Chapter 8: The Fight Of Our Lives Part 1
Twilight Sparkle, Spike and Night Fury finally made it to the massive skyscraper.
While Fury was in awe of such a structure, especially how it was older than his grandparents, he told his mind to focus.
"Night Fury! I was wondering… Could you climb up that skyscraper?" Spike asked with some hope. "Didn't you say you climbed up a mountain at one point?"
"Yeah!" But Night Fury reconsidered quickly. He was able to do that feat as a cub but there were some caveats.
"On second thought that might be a bad idea. The power I used might destroy that skyscraper. And anyways, I don't have the stamina to climb that much. And even if I did, I would probably pass out for a few hours doing so," he said with some fear. "In fact, the Crystal Empire probably knew Speed Shifters' abilities so they probably made it as hard to climb with that crystal as possible."
"Aw really? Are you really sure?" The young dragon asked, somewhat disappointed. Part of him wanted to see his legendary climbing abilities.
"Sorry, kid. From experience there are some things even someone like me can't climb, I'm not some cosmic entity ya know?" Night Fury said. Then he quickly turned to Twilight.
"Can't you teleport in there?" Fury asked.
"Not these buildings! I tried that while you two were talking and it seems to resist any teleportation magic. Whoever built this skyscraper and to a lesser extent the other buildings really made it impenetrable." Twilight said with frustration.
"I guess we're just going to have to take the long way." Twilight said, getting her bearings. "Come on boys, let's get inside the building!" She said running.
"Sigh, and I didn't think we would have to do this much walking with some shortcuts." Spike said annoyed running.
"I used to think the same thing when my dad would make me do all this stuff when I was your age. But you'll get used to it. And anyways, it'll build up your body. Make you stronger and more attractive to the ladies." Night Fury gave him a friendly punch knowing exactly what would make Spike eager.
"Huh, well, when you put it that way, maybe this running is… Well I can put up with it." He said thinking about his crush Rarity.
The three were now inside the colossal tower.
The interior of the building looked beautiful. It was just like the legends he was told as a cub.
"Come on. Let's focus, Night Fury!" Twilight said.
"Sorry, this place got me distracted," he said, going further in the building. "It just seems so grand. It reminds me of the tales the elders and my dad used to tell me."
Twilight was actually now curious.
"I would like to ask. Was there anything you were told about the Crystal Empire? It could be useful to know if there is anything we could use.
"Well, I did hear from the stories that there were secret passages hidden throughout the castle. Sealed away thousands of years ago before anyone could know about them." Night Fury stated, thinking back to the stories he had heard when he was a kid.
"I see, maybe we can find this secret passage to get there." Twilight said. "Alright everyone get searching!"
Fury was at first excited trying to find the switch. It reminded his father's tales of exploring temples. But as several minutes elapsed he now realized he forgot the part in the dad's tales about the sheer monotony of finding clues.
Twilight, Fury and Spike were trying to find anything to get to the top of the tower. From looking behind paintings to looking inside vases, nothing.
"This is not as fun as my father made this exploration out to be." Fury said a bit exhausted.
"Night Fury, are you sure there was not something else you heard as a kid?" Twilight inquired. "Like maybe some tale or artifact or whatever?"
The black feline put his paw up trying to remember. It was awhile ago after and it wasn't necessarily his favorite legend, just one he was mildly interested in.
"Well let's see, I do remember my dad showing me an ancient staff he kept in his collection. He said it might have belonged to the former rulers there. And I remember having some sort of writing on it. Let me see."
Night Fury racked his brain a bit.
"Ah ha! It said something like 'A crystal's light spreads far and wide, but only through the dark will it be your guide.' "
"Yeah, that was really helpful!" Spike said snarily. "That totally gives up what we need."
"It's the best we've got Spike. We might as well go with this." Twilight said. "Just let me think about this."
Twilight walked around, pondering. "A crystal's light spreads far and wide.' That seems obvious enough. "But only through the dark will it be your guide, Hmmm..."
"Well did you get anything, miss detective?" Night Fury asked.
"Maybe. This crystal tower is so bright. Maybe the amount of darkness could be the key. Maybe a very dark part of this building. Hmmm, Wait!"
Twilight then ran into the throne room and saw the unusually dark throne room of purple crystal like amethyst.
"Okay. So through the dark. Look at this crystal! It seems so dark unlike the rest of this area."
"Almost like it needs a light!" Twilight tried hitting with a ray of light. With all her power.
"Um Twilight, nothing's happening." Spike said matter of factly.
"Curses!" Twilight said in frustration I thought we finally had something.
"Wait," Night Fury said. "I was thinking what if we got it the other way around. The crystal doesn't need light. It already has that. But it won't be of any use unless it's in the dark."
"So do we have to wait until nighttime and maybe a gate will show up?" Spike asked.
"Hold on a second. Celestia showed us with one of the crystals some dark magic and it revealed a hologram. What if that would apply here. Let me try this." Twilight said using some shadowy dark magic.
And just like with Celestia's demonstration. The shadow magic caused a passage to open up in the middle of the floor. The three were quite surprised at this. But definitely with much relief.
"Oh my gosh, It's open!" Spike said.
"So what were you saying about what I said being pointless knowledge? Hmmm?" Fury asked with a smug grin.
"Okay okay, I was wrong. You win." Spike said, rolling his eyes. "I still am an expert on other stuff."
"Wow, I can't believe that work. Thank goodness for Celestia teaching me that spell," Twilight said. Moving on to reality she rallied the two.
"Okay, Night Fury. It's time for us to fulfill our test."
"Maybe this will be an easier test than we thought. Definitely funner than most tests," he said confidently.
"I disagree with what those things you said," she said unamused with his dismissal of tests. "But let's get down there. Spike, you stay here and keep watch."
"You sure the kid can't come with us?" Fury asked.
"It's our test, remember? It's our duty."
"It's fine, Fury." Spike said. "You two go on. Spike the Dragon will protect this place! It's a bigger challenge than going down those dark horrifying nightmarish stairs. Yep." Spike said, hiding his fear of the abyss.
"Good point. It's almost like one could be possessed by the evil king's spirit." Night Fury said. "Wait a second. I think I feel his presence! Oh no he got my paw! I'm transforming!!! Ahhhh!!!!"
Spike screamed.
"Gotcha" Night Fury teased.
Spike was a little annoyed at his little prank.
Twilight slapped Fury.
"Night Fury, this is no time for jokes. Stay focused."
"Ow. Okay, okay. I'm going." Night Fury rubbed his cheek. "But seriously Spike, we'll be alright."
"Okay good luck guys." Spike waved at them as they went. "I'll get you for that sometime, Night Fury, hmmph."
As the two went downstairs, it felt more and more like there was some evil living down there. Normally Fury would not be afraid of these dark places as he wandered many dark caves when he was a kid, contrary to the wishes of his mother. But even he had to admit this was quite unsettling.
They had finally reached the floor below. It was surprisingly empty save for one door.
"Hey Twi, look at this." Night Fury said, gesturing to an old looking door made of rotten wood and rusted bolts. "I think this may be our way up!"
"Let's hope so." Twilight said, approaching the door… which then moved.
"What the?" Twilight said.
"Ahhh!" Fury lunged at the door which also moved.
This door kept on moving and moving. The two were very unamused at playing this game.
"Alright that does it!" she used the shadow magic to keep it in place.
"Never had an inanimate play pranks on us." Fury joked.
Then the door opened revealing great light.
"Spike! I think we found the entrance!" Twilight said. "Okay Night Fury, ready to go inside?"
"Yep, just keep your eyes peeled for any traps."
As Fury entered the mysterious door, the light blinded him for some time. He kept on walking for a little bit and then the light finally wore off.
"What the…. Where in the world am I?"
He said as he looked at the vast expanse of a dense jungle filled with an assortment of ferns, moss, tall trees and vines. All complete with the sound of birds singing.
"I'm… back home? But how? Maybe that door was a portal of some sort." he was definitely confused. "What do you think Twi? Got any ideas? …Twi?"
He noticed she was not there. He was by himself.
"Twilight!" He cried out.
"Dang it. I'm going to have to find her now."
He walked through the vegetation of the jungle. Luckily it seemed to be sunny enough for him to see. He wants to get to a higher elevation on a rock overhang to get a better view of where he was.
As he was approaching, he heard something. A low chuckle filling the usual peaceful air.
Night Fury extended his claws, ready for a possible fight.
"Who's there?!" He called out, no answer coming in return.
"Spike, if you're trying to get me back for scaring you, now is not the time." He called out, hoping to hear the voice of the small dragon say, "okay, you got me" and call off this weird prank. But only when the forest around him got covered in thick black smoke and everything went silent as if his ears had been plugged, he began to think that this was more than just a prank.
"Whoever this is, you'd better come out and I promise I won't bite your leg off!" He cried out getting ready for whoever this was.
Then from the smoke approached someone, him coming out of the smoke.
"Hello there, Night Fury."
Night Fury gasped. He recognized who this was. It was…
"Mom?" He was completely surprised. "You're alive!?"
He was so surprised that he had tears of joy coming out. He could finally see his mother. Her black fur blended in with the darkness, but her white paws, muzzle and tail tip were very noticeable amongst the black fog. Her blue eyes shining bright as they lovingly peered into his own, she was clearly happy to see him alive and well.
While Fury's father taught him how to fight and how to wander around, his mother taught him kindness, morals and love. Whenever he and his dad got back from a long day of hunting or trekking, he could always come back to see her delightful smile preparing some nice fish tacos and fried salmon.
"Of course I am, sweetie. And your father's here too." Just then, his father, looking more so like him than his mother, appeared out of the smoke.
"Hello son." He said softly, wrapping a paw around his wife.
"I-I can't believe it! I thought you two had been killed off or something, you completely disappeared out of nowhere."
"Well it was tough, but me and your mother are a tougher bunch." He said with a calm but proud look. "We hid in the caves for days with nothing but bats to keep us satisfied."
"It was so cold and hard, but we made it out in one piece. And we finally made it back to our village!" his beautiful and kind mother said.
"Do not worry, we will deal with those raider scum later on. But until then…" He gave a friendly punch to his son's shoulder. "My boy, now that we are reunited this calls for a feast! We will have the greatest festival in all the generations of our Tribe!"
"I would love that but can we talk first about everything that has happened. So much has been going on-"
"Now honey, there is a time and place for recollecting our past but now is not the time. It is time to have a great party. I just hope you won't have another fight with one of the warriors this time." She looked annoyed knowing her husband liked to have some rough brawls.
"Oh come on. It's all in good fun. Ha ha ha ha!" He gave a loud cheerful laugh.
Night Fury didn't care what happened. He just wants to spend time with his parents again. Tell them about the years he lost not seeing their faces.
Part of him did wonder why they seemed so eager to party at this point. It almost felt like they were too happy not in a tearful way but just to have fun which he liked but he always thought his mother and even his tough father would be bawling tears of joy. This almost felt too good to be true…
Aw come on I'm thinking too far into it. I should be thankful I even am seeing them now.
"Alright you guys! Be warned though. I might just eat all your food when you aren't looking!" He laughed.
"We'll see about that boy!" His father laughed.
After a few minutes of walking they finally made it to the village. And there he saw all the Speed Shifters he once met.
"Everybody Night Fury is back!" His father called out to everyone. It was so nice seeing all his old friends and neighbors from the old blacksmith, to the shaman. "We will have a great feast!"
"Huzzah!"
Strangely enough, everyone seemed to already have had everything prepared. They had piñatas, dances and delicious food.
Night Fury partook in the delicious food. He literally ate like an animal. Everyone sang folk songs telling of their village's great deeds. It was so fun.
And then Night Fury's father called everyone to silence.
"May I have everyone's attention? Thank you. This party has been so much fun. And it is all dedicated to our boy, Night Fury."
Night Fury almost felt like blushing at this.
"We are glad he is back after all this time! …Even if he did fail that one time." He said with a bitter laugh.
Everyone laughed at that.
Night Fury felt embarrassed about that.
"Aw come on dad." He said lightheartedly.
"Now everyone, I am not finished yet. It is nice for him that he survived even after failing to save everyone he could have. Even if he managed to overcome his weakness, we would still end up having him fail us all." He said maliciously.
"Wait what?" This did not go as he thought it would. "Dad I'm-I'm sorry I tried my hardest you know that… If I could just take it and do better I would have…"
"Well you didn't son!" His father stomped on the table. "After everything I tried to teach you, trying to cure you of all your crying and your cowardice, you still managed to fail!"
He realized this party was not supposed to celebrate him. It was meant to humiliate him. He looked at his mother for some comfort but she gave a cold stare.
"Your father's right son," she said with no remorse. "I was hoping I would raise a true Speed Shifter, and all I gave birth to was a disgrace like you! I am ashamed to call you my son!" She screamed at him. "We survived despite your efforts boy! If you had been strong you could have saved us!"
"But I saw your corpses! I didn't know…."
"Perhaps it's because you ran away like the baby you always were. Even though I always told you to fight."
At this point Night Fury was in tears. And then his father changed his expression from rage to happiness. But a very strange form of happiness.
"I apologize for talking so much. Because we are delaying the whole point of this festival. Your banishment!"
"Wait what!? No! Please! I'll do better next time!"
"Everybody let's give this baby a warm farewell!" His father yelled out.
Then everyone lunged at him. Tying him up and putting him on a pole. Then they proceeded to put honey on him followed by some bird feathers.
"Ha ha ha ha! Now you look more like your true form! A complete joke!" said one of the villagers and they proceeded to march out of the village. While they were marching they threw rotten fruits at him.
"This can't be. I'm sorry for being weak. I'm sorry!" he said as he was paraded in humiliation. "I'm sorry! I'm-"
"Night Fury! Snap out of it!"
"Wait, who's saying that?" He wondered amidst the crowd of mockery.
"Night Fury!"
All of a sudden everything changed around him. He saw everyone and the village turn to smoke. He wasn't tied up anymore. He found himself lying on the ground. And his eyes finally focused he realized Twilight was also with him and he was facing Spike.
"Wha… What happened?"
"You were going crazy! Your eyes were all green and weird, you were calling out to your mom and dad, and you were squirming on the floor like you were having a seizure." Spike listed off.
Night Fury looked around and saw the door again with Twilight standing next to it, it was closed again. Night Fury was confused as to how he went through the door, yet never moved from that spot. Before he could ask any other questions, the lavender unicorn spoke up.
"It was King Sombra's dark magic, he feeds off of other ponies' fears and hate. You never moved from that spot, you were just tricked into thinking you went through the door. It's a gateway that leads to your greatest fear."
"It-it was?" Night Fury said with more vulnerability than he ever showed before.
"I went in there and I uncovered my worst fear. My fear of disappointing Celestia." Twilight said.
"And my fear. Failing Twilight Sparkle." he said with some tears.
"But it's all lies. Nothing but our fears. That's all it was." Twilight said determined even if part of her was still traumatized by that vision.
"Is it okay if you tell us what you saw?" Spike asked.
"I don't want to talk about it." Night Fury replied in a cold voice. Night Fury, while being very happy most of the time, was also a person who kept things to himself. He never liked to talk about his true fears and only occasionally spilled out his secrets.
"C'mon Night Fury, you can tell us."
"I SAID I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT IT!!!" Night Fury thundered, his voice echoing around the dark well. Twilight and Spike covered their ears, his loud outburst shocking them to the core. Night Fury stood up and stared at the floor, the shadows blocking out his eyes as he spoke firmly.
"What you two may have seen is nothing compared to what I saw. You may have seen something that you can control, but what I saw, I can't control." He said, his voice cold as ice. "This so-called 'King Sombra' has no idea what he has done. He just bought himself a one way ticket to Tartarus, and that price is DEATH."
Twilight and Spike's eyes widened in shock at Night Fury's declaration, they would have never have imagined that him, Night Fury, the one that made jokes and messed around as if he was no older than a colt, the one who had gotten along with everyone he had met up to this point, the one who managed to get esteemed royalty to start pulling pranks and be overall silly, was making a death threat.
Spike was pretty angry how Night Fury implied he was in more pain than Spike. How could he have known whether it was so or not? He was just trying to help him! He was going to give Fury a piece of his mind.
Twilight stopped him. "Spike let me handle this."
"But he was being rude…"
"Shhhh, take a deep breath like Cadence said."
They did so. And Spike still felt annoyed but calmer.
"I'll take care of this. Our goal is to solve problems, not get into fights after all." Twilight stated. Spike reluctantly agreed.
Twilight came up to the traumatized feline and put a hoof over his shoulder.
"Night Fury, you don't have to tell us what happened. But I want you to know, no matter what happens, we'll be there by your side." Twilight comforted him. "We can get through this together.
Night Fury said nothing for a little while and then he finally said something. "Thanks," he said softly.
"But I need you to stay focused, Fury. It will do us no good if you go on a rampage and fall into one of Sombra's traps." Twilight said firmly. "Use that anger in productive ways like planning and being cunning. Sombra will use any advantage to defeat us."
"I promise I won't let him defeat me. I promise I will defeat that horrible entity-"
"And you'll make sure you won't do anything crazy, do you understand?" Twilight said firmly.
"I… Yes I will be careful." he conceded. Even though deep down he feels like he wants to go all out. He doesn't want to think it through. He simply wants to get it over with and show Sombra never to mess with him. But he will try to abide by her instructions as much as he can.
"Good." Twilight said. "And I think you owe a certain dragon an apology."
Spike looked at him with crossed arms.
"I'm sorry, Spike. I know you were just trying to help me. This is just a tricky topic for me. Maybe I'll see you one day but right now is not the time." He said. "And thanks, for getting me out of that memory. I don't know what my mind would have been like if I had been there any longer."
"It's alright. I know this must be tough." Spike said. "But on the bright side we can kick that big old unicorn jerk's butt for this! We won't let him get into the Crystal Empire without a fight!"
Then Night Fury smiled with confidence.
"You're right, kid. I might have failed once but I'll show that shadowy monster that you do not mess with me or my friends and use my memories against me and expect to get away with it! Sombra you better be ready!" He screamed out this time not with helplessness but with confidence.
"Oh yeah! Let's get him!" Spike said loudly.
Sigh, boys. She rolled her eyes at their yells but with a smile. She knew Sombra had not succeeded in sending them to despair and she was not going to let it happen again.
After the two yelled their warcries (well Spike tried to make a warcry), Twilight brought them back to reality.
"Alright guys, we still need to find a way to the top of the tower. Let's see." Twilight charged up her horn and blasted the crystal above the door, rainbow light shooting around the dark pit before the door opened to reveal the stairwell to the top of the tower. The three friends walked through the door and we're finally out of the dark dungeon.
"That's better." Twilight said.
"Oh wow. Finally it's bright again! Finally out of the dark!" Spike said with confidence.
"Yeah but, I think you should look up." Fury pointed up to where there was now a tower and a bunch of stairs to climb.
"Huh, this mission just doesn't get any easier…"
"Yeah." Night Fury agreed, downtrodden.
"Well we won't get anywhere down here! Come on boys, let's get up there!" Twilight said, climbing up.
Night Fury and Spike both went up too.
"Uh, Night Fury?"
"Yeah?"
"I was wondering would it be okay to uh ride you?" he asked awkwardly.
"Do I look like a mule to you?" he raised his eyebrow.
"Uh well. No? I well… Um."
"Come on Spike! I'm just messing with you! Get on up!" He said with a laugh.
"Oh yeah! Now I look like a knight!" Spike said triumphantly. "Onwards! To victory!"
The two both ran up the stairs.
And then walked quickly.
And then walked.
And then crawled as it was so tiring to get up.
"This was not as fun as I thought it was going to be." Spike said snarky. "I thought you were supposed to be filled with stamina.
"Hey even Speed Shifters have their limits Spike." He said matter of factly.
"Hey, are you two still down there!" Twilight cried out.
"Yeah we are!" The two yelled out.
"Good. Don't worry just keep on going we're um uh getting close…er?" Twilight said, trying to keep some level of confidence going.
"Oh, who are we kidding, this is gonna take forever! Who knows how long this'll take." Night Fury complained, struggling to keep pace. Twilight put a hoof to her chin to come up with a plan.
"Hmmm, Fury, can you still use your speed?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, but I've never used it in such a tight space!" He cried out.
"That's fine we can just walk normally and try to keep… walking…"
ROARRRRR!!!
They heard the voice of Sombra; they knew they had to get up quickly or else the Crystal Empire would be destroyed.
Then Night Fury all of a sudden felt an urge. He couldn't let a bunch of stairs stop him. He knows he can try to go up quickly even if it wasn't that hard.
Night Fury and Spike ran to Twilight a few steps. "Twilight you need to hang onto me!"
"Wait what? I thought you said this would be too dangerous."
"It could be, but I know I have been through some rough turns and I have experience and we have no time to stay down here. I need Spike to go on Twilight and for you Twilight to go on me?"
"Are you sure about this?" Twilight inquired
"Would you rather walk the endless stairs?"
" *Sigh* no."
"Then get on me. And prepare for the ride of your lives." He said with confidence.
As Twilight went on. She was surprised how strong he was. But she did wonder if the speed would hurt them.
"This won't do anything to damage us right?" Spike asked.
"Don't worry guys, you will be completely normal. Well, except you will probably vomit from all this speed."
"That's fine… Wait whaaaa…"
Boom
Twilight used a barrier to keep Fury on the stairs and not accidentally slip off. And for Fury he ran like all Tartarus was loose. He ran and ran and ran.
Twilight and Spike were not so much amused but Fury was having the time of his life
"Thanks for suggesting this Twilight! I feel so alive!"
"You're… welcome…" Twilight felt like she wasn't even a physical being anymore.
The trio finally made it up the stairs. Fury went so fast up the stairs he launched himself a bit into the sky. And then he finally went down.
"We finally made it guys!" Fury proclaimed. "Uh guys?"
Twilight and Spike didn't respond; they were just trying to find a place to let it all out. They did.
"Wasn't that fun, guys?!" He said with excitement.
"Yeah, really fun. Maybe you could have given us more time to prepare so we could have a little less fun." Spike said sarcastically. "I just had a gem enchilada today!"
"Wow you guys are lightweights, but you'll get used to it someday." Fury said.
Twilight and Spike both groaned.
"By the way didn't you say you had a limit on magic?" Twilight asked.
"Well if it's just running on stairs then it's easier. Especially on those crystal steps. It gets harder if there are obstacles in my way. Or if I have to make unpredictable moves. And overall this was a fairly short amount of time compared to what is expected in battle where you spend a lot more energy. I only used 20 percent for that one." Fury clarified. "Oh yeah and your magic really helped me to conserve my speed and stay focused and not have to stress myself worrying about accidentally slipping. Honestly with unicorn magic I can reach the full potential of a Speed Shifter."
But everyone cut the banter when they finally saw it. The Crystal Heart. It glistened as it floated in mid air, the priceless artifact looking like nothing any of them had ever seen.
"Wow, it looks beautiful." It's like Celestia said." Twilight uttered in awe.
"Yeah, no wonder why the Crystal Empire was the stuff of legends in my village."
Twilight walked to get it. They were almost there. But then Fury noticed something felt strange about this. He even noticed the floor was an unusual color. "Wait Twilight!" It was too late. For they heard an alarm.
They were shocked and crystals came all around Twilight. She fell right into a trap.
She heard an evil laugh from a distance.
"Sombra…" Night Fury's eyes focused ready to fight.
"Oh no. The sky is already dark. Is it too late?!" Twilight asked.
Meanwhile King Sombra was finally ready to put into motion his evil dreams once and for all. The three heroes must now face King Sombra.
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How many chapters long will this story be?
11054640
I'm going all the way to the season 9 finale, so this is gonna be a long one!
Speed
Spike the Dragon knight and Nightfury his Speedy Companion and mighty steed
🤝