by how much crystal is in the Crystal Empire. Equestria Games, here I come!" Fury said proudly, before his stomach made a bit of an objection with a loud gurgle.

"Oof! But first, I gotta let my stomach settle down a bit. Ugh, I feel so heavy." Fury said.

"I suppose it was a lot to eat after winning, Lightning Bug." The princess of the night approached him.

"Ah come on, Luna! I just wanna relax!" Fury said not in the mood to hear Luna's nagging.

"Oh do not worry." Luna said. "I was just going to ask if you would want to rest in my pouch while we take the train." Fury's face lit up red like an evening sunset as she said those words, she had a very influencing way of getting him to submit to her.

"Well I'm not complaining about that. And besides, I could use a nap after this epic ordeal."

With that, Luna used her power to transform into a giant kangaroo. And Fury leaped right in.

"Oh yeah! I feel like a king today."

Everyone else giggled at the sight.

"Well this has been fun everyone, I could have never planned a vacation like this in years. But even so, it was still worth it! Especially with you being around." He said nuzzling Luna's snout.

Celestia approached them.

"I wish you all a good journey. For me I have to get back to work in Canterlot. Take good care of my sister Fury and good luck with your games." Celestia said.

"Trust me, I will. And maybe I can save her from the boring life that you have brought her back to from the moon." Fury chuckled. "Boo to the boring sun, praise the fun and almighty moon!"

Luna felt a little smug at this. But the other upon him with a certain amount of horror.

"Night Fury! How dare you! Celestia has given us great hospitality, apologize to her this-"

"Oh do not worry, Black Ice." Celestia said with a calm smile. "It's all in good fun." She said, holding up her hooves. "Fury, would you like to come here for a hoofshake?"

"Sure, the least I can do is show respect." He said, completely oblivious. He walked over to Celestia.

"Night Fury, no it's a trap!" Luna cried out.

"Oh come on, moonpie. What's the worst Sunbutt can do to me?" He said, about to shake Celestia's hoof.

"This." Celestia said. Celestia took his arm and flipped him to the ground.

"Gah! Huh?" Fury noticed Celestia holding all of his arms. "Uh oh."

Celestia looked at Fury's armpits. "There is one more pony that wishes to say farewell. And you know her name?"

Fury shook his head.

"Her name is the Tickle Monster!" Celestia then tickled Fury's armpits.

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Fury laughed in agony. "Someone, haha stop her!"

"I wish I could, but this is just too adorable." Luna said, watching as her lover was mercilessly tickled.

"I'm plenty entertained by this, Slayer of Food." Applejack smirked.

Cadence was simply laughing at his ordeal.

"Mom! Dad! Show some pity!"

"Oh no, you brought this onto yourself! No need to step in when due justice is already being served." Black Ice said, turning a blind eye.

"Sorry son, but your mother's right. If you talk smack, expect consequences. And also this is just too hilarious." Obsidian said.

"Oh so you all think this is funny huh? Watch this!" Fury's body lit up and began to flash, distracting the 'monster' holding him down. He managed to get himself free and stand upright, facing the group.

"I wish I could say I felt bad about this, but I don't." He then jumped into the air, turned into an octopus, and landed on Celestia's back.

"So you wanna tickle me, huh? We all still don't know if you've got a weak spot. Even so, I'm gonna hit every spot anyway!" Fury said as his arms reached all of Celestia's potential tickle spots.

"Say hello to my tickle monster now!" Fury said.

The princess of the sun tried to resist laughing and keeping her mouth shut. I can't let myself be beat by Night Fury. I'm the tickle master in Canterlot.

"How strong are you Princess?" Fury asked. "Look into my eyes and tell me you don't just want to let it all out." Fury said, showing her a silly face.

Finally Celestia couldn't resist and burst into laughter. "Ha ha ha ha ha, I surrender. You win, ambassador!"

"And?"

"And I'm a boring sun princess that can never overtake the might of the moon!" Celestia squealed.

"That's more like it, was that so hard?" Fury said releasing her.

Luna came up to Fury and hugged him. "Thank you, my aquatic champion of the night. I never thought anyone would think of me as fun until you showed up."

Fury smiled.

"My pleasure, my queen of the night. You're the funnest, cutest lady I know." Fury said.

"So, dear pseudo-sister, you still thinking of me as a younger brother?" Fury asked.

Celestia chuckled. "Well maybe a little. But I must say you are definitely more clever and determined than a lot of ponies I've met. So maybe you have grown a bit."

Fury smirked. "Ah you just don't admit it. But I am glad you acknowledge my new abilities. Maybe one day, you'll consider me 'Big Brother'."

Luna almost laughed at this.

Celestia rolled her eyes. "We'll see about that. Just watch yourself for my next attempt."

"Oh I will, and don't think I won't be prepared to do the same." Fury shot back. Then a distant whistle was heard from behind him. The mood changed from friendly tension to joyful farewells.

"Okay, well I'll see you guys in the Crystal Empire. First we'll go back to Ponyville, relax then train for the Equestria Games. Wish me luck. I'm gonna be the best around." Fury said.

"Well, I know once I get Twilight and the others, we'll also go to the Equestria Games. I sure do look forward to it too." Applejack said.

Celestia waved at them. "Take care everyone."

And so Night Fury, his parents, Luna, and Applejack all took the train to Ponyville to train for the Equestria Games, while Cadence went back to her Empire to make preparations for the games. They gave a final wave to Celestia, looking forward to the games ahead. As for Fury, he was still napping in Luna's pouch. Luna smiled at how cozy he looked, being the Princess Of The Night and his love interest, she was all but elated to see him snoozing so soundly.

"Sleep well, my love." Luna said to her sleeping boyfriend as she watched the train approach the village of Ponyville.