By day Fret Shredder is a famous rock star but by night he is the Nightfury. Haunted by his past Fret and his trusted friends must right wrongs and defend the streets of Manehatten and if he's lucky fulfill a promise of one long past
"Never back down, never give up. Through ice and rain all the same. Protect this city and all that live within. Fight to the end always finish the mission. No matter the odds no matter who or why. Crime doesn't back down and neither do I"
That is the vow that rock star by day crime fighter by night Fret Shredder made when he dawned the costume fifteen years ago as the Nightfury.
Fret, unlike many heroes, isn't alone in his crusade. With the back up of his bandmates as his technical and strategic support Fret rocks out until the sun goes down and he dawns the mask once more
And yet as every famous superhero does, Nightfury has a troubled past that has led to his dawning of the costume...but what could possibly cause a famous Rock Star that was on top of the world to lead a double life as a masked vigilante? Well read on and find out the story of the Nightfury!
Little update! for those poking around from the Deadpool fic, or you just stumbled across this fic, or the fat chance that you are a long time fan, I've decided to put this on hiatus until I get to a stopping point in DPEQGA. I will not be abandoning this fic, as it is my baby that I put way too many hours into to toss out and forget.
Manehatten. To the regular citizen of Equestria it is a bustling city filled with tall buildings and busy ponies leading even busier lives but to a select few it is known by other more sinister qualities. Underground crime networks, drug cartels, rival gangs, and the griffin mafia plague Manehatten’s streets
But there is one name that strikes fear in the heart of every criminal, thug, thief, and mobster in the city of Manehatten:
Nightfury.
That is who I am and that is who I have been for the past fifteen years of my life
Unfortunately, being the nightly savior of the city of Manehatten doesn’t pay the bills (in fact it is actually pretty costly) so by day I fall back on my other passion: Music.
By night I am Nightfury, hero of Manehatten, but by day I am Fret Shredder, Rock star lead singer of the uber-famous band Phoenix Rising known most famously for our hit single "Rainboom of the Heart"
I looked on to the city one last time before turning in from my nightly patrols, flying silently through Luna’s night as I reached the rendezvous point outside an alley I noticed a white coated unicorn mare with a long pink mane and tail and a bass clef cutie mark wearing a black jacket and glasses waiting for me
“Violet, What have I told you about waiting at the rendezvous point for me?” I asked
“Oh shut up Fret. Let’s just get back to base.” She said before teleporting us both back to our base of operations
This was Violet. Violet Bass. She was the Bass guitarist of our band and more importantly was my technical advisor for my Nightfury persona. She always created the best gadgets and doohickeys that I could never begin to understand. Despite being a bit of a know it all and all around nerd she was pretty cool . she was born and raised in Canterlot and went to Manehatten university to get a degree in technology which is where I met her
“So how’d the new night vision specs I designed work out?” Asked Violet
“Pretty good actually. I’m just glad they didn't blow up in my face like during the test run” I said
“Hey that was one time!” she snorted angerly as we met up with yet another one of my band members
“Well if it isn't Miss techno-whatsit and big hero boy” said the rusty orange stallion in his signature gruff country accent
“Hey Drumroll” We replied
This is Drumroll. He’s a rusty orange earth stallion with brown slicked back mane and tail his mane featuring green streaks in it. His cutie mark was that of a snare drum being played by two drumsticks. Two other notable features were his thick brown handlebar mustache and his brown Stetson he calls “Bessie” He is of course our drummer and is Nightfury’s personal trainer but more importantly he was my best friend since college. We met when in music theory one day and hit it off and have been bros ever since.
“So are y’all dating each other or what?” asked my country brother
“NO! Violet and I are NOT dating! No matter what the tabloids say I will never date her! She is just a friend! Sheesh” I yelled
“Aaaand friend-zoned.” Muttered Violet as we entered the main hall of our headquarters and saw the final two members of my crew
“So did you beat up some thugs?” asked a white unicorn mare with a spikey electric blue mane who wore purple shades and sported a pair of quarter notes as a cutie mark
This was Vinyl Scratch or as you may know her DJ PON-3. She’s my cousin and my band’s eccentric manager. To say she was abnormal would be an understatement I mean the mare owns a Bass Cannon and rips on famous ponies on live radio but I still love her she became our manager after she discovered us during her college years at West Manehatten University, the sister school of Manehatten U., Where she met her marefriend Octavia (She still writes to the psychology teacher there) not that I judge her for liking mares I mean I still read Power Ponies so who am I to judge
“Didn't have to use any of the escape routes I planned for ya did ya kid?” asked an older yellow pegasus who had a long spikey black and blue mane and wore black shades and a green flat cap and sported an electric guitar crossing a lightning bolt as a cutie mark
And finally we have Power Chord. He’s our band’s lead guitarist and Nightfury’s strategist. He’s me Blood Brother, my mentor, and probably the closest thing to a dad I ever had. I met him when I was 6 years old. He was my first music teacher before the accident so when I started getting my band together I knew exactly who I wanted on lead guitar. Sure he was fifteen years older than us but who cared he knew how to rock
“No Pops not today and no Cuz I didn't get to beat up anypony in fact I nearly got caught by old Cold Case again” I said
I trotted off to my room and closed the door before I looked out of my window and remembered a promise I once made to somepony close
“Someday Blazewing….Someday I’ll find a way to fulfill my promise and she’ll have a family again” I said
I then finally got a chance to take off my costume. The whole thing was dark blue with purple legs and a black mask finally featuring an emblem of a pegasi’s wings spread and a head shifted to the side finally coming to a point at the bottom emblazoned in black across the chest of the costume.
I finally got the darn thing off revealing my sky blue coat and messy brown mane with its one large red stripe in it while my tail was pure brown. My cutie mark was an acoustic guitar on top of crossed drum sticks signifying I was talented in music. Finally it revealed my unusual golden eyes. They got quite a bit of stares back in the day but I got used to it
I laid to bed wondering what tomorrow would bring as I drifted off to sleep
I walked on the the stage and looked out upon the thousands of screaming fans that filled the Manehatten arena in the setting sun. I smiled and quickly grabbed the mic
"ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!" I yelled
The crowd cheered loudly and I took it as a yes
"Alright folks this ones an oldie but a goodie so get ready cause Here I go again"
I then slipped into a higher octave before belting out
Here I gooooooo
Power Chord then rocked out to his solo masterfully hitting every note with precision and heart before turning it over to me
And I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time
And here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter I was born to trot alone
'Cos I know what it means
To trot along the lonely street of dreams
And here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter I was born to trot alone
And I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time
But, here I go again
Here I go again
Here I go again
Here I go
Here I go again...
As the song faded away I felt a buzzer go off and I turned and nodded to Violet before twirling in the air and disappearing before reappearing in my headquarters along side the others
"What do we got this time guys?" I asked trotting towards my costume
"looks like a mob attack on the corner of 7th avenue and 14th street" said Violet looking on to our main computer
"Let's just hope old Cold Case doesn't get there first" said Drumroll
"Alright kid this is a recon and investigation mission. Just get in there find your clues and get out before the cops get there. Got it?" asked Power Chord
" I got it Pops see you in a flash" I said as I flew out the hole in the ceiling and towards my target
'See you in a flash? Seriously? Geez I really need a new catchphrase' I thought as I came up at my target
I landed and quickly realized what had happened here. It was a drive by shooting using magipistols. I could smell it in the air. The residue of magic lingered as I searched the crime scene. Suddenly I noticed something. It was a large dark brown feather, much too big to belong to a pony. I put in a bag before continuing my search. Minutes later after finding a few hoof prints I heard the sound of sirens
"Well I guess that 's my cue to leave" I said before taking off and heading back towards headquarters
Meanwhile Detective Cold Case arrives at the scene
He was a semi buff grey unicorn who sported a very fancy looking blonde mane and tail with an magnifying glass for a cutie mark
"Begin your search men and if you find any sign of that vigilante Nightfury I want you to report straight to me!" he yelled
"I will find out who is behind that mask and he will pay for what he did " whispered Cold Case
Back with me I entered the headquarters
"I'm back!" I yelled
"Good. What'd ya find?" Asked Violet
" Not much. Just a few hoof prints and this feather. Couldn't really do an extensive search before Coldy's boys got on me" I said
"Well let's have a look" she said before she took my evidence and ran it through a large machine
"Hey where's Vinyl? I haven't seen her all day." I asked
"She and her marefriend Octavia were going to the Grand Galloping Gala tonight" Explained Violet
"And why weren't we invited to the triple G?" I asked
"Cause the canterlot snobs hate our music" commented Drumroll
The machine made several noises before a bunch of stuff showed up on screen
"Oh no" muttered Violet
"What is it?" I asked
"While the hoof prints are the victims the feather is........Iron Claw's" Explained Violet
"Iron Claw....*Sigh*"
*16 years earlier*
(Blazewing's POV)
I trotted down the last of the Manehatten streets I had to patrol for the night when suddenly...
"Well if it isn't our boy Blazewing! You ready to pay up?" asked the large griffin
"Look Iron Claw, I told you I'd pay next week"
"Ya know what Blaze I'll cut ya a deal if you can pay within the next five seconds I won't have my boys shoot you into a thing of swiss cheese"
"But-"
"5"
"Please!"
"4"
"No!"
"3"
"Goodbye Blitzy" I cried
"2"
I closed my eyes "I Love you baby girl"
"1"
(Fret Shredder's POV)
"Are you sure it's him?" I asked
"Positive. One hundred percent DNA match" replied Violet
"So who is this Iron Claw guy anyway?" asked Vinyl having returned from the gala
Violet began typing away at the main computer before pulling up a file on the screen
"Iron Claw Blackfeather Height: 5 hoof 7 Weight: 281 pounds Crimes: theft, arson, organization of illegal acts, bribery, and murder" read Violet off of the police file
"The guy is the biggest mob boss in Manehatten and is known for being willing to get his talons dirty" commented Drumroll
"But he's more than that to you isn't he kid?" asked Power Chord
"Yeah. He killed my brother..." I said
Meanwhile at the Manehatten Police Department Cold Case was once again furious. He had developed a bit of a reputation with his co-workers who had dubbed him 'nut case' despite him being far from crazy. He was, at least in his mind, determined. Determined to discover the identity of the Nightfury and he had good reason to be,
15 years earlier...
My buddy Fret and I were playing beer pong in my parent's basement when all of a sudden I smelled smoke. We both rushed upstairs and found that the whole house was ablaze. We quickly got out through the basement fire escape and got away from the fire into the rain when I noticed my parents were still inside the blazing inferno
I tried to run in before my friend held me back "Don't you dare try to be a hero. Leave it to the professionals."
"Yeah like that new guy Nightfury! He'll save them!" yelled a neighbor
"Yeah. the Nightfury" said Fret guiltily
He never came.
By the time the Fire department arrived the rain had extinguished the flames and my parents were dead
The Nightfury could have saved them but never came. My parents burned to death and it's all his fault.
I knew from that point on I had to find out who the Nightfury really was
"He killed Blazewing?!" asked Vinyl
"Less killed more organized his murder" said Violet
"It's still his fault he's dead" I said angerly
All of a sudden alarms started going off on our systems sending everyone into prep mode
"Smuggling operation at pier twenty five. Magi arms and ordinance it seems to be. At least fifteen guards." said Violet relaying the info off the screen
"Armed?" I asked
"As usual" She replied
"Of course" I said rolling my eyes as I dawned my Magi proof suit
"Don't forget your training kid" said Power Chord
"How in Tartarus am I supposed to forget you throwing wrenches at me?!" I asked recalling a particularly outrageous training session
"Hey ya had to learn how to dodge somehow" he replied
I grumbled and turned to Drumroll
"Don't get cocky out there bro" said Drumroll
"Aw shut up" I said turning my back to him as he did the same
"Loser" I whispered
"Jerk" He mumbled
We both whipped around to face each other once more before yelling "WHAT'D YOU SAY?!"
We stared each other down for about a minute before bursting out laughing
"ugh Why do I hang out with you morons?" Asked Violet head down and face in hoof
"Because we're family that's why" said Power Chord
"Hey I'm not a moron." I said "Drum-ass here is a moron" I said pointing towards Drumroll "I'm awesome" I said before taking off
"Ya know he's been using that same insult on me for twenty years and it's still lame as Tartarus" said Drumroll
I landed in an alleyway just outside the pier and scanned my the guards. There were two guards resting next to each other with a sentry in front of them. I quickly began to formulate a plan
'First eliminate slackers then using magitaser, take down sentry. Next kill lights and separate and eliminate the remaining guards'
I stealthily snuck up to the two napping guards and using a technique I learned while on a world tour in Neighpan in which you hit certain pressure points on the neck, I knocked them both out. The sentry noticed but before he could do anything he was stunned by my magitaser.
"Hey! It's that Nightfury guy! Let's get him!" I heard only to see five more guards coming at me
'Shit. Well there goes the element of surprise' I thought
The first griffin charged me talons barred but I simply flipped over him grabbing him by the shoulders and flipping him onto his head knocking him out before doing a forehoof stand spin kick taking out two more guards before taking off into the night to conceal myself.
"Where'd he go?" asked one of the two remaining guards
"I don't know Blackhawk but we're gonna find him and....Blackhawk?" asked the griffin's partner before getting knocked out by a blow to the back of the head
"Eight down six to go" I said spotting a warehouse with lights on
I went in to investigate and found exactly what I suspected would be there. Six guards three of them playing cards, another two sentries, and a final griffin guarding the back entrance.
I quietly snuck in behind some crates likely filled with weapons
"Right now seems like the perfect time to try out Violet and Vinyl's newest creation" I whispered pulling out a small black box before pushing a button on it and throwing it in the middle of the three card players. they looked at it in confusion before it finally went off sending a shockwave of pure bass out blowing the three away and knocking them out.
I retrieved the device thinking ' Gotta love that Dubstep Grenade' this obviously alerted to two sentries as they pulled out their weapons They began to fire at me but I evaded by flying into the rafters of the warehouse. I then flew down in front of one of the sentries before he pulled out a double barrel magi-shotgun and stuck it in my face
"You're dead meat chicken" said the shotgun wielding griffin
If there is one thing you do not ever call a pegasus it's a chicken
I narrowed my eyes and said "You wish" of coarse using a magical voice changer to conceal my identity giving me a voice that sounded like that of a grizzled stealth soldier before knocking away the gun and bucking the griffin into a bunch of crates causing him to crash through them.
I then flew up and did a flying dropkick knocking out the other sentry. I then turned to see the final guard making a break for it and I immediately gave chase
'Geez, all this flying around reminds me of my days in flight camp and my old friend Dashie. I wonder how she's doing these days....to bad I can't visit her' I thought as I threw a bolo that wrapped around the escaping griffin's limbs
I flew up to the tied up griffin and brought his beak up to my snout
"I'll let you go as long as you deliver a message to your boss" I said in my low grizzled voice
"And what's the message?" asked the griffin
"Meet me on top of the Lunar apartment complex tomorrow at Three A.M."
"And if I don't?" He asked
"Then I'll just leave you tied up and call the cops...besides it's not like you have a choice" I said smirking
"What do you mean I don't have a choice?" asked the griffin worryingly
"You see if you withheld such an important message from the boss and he found out he would probably kill you so if I were you I'd deliver the message for your own good" I said
He groaned and nodded
I untied him and he took off knowing that if he didn't deliver the message he would most likely be killed
I then trotted up to a pay phone and dialed a certain number
"Detective Cold Case's office. Cold Case speaking" answered the detective
"Pier Twenty Five, fourteen griffin mobsters, Smuggling operation of Magi arms and ordinance" I said in my low magically altered voice
"Nightfury?! Celestia damn you! I'll find you you vigilante menace! I'll find you!" I heard Coldy scream over the phone as I took off back to HQ leaving the phone hanging
I flew in to the headquarters through the hole in the ceiling of the main room. The Headquarters was fairly simple consisting of a main room containing our main computer that's many smaller screens took up most of one of the walls and they only surrounded a much larger main screen. The main room also house my costume and many extra suits such as a heated suit and a magi proof suit.
Aside from the main room there were six hallways that each led out of the main room to a different room. The first hallway leads to the library in which thousands of books along with police files and records in case we need to study up on our enemy. The second leads to the gym where all of my training is done. It houses a full size swimming pool, an open flight dome, a hoof boxing ring, a weight side room, and a track. After the Gym the third hallway leads to the laboratory which was used by Violet mostly to examine evidence, build gadgets, and do sciencey things that I hardly understood. Next the fourth hallway leads to the arsenal room that held all the gadgets and weapons that I used. It also held a firing range and combat side room that allowed the team to test all the equipment that I used in the field. The fifth hallway leads to our personal recording studio which, while serving no purpose to Nightfury, also serves as the base's bunker and has a security lock down mode which turns it into an impenetrable fortress in the event that the HQ gets broken into. This lock down feature also closes off each and every room and hallway and is only override-able by the crew themselves. The sixth and final hallway leads to an elevator that connects the base to our mansion which is hidden on the upstairs by a large statue
"So how'd it go?" asked Vinyl
"Good.....hey don't you have some music store you need to be running in Ponyville?" I asked
Vinyl squirmed in her chair before falling out of it "Oh crap! You're right! Well gotta go!"
"I gotta get to work on those instruments back home anyways" I heard my eccentric cousin say as she entered the elevator
"So really how'd it go kid?" asked Power Chord
"As well as it could have gone I guess. The operation was taken down, the goons knocked out and the cops called." I explained
"But that's not it is it?" asked Violet "It's never that simple when it comes to you"
"Course that's not it." I said " I left one guy free"
"And you think I'm the dumbass?! Why in Tartarus would you do that?" asked Drumroll
I stood atop the Lunar Apartment complex hiding in the shadows as I awaited my enemy until suddenly
"Alright Nightfury come out! I know yer here so why don't you just show yourself already" proclaimed a large griffin
"Indeed I am here Iron Claw so why don't we get down to business." I said stepping out of the shadows "I see your goon delivered the message. A good thing, now I won't have to deliver it myself"
"We both know what would have happened to Gilbert if he withheld information such as that" said Iron Claw in a thick Manehatten accent
Iron Claw was a large griffin as in larger than usual weighing in at 281 pounds and while he did look a bit heavy set he was actually mostly muscle. He was a northern mountain griffin unlike most of his henchgriffins who were regular Griffin Kingdom griffins. His color scheme was also different from normal griffins him having black feathers instead of brown and his lion half was white instead of the usual golden. Even his wingtips were unusual being lined with grey feathers him being a particularly older griffin at the age of 47 but his most distinguishing feature is probably the one that he's named after: His claws. His claws were in fact made of enchanted pieces of iron that are specially designed to never rust, bend, break, or dull as I've experienced through my years of defending this city despite this being the first time I've ever actually met Iron Claw face to face. How and why he got the claws is a mystery even to me stories about it ranging from him losing his original claws during one of the Griffin Kingdom's many wars to him losing them during a fight with a dragon, both of which I know not to be true.
"So what is it you so urgently needed to see me for boy?" asked Iron Claw
"A few things actually." I said "First off there's somepony I want you to promise to keep out of this"
"And what do you mean by this?" asked the mob boss
"I mean our struggle." I said
"Alright then. Name your pony." Iron Claw replied
"Detective Cold Case. I want you to promise to leave him out of this"
"Ole' Nut Case? Fine. I'll leave him be." said the mobster
"Promise?" I asked
"I swear on the family's honor that that nutty detective won't be harmed" swore the griffin of course with his digits crossed behind his back
"Good." I said before flying up to the mobster "And if you dare breaking your promise I will find you and I will hurt you"
"Is that a threat?" asked Iron Claw
"No. It's a guarantee." I replied darkly
Iron Claw then pulled out a cigar and lit it before asking "Why do you care about some dumb detective?"
I paused for a moment before answering "Let's just say he's an old friend"
"Alright now let me ask you something boy. Why are you doing this?" asked Iron Claw taking another puff of his cigar
"What do you mean?" I asked
" I mean why are you flying around this city dressed up like somepony on Nightmare Night risking yer life for no reason" said the mobster
"Oh I have my reasons besides what do you think I should be doing instead? " I asked
"With your skills I'd probably have you working for me as a hitpony" said Iron Claw
"I would never work for you Iron Claw" I said
Iron Claw turned to leave before I yelled "Hey! I'm not done here!"
"You may not be boy but I am" proclaimed the griffin
"Fine but one more question before you leave" I said
"Fine but make it quick boy" said the mobster
"Who do you work for?" I asked
"Who do I work for? What kind of question is that?! I don't work for nobody. I mean sure I got my pals in the mob like Blackbeak and Garret but other than that I.... oh you little!" He flew off as he realized what had happened and I just smirked under my mask knowing I had gotten all the info I needed.
I was about to fly off back to HQ when I heard a howl come from an alley. I flew down to see a couple of dogs surrounding what I could only make out as an injured animal. I chased away the dogs only to reveal a small wolf that appeared to have a broken front limb. I approached the poor thing and it jumped back whimpering in pain
I took off my mask and tried again to approach it "Hey there little guy don't worry I'm not going to hurt you"
The wolf just looked at me before all of sudden it howled at the moon and for some strange reason I was compelled to do the same
The wolf then looked at me and finally allowed me to approach it. The moment I reached it it of coarse began licking my face
"Alright alright stop it. Hey, would you like to come home with me?" I asked the wolf's ears perking up at this and it's tail beginning to wag back and forth signifying that it obviously wanted to
"Alright then get on my back and we'll get you home" I said a little exited having never had a pet before
The wolf hopped on my back and we took off my flying extra carefully in order to keep the little guy on my back
I finally arrived back at the mansion and the moment I enter the main room everyone gave me a weird look
"Ummm Fret why the tartarus do you have a wolf on your back?" asked Violet speaking up first
" I found the poor thing in an alley being attacked by some other dogs. The little guy really seems to like me so I decided screw it I'm taking it home" I explained
"So basically we have a pet wolf now....Yeah I can get down with that" said Drumroll
"What are you gonna name it kid?" asked Power Chord
"Well from what I can tell from the way here the little guy's a boy so.....Balto?" I said
"Balto sounds about right. heh it's about time we got ourselves a mascot." said Violet
It was just then that Vinyl and her marefriend Octavia walked in Octavia knowing full well of my secret Identity
"Hey everypony!" Yelled Vinyl obviously having just got back from some sort of concert
"Vinyl just because you just got back from a rock concert doesn't mean you have to be obnoxious" quipped Octavia
"Oh don't worry sis we're used to it by now" said Violet
"Hold on SIS?! as in SISTER?" yelled both me and Vinyl
"Yeah Octy is my sister. Haven't I ever told you that?" asked Violet
"Umm no. In the seventeen years that I've known you you have never mentioned fact that you have a sister" I stated
"Yeah what the tartarus Octy! In the fifteen years that I've known you we've been friends, besties, marefriends, lovers, and even co-workers yet you never mention you have a sister!" yelled Vinyl
The two sisters shrugged before Octavia noticed Balto on Fret's back
"Oh my gosh isn't he just adorable!"
"His name is Balto and he's our new pet wolf" I said
"Pet wolf?! Awesome!" yelled Vinyl
I put Balto down and immediately the rest of the gang noticed his limp
"Aww he's hurt!" said Violet "Luckily I know somepony who know how to take care of animals" she said looking at her sister
"Who? Me? Hey just because I used to help that cream pegasus doesn't mean I'm qualified to help any animal" quipped Octavia
"Aww come on Octy the little guy;s hurt and he needs your help. can't you find it in your heart to help such a poor poor creature pwetty pwease?" asked Vinyl with the biggest pleading eyes I've ever seen complete with a quivering lower lip
"Well...I don't know" Octavia then looked at Balto and.....Oh my faust.
Balto...well let's put it this way. You know those pictures animal shelters send out that make you feel like shit....yeah they ain't got nothing on Balto
Octavia immediately caved in yelling "Fine!" before tending to Balto who then proceeded to lick her repeatedly
"Man I need a pet wolf of my own. It'd make getting Octypus into bed with me a heck of a lot easier"
"VINYL!!!!" the girls all yelled
"Vinyl nopony wants to hear about your sex life!" yelled Violet
"And stop calling me that!" Yelled Octavia
"Whatever Octy." said Vinyl
The guys on the other hoof....were dying of laughter
"Ow! ow ow ow My side hurts ha ha ha ha ha ow ha ha ow" said Drumroll
"I ha ha ha can't ha ha ha breath!" I said
"And this is why you had us on the Vinyl Scratch" said Power Chord
"Didn't we end up just making fun of other ponies instead of you making fun of us?" I asked after regaining my composed
"Yes and I still can't believe you made fun of my mother on live radio" said Octavia
"Well Mom was always a bit of a bitch" said Violet
"VIOLET! She's our mother!" yelled Octavia
"But she is right isn't she?" asked Vinyl
"Well yes but that isn't the point. The point is that she should show some respect to her elders" stated Octavia
"Sis you know as well as I do that respect is earned and I don't believe that mom ever earned our respect. She was cold, distant and practically sucked all the individuality out of us. If you hadn't stood up to her like you did back during your university days I probably would have never stood up to her myself and she would probably still be dictating our every move in life like the pawns she thought we were to her." said Violet
Octavia looked dumbstruck at her younger sister and nodded "You're right. Still did you really have to insult her on live radio?"
"I guess we did go a bit overboard" I said
"Yeah" said Drumroll and Power Chord
We all looked at Vinyl
"Hey that witch took away my marefriend's childhood and insulted me! She deserves what she got!" yelled Vinyl
"Vinyl...."said Octavia tapping her hoof impatiently
"FINE! I'm sorry I insulted your mom on live radio! Happy now?!" yelled Vinyl
"Very. now come and help me by holding this wolf's leg still" said Octavia
"Alright now that that's over with what did get off Iron Claw kid?" asked Power Chord
" Two names, Garret and Blackbeak" I stated
Violet quickly pulled up the names on the computer and read them off
"Alvin 'BlackBeak' Blackfeather Species: Northern Mountain Griffin Height 5 hoof Weight 189 pounds Age 45 bio: younger brother of Iron Claw, he moved here from the griffin kingdom 5 years ago and quickly joined up with his brother. He usually is associated with the business end of the mafia. Taking him down would probably put an end to any of the mafia's business ventures but would most likely piss off Iron Claw" explained Violet
"And the other?" I asked
"I'm getting there. Hold on. Ah here we go Garret 'Golden Eye' Grimwing Species: Southern Valley Griffin Height: 4 hoof 11 Weight: 158 pounds Age: 39 Bio: Old friend of Iron Claw's, Garret has been in the mob for just as long as Iron Claw has and is his right hand griffin. He's also known for being the one who issues the orders to the hitgriffins and recruits. Taking him down will cause disorder in the mob's ranks and will most likely do the most damage. Oh and he also has a daughter as well"
"Alright kid it's your choice. Who do we take down first?" asked Power Chord
"Taking down BlackBeak does sound promising but the last thing we need right now is to anger the boss so I think Garret's our best bet" I decided
"Good choice. Now let's get to work everypony! We've got a lot of planning to do before we can pull this off!" Ordered Power Chord
I heard a howling in the distance as I flew through the alleys of Manehatten. Suddenly I turn a corner to see my brother being cornered by Iron Claw's goons. I charge them angrily but I simply fazed through the nonexistent visualizations of my brothers murder.
"Dammit. Why does it have to be like this?" I cried when I noticed the image of an orange filly standing with her back to the wall surrounded by a bunch of larger stallions.
"Scootaloo" I muttered as a primal anger began to build up inside me. I heard the howling once more as I pounced the stallions only to faze right through them as I saw them assualt the poor filly
My eyes shot open and I punched the air as if it was one of the stallions from my dream only for me to stop and look around my room.
I saw nothing other than the plain green walls of my room, the window that overlooked the Manehatten skyline and Balto siting up in his bed as he was woken up by my noise
"Oh. Just a dream." I sighed as I got out of bed
I made my way to the mansion's kitchen where I opened the fridge to grab a midnight snack before closing it to find Power Chord waiting there
I jumped in fright and yelled "Sweet Celestia Power Chord! Don't scare me like that!" I said obviously on edge
"Up all night again kid?" asked the gruff pegasus calmly
I let of a sigh "Nah. Just woke up."
"Bad dream?"
"Not exactly...Hey can you cover for me?" I asked
"Why?" asked my mentor
"I'm gonna go visit her" I answered
"You know you can get arrested for that" he reminded me
"You don't think I don't know that? I just want to see her. You can't blame a guy for wanting to see his only niece can you?" I asked
"Alright kid, I'll cover for you but you be careful out there."
"Thanks Pops. You really are the best you know that?" I said
"Yeah, yeah,yeah, I know. Kid, go visit your niece and I'll do my best to cover for you got it?"
"OK pops. Thanks." I said as I headed off toward the main room
I quickly headed out dressed in my Nightfury suit to disguise myself and took off towards Ponyville
about two hours later I arrived in the outskirts of the town and outside a small building that was marked by a sign that read 'Sunny Side Orphanage'
I took a deep breath as I made my way around back and through an open window.
I took off my mask as I trotted up to the sleeping orange pegasus filly in bed
"If only you knew how much you mean to me" I whispered as I sat next to my niece's bed
"You know I could have you arrested for being here Fret Shredder" I heard a voice say from the door
I smirked " But I know you won't. Would ya Tenderhoof?" I asked the pony standing in the door way
Tenderhoof is a kind mare who I met years ago back in high school. She's an Earth pony who's scarlet mane and tail, along with her light brown coat, simply exuded a feel of warmth and motherly care and her cutie mark featured a trio of laughing hearts. She used to work as an assistant at this orphanage until the owner tragically passed and left it to her. That was back when I was allowed to see my niece but times have changed since then.
"Fret what are you doing here? You know fair well that you can't be here" said Tenderhoof
I chuckled a little at that "Look if you think that just because some corrupt lawyers that my parents payed to screw me over is gonna keep me from seeing my only niece then you're dead wrong"
She smiled at that "Well it wouldn't be the first time you broken the law Nightfury."
"Hey I only break the law when I have to. Besides if I never broke the law half the criminals in Galyndor would be free upon Equestria" I quipped back
"But I thought Cold Case put away all the criminals in Galyndor"
I smirked at that " That's what he wants he you think. trust me if it weren't for me most of Galyndor's inmates would still be running wild."
I notice a clock on my niece's desk that read 5:00 AM and instantly remembered something
"Oh crap! I gotta get going! Hey Tender do you have a couple markers and a piece of paper?" I asked
"Umm yeah. Why?"
"Just get me them and you'll see" I explained
after getting me the supplies I made a note for my niece and left it on her desk
"I love you kiddo" I said stroking my niece's mane before dawning my mask and taking off for Manehatten
"Huh! What!" said Scootaloo waking up to see Miss Tenderhoof standing in the doorway
"Miss T.? What are you doing?"
"Oh just checking up on you. it seems you had a visitor during the night" said Tenderhoof pointing at Scootaloo's desk
"Huh?"
On her desk was a piece of paper that in blue lettering read
You've grown so much since I last saw you, and you continue to make me proud day after day ~Your Guardian Angel - Nightfury
above lay an image that caused the filly to squee in glee
As I walked in to the main room of the HQ to see Violet glaring at me
"What?" I asked playing dumb
"Did you really think you would get away with sneaking out in costume did you?" asked my bassist while staring me down like a cockatrice
"What are you talking about?" I asked continuing to play dumb
"Kid there's no point in hiding. She already got it out of me" said Power Chord
"Oh come on Pops! You had one job!"
"Sorry kid. She bribed me"
"With what?!" I asked bewildered
"Remember our last trip to Las Pegasus?"
"Oh."
Violet got up in my face and snarled "Look I don't expect you to be perfect I just expect you to be on time. Now where were you last night?!"
I pushed her off of me and snapped back at her "I was visiting one of the only fucking reasons I didn't become a murderer after Blazewing's death! Scootaloo! Alright?!"
Violet looked at me wide eyed before apologizing "Hey! Hey! Look. I'm sorry Fret. I know how sensitive a subject that is for you I was just worried. "
"Yeah I know. I know. Forget about it and let's move on" I responded
Violet smiled and immediately got out a large map of a manor and laid it out across the table
"This is the Grimwing Manor. It has five main entrances, one in front, one on each side and two in back. It has three floors, the first floor being the entertainment area, the second floor being the living quarters, and the third floor being the business area as shown here." explained Violet pointing out each floor on the schematic as she went on
"What about the basement?" asked Drumroll
"They don't have one. The manor is one of the older buildings in Manehatten and was never built with a basement as builders back then weren't sure if the soil could support one this close to the river"
"How many guards we talking?" asked Power Chord
"At least thirty since Grimwing's daughter lives there as well but we have luck on our side because as it turns out his daughter is away on vacation so we should be down to at least fifteen guards plus Golden Eye himself of course unfortunately that's all the info I have"
"We need more info kid. Looks like you're gonna have to go recon mode again. You up for it?" asked my mentor
"Hey if we need info I'm always ready to go. All I need to know is who to get the info from" I said smirking
Just then our alarm went off and we all got into prep mode
"Mob shootout in south Marelem in progress. About forty members total. I'm not sure you should take this one Fret. There are a lot more guys than usual and Cold Case is bound to be there" said Violet, pulling up camera footage of the fight on the computer
"No can do Violet. You know my policy. Never back down from keeping the citizens of Equestria safe no matter how bleak the circumstances" I stated
"And how many times has that policy gotten you in trouble?" asked Drumroll
"None that have ever gotten me caught" I retorted
"Well the kid does have a point there" quipped Power Chord
"Look, I'll see you guys backstage tomorrow with the info I get. Got it?"
"Okay." the three replied as I suited up in my bulletproof suit
Balto barked at me twice before I ruffled the fur on his head and saying "I'll miss you too Balto. You make sure Drumroll doesn't eat all my chocolate strawberries before I get back okay?" He barked once before I took off
"Hey! I only steal them because you hog all of them!" yelled Drumroll
As I flew over Manehatten I noticed something odd in the light of the rising dawn sun below me. Swinging from what looked like grappling hooks was a figure dressed in a grey costume that seemed to be headed in the same direction as I was.
I paid no mind to the figure until I heard a shot ring out from underneath me and I saw the figure firing at the mobsters I was going to take down
'The hay! What kind of hero uses guns?!' I thought as I began taking down mobster after mobster eventually getting surrounded by at least fifteen griffins each with tommy gun in claw.
All of a sudden the mystery figure leaped in front of me and drew a ninjato from a back sheath and spoke in a familiar voice that I couldn't put my hoof on
"You griffins will not harm Nightfury or you will face the wrath of the Shadow."
The Griffins laughed before one, who was smoking a cigar, spoke up in response
"Little lady, if you have any brains what-so-ever you would know that you should move before you get yourself hurt. So why don't you just get yourself out of here and let the men do their thing"
The mystery mare just just smirked and said "and what are you gonna do if I don't? After all griffins are half pussy"
The griffin bit down on his cigar and yelled "Screw this bitch! Kill them both!" causing the group of Tommy wielding griffins to open fire with a spray of bullets but instead of them killing both me and this 'Shadow' the Shadow used her sword to rapidly block all the bullets at insane speeds
'what is she? A freaking ninja?!' I thought as the griffins ran out of ammo
"Now that you see things my way....run. run away." said the Shadow calmly as the griffins ran for their lives
I heard police sirens in the distance headed this way and got up to talk to my savior
"You. Me. Talk. Now. At my place." I said
"Sorry Night but I have places to be but don't worry. We will meet again.....Oh! and take this as a memento of our first encounter." she said handing me a folded up schematic before she swung away on her grappling hook. I pocketed the 'memento' and took off
"She sounds like she could be a useful ally" said Power Chord regarding the topic of the Shadow that I had just explained to the group
"But she uses guns! GUNS! As Nightfury I have a moral code to never kill anyone no matter how dangerous they are and she just goes around shooting up anyone who stands in her way!" I roared
"Not according to this." Explained Violet " According to this she only wounds her targets with extremely well placed shots and never kills"
"Well we still can't trust her! I mean we don't even know who she is" I retorted
"Dude that's the same reason why Coldy doesn't like you. Lighten up. If the Shadow really wants you to know who she is then she'll tell you and if not then you'll just have to figure it out on your own"said Drumroll
"I guess you guys are right" I said ' figure it out on my own eh?'
"I personally think she sounds hot" exclaimed Vinyl
"Of course you would Scratch. Now she did give me this so if it's worth anything here's her 'memento'" I said handing over the schematic to Violet
She looked it over for a total of two seconds before yelling "This is PERFECT!!!!! How in Tartarus did she get this?"
"Heck if I should know. She just handed it to me and left. Didn't tell me squat"
"Well now that we have this we can plan our attack on the Grimwing manor!"
Me and the band had just finished up yet another concert and I was back stage in my dressing room reading an article in the paper about another monster attacking Ponyville again being stopped by Princess Twilight and her friends
"Jeez I'm glad I don't live there" I spoke to myself
Suddenly, Balto, who happened to be napping next to me, shot up and began barking as he bolted at the door. I looked at him and after he gave me a single look I instantly knew what he was thinking. Trouble. I grabbed my costume from the guitar case I kept it in during concerts and quickly put it on activating the gear on the suit instantly such as a tracking device, letting my team know where I am at all times, a pair of custom shock gloves for bigger opponents and my favorite, the cloaking device which makes me completely invisible. The suit also had built in sensory enhancers such as vision equal to that of a hawk, hearing equal to that of a wolf (my favorite) and even that sixth sense sharks have allowing me to see in the dark and around corners
As soon as I finished putting on the suit I heard a scream coming from at least two blocks away. I flew out the window of my room, nodding to Power Chord as I flew off
"Well then I guess we're back in business" said Power as he headed out to gather the crew
BACK WITH NIGHTFURY
I approached an alleyway where I heard shouting and yelling
"Give us the bag lady and we won't have to hurt you!" ordered one of the three goons
"This is what you get for disrespecting the boss!" Yelled the second goon
"Yeah! Pay up ya Slut!" barked the third goon in a nasally voice
Turning on my voice changer I asked in a very ominous voice "What did you just call her?"
The three to face me and instantly their faces became as pale as ghosts
"N-N-N-Ni-Ni-Night-F-F-F-Fury" They said, teeth chattering
I smirked "Welcome to the Jungle, where The Nightfury is King"
The three instantly ran for their lives leaving me with their victim
I turned off my voice changer and approached the mare in question
"Well if it isn't miss Fancy Pants herself." I said
"As you well know Fret Shredder I have no relation him thank you very much" quipped back the mare
"Whatever Gloria" I said back
We both laughed as I took off my mask
This is Royal Glory or Gloria as I like to call her. She's a teal blue unicorn noble with a golden blonde mane and tail who happened to go to the same university as I which is where we met. She went Manehatten U. to pursue acting to her parents dismay as she was born into money and status yet she still wanted to pursue a career. it was this act of rebellion that caused me to fall in love with her the first time yet that was short lived as soon after we started dating my brother died and our relationship fell apart. luckily years later, after I had become the Nightfury I bumped into Gloria once again after saving her from a rapist on the "dark" side of Manehatten. We hit it off and I even told her who I really was and eventually I proposed but it wasn't meant to be as her parents still had a firm grip on Royal and forced her to refuse ending our last relationship. which brings us to now
"What were those guys talking about? " I asked
Royal sighed "You remember my parents?"
"How could I forget them? After all they are the reason we aren't together" I said
"Yeah well they're dead now. Some hitpony hired by a rival noble took them out three months ago and I was forced to take over my father's buisness" explained Royal sadly
"And why didn't they take you out as well" I asked
" I wasn't with them that day. I was at my acting couch's studio when it all happened" explained Royal
"How's that going for you if I may ask?" I asked interested in my former lover's career
"I quit" she said plainly
"YOU WHAT?!" I yelled in shock
"You heard me right Nighty. I quit being an actress." stated Royal
"But why? You where so good at it!" I argued
"My family business needed me more and besides I wasn't going to get anywhere in show biz anyways!" argued Royal back
We continued arguing like this for about ten more minutes before Violet came around the corner and, using her magic, grabbed me by the ear
"Come on you! We've got stuff to do back at base so get your ass in gear and get your rear end back to the mansion!" yelled Violet in my ear angrily
"Okay! Okay! Sheesh! I'm going!" I complained as she dragged me away
"Oh hi Royal! Nice to see you again but we were just on our way out. Sorry!" said Violet as she pulled me along
Royal Glory rolled her eyes and shrugged muttering the word "Stallions" as she shook her head
Back at base
"What did we tell you about letting civilians in on the whole Nightfury thing! Kinda defeats the purpose of the whole Living Legend of Manehatten thing!" barked Violet for the fourth time
"Umm I thought we all agreed that Gloria should be able to know. Didn't we?" I asked
"Yes we did. BUT THAT WAS BEFORE YOU BROKE UP WITH HER!!!!" yelled Violet
The others were dead silent as Violet interrogated me including Balto who was hiding in the corner of the room curled up in a ball
"Look, I don't mean to be a nag but you talking to her puts her in danger. It's common sense." explained Violet as she calmed down
"Alright crew now that that's over why don't we get ready for the raid of our careers: The Grimwing Manor." spoke Power Chord lightening the mood as everyone recovered from Violet's interrogation
"Alright so we got three guards roaming the grounds here" said Power Chord pointing to the schematic
"I should be able to take them out no problem without alerting the other guards" I stated
"Then we've got to deal with the six guards guarding the entrances here, here, and here" said Violet pointing to the entrances
"No getting around those without alerting the rest of the crew" stated Drumroll
"He could go down the chimney!" Vinyl joked
"Actually that's not a bad idea" stated Power Chord
"You're kidding right? I'm not freaking Santa Hooves!" I yelled
"It's the only feasible way to get you in without you getting caught" stated Violet
"I hate you guys sometimes you know that" I grumbled
"Oh we know" stated Drumroll
"Anyways once inside the guards will be alerted but luckily we have a little something for that situation" said Power Chord
"What is it? A new gadget?" I asked
"Don't worry about it Fret. Just make sure to wear your storm suit when you use it" said Violet
"That itchy old racing suit! Do I have to?" I whined
"If you don't want to get cooked then yes!" barked Violet
"Fine" I grumbled in disapproval
"Good. Now then, after the guards are dealt with all we have left to worry about is 'Golden Eye' himself" stated Violet
"What are we dealin' with gal?" asked Drumroll
"Power Chord. Assessment?" asked Violet
"Golden Eye is no slouch kid. This griffin is an expert marksgriffin and can take out a pegasus in flight from nine hundred yards away with a six shooter which he carries two of around at all times by the way" explained Power Chord
"So he's a gunslinger. Great. But how do I beat him?" I asked
"You're going to need to outwit him kid. He's got boatloads of ammo stored away in that office of his so he could be firing at you for days before he runs out so unless you can get in close enough to use the shock gloves I doubt you'll never get anywhere. You're gonna have to think outside the box on this one kid" remarked Power Chord
"Great" I moaned
I had geared up in my itchy storm suit and Magiproof outfit and was on my way towards the mansion when I noticed a familiar silhouette of a mare grappling her way through the city.
I turned my tracker off and silenced my communicator and dove towards her
"Morning Shadow" I said as I landed
She stopped and in that familiar voice said " Shouldn't you be raiding the Grimwing manor?"
"Oh I'll get to that, but first I've got a few choice questions for you Miss Shadow" I said smugly
"Is that right? Well then, ask away" replied my masked friend
"First off, why are you doing this? You obviously have a reason for dressing up and fighting crime like this or at least I do so what's yours?" I asked
"Tradition." She said calmly
"Huh?" I asked confused
"The identity of the Shadow has existed in my family as a secret for generations passed on from first born son to first born son as a part of our heritage." explained the Shadow
"Then why are you-" I was cut off by the Shadow
" A mare? My generation did not bear a son thus the identity was passed on to me" explained the Shadow "What about you? Why do you fight?"
I looked down in partial shame and partial humiliation "To prove something" I responded
"Excuse me?" asked the Shadow in confusion
"I fight to prove to myself that I am not worthless and to prove that I can be a guardian" I said, a fire in my eyes as I remembered something from long ago
"Hmm....I see. Any other questions?" asked the Shadow
"Yes. Why guns?" I asked
"Ah yes the guns. I have noticed your distaste for the use of firearms not that I can't blame you but is you must know I only use them in extreme cases so don't you worry Nightfury for my guns will not take a single life. Scouts honor" exclaimed the Shadow "Any other questions?"
"One more. Who are you really Shadow? " I asked almost fearing an answer
The Shadow smirked and responded in a sly tone "I'm sorry but unfortunately that information is top secret and unfortunately for you I have somewhere to be, So I'm so sorry but I must bid you farewell Nightfury. " she then took off using her grappling hooks and left me in the dust or so I thought.
I looked closer at the spot where the Shadow was standing and I found what could possibly be a crucial clue to finding her identity: A lock of black hair most likely from her mane or tail
'Got you now Shadow' I thought grinning before taking off towards the manor reactivating my tracker and coms knowing I was going to get and earful from Violet for turning them off
I approached the huge Mansion as stealthily as possible, sticking to the shadows and hiding a much as possible after getting the expected earful by Violet about staying on task and the such.
I saw three guards roaming the outer perimeter each armed with a tommy gun
I snuck my way around to my first position behind the luxury cart just in range of the first guard and just as he passed me I silently grabbed and knocked him out
It was then I noticed a buzzing noise coming from above and as I looked up I saw one of Violet's many contraptions, a camera equipped microcopter, flying overhead
"Little over-protective much?" I whispered over the comms
"Hey, this is our first big hit on Iron Claw. Better to be safe than sorry" responded Violet over the radio
I quickly disposed of the other two guards and silently flew my way up to the roof and towards the chimney
"This has to be the stupidest thing I've ever done" I grumbled as I disassembled the grate of the chimney
I made my way down the chimney and as soon as I got to the bottom I was greeted by a host of armed guards
'hope this thing works' I prayed as I activated a small gadget throwing it into the center of the room before it sent out a huge shock wave of electrical energy frying any and all guards in the vicinity
"Now I see why I had to where the damn storm suit" I noted before making my way up the staircase
at the top of the stairs was a long hallway sporting three guards who, due to the noise from earlier, instantly spotted me
I dropbucked the first guard in the chest, knocking the knife he had out of his talons and sending him flying back into the second guard who pulled out a pistol which I promptly kicked out of his claws before bounding off the sidewall and flying up and curb stomping the second guard KOing him.
The remaining two guards charged me which I dodged by flying up and grabbing one of them by the head and suplexing him in the air before tossing him into a wall knocking him out leaving only one guard left
Both the remaining guard and I flipped around to face each other and stared each other down.
The guard made the first move slashing to the right with his talons as I dodged flying up before slamming my back hooves down on his back and flipping backwards to face him once more before finishing him off with a shock glove assisted punch to the face
I entered the main office and as soon as I opened the door I found myself being gunned down by Golden Eye holding a Springfield and sporting twin magnums in his wing tips
"You'll never take me alive Nightfury!" yelled the gun wielding griffin
I immediately ducked behind a desk in the back of the room and began to formulate a plan
I looked around the room to see a knocked over table just in my reach and a large bookcase right behind the mobster
'If I could somehow get that bookcase to fall over on him I could surprise him and pin him under it and neutralize him as a threat' I thought just as I was shot in the back right in the only weak spot in my armored suit
I fought through the pain as I jumped to the knocked over table which fortunately was steel plated as I saw and I was about to throw a dubstep grenade behind the bookcase when suddenly my foe's eyes went wide and I turned to see someone I hadn't seen in years
"Dad? What are you doing?" asked Gilda
'GILDA IS GOLDEN EYE'S DAUGHTER!?' I thought shocked beyond belief
Standing there in the doorway was Gilda Grimwing, a griffin I hadn't seen since my days at flight camp with Dash and Flutters. Gilda was a bit of a jerk when she wasn't being kept in check by her friends but we always just chalked that off as her way of showing friendship. I can't believe I hadn't put the pieces together of her being connected to the mob
"I knew this day would come. I surrender." muttered Golden Eye
"Dad what is going on? Why is there a dweeb in a costume here in your study with you?"
'Golden Eye must have kept Gilda in the dark all these years on what he has really been doing' I thought as I watched the scene unfold
"Honey, This is Nightfury. He's here to arrest me for all the crimes I've committed. " admitted Golden Eye
"Wait,wait,wait....hold on! Nightfury. As is in THE Nightfury? But why would you be arresting my daddy? He's never committed a crime!" yelled Gilda
I was about to speak but Golden Eye beat me to it "That's not entirely true sweetie. You see I'm not actually a CEO of a company....I'm actually a Mob Boss. those guards that protect our house aren't professional bodyguards. They're hired hitgriffins."
"You mean....you've been lying to me my entire life!?" yelled a teary eyed Gilda
"Yes but-"
"SHUT UP! FIRST MY FRIENDS AND NOW MY OWN DAD! I HATE ALL OF YOU!!!!" yelled Gilda before running off
Golden Eye looked at me and asked "I've already called the cops. She is all I have left and she adores you. Could you please try to talk some sense into her?"
"I don't see why not...you called the cops on yourself?" I asked
"I planned on catching you" he replied
I rolled my eyes as I heard the police sirens though the study window
I caught up with Gilda from the rooftops and before approaching her I had a thought and quickly ditched my costume before trotting up to the moping griffin who was sitting on a bench three blocks from her house
"Bad day?" I asked
"Fret? haven't seen you in ages! What's a dweeb like you been up to?" asked Gilda
"Oh you know, formed a band, became a rock god, toured all over the world, not much" I said smirking
"What band?"
"Phoenix Rising. I'm lead singer and I play guitar along side my buddy Power Chord" I gloated
The griffin's eyes lit up as she grabbed me with excitement as I knew she was a big rock fan
I frowned as she shook me around and said "Now that I have your attention let me ask you about your friends problem." I said thinking that would probably be better to lead with than the daddy issue
"How do you know about that?" she asked as she stopped shaking me
"Let's just say I have friends in high places" I replied "Now talk"
"It's all Dash's fault! She ditched me for some new friends just because apparently I'm the jerk!" Gilda explained
I knew this would happen sooner or later. One of us would make a friend who wouldn't want to put up with Gilda's attitude and we would have to either ditch the new friend or ditch Gilda
"Are you sure it was ALL Dash's fault? I mean you do have a bit of a temper and tend to snap when agitated" I pointed out
"Yeah? So your point is?" Gilda fired back
"My point is maybe her new friends didn't like your attitude. I know I sure didn't when I first met you."
Gilda paused for a minute before saying "I did make that pink haired pegasus cry"
'SHE MADE FLUTTERS CRY!' I thought angrily
"Did you even try looking at things from their point of view?" I asked
"uh....no?" she replied slouching in retreat
I facehoofed "Look. Maybe you should try, I don't know, apologizing and then try again keeping in mind that they aren't like me and Dash who are used to you're attitude"
She sighed in defeat and answered "Yeah I guess your right"
"Good, now when you have that settled come back so we can talk about your dad" I said
"How do you know about my dad?" She asked
" Again. Friends in high places" I said before taking off
I got my suit back on and made my way back to base looking over the mansion one more time to see Cold Case taking Golden Eye away
I got back to to base to see my whole team looking at me funny
"What?" I asked confused
"One, Your bleeding and you don't even notice it?" asked Power Chord
"oh I feel it, I'm just not acknowledging it, besides when you've been through the type of training Master Yin put me through a bullet wound is nothing" I responded
"Okay...two, When that bullet hit you it cut us off from hearing what happened. So what happened?" asked Violet
"Yeah did you kick his ass?" asked Drumroll
"No. He surrendered" I said
"He what?!" they all yelled
"Right before he took me out my old friend and daughter of Golden Eye, Gilda, walked in and he surrendered on the spot. seems the old guy was keeping secrets from his flesh and blood and karma finally got around to biting him in the butt" I explained
"Well that's great! one Mob boss down. one to go before we take down the big kahuna!" hollered Drumroll
"Good. Now will somepony get this bullet out of my back!" I yelled
The gang and I were having a night on the town after our victory over 'Golden Eye' Grimwing, a tradition of ours usually reserved to after our Equestrian World Tours. We had rented out a local bar that was run by one of Power Chord's old band mates from his previous band and was having a great time when Pops spoke up
"Ya know kid I have to say, You've come a long way since those winding days in that old studio of mine. Taking down Golden Eye may just be the start but if we keep at this the way we are Iron Claw should be behind bars in no time."
"You all have come a long way the way I see it." spoke Six String, Power Chord's former bandmate "Heck I remember when you all started this whole band of brothers....and lady"
*FLASHBACK* 29 YEARS AGO
Power Chord slumped down into the back of his office chair. It had been 3 years since his asshole of a singer Rosebud disbanded his old band Aces High leaving him and his bandmates out of work and out to dry in that time he and his former Rhythm Guitarist Six String had set up a Manehatten-based studio in order to discover new talent but so far not a single decent musician had come in to play for them
"Perhaps we should just call it quits at this whole talent seeking business" said Six String from across the room
"Yeah I think you're right. I-......Hey whose the kid?" I asked motioning to the colt waiting in the doorway
"Sorry kid we're closed and in fact we are shutting down for good" said Six String
"Oh please! Just give me a chance to play! My brother promised me I'd get to play for you two and I've been waiting for weeks! I even have a solo prepared and everything!" said the kid
Six String just looked at me seeing in my eyes that I was going to give him a chance and rolled his eyes
"Do you have an instrument?" I asked
"Yes sir!" the kid said before retrieving a SG Junior crimson guitar
"Alright kid play when ready" said Six String
" Alright, this is just a little something I threw together"
The kid began playing and as I watched I was quickly floored by his skill as was Six String who was furiously taking notes as he did with every new pony who tried out for our little musical clinic
When he finished I stood up from my chair and approached the colt and asked "What's your name kid?"
"Blitzwing sir" he answered nervously
"And how old are you?" I asked calmly
"Six sir"
'this kid is shredding like he was the lead guitarist of Van Hooflan and he's only six?!' I thought incredulously as Six String nearly did a spit take before swallowing down his coffee hard
"Kid you got skills way ahead of your years! Heck, they should call you Fret Shredder!" proclaimed Six String
I looked at my former bandmate and gave him a glare telling him 'Professionalism Six!' before asking "You got a band kid?"
Blitzwing looked down ashamed and mumbled "No.....sir"
"I'm sorry what was that?" I asked again
A single tear dropped from the kid's eye and he repeated louder "No sir. I don't have a band. Everypony at my school either thinks I'm a loser or that rock is a waste of time"
My left eye twitched at that "Waste....of....time....kid where do you go to school?"
"MEPS" Blitzwing admitted
"Ahhh that explains it!" laughed the former rhythm guitarist "Manehatten Elite's Prep School! Snob Central! No wonder you can't find anyone to form a band with!"
"Isn't that the place that sued us when Rosebud kissed a teacher?" I asked
"Yep"
I turned to the kid and smiled "Kid I can tell just by that fire in your eye that your gonna go far so how would you like to have us as your mentors and friends?"
Blitzwing's eyes lit up and he bounded foward and grabbed my right hoof and shook it vigorously "Oh yes please it would be an honor sir!"
*END FLASHBACK*
"Yeah but that was only the beginning of it all Sixer. You haven't even gotten to the part when Coldy and I first met or when Me and Drumroll first met" I stated looking over to my best friend who was chugging his favorite hard apple cider while I munched on some chocolate strawberries
"Probably cause I wasn't there kiddo. Why don't you tell us what happened then?" asked Six String
"Alright I will then." I said proudly "It all started Freshman year...."
*FLASHBACK* 17 YEARS EARLIER
I sighed as I looked across the campus of Manehatten U. from my new dorm in the tallest dorm building on campus. Despite having parents who were one of the richest families in Manehatten I still had to live in a dorm like everypony else....and it sucked.
Not because I hated living in a dorm. Oh no that was the least of my worries. The real reason it sucked is because only students, faculty, and family were allowed to visit dorms meaning any chance of my mentors and only friends Power Chord and Six String visiting was out of the question which also meant my days as a rocker were on a total hiatus until I could figure out a way around the system
Bored out of my mind as I waited for my new dormmate to arrive I pulled out of my collection of comics a copy of my favorite team The Power Ponies Vs. Acid
"Ahh how I loved this storyline" I thought out loud "With the part where the alien symbiote Acid comes out of nowhere and latches on to the Masked Matterhorn's egotistical rival reporter Papa Razzi and then single hoofedly tears apart the team before Saddle Rager discovers on one of her archaeological digs as Professor Measly the six amulets-" I stopped when I noticed a grey unicorn with a neat blonde mane standing in the door way of the large dorm
I quickly hid away the comic and smiled innocently as the unicorn just groaned "ugh. great I have to room with one you comic book freaks"
"HEY!" I yelled "I am not a freak....besides comics are more of a hobby of mine. My main focus....is rock!" I said as I jumped up on my couch and played my air guitar
"Even better." said my new dormmate in a sarcastic manner as he rolled his eyes "So what's your name roomie?"
"Blitzwing. But most of my friends call me Fret Shredder" I said proudly
"Blitzwing? As in The famous Wing Family?" Asked the unicorn
"Yeah. I know. we may be famous but don't expect any visits from them any time soon....well 'cept maybe my BBBFF Blazewing." I responded annoyed by the fact that I was even related to my parents.
"BBBFF?" asked the unicorn
"Yeah. What of it?" I asked defensively
"Oh nothing." stated the unicorn who stood there bemused
"Whatever" I said brushing off the topic "What about you? Who exactly are you?"
"My name good sir is Junior detective Cold Case" stated the grey unicorn I now knew as Cold Case
"Junior detective? So basically your a cop in training?" I inquired
"Precisely"
"Great I guess that means I'm gonna have to spend the rest of the semester sober" I joked
Cold Case simply glared at me and asked in a deadpan tone "Don't you have any classes today?"
I jumped up quickly realizing I was going to be late for my first class of the day and gathered my belongings and headed out before yelling "Thanks Coldy!" down the hall back to our dorm
***
15 MINUTES LATER
I darted across the campus on my way to the music building, barely making it there in time to find my classroom and find a seat in the middle of the lecture hall
as class went on I somehow found myself humming the words to Aces High's Knockin on Olympus's Door which the pony next to me who sported a Handle bar mustache and a Black Stetson began drumming the beat to with his pencils. We both quickly got warnings from the instructor for that so after class ended I pulled the pony aside
"Yo dude you got some sick drum skills" I said
"Thanks dude but what do you want?" the pony asked
"Oh I'm sorry. My name's Blitzwing but you can call me Fret Shredder or just Fret if you like. I just wanted to talk to you because....well I have no rock friends to talk to around here and my only two rock brothers Power Chord and Six String aren't allowed in my dorm so yeah.....wanna hang?" I asked embarrassed
"Sure why not? Name's Drumroll......hold on did you say Power Chord and Six String?" Asked Drumroll
"Yeah I know they're Rock Legends and all but they are first and foremost my mentors" I stated with a tinge of pride in my tone
"Nice dude but yeah we should totally hang sometime. You like wrestling?"
"Dude what self respecting stallion doesn't like a good slobberknocker?" I laughed
*END FLASHBACK*
"Good times....Good times" slurred a drunken Drumroll
"Faust damn it Drumroll! We told you not to get drunk!" Yelled Violet
I grinned "Which brings us to the next part in our story. Meeting Violet"
"Oh no you are not telling it your way again. I'm telling this story" commanded Violet
"Fine. let's here you're boring version of what was going to be an awesome story" I quipped
"Whatever. It all happened sophomore year when I transfered from Canterlot U."
*FLASHBACK* 16 YEARS AGO VIOLET'S POV
"UGH! Carrying all this stuff even with my magic is straining!" I groaned as I carried my belongings up the dorm building stairs wishing the elevator was in working condition
Once I finally reached my dorm I began unpacking when I heard the sound of music coming from nearby. I check my radio but it wasn't on. It was then I looked out the window to see four stallions playing one of my favorite songs "September Rain" out of the dorm garage. I quickly grabbed my prized Epiphone Blackbird magi-electric bass guitar and hurried down the stairs.
I watched from a distance for a while as the group played until a white unicorn snuck up behind me and asked "You play or are you just gonna creep on them for a while?"
This caused me to jump and nearly drop my instrument alerting the stallions
"Hey is everything okay over there?" Asked the light blue singer
I calmed down and walked over to the band "I uh...was just wondering if I could play with you guys"
"Sorry gal. We were actually just finishing up but if you want to stick around and hang out with us that would be fine" said the older guitarist
"Oh, Okay I guess that would be fine. I still need to unpack my things in my dorm so yeah" I said
"Then why don't we help you?" Asked the drummer
"Are you sure? I've got a lot of stuff and I'm pretty sure I can do it myself. " I stated
"Nonsense girl! If you want to be part of the family and play with us you gotta let us in" said the black earth pony with a golden blonde mane I identified as Six String from the posters I had in my teenage years
"Alright but don't tell me I didn't warn you " I said nervously realizing that Power Chord was here as well
"Onwards!" yelled the drummer as I led them up the stairs to my suite
***
We arrived at the suite I was staying in and the boys were amazed at how large it was
" This is all yours?" Asked the singer
"Yeah. I was gonna be sharing it with a roommate but she dropped out so I have it all to myself....by the way I don't think I got your names" I said
"Oh right I'm Blitzwing but you can call me Fret Shredder, everyone does honestly." Said Blitz "That's Drumroll my best friend" He said pointing at the drummer
"Howdy" greeted Drumroll tipping his stetson
"These are my mentors Power Chord and Six String" he said gesturing towards the two
the two simply bowed their heads as a sign of greeting as if saying 'hello'
"And this is my eccentric cousin Vinyl Scratch or as you may know her, DJ PON-3"
"Sup girl? You like dubstep?" asked Vinyl
"Uh....not really. I mean it's okay I guess" I responded
before Vinyl could respond Blitz interjected by saying "Well then why don't we get started on unpacking her stuff!"
Vinyl grumbled and I led the boys into the other room where left my stuff as they noticed bags upon bags of heavy, metal, gadgets and unfinished contraptions
"What in Celestia's name is all this gal?" asked Drumroll
"Sorry. I'm a bit of a tinkerer when it comes to gadgetry and I came to this school to hone my craft" I confessed blushing a little
"Oh well. Say....did we ever catch your name?" asked Blitzwing
"It's Violet. Violet Bass."
*END FLASHBACK*
FRET'S POV
"So many great memories at that school." I said reminiscing
"Remember when we got drunk on new years eve sophomore year and tried playing "Equestrian Rhapsody" all the way through?" asked Drumroll
"Nearly threw out my vocal chords that day. Could barely speak for a week" I laughed
"What about that time I accidentally set off an EMP in my suite and shut off power for half the campus?"
" How could I forget?! I was in the middle of writing "Rainboom of the Heart" when the power shut off!" I laughed
"Didn't you write that about an old friend of yours?" Asked Power Chord
"Yeah. Faust I miss those days in Flight school....With Dashie, Gilda, Flutterbutter, and our favorite councilor The Derpster." I reminisced looking out the bar window
"One day you gotta introduce us to them Fret" Said Drumroll
"Drumroll you know why I can't ever do that"
"Yeah yeah yeah We all know Kid" responded Power Chord
Suddenly I heard a commotion coming from outside the bar and I gave one look at the others as Drumroll and I ran out the doors of Sixer's bar and saw an orange flame-maned unicorn mare fighting off a group of muggers
"Give it up toots! We got ya surrounded!" yelled one of the muggers
the mare simply smirked and in a flash teleported behind one of the muggers before bucking him in the flank and then back flip kicking another one before finally using her magic to throw the third and final mugger into a dumpster as I watched fixated on the beautiful mare kicking ass left and right
"Yo Fret I think you're drooling" Said Drumroll nudging me slightly
I wiped my mouth still fixated on the mare as she brushed herself off
now I usually didn't believe in love at first sight but damnit I couldn't help myself as I watched the mare walk up to me and ask "Hello? are you just gonna stand there and gawk or are you gonna speak to me?"
I shook my head snapping my self out of my love induced trance and asked "I...uh...What's your name?"
the mare rolled her eyes and answered "I'm Sunset Shimmer and you must be Fret Shredder....Rock star slash superhero"
I looked at her in shock as I asked "Wait.....how'd you-"
Sunset stopped me and responded " It doesn't take a genius to figure out you're the Nightfury....I mean a rock star that happens to be a master of kung-fu that also happens to be the brother of a fallen royal guard? that just screams vigilante material."
"How'd you figure it out?" Asked Drumroll as the others joined us outside
"I'm a former student of Celestia. With her training under my belt it didn't take much to figure you out." answered Sunset "Besides I'm a big fan of your music and I can already tell you like me sooooo how bout a date at the Olive Branch downtown?"
Violet looked at me sternly but I just shrugged her off and said "Sure! When do you want to meet up?"
Sunset rubbed her chin for a second before resoponding "Hmmm....is eight okay with you?"
I smiled " Sure. Sooo see you then?"
Sunset winked at me and answered " You bet!" before teleporting away
Violet punched me in the shoulder before yelling straight into my ear "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! WHAT HAVE I BEEN TELLING YOU FROM DAY ONE?!"
I rubbed my ears before responding " No intimate relationships I know I know but this is different! This mare can not only hold her own but actually figured out my secret identity!"
Drumroll smirked "Plus she frickin hot"
I turned to my best friend and glared at him "Hey don't you get any ideas Drumass! You know bro code! I saw her first!"
Drumroll rolled his eyes and responded " Yeah yeah yeah I know she's yours" While Violet just groaned muttering the words "Idiots" before stomping her way back into the bar as Power Chord walk by her
"What's her problem?" asked my mentor
"Oh she's just mad I got a hot date" I said smugly
"You do know that pisses her off right?"
"Yeah I know, but that ain't stopping me"
"Oh well I guess we should get back to work then." said Power Chord
As I got ready for my big date with Sunset I could hear Violet moaning and groaning in the next room over most likely about my new found love interest. Now Violet may only be my friend but over the years she has become more and more protective of me and the others acting as a sort of big sister of the group while Power Chord acts as the "Father" figure of our little motley crew not that I blame them Power Chord is basically a second father to me or better yet a first father considering how my real parents treat me and Violet has always been the stern and overprotective type especially after my break up with Gloria and my falling out with my parents. I know she likes me but I have always had this feeling that Violet will someday find a stallion of her own.
I walked out of my bathroom after about twenty minutes of prepping for the date slicking my mane to the point that it wasn't just a natural disaster zone and passed by Violet's room still hearing the sounds of her basically yelling at no one in particular ( though it sounded as if the remark were aimed at me) before passing by the guest room that Vinyl and Octavia sometimes sleep in when they are in town for the night and finally reaching the foyer where I was met by Power Chord who looked at me with his sagely eyes peering into my soul
"You know Violet's not gonna let this go right?" asked my mentor
"eh she'll get over it eventually" I said waving off the idea
" But you know she won't Fret. That mare can hold a grudge for years and you know it" responded Power Chord
"Yeah like how Drumroll broke one of our amps while practicing his drum solo. That happened like five years ago yet she still brings it up " I said groaning at the fact that I knew Pops was right "But don't you worry Pops this is gonna be different"
" If you say so kid. Just remember rule number one"
"Yeah I know. Protecting the innocent comes first." I said before heading outside but not before I bumped into Octavia who was carrying a drunken Vinyl on her back
"Oh pardon me Fret I just need to get Vinyl here to bed before she throws up all over me."
"Oh no prob Octavia you go ahead" I said as Octavia rushed by.....dropping a lock of hair as she ran by
I picked up the piece of hair and looked at for a minute before hitting a realization "No....no way"
"Something wrong kid?" asked Power Chord
I shook my head "No....nothing's wrong" I said before mumbling "There is no way that this can be true" I said as I pocketed the lock of hair before taking off to meet up with Sunset
I arrived at the Olive Branch that Sunset said she would meet me at and noticed a familiar Lunar Guard waiting in line to get in
I trotted up to the batpony and spoke up "Yo! Nightwatch What's up?"
Nightwatch turned to face me and instantly recognized me "Fret! How's it going?"
"Great! I'm here waiting for my date to arrive" I responded
"You got a date? Well I'm guessing Violet isn't happy about this is she?" he laughed
"Yeah she's pretty pissed alright but honestly I couldn't give a damn. I'm in love and she ain't got nothing to do about it"
Nightwatch and I go way back. He was a good friend of my brother and me back when my brother was still alive and when Blazewing died Nightwatch was one of the few ponies on my side when my parents screwed me over and I left my parents to become as rock star. He is also one of the few ponies that knows I am the Nightfury, mostly because, as a Lunar Guard, he can take care of himself. He mostly serves as Nightfury's inside guy when it comes to the royal guard, keeping Nightfury informed and keeping the guards off my back while I'm on a mission.
"So who is this date of your's Fret? "
"Oh no one you would know" I responded
"Try me" dared the Lunar Guard
"Sunset Shimmer" I answered
"Hold the phone! Sunset Shimmer? As in The Sunset Shimmer? The mare that abandoned Princess Celestia's teachings and ran away?" He asked bewildered
"Indeed" came a voice from behind me
We both turned to see none other than Sunset Shimmer dressed in a flowing red dress
'Well Damn....I better step up my game' I thought as I looked upon my gorgeous date
"Well then you must be Sunset. It's a pleasure to meet you" said Nightwatch
Sunset smiled and shook Nightwatch's hoof "The pleasure is all mine"
"Well then Fret looks like you got yourself a keeper" laughed Nightwatch
"Yeah yeah yeah Nighty. Whatever you say" I groaned rolling my eyes
"Well then now that we've introduced ourselves why don't we get to our date Fret" said Sunset Pulling me into the restaurant
"Woah! Sunset what's the rush?" I asked as I was dragged into the Olive Branch
Sunset pulled me to our seats and whispered "Look I may be on a date with you but that doesn't mean I'm only here to have fun. I didn't come here to fool around"
I pouted and asked "Then why are you here?"
Sunset sighed and spoke up " Okay, I'm going to be honest with you. I never actually stopped being taught by Celestia. I was sent to Manehatten to find you and study alongside you."
I tilted my head a bit and asked " Wait...What? What do you mean study alongside me? And does this mean you don't actually like me?"
Sunset giggled a bit before responding " Simply put the princess ordered me to find you and assist you in your quest to protect the city of Manehatten. As for my feelings towards you....well" Then Sunset leaned forward and stunned me with a kiss before continuing " Let's just say I'm a big fan of your work"
I sat there dumbstruck before shaking my head back into focus and said " Look Sunset, I may respect Celestia's wishes but there is no way I can just let you join the team. What I do is extremely dangerous and I can't just let anypony in on my workings"
Sunset raised an eyebrow and asked "And yet you trust over fifteen ponies with your secret? Fret, there is nothing that you can say that will stop me from helping you... I already know your secret identity, you hideout, and the names of the ponies that you DO trust so you really don't have a choice in the matter"
I groaned as a waiter came up to our table and asked " May I take your order sir and madam?"
Sunset turned to the waiter and spoke "I'd like an order of fresh salad and breadsticks along with some sparkling water please."
I sighed and ordered "I'd like a medium spaghetti plain. Just butter noodles and Parmesan cheese....and a glass of ice water"
Sunset looked at me with her head tilted as the waiter left with our orders "Plain spaghetti?"
"I'm picky when it comes to pasta okay?" I retorted back
"Fair enough" Sunset answered back
"So how exactly did you find out my secrets?" I asked
"Simple really. I just cross referenced your concert times with the appearances of you as Nightfury along with some.....convincing I had done with some of Manehatten's technology producers and bingo!"
'Am I really that simple to figure out?' I wondered
"Anyways there is one thing about you that I have yet to figure out....why did you become Nigthfury in the first place?" asked a confident Sunset
I simply stared out the window and spoke softly "That is a topic for another day Sunset Shimmer"
All of a sudden we both saw two large griffins carrying tommy guns burst into the restaurant yelling "EVERYONE ON THE GROUND!"
'Do I just have some sort of mob magnet attached to me or do I just have really bad luck?' I thought annoyed by the situation interrupting my date
Sunset stood up and trotted up to the thugs and simply said "No. I won't let you ruin my date."
The griffins put their guns to Sunset's head and yelled "I SAID GET ON THE GROUND BITCH BEFORE I BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF!"
I would try to stop them but since I have no way of getting to my costume and concealing my identity I just had to sit back and hope for a miracle
Sunset smirked and asked " Do you really think threatening a student of Celestia is a wise move?" as she magically bent their gun barrels backwards. One of the griffins pulled out a pistol and put it to Sunset's head and swore at her to get on the ground. Sunset simply smiled and answered back "Now there is no need for such language in this fine establishment" before magically heating the mobsters weapons causing them to drop them just as the manager of the restaurant came out carrying a double-barreled shotgun chasing out the unarmed mobsters before yelling " AND STAY OUT! I AIN'T AFRAID OF YOU GRIFFIN BASTARDS!" He then walked back into the restaurant apologizing to the costumers before stepping back into his back office
"Here you go sir and madam. One fresh salad with bread sticks for the lady and one plain Spaghetti for the stallion. Please enjoy and if you need anything else please just ask." the waiter said in a Bitalian accent before walking off
I dug in to my food as Sunset raised an eyebrow and I noticed looking up at her before stopping and swallowing
"Eh heh...sorry....It's been awhile since I've been on a proper date...I'm a little rusty on the edicate" I apologized sweating a little
Sunset rolled her eyes " It's not a problem I've seen worse to be honest" she said giggling
"So how exactly did you become a student of the Princess of the sun?"
"Well I grew up here in Manehatten and one day during a school talent show The Princess showed up out of nowhere and after meeting with me back stage she offered me a spot in her Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns and my parents obviously convinced me to say yes so about as year later I was practicing a particularly hard spell when the Princess noticed me and just as I finished the spell She asked me if I would like to become her personal student and I obviously said yes" Sunset explained
"Hold on..The Princess asked you to be her personal student just like that just because you could perform a particular spell? " I asked skeptically "What kind of spell was it anyways?"
"A regeneration spell. I was trying to bring a flower back to life and succeeded. Celestia later told me that that kind of spell should only be able to be pulled off by alicorns"
"So you pulled off a spell that only alicorns can pull off and yet you still weren't the bearer of the element of magic?"
Sunset shrugged "I know it's weird but I asked the Princess once and she simply answered that I have a different destiny" Sunset sighed in frustration " Celestia can be annoyingly vague when it comes to teaching but she gets the job done so I don't question her methods"
I internally chuckled thinking back on my own mentors insane methods of teaching. From throwing wrenches to having me train with Drumroll underwater, Power Chord has had some moments where I simply ask 'What in Tartarus will that help me with?!' and yet his methods have gotten me to where I can take on multiple foes that are all twice my size all at once
We finished our food and I payed the bill as I lead Sunset down the streets of Manehatten towards the center of the city
"Fret, where are we going in the middle of the night?" Sunset asked nervously noticing the lack of lights in the area
"Don't you worry about it! Just trust me that the walk will be worth the reward" I said smiling
I lead Sunset into a large park area Manehatteners know as Middleton Park and I lead my date to a secluded spot that over looked a small waterfall and had a beautiful view of the stars "Tada!" I said gesturing to a large rock that stood right above the waterfall
Sunset looked around and asked "When did you find this place and how are the stars even visible? We're in the middle of a sprawling metropolis and yet you can see the stars clear as day!"
I smirked "Sunset if there is one thing that I've learned over the years it's not to question beauty"
Sunset looked at me for a moment before answering back " That was beyond corny."
I shrugged "Eh I guess my charm just doesn't effect you"
"Either way this place is beautiful. When did you find it?"
I looked up at he stars and solemnly answered "I used to come here with my brother all the time when I was younger.....and when he was still alive"
Sunset looked at me concerned " You really miss him don't you?"
"Yeah. He was one of the only ponies I had growing up that actually cared about me"
Sunset tilted her head in confusion "What about your parents?"
"What about my parents?" I responded sharply "Those two hated me ever since I got my Cutie mark. Heck even before then they hated me"
"I'm confused. Why would your own parents hate you?" asked Sunset
"Simple. I wasn't the child they wanted." I said with a hint of disgust in my voice "They wanted a child that could take over their place in their stupid formal wear business but instead they got me, a child that wanted nothing to do with their suit making business and instead wanted to become a musician....and let's just say they weren't exactly happy about that."
"Well it couldn't of been that bad could it?"
"Oh you have no idea how bad it was. At first they simply tried to ignore my existence and as I grew older they instead decided to make my life as miserable as possible......and then my brother died and they did everything in their corrupt power to keep me away from the one thing I cherished the most" I spoke as the venom towards my parents clearly showed
"And what was that?"
".......I'd rather not talk about it" I answered quietly
We spent hours looking at the stars and eventually Sunset said that she needed to get home so we got up and exited the park
"Well that was certainly fun" I laughed
Sunset simply looked at me and smiled " Yeah, that was fun. Too bad it has to end"
"All good things must" I answered back grinning
All of a sudden we found ourselves surrounded by a bunch of griffins, two of which we recognized from earlier
"Well, well, well if it isn't the rock star Fret Shredder and his dumb date Sunset Shimmer" spoke the largest of the griffins
I instantly recognized the voice of the griffin "well if it isn't the famous Blackbeak himself"
Blackbeak smirked "I see my reputation proceeds me Mr. rock star"
"What do you want?" I asked calmly
He pointed at my date and yelled "Her! That skank made a mockery of my men and ruined chance are getting that restaurant's protection money!"
"Having trouble with the recruits?" I asked smugly "Too bad Goldeneye isn't there to keep them in line"
"How in Tartarus do you know about that?!" roared Blackbeak
"Well it has been all over the news lately." I smirked
Sunset spoke up and said " Why don't you boys just run along and play with your toy guns somewhere else before someone gets hurt"
Blackbeak began laughing like a maniac before yelling "Oh you stupid mare! It's you who's gonna get hurt if you don't shut your face!"
just then in the blink of an eye all the mobsters weapons were cut apart like ribbon as a white cloaked figure stood in front of us wielding a katanna with his magic and in a whisper spoke one simple word: "Run"
Neither Sunset nor I questioned him and we took off towards Sunset's apartment.
As we finally arrived at Sunset's apartment after galloping through the dark streets of the city we were both exhausted and we both looked at each other
"Man, I did not expect running to be a part of our date" said Sunset panting like a dog
"No kidding. Who was that guy anyways?" I asked trying to catch my breath
"No idea. I've researched almost every instance of vigilante appearances in Manehatten and yet I have never seen or heard of anything about a white cloaked Samurai"
"well at least he's on our side" I spoke finally catching my breath "So this is your apartment?"
"Yeah. despite being the student of Celestia I still choose to live in a normal apartment" Sunset said laughing
"And why is that?" I asked
Sunset simply looked at the apartment and said "I grew up in this apartment. This place is and always will be home for me so the Princess paid for me to stay here and I wouldn't have it any other way" Sunset smiled " I guess this is good night"
I smiled "Yeah, I guess it is. See you...when will I see you?"
Sunset paused for a moment and thought "hmmm...how about we meet at your spot at the park a week from now...we'll discuss how I'm going to help you then"
I nodded and said " Well I'm not exactly sure the rest of the crew will be as willing to let you on the team but I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it...good night I guess"
Sunset trotted up to me and gave me a peck on the cheek before whispering in my ear "Good night Nightfury" and walking into her apartment
I flew up into the air and hoof pumped he air yelling "I still got it!" before flying off towards the mansion
I arrived at the mansion as Power Chord and Drumroll were waiting for me
"So Bro how'd your date go?" asked my best friend
"better than I expected to be honest" I spoke rubbing the back of my head
"So what is your new marefriend's motive? " asked my mentor
"What do you mean motive? she just thinks I'm hot!" I said false confidently
The two of them looked at me deadpan and I caved "Okay, okay! She wants to join the team! Apparently the Princess sent her here to join up with us" I explained
Power Chord looked at me straight on and said "You know that She's not gonna like this"
"Violet? You don't think I know that? She's gonna have a conniption either way but we can't just ignore the orders of royalty! I understand that we have to keep Manehatten's inhabitants safe but not only has Sunset figured out my secret identity but she's also got the backing of Princess Celestia!"
The two thought for a second and Power Chord looked at me and said " You're right Fret but before we can officially let your marefriend on the team we have to get to know her better than just one date's worth. To be on this team requires the utmost of trust and one date just doesn't cut it"
I was about to retort but I realized the truth "You're right as always Pops...I talk to Sunset next week and get the info we need"
"Good now lets all get some rest cause tomorrow we've got a big concert"
We all headed for bed as I wondered how i was gonna break the news to Violet in the morning
I lay sprawled out on the living room couch next to Drumroll who was sitting on his favorite chair flipping through the channels on our big screen TV
"Ugh...man I hate how Violet has to be such a stickler when it comes to her 'rules'!" I groaned having just gotten done with a particularly heated debate over Sunset's orders to join the team "I mean yeah I understand her being pissed that Sunset telling us that she has to join the team out of the blue but we've seen her hold her own against opponents twice her size and win!"
"Eh, you know how much of a perfectionist Violet is bro. You just got to expect this kind of stuff at this point" Drumroll commented continuing to flip through the channels mindlessly searching for something to watch
"Yeah I know it just sucks that I can't just have a nice date with a hot mare without Violet breathing down my neck" I complained.
My best friend laughed a bit "I know what you mean bro. Last time I brought a mare home Violet scared her away within five minutes" Drumroll finally stopped on the one channel that me and him disagreed on.....ESN: Equestrian Sports Network "Aw yeah! The Manehatten Thunder are playing the Fillydelphia Flyers! LET'S GET READY FOR SOME HOOFBALL!" hollered my drum playing bestie
While Drumroll and I usually agree on pretty much everything there are a few things that him and I simply can not see eye to eye on and one of those things is sports, specifically hoofball. Unlike wrestling which we both love for different reasons, Me for the interesting characters and storylines and Drumroll for the action, we just simply cannot agree on hoofball, which while Drumroll loves I despise seeing it as a mindless reason for big buff stallions to tackle each other.
"Ugh....you watch your dumb hoofball and if Violet asks I'm gonna go visit the comic book store" I said as I slowly got up from the couch and put on my saddlebags and made my way out the door
Violet walked into the room with Power Chord and looked around "Where's Fret? I need to talk to him"
Without looking over to them Drumroll waved them off and answered "He said he was going to the comic book store. Let him be for a bit, he deserves at least a little time on his own after this morning's meeting"
"Well I guess we'll have to wait to tell him the news then" Power Chord shrugged
"I swear on Celestia's sun that you guys are gonna get me put in a mental asylum someday" quipped Violet
I arrived at my favorite Comic book store that I had been going to since I was a colt: Atop the Fourth Wall. I loved this place as it acted as a sanctuary for me when I needed to be alone or if I simply wanted to get away from it all for a little while and now was no different
"Well, well, well if it isn't my favorite costumer Blitz! " Spoke a familiar brown coated stallion
"Hey Linkara. Nice to see you again!" I happily replied to the store clerk who wore a brown trench coat, a brown hat, and a pair of glasses and was one of the few ponies I allowed to call me by my old name partially so that I wasn't swarmed by fans and paparazzi when I visited and partially because I've known the guy since I was in grade school and he first opened this shop. While he didn't know my secret identity as Nightfury he does know that my life is far from normal. Plus he usually didn't ask questions about my personal life ever since my brother died.
"So what you here for this time? I haven't seen you here since last month! Did something happen back at the mansion?" Linkara asked worriedly
"Nah, just Violet being pissed at me again" I shrugged as I began looking through the many comics on the shelves
"Violet mad again eh? Well what caused it this time? You not following orders again?" the comic book clerk laughed
I chuckled at that. While me and the gang never considered Violet's rules and plans orders she did always remind me of a military officer when I was on a mission
"Eh well....." I looked around the store to make sure that we were alone ".....I might have fell in love with somepony and that somepony may have been ordered to join the team by Celestia"
Linkara looked at me for a second in silence before replying "I can see why Violet would be pissed.....so who's this mare you've fallen for?" He asked taking a sip of coffee from a black mug that read 'When's the next History of Pony Rangers coming out?' with a picture of the original Green Pony Ranger helmet with a question mark hovering over it as the background of the quote.
I paused for a minute before answering "Well......it's uh.....it's Sunset Shimmer"
The store clerk immediately did a spit take and looked at me in disbelief "Sunset Shimmer? You're dating THE Sunset Shimmer? I thought she ran away! It was all over the news a couple years ago!"
"Yeah that's what I thought but apparently she was secretly sent here to Manehatten to study under me and keep track of the vigilates in the city or at least that's what she told me" I replied
all of a sudden a white coated unicorn with a flowing pitch black mane and tail and a cutie mark that looked like a partial lunar eclipse walked into the store and silently made his way to the back of the store where all the mangas were shelved
"What's up with him?" I whispered to Linkara
"I dunno. He started coming in the store a few days ago and never says a word, just grabs a manga, pays, and silently walks out" the store clerk whispered back
The white stallion did just that, picking a manga that I noticed was somehow samurai themed, paid, and left
Just as he left the clerk gave me a look and spoke up " So anyways Sunset Shimmer eh? How'd you score that mare Blitz?"
I shrugged " To be completely honest I actually have no idea. It was more her asking me out than the other way around. Like I said she apparently is under orders from the princess to study under me. Her liking me was just a bonus" I spoke as I continued to browse the shelves "AH HA! IT IS IN!" I yelled excitedly
"Oh I see you found the newest issue of The Lunar Knight! We just got that stocked this morning" the comic book guru commented
" Oh you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this issue to come out Linkara! Finally I get to see the showdown between The Lunar Knight AKA Midnight and his arch rival Red Moon! Man the past few issues of this guy have gotten me SO hyped for this fight! First Red Moon attacks the innocent civilians of Galathem and then kidnaps Midnight's techie and childhood friend slash love interest Dawn Glow and sets the stage for the showdown of the decade! And It all starts this issue!" I half-shouted trying my best to hold in my fangasm
"What ever happened to you reading The Power Ponies?" Asked Linkara
I gave him a look as if saying ' Really?' "The same reason you stopped reading Spider Mane. Pointless retcons and an event SO stupid it made Ponics.com create a whole new catagory just to classify it: The infamous OOC catagory, home to most of Buck Miller's work and the infamous One More Sunrise"
"Your talking about Hades' Rage right? The one where The Saddle Rager becomes an agent of Hades and nearly kills half her team before getting magically released from servitude all because the marketing department of Marevel wanted to have a rival storyline to the awesome SuperStallion: Rouge event that PC was doing at the time?" The clerk asked
"That's the one. Ever since that moronic storyline I haven't been able to take The Power Ponies seriously and the latest reboot didn't help in the slightest" I complained as I pulled my wallet out of my saddlebag to pay
Linkara waved me off and smiled "Oh you don't need to pay for this one Blitz. This one's on the house."
I put my wallet back into my pocket and tilted my head to the side "Why? Free comic book day was a month ago."
"Dude I'm just glad to have someone who understands comics like you do to talk to every once in a while that ISN'T a know it all ten year old colt who constantly badgers you about whether PC or Marevel is the better company or is a cyborg version of yourself from an alternate universe who's constantly trying to kill you" Linkara sighed in frustration
"Dude you have one weird life" I joked
Linkara just sighed and replied "Yeah I know. Point is go enjoy your free comic. Considering how weird your life is it sounds like you'll need it"
I laughed a little "You have no idea"
As I walked into the mansion with comic in bag I notice that everyone was missing. The TV was on and was still on the same channel as when I left. I looked around only to be met by Balto who I followed to the door leading to the mansion library from which I could hear talking to somepony.
I opened the door and was met by my entire crew, Vinyl and Octavia included, talking to Sunset Shimmer
"I told you, I don't care what the princess says! This group knows each other and trusts each other and you expect me to do the same with you no questions asked?! That ain't happening!" Argued Violet
"Look.....I don't expect you to trust me or even like me but I've been given orders by Celestia to study under The Nightfury and I can't just disobey a direct order from my teacher and Co-ruler of Equestria" explained Sunset
"Violet, you do realize that your the only one who has a problem with this right?" asked Power Chord
Violet looked at the others and asked "You're on my side right?"
Drumroll and Vinyl simply shrugged and Vinyl spoke up "Honestly I could care less. As long as Sunnyside has a legit reason to be on the team I'm fine with it"
Octavia on the other hoof asked a simple question "What would you be contributing to the team Sunset? We already have Violet as tech support, Drumroll as Nightfury's trainer, Power Chord as mentor and strategist and Vinyl as a cover story. What could you contribute that we don't already have?"
I finally spoke up "Well if you think about it none of us on the team has any real experience in magic so she could be a magical adviser for the team or something along those lines"
"Well Fret's not wrong. The closest thing to a magic adviser we have on the team is either Violet or Vinyl and neither of them are as proficient in magic use as a protege of Celestia would be" commented Power Chord
"Then it's settled! Sunset will be our team magic adviser from now on!" I proclaimed patting Sunset on the back "Welcome to the team Sunnyside"
Violet grumbled before Sunset finally spoke up " Okay first off, Am I just gonna have to accept that new nickname?"
I just laughed as my mentor answered for me "Pretty much. Everypony on the team has one at this point so it's kind of a requirement"
Sunset groaned and continued "Ugh....fine. Anyways this isn't even the reason I'm here"
Violet venomously snapped back "Then why are you here!? Because you seem to have neglected to mention that fact until now!"
Sunset recoiled a step back in shock as Power Chord and I gave Violet a stern look and I mouthed the words 'We're gonna have a talk later' to her
"Umm....okay. Anyways the reason I'm here today is to ask you a simple question. Why the name Nightfury?"
My mentor and I gave each other a look before Power Chord nodded and I picked a specially marked book from off the library shelve marked 'Children's Fantasy' "I picked the name Nightfury from this book." I said showing her the book in question
Sunset looked at the book and smiled
The book in question was titled 'Mark of the Wolf' although it was clear that the book had a longer title though it was unclear what that title was due to the books condition. The book looked as if it was found in the trash and was dusty as Tartarus along with having half the pages missing
"May I ask why you put this book in the foal's section?" Sunset inquired smirking smugly
"Well it's obviously a child's fantasy story! I mean it's about a pony who was raised by wolves and takes up the name Nightfury to defend Equestria!" I spoke rolling my eyes
Sunset simply smirked and in a smug tone replied "No it isn't. In fact that's not what it's about at all"
"Then what is it about Sunset?" asked Power Chord
Sunset continued to smirk as she answered "Why don't I show you?" She then summoned an identical book with the exception that it was in pristine condition and read 'Mark of the Wolf: The Story of the Royal Elite Guards by: Howling Wing' "This book in fact is actually about the story of the early days of the Princess's rule and chronicles the story of one of Princess Luna's elite guards named the Nightfuries" Sunset explained
"If the Nightfuries were the elite guards of Princess Luna then what were Celestia's version called?" asked Power Chord
"Celestia's elite guards were called the Daybreakers but they are now known as the Wonderbolts" explained Sunset
"Makes sense. The Wonderbolts did always seem more like a military group than a simple aerial team." I commented when I finally noticed something "Hold on....Howling Wing?" I grabbed one of the books from the library's records section and began flipping pages
Violet looked at me funny and asked "Fret what are you-"
"Just hold on a sec Vi! I'm trying to figure something out!" I interrupted her mid sentence as I continued to search through the book
The others waited for a few seconds until I finally spoke up once more "Ah ha! Here we are! The Wing family genealogy records!" I scanned through the page before letting out a gasp "Wait, wait, wait....so if this is right then your telling me-"
"That your ancestor was one of the original Nightfuries?" finished Sunset "That's exactly what I'm saying Blitzwing"
We all turned to face Sunset, some in shock, some in disgust, and some impressed. I on the other hoof simply looked at Sunset plainly and muttered "Please don't call me that"
Sunset looked at all of us and simply asked "Why not? It is your real name isn't it?"
"It brings back too many bad memories" I answered solemnly
Quickly changing the subject my mentor spoke up "So Sunset Shimmer, what does this history lesson that you've given us mean?"
"Nothing at the moment. I was just curious where you got the name Nightfury from" answered Sunset
My mentor stared her down, knowing she was lying "I know for a fact that you're hiding something but I can't figure out what it is....but I trust you that it is important enough to that when you reveal it in time it will be worth the wait"
Sunset nodded back to Power Chord "Thank you. Now is there anything I need to know now that I'm part of this team?"
I waved her off "Don't worry about that for now Sunnyside. We'll fill you in on the details of being a part of team Nightfury later. For now, why don't I give you a grand tour of our base of operations?"
"Umm..sure I guess" Sunset answered back shrugging
I led her to the secret entrance and took her down the elevator
I sighed once again as I walked down the hall of the mansion towards Violet's room
Once again Fret has found a way to put Violet in a state of fury....and I have to clean up the mess
I knocked on Violet's door only to the sound of silence. Violet had always been the stubborn type, especially towards anything involving Fret's Nightfury persona and Fret bringing in Sunset onto the team as not only a member of the group but as his newest love interest was bound to piss Violet off one way or another
I knocked again once met by silence
"Vi if you don't open this door than I will" I spoke sternly. I honestly think that when it comes to dealing with my fellow team mates I feel more like their father than their mentor especially when it came to Fret and Violet
I heard a groan from inside the room and the door finally opened "What do you want Pops?"
"Look. I'm not here to patronize you about your attitude towards Sunset, she is a new addition to the team and we don't exactly know her all that well so you being edgy and suspicious toward her is warranted, but I cannot tolerate hostility towards her no matter how little we know about her. We are a team, a family, and I don't care if Sunset is a newbie or is withholding information as long as it doesn't hurt our chances as a team so you better stop this irrational animosity towards Sunset right now or I'll make you clean up after the band on our next show" I replied
Violet grumbled and frustratedly replied "Ugh. Fine. But that doesn't mean I trust her yet!"
I smirked "I never said you had to Vi. All I require from you is your cooperation and for you to not bring this team down because of petty jealousy or unfounded resentment. Now lets go find Fret before he accidentally blows up your lab trying to impress his new marefriend"
Violet let out a chuckle "Yeah, knowing Fret that's more possible than you think Pops"
I led my new marefriend through the lair happily answering any questions she had along the way
"Is that a copy of 'Star Swirl's Spectacular Spells and Incredible Incantations Volume 1' over there?" Sunset asked as we entered the underground library
"Yep!" I replied happily
"I know a couple of unicorns in Canterlot that would kill to have that book" my new marefriend chuckled "What's even the propose of having a secret second library?"
"Well......let's just say that a lot of the books in this library aren't exactly.....well, legal to own" I spoke guiltily
Sunset gave me a confused look "You didn't steal any of these books did you?"
"NO! Oh Celestia no! It's just that a lot of these books are forbidden to own. I mean we've got books in here that chronicle the actual events that led up to Princess Luna's corruption, books that talk about how Celestia is actually not the perfect gentle leader that everypony thinks she is.....yeah don't tell her about those, records of ponies that should not honestly be known by the public , and even a book that talks extensively about the Griffin Wars. Knowledge is power Sunnyside and a lot of this stuff can never leave this library" I reasoned hoping she would understand 'Great job you moron. you just insulted not only her mentor but the friggin' Princess of the Sun Shut it you stupid inner monologue.
Sunset simply smiled and spoke up "Don't worry Fret your secret is safe with me....besides from my experience the Princess isn't always the kind and caring ruler that everypony paints her as....she's also a massive troll" Sunset let out a chuckle at that
I made her laugh......Yuss! Looks like I still got that Wing Family Charm! I grinned and led her to the final stop in our tour of the base: The Studio
As we entered the studio Sunset looked at me confused "Why are you taking me to your studio? Better yet, Why is there a studio in the base in the first place?"
I walked into the the sound booth and pressed an unmarked button causing the walls to flip revealing steel walls and a secret door in the back of the safe room "Well it started out when we got noise complaints from our neighbors so we decided to move it down here " I spoke as I flipped a switch on the underside of the sound board causing it to flip revealing a hidden computer system along with a bunch of screens to reveal from the ceiling "We decided it would make a great cover for a panic room so yeah"
Sunset looked over the safe room inspecting it as she did "Impressive...where does that lead to?" she asked pointing to the secret door
"Oh that? That is our escape route to our other outposts throughout the city. You honestly didn't think this was our only hide out did you?" I asked smugly
"I guess not. makes sense that you would have other hideouts. How is it connected to them? You can't just build a tunnel system in the middle of a city without getting noticed."
"Actually it....it leads to the sewers." I replied sheepishly
"Gross." Sunset deadpanned
"Well it could be worse." A voice spoke from the entrance of the room
I switched off the panic room returning it to the guise of a studio before answering back "What's up bro?"
"Vi and Pops sent me down here to check on you. Don't want you breaking anything again" spoke my bestie Drumroll
"Hey! That was one time! And besides, Vi should know better than to leave her sciencey stuff laying around!" I retorted
"Does this happen often?" Asked Sunset
"More than you could believe" smirked Drumroll
All of a sudden the alarm went off and Sunset panicked before I grabbed her and me and Drumroll lead her to the main computer room
"Looks like Sunnyside has more to learn if she's gonna be a full time member of team Nightfury" Chuckled Drumroll
"Eh. She'll get used to it. Vi what we got this time?" I spoke as the three of us entered the main room
"Looks like a simple bank robbery. Shouldn't be too....oh...well that's gonna be a problem" Violet replied as she looked at footage from the city security camreas
"What is it?.....Violet what is it?" I asked worriedly
"Take a look." Violet spoke as she brought a holographic screen out enhancing the footage to reveal that along with a group of thugs was a mid sized black cloaked unicorn featuring a prominent curved stark white horn sticking out of his hood along with a neon green mane and tail
"Oh come on! Polt's back?! How many times do I have to fight this guy to keep him down?!" I complained
Sunset tilted her head to the side "What's so special about this guy?"
Power Chord brought Sunset to a small table we use as a "Records table" that had a mid sized holographic screen on it.
"Polt R. Guist. Age 45 Height 4'7 Weight 159 lbs Summary: Polt is a particularly talented unicorn when it comes to Magi constructs and illusions. Known in the Manehatten underground as "The Ghost" he was raised by an abusive father that he ran away from at the age of fifteen. The whereabouts of his mother are unknown. After hitting the streets he quickly turned to a life of crime to sustain him and rose through the ranks as a force to be reckoned with. To date Polt R. Guist has been incarcerated into Galyndor Maximum Security Prison a total of seven times. Known Weaknesses: While a talented magic user Polt is susceptible to close range attacks as he has no proper training in close quarters combat nor does he have any protection from hoof to hoof attacks. He is also known to have a superiority complex preferring to take on his opponents one on one Suggested Strategy: Get in close and stay there. beat him down before he causes any damages" Pops read off the screen
"Yeah good luck with that. Polt has fought me more times than I'd like to admit so he knows my strategy. Plus those fricking illusions make it hard as Tartarus to keep track of him! " I huffed
"Do I hear whining?" Asked Power Chord
I shot up into a salute before beginning to slip on me specially designed CQC combat suit made from a combination of kevlar, carbon fiber, and a specially made lightweight aluminum-titanium alloy that Vi and Pops produced for my suits and while it wasn't bulletproof it was definitely bullet resistant. In short it was made to take a beating while allowing me to have full range of movement including a state of the art sensor system in the mask that allows me to track enemy movements as they approach.
Just before I could grab my mask I noticed Sunset looking over the mask "hmmm....the sensors could be modified to pick up the frequencies of a magi construct if I could just tweak it." Sunset then began to flow her magic into my mask's sensors before handing it over to me "There. That should do it. Now you should be able to sense and react to magic based attacks up to a point."
"To a point?" I asked curiously
"It won't work on any type of attack that exceeds that of a mid level unicorn and if it does it'll most likely overload the magic circuits in the sensors causing them to shut down breifly" I gave Sunset a look and she barked back "Hey! Nothing's perfect! Besides if I had more time I would have probably have been able to fix that!"
"Whatever." I slipped on my mask and took off through the secret hatch in the main computer room's ceiling shouting "Let's Rocket!" as I flew out into the Manehatten sky.
"Does he always say horrible catchphrases when he leaves?" Sunset asked
"Every time. He says he's trying to find the perfect one. Personally I think he just reads too much comics" replied Violet
"Ugh. This is gonna take some getting used to isn't it?" Sunset groaned
"You have no idea." Power Chord spoke
As I approached the bank in question I decided to land on a vantage point overlooking the crime scene
I landed on a gargoyle of a high rise across the street from the bank and scanned the scene
'It looks like they have the entrances covered....looks like I'm gonna have to find my own way into the place...' I thought looking at the building in question seeing that the front door was covered by three armed thugs 'Hmmm.....' I looked at the roof of the bank and noticed an open skylight 'Jackpot' I thought as I stealthfully flew my over to the open sky light and silently looked down into the building.' looks like there are at least eight of them and they have three hostages....better make my grand entrance' I dropped three smoke bombs into the opening causing smoke to flood the bank's front hall before I turned on my infra red vision on my mask and dropping into the smoke below
I purposely dropped straight onto on of the thugs' backs causing him to buckle before I gave him a quick strike to the back of the neck knocking him out cold and with one flap of my wings I took off mid way in the air just above the smoke
"We ain't afraid of you Freak! " yelled one of the smoke blinded thugs as did his partner who was only hoof lengths away from him "Yeah! No costumed freak is gonna scare us!"
I dove into a diving kick to the first thugs face knocking him out instantly before whispering the words 'Oh really? Let's change that" into the other thugs ear before sweeping his front legs before jumping up and performing a curb stomp on him smashing his face into the marble floor KOing him in the process. I then turned my attention to another one of the thugs who was frantically holding his gun up against one of the hostages "I-I'll shoot him you freak! I-I-I will! I-I-I p-promise!" the terrified thug spoke in a nervous manner visibly shaking from pure fear.
I flew up over the thug and landed right behind him before somersaulting over him grabbing him in the process rolling him into a powerbomb in the process. I popped back up curb stomping the thug with my back hooves as I leaped over him darting over to yet another thug group that were back to back. I landed on top of them both and just as they went to turn to face me I grabbed them by the heads and banged them together knocking them both out
The smoke settled and I noticed two things. The first was the site of a very familiar member of the hostages named Papa Razzi, a photographer for The Manehatten Advisory that seemed to have made it his personally mission in life to making my life as Nightfury miserable through smear campaigns, misinterpreted accounts, and plain old lies. Pops always joked about how obsessions could drive a pony mad and Papa Razzi was definitely obsessed. The other thing I noticed was a large minotaur that was covered in tattoos. Clearly one of Ghost's henchmen
The minotaur charged me and I went for a counter trying to buck him in the chest when he got close but the brute simply shrugged it off as if it was nothing grabbing me by the legs and tossing me into one of the bank's concrete walls
"Well then.....Ow....." several strategies were running through my head when an Idea popped into my head
I got up from my prone position and began yelling at the beast taunting it wildly "Yo horn head! I bet you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn you worthless piece of crap!"
Meanwhile back at HQ...
"What in the name of Celestia is he doing?! He's gonna get himself killed!" yelled Sunset
"Ah don't worry Sunnyside! Fret's done this tons of times! Just trust him! " Drumroll reassured her while eating from a bag of freshly popped popcorn as he watched the scene play out.
"As much as I chew out Fret for being a dumbass in the field he does usually know what he's doing.....usually" Violet commented
Back with Nightfury.....
The minotaur charged me horns first and I quickly dodged to the side causing the minotaur to embed his horns about half way into the concrete dazing him slightly allowing me to slide under him and pummel his chest before bracing myself up against the floor and delivering a strong buck to his face causing him to clutch his face in recoil and knocking his horns free and putting him in a standing position once again. I hopped onto his shoulders and shifting my weight I flipped him over onto his back before delivering one final blow to the back of his head knocking him out
After I got up from the minotaur I heard a cackling laughter come from the back of the room as Polt entered the room
"Well if it isn't my old nemesis Nightfury. Here to save the day hero?"
I smirked under my mask "I dunno. Are you gonna come quietly or am I gonna have to give you another beat down?"
He let out anther round of maniacal laughter "You are a fool if you think you can defeat me this time hero! I spent my time in Galyndor well. Now prepare to face your doom!" Polt boasted as he sent a barrage of magi constructs at me
Taking off I proceeded to bob and weave through the barrage of constructs thanks to Sunset's upgrade only getting hit once or twice due to me over or under shooting a dodge. While this did slow me down it did not halt my progress towards The Ghost's position
I went for a flying punch as I finally made it to Polt's position only instead of it connecting with Polt's face it hit a shield that surrounded The Ghost
"You didn't honestly think I would come unprepared to this fight did you Nightfury?" He smirked as he hit me full force with a construct to the chest sending me careening across the room
As I got up I turned on my comms "Gadget, Sunnyside, Any idea how to get past his shield?" I asked using Violet's code name
"You're gonna have to either break his concentration or break through it manually. Considering Polt's capabilities I'd choose the former." Sunset replied
"Manually it is"
"Is he always this-" Sunset was cut off as I turned of my comms and proceeded to dart across the room throwing a flurry of punches at the shield causing it to crack and Polt to set off a smoke pellet teleporting in the process
I turned as he reappeared along with about a dozen copies of himself spread across the room
"Stalking you silently throughout the night, we spook and scare you with a fright, because you cannot win this fight, you scream in terror cause you know I'm right, that you the hero will die tonight! " the dozen of Ghosts spoke in sync as I turned off my sensors and closed my eyes taking a deep breath as I entered a state of deep focus hearing only the sound of a wolf howling to the moon as I walked towards the real Ghost without even thinking instinctively sidestepping constructs that he threw at me not even stopping as I punched through the shield that he put up.
"Yo-you can't do this to me! I am superior!" Polt yelled in terror as I approached
I finally came face to face with The Ghost as I opened my eyes and spoke one simple word "Boo."
I gave Polt a swift uppercut knocking him into the air as I delivered a spinning jump kick to his face knocking him out cold
As soon as I landed from the jump kick I heard the the sounds of police sirens coming from the windows
"Looks like it's time for me to make my exit" I said before taking off and out the skylight I entered through
Cold Case enter the crime scene to see the robbers spread across the room all unconscious including a knocked out Polt R. Giest, a known escapee of Galyndor.
"Nightfury..." the detective muttered in disgust
As the other cops took to escorting the criminals back to the precinct Cold Case went to talk to the witnesses. The first of the three hostages claimed to have seen nothing claiming that the thugs knocked them out immediately in order to minimize witnesses. The second of the three was a bank teller that claimed she was hiding behind the counter the whole time and saw nothing. Cold Case sighed in frustration. Every time there was a confirmed sighting of Nightfury there were never any witnesses. As Cold Case approached the third witness he recognized his face. It was The Manehatten Advisory's favorite 'reporter' Papa Razzi, if you could call him that. While no one took his stories seriously he did seem to share Cold Case's hatred for the vigilante menace known as Nightfury.
"Alright Razzi, let's hear your 'story'." I spoke emphasizing the word story "I want only the truth Razzi. No bullshit make-believe fantasies" I ordered
"Alright Coldy. But I think you might want to listen carefully to my story" Papa Razzi said smirking
"I'm listening" I groaned
"Well...while I didn't notice anything that would be helpful at pinning down who Nightfury is I did see something rather odd during his fight with The Ghost." Papa Razzi spoke confidently
I raised an eyebrow at this motioning him to continue
" Well...it seems Nightfury isn't working alone. During the fight he contacted somepony named Gadget and Sunnyside"
This peaked my interest. Nightfury has a group of accomplices? That would explain a lot about how he operates and how he makes and maintains his gear and identity. The idea that one pony could make, maintain, and supply a vigilante such as Nightfury is absurd. "Really? Well, it seems Manehatten's most infamous reporter actually reported something useful for once. I'm going to have to ask you to keep this information confidential Mr. Razzi."
"Are you kidding! This will be my big break! I might even get a promotion for this story!" Razzi argued
"Well if you don't keep this confidential I will have to have you fired and locked up for releasing private police information." I threatened
Razzi grumbled and begrudgingly replied "Fine. But that won't stop me from reporting this attempted bank robbery!"
"Fine. Just remember Razzi, One slip up and your ass is in the slammer!" I barked in his face before walking away
I rubbed my temples and sighed "Ugh...reporters."
I entered the HQ's main room where the others were waiting. "Another job well done" I spoke as I landed in the center of the room
"Nice use of the Zen technique kid." Power Chord complimented me as I worked on taking off my costume
"Dude! Those wrestling moves were sick!" Drumroll yelled before brohoofing me
"A bit reckless but that's nothing new" Violet commented
Sunset on the other hoof looked furious "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!" She yelled "You could have been seriously hurt back there! Killed even! You all act like it's no big deal but your reckless actions put you in serious danger!" Sunset continued to chew me out
"Sunny I've been fighting this way for years. I know it's dangerous but that's just part of the job. Yeah, I guess I could have been more careful but it's not like Ghost was much of a threat. He doesn't even make the top twenty of the list of most dangerous villains I've fought. He's a D lister at best." I explained
"Do you think I care whether or not he qualifies as a D list villain or not!" Sunset yelled "I-I-I UGH!" She stormed out of the room just as furious as she was when I arrived.
"Is that what I sound like?" Violet asked
Drumroll and I turned to her and in sync yelled "YES!"
I sat in the briefing room conflicted in my thoughts as Violet and Pops went over the intel we have on Blackbeak
"While we don't have much info on Blackbeak himself, we do have info on his known business partners" Violet spoke as she used a map of the city as a reference "From what we know the mob has been working extensively with three large companies. These companies include Tramp Industries" Violet pointed to a large skyscraper in the middle of the city "Magico Technologies" She pointed to a factory complex on the edge of the harbor "And the MHPD" she pointed to the police department on the west side of town
I, on the other hand was focusing on other things such as a disgruntled Sunset Shimmer who was still mad at me for yesterday's mission, but when Violet brought up the MHPD I took notice "Wait...you're not saying Coldy is working with the mob are you?"
"Luckily no. Cold Case is one of the few clean cops on the force. With that said there are a large number of cops that are under the payroll of the mob." Violet reassured me
"But who do we strike first?" Drumroll asked " From what I remember Tramp Industries is a practical fortress and Magico is even more so.....you aren't suggesting we break into MHPD are you?"
Power Chord stood up and looked at us sternly "She isn't suggesting it. I am. Breaking into MHPD may be our only way to get the info we need on Blackbeak"
Drumroll and I nodded in agreement. When Pops gets like this we all know that he is dead serious. "So what's the plan?" I asked
We all walked out of the briefing room quietly although while the others went their seperate ways, I went up to Sunset and stopped her
"What do you want Nightfury?" Sunset snarled at me
'Damn....she won't even use my name....tread lightly Fret, tread lightly.' I let out a deep breath and composed my thoughts before finally speaking "Look Sunset, I know you're mad at me but-"
"Mad is putting it lightly" Sunset grumbled
"But, I have been fighting that way for over a decade. Winging it is practically my specialty at my point" I finished
"Yeah and how many times has that strategy gotten you hurt?" Sunset asked back eyebrow raised
I thought back over the years briefly before letting out a sigh "Alright you got me there but I do it that way for a reason"
"And what reason could justify you being reckless?" Sunset quipped back
"To protect you guys." I spoke softly
"What?"
"I do it to protect you guys. If any one of my enemies found out that I have others backing me up they could feasibly find out who you guys are and harm you" I explained
Sunset stared at me for a while, finally grumbling something under her breath after three minutes "Fine. I understand. This doesn't mean I'm not pissed at what you did but for now I forgive you....just remember that I DON'T give second chances....ever" Sunset spoke sternly before walking off
"Phew!" I let out as I whipped my forehead
"Looks like you got lucky cuz" Vinyl snuck up behind me "Last time Tavi was mad at me it took me three months for me to get her back into bed with me"
"TMI cuz, TMI" I spoke rolling my eyes
"Hey speaking of Tavi, have you seen her today? I haven't seen her all day and we were supposed to run through this week's schedule for The Vinyl Scratch" Vinyl asked worriedly
"I haven't seen her eithe-" I stopped mid sentence when I came to a realization 'Wait....earth pony.....black mane....the voice....oh you clever bastard' "Hey Vinyl can you tell the others I'm going on patrol?"
"Uh...sure I guess" my cousin responded scratching her head in confusion
"Awesome. See a later cuz!"
I flew over the city in my all purpose suit that I admittedly don't use very often considering most of my missions were planned out and I knew what I was going into and I could anticipate what protection I would need. This particular suit was designed to cover all the bases on protection and sensory but didn't compare to any of my specialized suits. Perfect for when you don't know exactly what you're getting into and that was exactly the case with this encounter.
I scanned the city below for signs of a certain masked mare when I finally spotted her I flew down to her level
"Well if it isn't the mysterious Shadow" I spoke smugly "We need to talk."
She sped up grappling her way through alley after alley in an attempt to lose me. Luckily for me I had planted a hidden tracking device on her when I was talking to her which showed up as a dot on my wrist mounted map 'Not this time Shadow' I thought as I followed her silently through the city
The Shadow landed in an alley winded from the chase that she thought was over "Nice try Nightfury."
"Thanks. I do work best when I have a clear goal" I spoke as I descended from a roof top
"Ugh...What do you want Nightfury? I don't have time to chat" The mystery mare argued
"You're right Shadow, you don't have time to chat. Vinyl is waiting for you after all" I replied slyly
"Wait....." She simply smiled "I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd figure it out this quick"
"Hey, I may not be the brains of the operation but that doesn't mean I'm not clever. Now then Octavia I gotta ask....how long you been at this?" I smirked
"All my life. You should consider yourself lucky Fret. Not many ponies even know that the Shadow exists at all and you know one personally" Octavia spoke softly
"Oh really? In that case I guess you should feel lucky as well" I remarked back "Not many ponies know Nightfury exists"
We both let out a chuckle and smiled at each other
Putting on a serious demeanor I looked Octavia in the eye and asked "So who actually does know about this?"
"No one." Octavia replied solemnly
I raised an eyebrow "Not even Vinyl?"
"No. You know how much of a loud mouth Scratch can be." Octy replied
"I dunno. She's been pretty good at keeping my secret." I responded
"Touche. Still......I can't. I just can't." Octavia gave me a guilty look "I've already lost too much."
I gave her a look of skepticism before asking "What do you mean you've lost too much?"
She hung her head low looking at the ground in guilt and let out a long sigh "My father....I failed him"
My eyebrow raised a little at that "What do you mean? You've never mentioned your father before."
"It's a long story" She replied softly
"I've got time" I gave her a reassuring glance
She relented and began telling her story
23 Years earlier....
"Father! Why can't I train with you?!" a young Octavia pleaded
The older stallion calmly looked at her and responded "Princess. You already know the answer to that question. The battlefield is no place for a mare. A mare like you should be training to be a musician or a nurse, not a warrior."
"But Father! I'm not just some mare! I'm the heir to the Shadow name!" the grey filly responded
The older stallion rubbed his temples. Ever since his oldest daughter's tenth birthday when she was told the truth of what her father does she had been pleading to train with him. The older stallion sat down in front of his daughter and put his front left hoof on her shoulder "Look. Tavi, I know you want to follow in your ancestor's hoofsteps but being the Shadow is more than just beating up the bad guys. It's about patience, spiritual peace, and secrecy. If you become the Shadow you will have to lie to every pony you will ever love. You will have to lie to you sister,your own mother, and all your friends. Do you want that?"
The young filly thought for a moment and then looked at her father in a look of determination "Yes Father....it is my responsibility to bear that burden. If I have to lie to my friends and family then I am willing to face the consequenses"
The older stallion looked at his oldest daughter sternly "Are you sure about that Tavi?"
Octavia gave her father a confident smile and responded "Yes father!"
The older stallion slicked back his jet black mane and smiled "Very well then. From now on, whenever we are training, you are to call me Sensei. We will train from 5 AM to noon every day no exceptions. You are to bow when ever you enter and whenever you exit this dojo. And most importantly you are to NEVER speak of this training outside this dojo. Any questions?"
"What about school?" the young filly asked
The older stallion looked at his daughter impressed "Very good. School is just as important as training and should be a high priority. In that case you shall attend school normally and on those days we shall begin training at 3 PM and end at 7 PM no exceptions."
Octavia grinned widely and let out a loud yell "Oh thank you Father! I won't let you down!"
The older stallion gave her a stern look and the young filly smiled sheepishly
"I mean Yes, Sensei" Octavia gave her father a bow
"Good girl"
2 years later.....
The older stallion looked over his daughter's stance as she stood patiently waiting for his approval
"Your stance is good....but your balance is sloppy." The older stallion spoke sternly sweeping the sheath of his blade that he keep at his side under her causing her to topple over
Octavia got up and looked at her father worried "Sensei I've been trying to perfect that stance for over a year now! I don't understand what I'm doing wrong!"
"Perhaps you are just not trying hard enough Octavia" Her father gave her a stern look"....or perhaps I am simply not teaching you correctly. I have been looking at this problem as I always do. I have been teaching you as if you are a stallion but that is not the case. You are a mare and I should be teaching you as such. Assume the stance again Octavia." Her father ordered
Octavia took her stance and her father looked her over "You have been taught to put the point of balance at your chest when as a mare it should be at your hips. Shift your balance to account for this."
Octavia shifted her left hind leg forward a bit and put a small amount of pressure more on to her right hind leg "Good..." her father tried again to sweep her legs but when the sheath hit her right leg Octavia stood firm. "Very good"
3 Years later....
Octavia was ecstatic. she had just gotten back from a college visit with her family to West Manehatten University and they finally accepted her. However this excitement distracted her from her training
"Yamea!" her father ordered causing her to stop.
"Octavia I understand your excitement for this new opportunity but you cannot let this blind your actions" Her father spoke sternly "You have come leaps and bounds in this dojo and while I am very proud of your progress I feel that you are getting to a point where I can no longer teach you." The older stallion gave his daughter a proud smile and turned to grab something
"Sensei what do you mean? You will always be my teacher right?" Octavia asked confused by her father's words
"If only that were true daughter of mine" The older stallion turned to face his daughter when a loud shout came from the house. The two turned to look at the house and saw a gang of thugs wearing ski masks holding their family hostage
"Father let me take care of this" Octavia asked
The older stallion looked at his daughter and looked back at the thugs "No. I must protect my family and putting you in harms way would only tarnish my honor." The older stallion took the item that he was holding and ran after the thugs leaving his daughter behind
The father fought valiantly against the thugs but as the thugs turned to run one of the criminals shot off a round that hit the father in the chest.
Octavia ran to her father but when she reached his side he was already on his last breaths
"Father! Please don't leave me! There is so much that you have yet to teach me! I love you Father! Please no!" Octavia bawled as she held her dying father in her hooves
The older stallion let out a strained chuckle coughing up a little blood in the process "No Octavia. You have learned all that I have to teach you. I am proud to say that you will carry on the name of the Shadow. Here..." The older stallion handed his daughter the item that he had been holding "This blade is the blade of the Shadow. It has been passed down from generation to generation to the worthy heir to the Shadow lineage. Take this sword and become the new Shadow." the father let out another series of coughs and continued " Take this blade and find the master known as Splinter. He will teach you in the ways of the ninja....be strong and make me proud Tavi" The older stallion let out his last breath and died in his daughter's arms
"F-Father?! Father! Oh please by the gods please don't die on me! No please no!" Octavia wept as she held her father's body in her arms. Her sister came over to comfort her but it was no use as Violet cried once she realized her father was gone.
3 months later....
Octavia's father's funeral was a day before and Octavia was visiting her father once more before she went off to college. The funeral itself was a sorrow event although most of the ponies that came were unknown to the young mare. From friends of the family to old acquaintances of her father to even Princess Celestia had came to pay their respects. But that day had gone and passed and the new Shadow was still mourning. Octavia sat in front of her father's grave silently 'I will find this Master Splinter father and I will finish my training....I will be strong and I will make you proud' Octavia thought but her thoughts soon wandered to the land of possibilities 'if only I had stepped in to help you father! I could have saved you!...it's all my fault...' Octavia wept one final time as she placed a black rose on her father's grave
Rest In Peace Black Sonata
"All my life I've been chasing shadows but now I am at peace as I have my family"
5 Months Later...
In the months following Black Sonata's death the relationship between Octavia and her mother had become strained. Octavia's mother had always been controling but now that she was in college it seemed she was out of her mother's grasp but as it always was it was too good to be true. Eventually Octavia had had enough and stood up to her mother thanks to her new friends Vinyl Scratch, Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon but the damage was done. Soon after Violet rebelled as well but Octavia could never forget her father's final words. After her first year in college she told her new friends she was "Going on Vacation" but that was not the truth. Instead she went to Neighpan and went in search for the master that her father had told her about. She searched.....and searched but no matter how much she searched the master known as "Splinter" was nowhere to be found
"Did you ever find him?" I asked
"No. To this day I still haven't found this mysterious 'Master Splinter' " Octavia replied "I even went in front of the emperor of Nieghpan and asked him where I could find this master"
"And what did he say?" I asked
"The emperor told me that he had heard of Master Splinter but he knew not where he is" Octavia replied " I gave up on my search assuming that this master was dead and decided to take the tutelage of other masters I could find instead."
"Bummer....Man all this talk of this Splinter guy is making me hungry" I replied
Octavia looked at me offended "Why would it make you hungry?" She asked
"Don't you know? Splinter's Pizza girl! Best pizza in all of Manehatten! The owner is a Nieghpanese guy that cooks the best pizzas in all of Equestria!" I proclaimed
Octavia just stared at me "No.....it couldn't be"
"What? Did I say something?" I asked confused
"All these years and Splinter has been here in Manehatten!" Octavia yelled before taking off
"Well then....guess I better get back to my patrol." I said before taking off into the skyline of Manehatten
I returned to the hideout to put away my costume but the moment I flew in I was met by the rest of the gang, Vinyl included.
"Well, well, well if it isn't Mr. Shredder!" proclaimed Vinyl
I looked around the room as the others gave me a look that made my skin crawl "Did...did I do something wrong? " I asked sheepishly
"No....but she did" Violet pointed to an unmasked Octavia "Next time you go out to chasing shadows turn your comms off" Violet smugly replied
"Well.....Fuck me"
After a long questioning both Me and Octavia were finally given a chance to talk
"Look Vinyl if I had told either you or Violet I would have been breaking my code of silence!" Octavia yelled
"But Fret told me his secret and he's my cousin! Your my marefriend! How could you keep something so awesome as a secret vigilante identity from me!" Vinyl countered
"And your own flesh and blood! I'm your sister for Faust's sake!" barked Violet
Octavia looked over to me and whispered "A little help over here"
I just gave her a laugh "Not this time Octy. I've already got my chewing out for the day. You're gonna have to sail through this on your own"
Octavia gave me a mean look and turned to face the two angry mares "Tavi I never thought I'd get to say this but YOU'RE SLEEPING ON THE COUCH TONIGHT!" Vinyl yelled at the top of her lungs
Me and Drumroll let out a loud "OOOOOOO!!!!" as Octavia flashed us a glare which only made us laugh harder
"Alright that's enough" Power Chord spoke up "Alright now that that's over I think I need a promise from the Shadow."
"And what promise would that be?" Asked Octavia
"A vow to defend and protect Manehatten. I want your word that you will work alongside Nightfury to defend the innocent" Power Chord spoke
Octavia looked at all of us and replied " I will defend Manehatten....but on my own terms. The Shadow has never needed any help and to ask for help would tarnish my family's honor. I will assist you Nightfury but I am not your partner. " Octavia spoke before setting off a smoke pellet and disappearing
"Damn...she's good" I said impressed "Vinyl you aren't actually going to have her sleep on the couch are you?"
"Hell yeah! She keeps secrets from me she sleeps on the couch!" Vinyl yelled
"But I thought you couldn't sleep without her...." I countered
I looked upon the MHPD building in uncertainty. We had planned out he entire operation to a T but there was one pony I knew I would have to face if I entered that building.
Cold Case.....I know I wronged you but your fight isn't the only one in this city
"Fret! Are you ready or not?!" I heard Violet blare over the comms for the fifth time
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going!" I replied begrudgingly
I glided down to an open ponyhole cover where I entered the sewer below
"You know this has to be one of the dumbest plans you've ever made Gadget" I spoke using Violet's codename just in case any worker ponies were listening in
"It isn't a dumb plan Nightfury. You're just mad because you have to go through the sewer" Violet replied
"Yeah! Have you ever been down here? It smells worse than Sticks after a stadium gig!"
"You do know that your mask has a air filter built in right?" Violet responded
"I know I just wanted to paint a picture for you" I said before turning on my mask's air filter
I made my way through the sewer to a fork in the tunnel before Power Chord came on the comms
"Alright kid, take the left tunnel for about fifty hooves and you should see a boarded up break in the wall. Get through that and it should lead to an old elevator shaft. Get there and wait for further instructions" Power Chord relayed over the comms
"Got it Thunder" I spoke as I flew down the left tunnel
I saw the boarded up wall and landed in front of it "Hmmm..." I tried to punch my way through the wall but the old boards held firm
"Gadget how am I supposed to get through these boards?"
"Can't you just buck through them?" Violet asked
"I tried that. These boards are tougher than they look" I replied
"Hmmmm.....Well it's a good thing I always come prepared for anything. Grab the device from the third pocket in your utility belt"
I looked at my utility belt and reached into the third pocket pulling out a small crystal "What is this supposed to do?" I asked
"It's crystalized Mercury Fulminate lined with Silver Fulminate. It's an explosive that should be just large enough to blow through those boards" Violet explained
"How in Tartarus did you get this stuff?"
"I cannibalized some of your fireworks" Violet replied
"Oh...Wait What!? Bitch! I was saving those for our Third of April concert!" I yelled
"Oh boo hoo. Get over it! Now throw the crystal at the wall."
"Ugh...fine but you owe me Gadget" I said before chucking the crystal at the boarded wall
The crystal exploded on impact knocking on my ass and giving me a minor headache 'Damn....Violet sure knows how to mix a cocktail' I thought as I entered the old elevator shaft
I ascended the elevator shaft waiting until Power Chord came back on the comms "Alright kid you need to find a ventilation duct that should be on the third floor level"
"Ummm...bit of a problem Pops" I spoke as I looked up
"What is it kid?" Power Chord asked
"Well I'm on the second floor and right above me is the old elevator car" I replied
"Damn.....Sunset, You're up." Power Chord ordered as Sunset came on the mic
"Alright Fret I need you to turn on your mask's camera." Sunset ordered
"What will that do?" I asked
"If I can see what you see I can use my magic to move the elevator." Sunset replied
"You can do that?" I asked surprised at the thought
"Were I a normal unicorn, probably not, But magic is a sight based skill and I've practically mastered it" Sunset replied
"Okay then.....and there" I turned my mask's built in camera on. While I usually don't use the camera very often due to it's tendency to be distracting, it did allow the others to see what I see during a mission. Immediately the elevator car was wrapped in a light blue aura and began to move. I could hear straining over the comms as Sunset used her magic to move the car "You okay there babe?" I asked
"Ye-yeah....I'm fine...Did you just call me babe?" Sunset replied
"Ummm...yes." I answered fearing I made things awkward
"Why don't you save that for the second date Fret." Sunset replied as I turned off my camera and Power Chord took over 'So I am getting a second date?' I thought 'Sweet! Wing family charm for the win!'
"Alright kid do you see the vent?" Power Chord asked
"I see it Pops. Entering it now" I replied as I dislodged the vent cover from it's rusty bolts and entered the vent
"Alright kid, from now on codenames only other than that we will maintain radio silence got it?" Power Chord stated
"Got it Thunder. Over and out." I replied as I entered the MHPD ventilation system
I finally exited the vents into an empty back room that was hidden behind a new section of drywall. I looked up and saw a ledge that led into the next hall and flew up onto it "Alright Gadget give me the schematics of the building" I asked but was met by static 'Damn it. The police station must have some sort of jamming device. I'm gonna have to disable it before I can get any back up' I thought as I activated my mask's 'Fury Vision' as I dubbed it. In reality it was a artificial version of the sixth sense that sharks have with the bonus feature of being able to sense magical radiation and heartbeats. I took a scan of the building sensing a group of cops in the next room over but what caught my interest was a magic based jammer across the hall from my position
'Bingo' I thought as I silently glided across the hall to the jammer. I landed in front of it but I heard the door next to it begin to open. In one quick flap of my wings I flew up to the ceiling lodging myself between two ceiling beams
"Ugh.....This paperwork is murder on my patience. Cold Case how do you deal with this?" Asked a familiar cop that stood next to my former friend Cold Case. His name was Bronze Badge and he was Cold Case's partner and one of his only friends. The two met due to my interference when Coldy was still in training and was even more a stick in the mud than he usually is.
"Hey this paper work is nothing compared to the stuff we'll get when we catch the big one" Cold Case answered back
"You ever not think about catching Nightfury?" Asked Bronze Badge
Cold Case just gave his partner a look and Bronze Badge let out a frustrated groan "Oh yeah that's all ya think about when on the job...Buddy you need a hobby. All this Nightfury business is gettin' to yer head"
Cold Case looked at his partner and asked "And what do you suggest I do?"
"I dunno. Knitting...nah. Maybe ya could learn an instrument." Cold Case just gave him a dirty look "Right....Sour subject....maybe you could write a story? Ah have heard ya are a pretty good writer." Bronze Badge replied in his signature accent that reminded me of that farmer family back in Ponyville
"And what would I call my story? Nightfury: Wings of Vengeance?" Cold Case played along as the two walked down the hall
"Nah! That's stupid! Ah'd call it Nightfury: Tales of Suspense!" Cold Case's partner replied putting his front hoof in front of him to emphasize each word of the title
The two laughed as the entered a room across the hall. "Phew" I whispered as I floated down to the floor and landed back infront of the jammer. I tore the cover of the device clean off and remembering what Violet had taught me I removed the blue crystal from the device
"*static*-Ghtfury! Are you there?!"
"Gadget I read you. The Police had a signal jammer installed but I took it out"
"Good job Nightfury. Now you need to find the door that leads to the holding cells. From there you can follow it until you reach to records room on the left. In there you will find the police database. Once you find that I'll give you further instructions" Violet relayed
"Alright Gadget. Over and out." I replied as I went into the door marked 'Holding cells'
I walked through the holding cell area and was met by some familiar faces
"I swear I'll kill you once I get out of here Nightfury!" Yelled Polt from his cell
I ignored and ducked behind a wall as a couple of cops walked past "You hear Old Nut Case's new 'news'?" asked one of the cops
"No. What has he come up with this time?"
"I heard he found out from a witness that apparently Nightfury has 'backup'. Some sort of tech support or something"
"Really? I guess that makes sense. I wonder who would be dumb enough to help the Nightfury?"
"That is if he even exists. We still have no proof that he even exists"
"Yeah....but you never know in this city"
The cops past and I snuck past into the door marked 'Records room'
As I entered the room I was met by a filly wearing a red cape
"Nightfury Yo-" I muted my comms as the filly stared me down
"Well....Hello there." I spoke softly turning off my voice changer instead deepening my voice naturally
The filly was a shade of burnt orange with a swept to the side red mane spoke up quietly "Ah' you the Nightfury?" She asked
"Yes....Who are you?" I asked back
"Ah'm Babs Seed and ah'm a Cutie Mark Crusadah!" Babs replied in a heavy Manehatten accent
I felt a knot tie up in my stomach when I heard those words "D-do you know a filly named Scootaloo?" I asked
"Yeah. She's ma cousin Applebloom's friend. Why do you ask?" Babs replied
"No reason. just tell her next time you see her that her uncle misses her. Anyways I need to....hold on" I turned my comms back on "BLITZWING DON'T YOU EVER MUTE ME AGAIN YOU-" Violet shouted into my ear before I interrupted her by turning on my camera "Gadget we aren't alone" I replied in a deepened tone
"Oh...well then...You need to insert the drive in your fifth pocket into the Database's hard drive" Violet responded
"Babs...do you know where that is?" I asked the filly
"Ummm....Oh! It's right over here!" She led me to a stack of computers and pointed to a port that had a sticky note that read 'Hard Drive'
"That's it!" She pointed proudly
"Thanks....Babs why are you here?" I asked
"Ma brothah' Orange Slice works here! Ah' hang out here when Ah'm not at school.....It's the only place that keeps the bullies away from me...." Babs answered softly as it was obviously a touchy subject for her
I thought for a second and turned to my comms "Hey Gadget put Thunder on."
"What do you need kid?" Power Chord asked sternly almost knowing what I was going to ask
"Well this kid Babs could be pretty useful to us...do you mind if I give her a comm?" I asked
"Your call Nightfury"He responded although I could here arguing in the background
I turned to the filly and knelt down to her level "Hey kid, how would you like to help out the Nightfury?" I asked
"How would I do that?" the burnt orange crusader asked
"Well I'll give you this headset and you can feed me any info you find out while you're here. You can be my filly on the inside. you could be.....a Cutie mark crusader Police informant!" I suggested working off the info I knew from my niece
"Cool!.....Does this mean Ah'm part of the team?" Babs asked innocently using her power of puppy eyes
'Oh no! My only weakness! Unadulterated Cuteness!' I thought "Sure. But you have to promise to tell nopony about this." I spoke sternly
"Tell anypony? Fo'get about it!" The filly brushed off the thought
"Promise?" I asked once more
"Promise!" the crusader replied as I shook her hoof and handed her a comm
"Awesome. Now to insert this puppy and I am outta here!" I inserted the drive into the hard drive and immediately an alarm went off "Crapbaskets" I muttered as I looked around the room spotting a vent cover. I darted to it removing the cover and crawling into the vent before putting the vent cover back
A group of cops ran into the room and Babs covered for me "Babs! The alarm went off! We heard voices! Move aside!" One of the cops ordered
"Big Bro! Ah'm sorry! Ah wanted to see if these computers could get on the internet! Ah set off the alarm! Ah'm sorry!" Babs wailed as she shot me a wink 'Nice moves kid' I thought as the cops walked out ordering a false alarm
The vent I entered led me to the third floor right outside the elevator where I snuck behind the sentry of the hall and silently knocked him out before I made my way to the window until I heard the elevator open and the cocking of a pistol
"Stop right there criminal scum!" Yelled a familiar voice
"Good old Cold Case.....always on duty" I replied in my deepened tone
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your brains out Nightfury!" Cold Case barked holding up his gun
"Because that isn't you. Any other cop in this building would have taken the shot by now....but you're not just some other cop...you have standards." I replied calmly
"What are you talking about freak!?" the detective asked confused
"You have always been this way Cold Case...ever since college. You never pull the trigger when you don't have all the facts. That's what keeps you clean...that's what makes you better" I explained "You won't shoot me because if you do and I'm someone you know you would feel guilty in response. I know you Coldy. You are better than just some cop....your a detective." I then jumped out he window and flew off into the night
As I flew back to the mansion I heard Babs come onto the comms "Hello? Nightfury? Ah ya there?"
"I hear you Babs....we're gonna need to assign you a code name...hmmm....how about Crusader?" I replied
"Yeah! Ah like it! Anyways Ah got a bit of info fo' ya. The police have reported a victim of a shooting over by the docks. They said something about a sniper and it being outside warehouse thirteen" Babs relayed
"Thanks Babs. I'll tell the team. Over and out."
"Over and out Nightfury!"
"You hear that guys?" I asked after switching back to my normal frequency
"You teaming up with a ten year old? Yeah we heard it. You know this is putting her in a Tartarus of a lot of risk do you Fret?" Violet protested
"Hey she's operating out of the police department and she has a brother that's a cop! I think she's safe" I replied
"Whatever. I'm guess you are gonna ask about the sniper victim."
"You know it sister." I laughed
"I'll open a case file back here. Fill me in on any details that you find" Violet relayed as I turned towards the docks
I landed in front of Warehouse Thirteen just outside the crime scene
'Better not disturb the scene of the crime' I thought as I lightly hovered just above the ground as I entered the crime scene
I activated my Fury Vision and approached the victim 'Hmm....looks like the victim was shot in the chest by the blood splatter....and the round was a standard 45. caliber magi round considering the size of the bullet wound and the magical residue...now just to figure out the trajectory. Thank the gods I payed attention in physics' I thought as I surveyed the scene of the crime 'The wind was blowing at five miles per hour and the angle of the shot taken into account leads me to.....'I smirked confidently "Guys I think our old friend Headshot is back in town."
I made my way back to the hide out and landed in the main computer room
"Welcome back Fret. We looked into the sniper victim data that you sent us and we got a match" Violet smiled
"Headshot?" I asked
"Headshot" Power Chord nodded
"Who's Headshot?" Asked Sunset
"An old acquaintance" I replied
"Hey I'm part of the team. Fill me in or shut up!" Sunset ordered
"Alright jeez!" I recoiled in fright
"Headshot. Male, Age 39 convicted for several assassinations and murders. Occupation professional hitpony. Name unknown " Power Chord read off the screen
"One of the first baddies I ever locked up." I reminisced "But that was ten years ago. He must have gotten off."
"For murder? I doubt it. He had a life sentence....three actually" Commented Drumroll
"According to police records he escaped during a prison riot about three years ago. " Power Chord read off
"Doesn't matter how he got out. All that matters is putting him back behind bars" I spoke calmly
"Always thinking about somepony other than than yourself Fret. This guy is a trained killer and will take you out the first chance he gets" Sunset chimed in
"Do you really think that will stop me Sunnyside?" I deadpanned
"No but I think it should at least make you act a little bit more calculated when you face this guy. What are his weaknesses?" Sunset replied
"Well from what we know he tends to follow the same tactics for each kill" Violet brought up
"So he's predictable. Good. What else?"
"He has a major superiority complex. He ALWAYS works alone and when he does hire ponies to protect him he tends to stay far away from them as in they stay on the bottom floor while he's on the roof far" I added
"So he's easy to isolate. What else?"
"He is a expert markspony...but only at far ranges. He is a TERRIBLE shot at close ranges. Should Fret get in close he should be able to take him out pretty easily" Power Chord stated
"Bingo! That is something we can use! Now we just need to find him. Tell your new Crusader friend that she did a good job Fret" Sunset exclaimed
I switched to the special frequency and called up Babs "Hey Crusader. I found the sniper victim. You were right. Good job kid."
"Thanks Nightfury!" Babs replied in glee
I switched the frequency to mute from my side that way Babs could relay info without hearing my side "Alright gang let's get to work!"
I stood atop a gargoyle statue that overlooked a factory from across the street "Are you sure this is a good idea Gadget?" I asked over the comms
"This is the only feasible way we could ambush Blackbeak Nightfury. Besides your Crusader friend worked hard to get this info." Violet replied
"Yeah I know but it's the middle of the day! Not exactly the best time to be dressed in black and blue ya know!" I argued back
"Well deal with it! Turn in your camera and give me a sweep of the meeting Nightfury!" Violet ordered
"Alright! Alright! Jeez! Linkara was right! You are a drill sergeant!" I quipped back as I turned my mask's camera on and turned my head slowly as I looked towards the meeting that took place between the mobsters "Why can't you just use one of your spy copters to do this Gagdet?" I asked in annoyance
"Because they are way too noisy for a confrontation like this Fret. Besides, those things cost way too much to put out in the field when I know it'll be in the line of fire!" Violet replied
"Fair enough. So what's the plan?" I asked
Power Chord spoke up "From what your Crusader friend told us about this meeting you're gonna have to be careful about this Nightfury. I can tell just by looking at the footage that you're sending us these guys aren't messing around. Look at the griffin on the center right of the group Nightfury."
I shifted my eyes to the griffin in question who was carrying a sawed off shotgun in his claws "Alright Lightning. I see him. What about him?"
"That's your objective, Blackbeak. While he's not as much a shot as Golden Eye was, he's one hell of a fighter. I suggest you take him on last. Gadget has prepared your shock gloves for this mission and Sunnyside has modified your suit as well" Power Chord relayed
I smirked as I asked my next question "So Sunnyside, what treats do you have in store for me today?"
"Save the flirting for later Nightfury." Sunset snarked back "I've modified your suits with a regenerating artificial magic barrier. It should absorb most of the impacts you take as well as deflect small round shots that you take. Unfortunately It will only last for a few hits before it destabilizes and becomes useless although it should come back up after a minute or two once it recharges"
"......Have you been playing video games with Sticks lately Sunnyside?" I asked suspiciously
"No. Why do you ask?" Sunset replied
"Oh no reason."
I heard laughing from Drumroll in the background as I turned my comms off focusing on the group of griffins that were gathered in the factory yard across the street from me. I turned on my sensors as I listened in on the mobsters' conversation
"Alright Blackbeak, here's the goods!" One of the larger griffins exclaimed as he motioned to an open shipping container behind him "I honestly expected you to bring more guys to this shindig than this ya know."
"Well ever since that freak put Golden Eye away we've been havin' to manage with half the amount of new recruits than usual. Ya know what that's like right Steelfeather?" Blackbeak asked the other mob boss
I looked at the other mob boss across from Blackbeak and recognized his face instantly. His name was Elric Steelfeather. He was the second biggest name in all of the Manehatten Mob only trumped Iron Claw himself although luckily for me Steelfeather was not much of a fighter despite being armed with a pair of wing blades, which by the way were illegal to own outside of the royal guard.
I took a quick scan of the other griffins counting fifteen total. The griffins guarding the two mob bosses were armed with magnums along with two shotguns, one carried each by a member of the opposite gang. I turned my comms back on and spoke up "So you guys have any ideas on how to take this one?"
"Proceed carefully Nightfury. I suggest taking out those shotgun guards first then move on to the others." Power Chord replied back
"What about the bosses? I can't just ignore them Lightning." I asked
"Yes you can Nightfury. Gadget has supplied you with a grapple gun as well as your usual gear. Use them wisely." My mentor answered back
"Whatever you say Lightning" I skeptically replied back before I turned my comms back off before gliding down towards the group of mobsters
I landed silently on one of the shipping containers stacked high above the mobsters as I prepared to make my first move
'Well, he's goes nothing' I thought as I dropped down onto one of the shotgun-carrying goons before giving the griffin a knockout punch to the back of the head
"It's the freak!" Yelled one of the griffins as I flipped my way off the knocked out griffin and bicycle kicked the griffin next to him knocking him over before I, with a flap of my wings, flew up and stomped the prone griffin's head KOing him. The other griffins took notice and began firing on me. I dodged most of the rounds until the other griffin carrying a shotgun fired at me hitting me mid uppercut, knocking me onto my back in the process.
A pair of griffins grabbed my front legs and pinned me down as Blackbeak approached me "Well, well, well. If it isn't the legend of Manehatten himself. Not the best decision trying to take on two different groups of griffins is it Nightfury?"
I smirked under my mask "Well it wasn't my first choice"
"Well then it certainly will be your last freak." Blackbeak boasted before turning to Steelfeather "Alright Steel, how 'bout you do the honors and demask this freak."
"My pleasure Blackbeak." Steelfeather replied as he walked up to me reaching for my mask
Just as he reached for my mask I used my hind legs to wrap Steelfeather's arm into a submission hold and then using my wings as springs I flipped the captured mob boss over me and onto his back in an armbar suplex knocking him out cold before spinning around into a double helicopter kick to the two griffins that were holding me knocking them onto their asses.
Another griffin tried to jump on me as I lay on my back but as he approached I braced myself against the ground with my front hooves and pushed back against it dropkicking the charging griffin with my back hooves and landing onto him as he hit the ground on his back.
I launched myself from on top the unconscious goon and flipped over another group of three griffins dropping a dubstep grenade into the group which went off knocking the group into the shipping containers that surrounded them as I landed in front of the other shotgun wielder
"Aw crapbaskets" I muttered as I took a point blank shot from the griffin's shotgun knocking me back a bit and causing my shield to drop
The shotgun totting griffin fired off another round at me but I ducked just in time to dodge the blast sliding under it as I pulled out my grapple gun and fired off the grapple claw at the mobsters arm and pulled him in to an uppercut taking him out.
As I landed from the uppercut I found myself surrounded by the five remaining goons, all pointing their Magnums at me as Blackbeak spoke as he circled the outside of the group "Well aren't you a fiesty one. Just as I anticipated, you are quite the fighter Nightfury. But the question remains...can you take on the best brawler in all of Manehatten? We'll just have to see...Boys let me handle this one and if he tries anything funny...shoot him."
Blackbeak walked into the middle of the circle slipping on a pair of brass knuckles to his claws as he entered. He immediately swung a right hook at me but I sidestepped it before standing up on my hind legs and balancing as I put up my front hooves in defense.
"Impressive Nightfury. I haven't seen a pony fight in that style since I last worked with the Yakuza in Neighpan!" Blackbeak spoke as he threw a series of jabs hitting me in the stomach nearly knocking me off balance
I spun around on my left hind leg as I hit Blackbeak with a strong roundhouse kick before attacking with a series of punches which he blocked with his arms before he threw a huge left hook. I parried the punched using my right hoof to push it aside as I threw a punch to his face with my left hoof dazing him. I took the opportunity to barrage him with a series of jabs and strikes in the chest and face before I flipped onto him grabbing him in a headscissors and shifting my weight I flipped him over and onto his head in a headscissors DDT knocking him out cold.
I got up and looked around at the five griffins that stared at me in awe. "Alright here's what's gonna happen...either you all try to take me on and you all end up like your buddies here....or you run away and tell Iron Claw that The Nightfury will speak to him in the usual place two days from now. Now, make your choice." I darkly told the five survivors
One of the griffins shot at me but my shield came back up just in time to deflect the bullet as I hit the griffin with a super kick knocking him flat. "Made your choice yet?" I asked once more as the other griffins took one good look at me before one of the griffins yelled "Screw this! Im outta here!" before the four remaining griffins ran for their safety
I turned my comms back on as Power Chord came on "Good work kid. Violet has contacted the police and they are on their way. Get back to base and get ready. Your mare friend is waiting."
"Ya don't have to ask me twice" I replied as I took off just as I could hear the sound of sirens approaching
I arrived back at HQ to find the rest of the gang waiting for me as footage from one of Violet's camera copters zoomed in on the police hauling in the unconscious mob members
"A job well done I'd say" I said mentally patting myself on the back only to inflate my ego
"Well at least this time you at least asked for our opinion on taking on the enemy instead of just charging in blindly" Sunset said with a smirk on her face
"Dude you were awesome back there! You know you'd make a great wrestler! You'd be the Amazing Nightfury! With that costume and those moves you'd be EWF champion in no time!" Drumroll exclaimed with a smile
I rolled my eyes at my best bud as I turned to face Violet who looked over my gear as I handed to her
"Looks like you actually managed to keep your gear in tact this time" Violet joked
"Yeah, yeah laugh it up I'm gonna hit the shower! " I yelled as I made my way out of the computer room
"Don't forget we have a date tonight Fret!" Sunset yelled down the hall as I walked down the hall to the elevator
I walked out of the bathroom after two hours as I finally got my mane under control as I threw on my suit and tie before Sunset walked in
"You know you don't have to get all dressed up for this...I just thought we were going take a walk through Middleton Park." Sunset said
"Well then! If I'd had known that I wouldn't have had my suit pressed for Three hundred bits!" I proclaimed as I took off my suit
"You look nice. A lot better than you did when you got back from fighting Blackbeak" Sunset complimented
I smiled "Thanks. You don't look bad yourself Sunny. Did you do something different with your mane?" I asked politely
"Oh this? I..well I umm yeah I did spruce it up a bit..." Sunset tried to speak instead fumbling through her sentences
"Hey, I thought it was the stallion's job to be a stuttering buffoon" I joked and in response Sunset proceeded to push me to the ground
As we walked through the park other ponies seemed to take notice of me and either stopped me to get my autograph or stared at me in shock. And while the shock of seeing a celebrity was part of the reaction I could tell it wasn't the main reason of the shocked reactions, instead it was the fact that I, a known single rock star, was walking side by side along side a mare that I was obviously on a date with.
"Hey Sunset, You wanna go somewhere a little more....private?" I asked quietly enough that it was only audible to Sunset herself
"Why? I don't see why-" Sunset stopped mid-sentence as she took in her surroundings finally noticing the multitude of ponies staring at us "Yeah...let's go"
I lead Sunset to the spot I showed her last time only to find it was already occupied....by none other than my ex Royal Glory
'Aw crapbaskets' I thought as Gloria noticed the two of us "Well if it isn't the good old Nightfury. Care to explain your friend Fret?"
"Oh...hey Gloria" I nervously replied
"Who's this chick?" asked Sunset
I let out a loud groan and nervously took in a sharp breath as I prepared for the worst "Gloria meet Sunset Shimmer, Sunset Shimmer meet Royal Glory AKA Gloria"
"How do you know Fret?" Asked Gloria as I braced myself for what came next
"I'm his marefriend. And you are?" Sunset answered back
"His marefriend eh? Well then has Fret ever mentioned me? After all I am his Ex" Gloria responded
Both Sunset shot me a look as Gloria simply smiled almost well enough to be considered the smile of an evil mastermind
'Why me?' I thought as I gathered the courage to try to talk my way out of this "Sunset...yes it is true that Gloria is my Ex.....although nowadays she's more or less just an old friend. I didn't want to bring her up in case it got awkward. I'm sorry you had to find out this way"
Sunset's glare quickly turned into a smile before evolving into laughter from Sunset as she pulled herself together and finally spoke up through the giggles "Fret I'm not mad at you! I knew with your background there would be some type of past mares that you've dated. I mean come on you're a rock star! You didn't think I would have not expected you to have past flames?"
"She has a point there Blitzwing" Gloria added with a smirk
"Although I will have to say this to you Royal Glory....if you try to steal my stallion I will hunt you down" Sunset added darkly
"Is that so? Well it's a good thing I don't want old Blitzy any more. Good luck Sunset Shimmer. Fret can be a real hoofful at times" Gloria said as she walked off out of our secret spot
"Oh trust me sister I know." Sunset said to nopony in particular
"Well that happened. " I commented as I took my spot on the large boulder that overlooked the waterfall
"Fret there's something I'd like to ask you about..." Sunset asked in a nervous matter, constantly shifting her eyes to avoid making eye contact
"What's up? You can ask me anything babe" I replied sitting up from my spot on the boulder
"Well...I'd like to know more about why you became the Nightfury...Why do you feel obligated to protect this city?" Sunset asked
I got quiet for a few moments before I finally spoke up "It's because of my parents." I admitted
"What about your parents? When I was studying your motives when I was first assigned to you by the Princess I couldn't find anything on your parents." Sunset asked once more
I motioned Sunset to sit next to me as I started my story "It all started when I got my cutie mark..."
"Hey Bro, look! I got my cutie mark!" I exclaimed in joy as I had just finished playing my song at the school talent show. My brother looked at me with a look of half pride and half worry "That's great Blitzy! You should be proud of yourself! Although...how about we keep this a secret between the two of us?" Blazewing asked gently
"But why big bro? You don't think Mom and Dad will be proud of me?" I thought that through for a second and slowly nodded to my brother "Alright bro I'll keep it a secret but you have to promise to take me to that music studio next week!"
"Alright Blitzy. I promise"
While I was able to keep the secret for a while my parents did find out eventually. "Blazewing I don't care if he's your brother! You shouldn't defend a disgrace to this family!" My father roared as he pointed towards me as if I was some sort of untrained house pet. "But you just don't get it Dad! He IS part of this family! I don't care what you think of him or that his special talent is music. He's my brohter and I love him just as much as I love anyony else in this family!" My brother argued back. This type of thing happened more often than not as it was clear that their father didn't like Blitzwing and while their mother wasn't as upfront about it as their father was about it it was clearby her offhoof comments towards Blitzwing that she didn't like him either.
"Your parents hated you? Why?" Asked Sunset
"They thought that I was a disgrace to the Wing family name as a musician" I stated
"Why would they hate you for that?" Sunset asked curiously
"I have no idea. My parents have always hated music for some reason....they used to tell me that music is the catalyst of evil in the world"
"Wow..."
Three years had past since I got my cutie mark and I was on my way with my brother to my first day at Flight school in Cloudsdale. While earning your cutie mark was a mark of a ponies maturity nothing compared to the right of passage of a pegasus that was flight school.
"Hey big bro what do I do if I can't fly?" I asked as he carried me on his back on our way to flight camp. While it was usually the father's job to take their child to flight camp Blazewing took me instead as my father refused to do it. "Don't you worry about that little bro. by the end of this summer you'll be flying like a Wonderbolt" Blazewing replied as we finally landed in Cloudsdale . The city itself was not as large as I'd imagined. I had always thought Cloudsdale was just like Manehatten but only in the sky. Turns out I was wrong.
We made our way through Cloudsdale all the way to a large group of cloud that resembled a large obstacle course. While my brother went off to do paperwork I was distracted by two fillies talking to a group of three colts
"Leave Fluttershy alone!" Yelled one of the fillies in a cute voice that reminded me of one of my cousin Vinyl
"Why should we? What are ya gonna do? It's not like you can do anything when you're a filly!" Laughed one of the colts in an obnoxious laugh that honestly gave me a headache
The three colts continued to mock the two fillies before I had seen enough "Why don't you pick on somepony your own size you jerks! " I yelled at the trio
"And who do you think you are punk?!" asked the leader of the three
"I'm Blitzwing and I'm gonna kick your butts if you don't back off!" I yelled
Luckily for me one of the camp councilors stepped in to break up the confrontation before any punches were thrown" Alright now there my little ponies. Go your separate ways before I have to kick you out" Spoke the grey mare with a blonde mane and funny eyes. The three walked off although I swore I heard them mutter something before leaving as I was approached by the camp councilor "What's your name little one?" She asked me kindly "I'm Blitzwing ma'am" I said saluting. the camp councilor giggled at that as the two fillies came over and began talking "Thanks Miss Derpy. That was really cool of you!" spoke the rainbow maned filly. The councilor simply smiled and replied "No problem Rainbow Dash you just keep away from those meanies and you should be fine although you might want to thank Blitzwing here for bringing them to my attention" After that "Miss Derpy" walked off to go check on the other ponies
The rainbow maned filly turned to me and spoke up in her cute voice "Hey thanks for the save buddy! I usually can handle those bullies on my own but either way what you did was way past cool!"
"Anytime. I hate bullies especially when they think that they can pick on fillies" I replied rubbing the back if my head with my front right hoof in an embarrassed fashion
From behind the rainbow filly came the squeak of another filly that hid behind the tomcolt. I walked around to the source of the noise to find an admittedly taller yet skinnier cream colored filly with long pink hair "Hey there. I'm sorry if I scared you back there. I didn't mean to yell" I spoke to her softly. The cream filly looked at me with a face filled with fear before looking into my eyes and slowly coming to a small smile "Th-th-thank you Mister Blitzwing." The cream colored pegasus spoke up
"Please don't call me a mister. I'm only nine after all*"
"O-oh okay. I-I-I'm Flu-flu-fluttershy" replied the stuttering filly
"Nice to meet you. I'm Blitzwing" I smiled back
"And I'm Rainbow Dash!" exclaimed to tomcolt standing next to Fluttershy causing her to jump
*a normal pegasus goes to Flight camp around the age of nine or ten thus why Scootaloo hasn't been there yet
"Faust I miss those days back in flight camp" I exclaimed
"Why did you tell me about your days in Flight camp?" Sunset asked
"Because it will be important later on" I replied as I continued my story
A mixture of emotions went through my head as I took the stage. Ever since I started college a year ago, me and my group friends Drumroll, Violet, Power Chord, Six String, and Vinyl had been playing and practicing in the parking garage next to the apartment where we all stayed but today was our first official concert. I took the stage and looked out upon the crowd of frat stallions and drunk sorority mares that filled the arena.
"Alright Manehatten U. LET'S GET READY TO ROCK!" I yelled trying to hide my nervousness
is innocence the difference between colt and a stallion?
My daddy live the lie. It's just the price that he paid
Sacrificed his life, just slaving away!
Oooohh if there 's one thing I hang onto, that gets me through the night
I ain't gonna do what I don't want to, I'm gonna live my life
Shining like a diamond,rolling with the dice, standing on the ledge, I show the wind how to fly!
When the world gets in my face, I say
Have a nice day!
Have a nice day-ay-ay!
Take a look around you; Nothin's what it seems
We're living in the broken home of hopes and dreams
Let me be the first to shake a helping hoof, Anypony brave to be the proof
I've knocked on every door, on every dead end street, looking for forgiveness and what's left of me!
Oooohh if there 's one thing I hang onto, that gets me through the night
I ain't gonna do what I don't want to, I'm gonna live my life
Shining like a diamond,rolling with the dice, standing on the ledge, I show the wind how to fly!
When the world gets in my face, I say
Have a nice day!
Have a nice day-ay-ay!
My mentor Power Chord went into the solo with the confidence that experience had given him and while he hadn't performed on stage for years he hit every note perfectly as if he had never left and the crowd reflected it chanting his name throughout the solo
Ooooooohhh!
Oooohh if there 's one thing I hang onto, that gets me through the night
I ain't gonna do what I don't want to, I'm gonna live my life
Shining like a diamond,rolling with the dice, standing on the ledge, I show the wind how to fly!
When the world gets in my face, I say
Have a nice day!
Have a nice day-ay-ay!
Have a nice day!
When the world keeps trying, to drag me down, gonna raise my hooves, gonna stand my ground!
Well I say, Hey!
Have a nice day-ay-ay!
Have a nice day-ay-ay!
Have a nice day!
I closed my eyes as I finished the song and I heard the ponies cheer and begin to chant
"PHOENIX RISING! PHOENIX RISING! PHOENIX RISING!'
I smiled...this is where I was meant to be....this was my destiny
We walked off stage where I was met by my music teacher
"Mr Crescendo? What's wrong? We already got permission from the school board to perform so what's the problem?" I asked
"Blitzwing I'm not here for that....I have news that I think you should hear" Mr. Crescendo responded in a somber tone almost whispering before handing me a copy of the Manehatten Times
I looked at the paper and stared in shock at the headline
'Royal Guard and beloved son of the Wing Family, Blazewing, Gunned down by Griffin mafia last night'
"Bu-but....he...he cant be.....Blaze...dead?" I muttered in a state of disbelief
3 Days Later
My brother's funeral was days away and today was the day we went through his will. While him having a will at all was a shock to me apparently it was a requirement for royal guards to have one
"Alright is everypony here?" Asked the lawyer
I and all my relatives sat in the lawyer's office and signaled that we were here with a loud "Aye!"
"Alright...now my name is Mr. Fair Justice and you shall all address me as such. Now then we shall proceed. The first part on the will states that according to the wishes of the deceased all land owned by the deceased shall be in the possession of his parents upon his death."
The meeting continued on for a few more hours until Mr. Fair Justice got to the portion dealing with the custody of my Brother's daughter, Scootaloo Lightwing.
"According to the wishes of the deceased the custody of the deceased's daughter shall, upon the death of her father goes to...." Fair Justice paused there and reread the will
"Well! Who is it Mr. Fair Justice?! Who get's my granddaughter?!" My mother barked
"The custody of Scootaloo goes to....the deceased's younger brother....Blitzwing" The lawyer spoke with a tone of fear in his voice as he read off the will
"WHAT!?" My father blurted before turning to face me "No! I will not let some low life musician raise my grand daughter!"
"I'm sorry Mr. Crimson Wing but that is what the will states and I cannot simply disobey the wishes of the deceasded." The lawyer spoke in a firm tone
"Shut up you hack!" My father ordered "I don't give a damn what that paper says! That low life probably wrote that himself!" My father turned back to face me "I swear you ingrate I will get my grand daughter back whether you like it or not....and I will do whatever nessessary to do so and to made sure you never see her again!" My father roared at me before charging out of the office
"So what happened next?" Sunset asked looking at me as if I was reading me her favorite novel
"He did just that....after my brother's funeral my parents went after me with smear campaigns and a group of corrupt lawyers along with a payed off judge and brought it to court...and I didn't have a chance" I responded
I sat on the steps outside the courthouse furious at what had just happened
"Fucking parents! Why is it that whenever I get something good in my life they have to swoop in and steal it away from me!? Now my only niece is gonna be an orphan and all because my stupid parents wouldn't let me take care of her! I mean the kid has been through enough with her mom dying in childbirth and her dad getting murdered! " I yelled in frustration
'Hopefully Dash will look over the kid like I would have' I hoped
Other passing ponies stared at me as I talked to myself but I eventually caught on and yelled at them and they left me alone whispering words like "Freak" or "Jerk" as they left
I sat there for a while thinking about the proceedings that had taken place hours before 'They said I don't have what it takes to be a guardian....Like they would know! If there was only a way for me to prove them wrong....' I sighed in defeat 'Well unless Gloria wants to get married any time soon and wants to have a kid then that's not happening any time soon.'
Just then an orange unicorn ran down the street in front of the courthouse carrying a multitude of books...one of which she dropped as she noticed me.
I payed no mind to the passing unicorn but took notice when she dropped her book
I got up and grabbed the book but when I turned to give it back to it's owner the unicorn mare was already gone
"Huh....Well I might as well return this to the library or something" I said to myself before opening the book to check for any type of identification label but found nothing as the book seemed to be in extremely poor condition
"Oh well....hmm? What's this?" I asked as I noticed the title of the book
"Mark of the wolf?.....Eh might as well" I muttered to myself as I sat down to read it
About an hour later a thought went through my mind 'This Nightfury guy seems to know what he's doing. Guarding all of Equestria like a...wait...Guarding....Guardian....hmmmm...That's it! I could totally do this! Alright Mom and Dad! You think your son can't take be a guardian of one filly well I'll show you I can guard all of fucking Manehatten!'
"I bet your friends weren't to crazy about that idea" Sunset inquired
"Oh they thought I was nuts! Well...Everypony except one" I stated
The others looked at me as if I had grown a horn and become a prince
"Blitz are you insane! You can't just decide on the fly that you're gonna become a real life Midnight!" Violet argued
"Bro as much as I like you I have to agree with Vi on this one. You have ZERO fighting experience and what you do know is from EWF and that's staged" my best friend Drumroll brought up
The only one that didn't speak was my mentor who, silencing the others looked me in the eye and asked one simple question
"Blitzwing....are going commit to this?"
I looked my mentor in the eyes and calmly answered back "Absolutely....If I own my brother anything it's to prove to everypony that his efforts to stand up for me all those years wasn't for not and that I DO deserve the respect that my brother always shrived to get me"
Power Chord simply smiled and turned to the others and spoke "Well it looks like we're team Nightfury now"
"So how did you get all that fighting experience that you have today?" Sunset asked
"After we got everything together we took an immediate world tour to get some help from one of Power Chord's old friends from his old band who lived in Neighpan." I replied as I noticed it was getting dark "I think we should get going now. The streets of this city tend to be a bit dangerous at night... I know that from experience."
"Yeah....see you tomorrow?" Sunset asked as she got up from her spot on the boulder that we lay
"No doubt babe." I replied flashing her a smirk
Sunset scoffed at me before disappearing in a flash as she teleported away
"Show off" I spoke as I got up and made my way out of the park
As I made my way through the city streets I once again found a group of griffins that seemed to be cornering another pony
I approached the scene of the crime and flew up onto an overlooking rooftop
"Alright you Neighpanese freak time to pay for attackin' us last week!" One of the griffins barked
I looked at the pony in question and instantly recognized him. It was the same white cloaked unicorn that had saved me and Sunset less than a few days ago. I also noticed a katana that he must of had sheathed at his side due to it's handle sticking out of his cloak
"It is not wise to corner a wounded fox.....for it is when they are most dangerous" Spoke the cloaked unicorn in a deep voice that reminded me of those old school Kung Fu movies me and Drumroll used to watch
In an instant I saw the cloaked unicorn pull out his blade with his magic and slice through the guns of the mobsters that surrounded him at blinding speed
"Now run you fools...run for your lives" the cloaked unicorn spoke in a grave tone
The griffins took his advice and took off as I flew down to speak to the mystery stallion
"That was AWESOME!" I blurted as I landed in front of the cloaked stallion
"Thank you Ōkami no Senshi" the pony replied in a calm tone
I looked at the cloaked stallion in disbelief "Wait...you know?"
"Indeed Ōkami no Senshi....I know all about your warrior ways" The cloaked stallion replied in a tone that reminded me of Master Yin
"So who exactly are you?" I asked curiously
"My name is Kitsune no Senshi butyou may call me Grey Fox" Grey Fox responded "May your honor lead you down the path of righteousness Ōkami no Senshi...goodbye"
Before I could responded Grey Fox disappeared in a flash of light leaving a scroll in his place that read 'Meet me again when the moon shines brightest'
I took the scroll and let out an annoyed breath and made my way back to the mansion
"Why can't a fellow Vigilante simply talk to me instead of being vague as fuck all the time?" I asked myself as I entered the mansion grounds
I looked out at the city as I flew through the night sky as I approached a crime scene that had been abandoned by the cops only an hour ago
"Babs are you certain this is reliable data?" I asked my filly informant
"Yes sir Mr. Nightfury! Ah'm one hundred percent sure about this!" The filly replied confidently over the comms
I hovered just above the ground of the crime scene as to not contaminate the scene and turned on my Fury Vision scanning the crime scene
"Well it was definitely a sniper who did this...the bullet wound is proof of that" I relayed as my cohorts went over the data
"Nightfury get a look at the victim them self...any identification?" My mentor asked
I did a once over of the victim or at least what was left as the shot had caused the victim's head to get blown to pieces
"Well the cutie mark is that of a baker's. Can't really tell from this position and I can't touch the victim's body without contaminating it...The victim seems to be male. In his forties by my estimate." I speculated "Babs you got anything?" I asked
"No sir. the police over here haven't identifed the victim either....although they just said they should be double checking the crime scene in about an hour" Babs answered beck
"Looks like we're on the clock on this one Nightfury" Power Chord responded
"Great." I replied sarcastically "What else you want Lightning?"
"Color?" Power Chord asked
"Can't tell...the coloration has faded too much since the time of death." I replied "Hold on..." I noticed a small wallet laying next to the victim wide open "I think I got something"
"What is it kid?" my mentor asked over the comms
"A wallet. Seems to have been the victim's. Kinda surprised the cops didn't notice it" I replied as I took a look at the contents of the wallet making sure that I only touched it with my gloved hooves "Hmm...it seems the victim was named 'Gum Drop'. Gadget can you pull up a police profile?"
"Already in progress Nightfury." Violet responded "Alright here we go. Gum Drop. Local baker and known victim of Mafia loan sharks. According to this he was refusing to pay up to the mafia sharks and has been on Iron Claw's hit list for a while"
"And any connection to the previous victim?" I asked
"Not that I know of. It could be that Headshot is simply taking contracts from Iron Claw." Violet suggested
"Makes sense. Alright now we just need to figure out where he shot from." I said just as another bullet hit me in the side "Shit!"
I immediately took cover as I used my mask's binocular vision to zoom in to the shooter's position "Guys, it looks like our friend Headshot is still around"
"Why do you say that Nightfury?" Violet asked
"Did you guys not just hear me getting shot?!" I barked
"Kid, calm down. You need to find out where Headshot is shooting from." Power Chord spoke sternly
"Alright Lightning but it'snot gonna be easy" I said as I felt my side. While did feel that there was a wound the kevlar and thin ceramic outer plating of my suit seemed to have taken most of the impact of the bullet "injures minor. I should be able to do this."
"Nightfury I swear to Faust that if you get too badly hurt in this and you don't back out Headshot will be the least of your worries!" Sunset yelled over the comms
"Don't you worry babe. I have a plan." I reassured her
"This can only end badly." Violet spoke as I could just hear her rolling her eyes
I set off a smoke bomb and using my grapple gun I made my way up to the rooftop above me scoping out the area looking for the shooter as I heard shots fly past me in the process
'You gotta be out there somewhere Headshot' I thought as I scanned the rooftops before noticing the shine of a sniper scope on the rooftop of a high rise about a mile out from my position 'There you are. Now...if I could only figure out how to get there...hmmm' I took a look at the rooftops that surrounded Headshot's position and had an idea 'Perfect...but I need to be careful'
I glided down through the alleyways below doing my best to dodge to bullets that Headshot fired off in my direction although some managed to hit me but luckily for me my suit held firm taking the majority of the damage leaving me with only bruises at most and the occasional wound
I finally got in range of my grapple gun as I shot it off to a statue that overlooked Headshot's position before releasing it just as I got above Headshot allowing me to dive down in front of him...unfortunately for me it seemed that the assassin had planned for this as the moment I touched the ground I felt a surge of electricity run through me
"You didn't really think I wouldn't make arrangements for you Nightfury, did you?" Headshot asked in his gruff voice as he lifted me up by the neck before tossing me aside in order to grab his rifle "I have waited years to get even with you Nightfury. Seven years of confinement in that Tartarus pit called Galyndor and all because of you and that damn detective! After I'm done with you I'm gonna get my revenge on that scrawny do-gooder Cold Case!" Headshot boasted but at the mention of Cold Case I got my second wind and stood up to face my foe
"You know Headshot, if there's one thing that you don't do around me that pretty much guarantee's your defeat, it's mentioning Coldy. And now you've sealed your own fate." I said with a smirk on my face as I closed the distance between the two if us. Just then I heard the sounds of sirens from the streets below.
"Oh no you don't Nightfury!" Headshot yelled as he lifted his sniper to take a shot at me. Fortunately for me, when he went to take the shot it hit me dead between the eyes which happened to be the most heavily armored spot on my mask and it simply ricocheted off my mask. Unfortunately for me, the hit dazed me just enough for Headshot to get off another round but as if the gods above were smiling down on me Headshot's rifle jammed as I could hear his cuss at his rifle as I took the opportunity to hit a huge right hook to Headshot's jaw, knocking him onto the ground
"No oh Celestia no! I can't go back! I-I won't go back!" Headshot begged as he pulled out a pistol and fired at me in desperation but the shots simply bounced off
"Sorry Headshot but when you kill innocent ponies this is what happens. Now, why don't you tell me-" I was cut off as Cold Case and a group of cops burst through the door of the roof entrance to the high rise "FREEZE!"
"Well then Headshot. It looks like your keepers are here" I snarked
"GET ON THE GROUND! BOTH OF YOU!" Cold Case yelled
"Sorry Coldy but jail isn't really my style" I replied as I knocked out Headshot with a quick clock to the head before setting off a smoke pellet and taking off into the night
"Dammit!" Cold Case growled "I will get you Nigthfury! You and your criminal friends!" Cold Case looked at the other cops before barking out more orders "Well! Don't just stand there! Get the assassin!"
I flew through the night sky of Manehatten on my way back to the rendezvous point that we had set up outside of our eastern outpost in the abandoned railway station on the east side of Midtown but the sight of a familiar masked mare grappling her way through the alleyways below caught my eye and I glided down to greet her
"Well nice to see you haven't skipped town Octy." I joked as I flew next to the masked mare
Octavia sighed in frustration "Greetings Nightfury. Do you require my assistance?"
I could tell that the cello player did not want to talk but I decided to push my luck "Vinyl still mad?"
"Yes....I wonder why that is?" Octy snarled back stressing her words in an attempt to scare me away but it only led me to continue
"Hey don't blame me for this! It was your fault that you kept secrets from your friends and family!" I shot back
Octavia landed in the middle of an alley and looked me in the eye "Fret I'm not like you. I can't just trust everyone I meet with my secret identity just because I think they can take care of themselves. Being a vigilante isn't just fun and games Fret. It is a dangerous business and it can put ponies in danger. One of these days someone is gonna use your friends against you and on that day You will find out just how dangerous trusting you is and it WILL change you. I wish you luck Nightfury but remember...the more ponies you trust the more ponies you put in the line of fire." Octavia took off after that and I sat there in thought
"Fret! Come in! We're waiting for you at the rendezvous point!" Violet yelled over the comms breaking my concentration
"Alright alright! Jeez! I'm on my way!" I shot back as I took off on my way to the rendezvous point
I finally landed at the rendezvous point where Violet and Sunset awaited my arrival
"Took you long enough." Violet commented
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not like anyone could really threaten me in this city in between here and from where Headshot was." I waved her off
Sunset on the other hoof was looking over me like a mother would look over a sick child "Are you feeling any pain Fret?" Sunset asked
"....No. You know you don't have to be so worried about my safety Sunny." I commented in a confused manner
"Well somepony has to be since you seem to be oblivious to your own limitations!" Sunset shot back in defense
"Well she's not wrong." Violet commented
"Whatever. Sunny I'm fine. I just need a bit of time for my bruises to heal and I should be fine." I spoke pushing my marefriend back in order to get myself some space "Violet will you do the honors and get us back to base?"
"Whatever Fret" Violet said before teleporting us back to the main computer room
"Good work kid. Headshot is headed back to Galyndor and we have one less thing to worry about....now it's on to the final stretch. It's time to take on Iron Claw." Power Chord spoke as I took off my suit and hung it up into it's storage case that Violet had designed to automatically repair and wash my suits
"Yeah well I'm gonna meet him tomorrow night so might as well get some rest." I said as I finally got the rest of my suit off
I waited on top the Lunar Apartment complex as the black and white griffin Mob boss landed on the roof of the building "Gotta say Nightfury, It takes some guts for anyone to purposely mess with the griffin mafia"
"Thanks..." I answered back as I stepped out of the shadows
"It also take a good amount of stupidity" Iron Claw said in a dark tone
I smirked at that "So how are we gonna do this? You know far too well who my next target is Iron Claw and you knew it would come down to this so how do you wanna go?"
The mob boss thought for a moment before answering back "If ah had to choose how I go out I have to say I'd rather do it in comfort....if you can get past my men back at my hideout then you can try and put me away Nightfury." Iron Claw then pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down something before handing it to me
"Oh I will....and it will hurt." I said before taking the paper "What's this?"
"My address....please for your sake be on time" Iron Claw answered back
I raised my eyebrow at that "What's that supposed to mean? "
"None of your concern as of now Nightfury." Iron Claw replied before taking off into the night "Remember! Be on time!" yelled the mob boss as he flew away
"Fret are you sure this is a good idea?" Sunset asked "I mean so far you've always had the element of surprise on your side but this time you're charging into a bee's nest with the hornets prepared to strike"
"Look Sunny, if Iron Claw wants to go out in his home then I have to respect that. Besides, if I really want to send a message to the other mob bosses taking the biggest mob boss down on his own turf will definitely do the trick." I responded as fought off Drumroll's advances in the ring
Ever since I came back from my meeting with Iron Claw last night we have all been in high gear to get properly prepared for the mission ahead. Violet and Vinyl have been testing and prepping new gadgets as well as my old gear and a completely new suit. Drumroll and I have been in the ring training my ass off along with a couple of sessions with magi-constructs of opponents provided by Sunset who has been working with Power Chord to plan out a plan of attack, as we've found out that my new marefriend has quite the versatile skill set from experience with technology to a mind for strategic planning to even a bit of martial arts training in kung-fu and jujitsu although it was clear that she was more fit for the more acrobatic side of the disciplines.
Violet and Vinyl finally walked out of Violet's lab and called me over "Yo Cuz! Get your flank over here!" I heard Vinyl yell
I exited the ring and made my way over to the two mares "What do ya need girls?"
"Just come and see Fret. Don't be a dick about it" Violet deadpanned
"No can do Vi!" I replied sarcastically flashing her a smirk as she grabbed me by the ear with her magic and dragged me into her lab
"Ow ow ow ow! Okay, okay! Geez!" I barked as Violet let go of my ear
"Fret, we have been working day and night on this stuff so again don't be a dick about it" Violet said as she shot me a glare as the others walked in
"Alright! New gear! I always love it when you unveil new stuff!" Drumroll shouted in excitement
"You do realize this stuff is for me, right Drums?" I asked my best friend
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Still always cool to she what our resident gearhead comes up with" Drumroll responded waving me off
"Alright mares and stallions let the girls talk" Power Chord silenced us as Violet and Vinyl prepared to talk
"Well first off why don't we go through the smaller devices" Violet said pointing towards a couple of small gadgets
"First of all we have this" Violet grabbed a familiar small black box with her magic and held it up in front of her "This is the new, improved version of Vinyl's 'dubstep grenade' or hoofheld sonic pulse emitter as it is actually called."
"BORING!" Drumroll and I yelled jokingly before Power Chord motioned us to stop
"ANYWAYS...It has been upgraded to be twice as powerful and has also been modified to not cause damage to the hearing of it's victims instead daze the ones that weren't knocked out by the sonic pulse" Violet spoke in an annoyed tone
Vinyl grabbed another gun shaped device off the table with her magic and held it up "This awesome device is the Static Cannon!"
"Static Cannon?" I asked "What the buck is a 'Static Cannon'?"
Violet grabbed the device and began the explanation "The 'Static Cannon' as Vinyl calls it is essentially a ranged taser. It fires off a ball of electrical energy that, depending on the size of the target, will either stun, immobilize, or completely take down it's target. Unfortunately we could only make it big enough to be fired once per hour so use it wisely and it will be useless against magic shields"
"Oh.....cool" I replied as Violet grabbed the third of the six devices that laid on the table and activating it causing her to teleport behind us "This is a short range teleporter. Thanks to your new marefriend Sunset I've been able to study the magic field more thoroughly and have been able to develop this. It will only be able to teleport you a couple of yards at most but it should be able to get you out of a fix, and knowing you that will be pretty often."
"So what's the downside?" I asked knowing Violet's gadgets are never perfect
"It takes about ten minutes to recharge and only can be activated by a remote thought command that comes from your neural sensors that line that mask of yours so don't be an idiot and accidentally activate it in the middle of a fight." Violet explained giving me a stern look before grabbing the fourth of her six new gadgets "Next on the list is my new hoof-mounted line shooters"
"Line what-nows?" I asked confused by the pair of black boxes that my techie held in front of me
"The Line shooters are miniaturized version of your grapple gun that should be able to allow you to latch onto an enemy and pull them into a close range attack or use them to swing around an enclosed space such as a room or an alley. They are designed after what Octavia uses as The Shadow." Violet explained as Vinyl pouted as she brought up Octavia, who my cousin was still mad about
"Umm not to burst your bubble Vi but....I have wings. Why would I need to be a real life Spidermane when I could just, umm I don't know, FLY!" I responded loudly
"Look Fret just be happy with what I give you!" Violet yelled back before Power Chord stepped in
"Alright you two let's get on with the presentation"
We both let out a groan as Vinyl brought out the next gadget "This is....umm Violet what is this?" Vinyl asked as she looked at the rectangle shaped boxes
"Those are my new dart launchers" Violet answered
"Darts? What do I need darts for?" I asked
"They are filled with an special tranquilizer" Violet said explaining the device that Vinyl held."They should be perfect for taking out guards silently although they most likely won't work on larger opponents. Besides, you don't expect to defeat all your enemies with a close range brawl do you Fret?"
"Worked for me so far" I responded as Violet pulled out her final of gadgets "Finally, this is the-" Vinyl all of a sudden grabbed the device and yelled "MAGIC MAGNET!!!!!!!!" before Violet grabbed the device and began explaining "This is ACTUALLY a small magnetic field generator that when connected to your suit should allow to alter the path of incoming small metallic projectiles. Any small caliber rounds should be effected by the magnetic field but anything like a shotgun, high caliber rifle, or machine gun will most likely slip past it"
"But aren't most bullets made of compressed magic?" I asked a little confused by the design choice "They haven't made metal bullets since Magitech discontinued production ten years ago after Celestia deemed them 'too dangerous' and even then you can't exactly buy those types of weapons anywhere in Equestria without being a police officer"
"While it is true that Magitech stopped producing them officially you have to remember that they have an exclusive partnership with the griffin mafia. From what we've been able to gather on Iron Claw's elite bodyguards they almost always carry metal firing rounds to maximize damage and Iron Claw himself is known to have a GA-89* in his office. Better to be safe than sorry Nightfury" Violet explained
*A GA-89 is the Equestrian version of the AK-47
"Okay then. What's next?" I asked motioning toward the large object to the right of them that was hidden behind a large curtain
"Well if you really need to know..." Violet then lifted the curtain and revealed a glass case that held a completely new costume for me with new color scheme as well with the main color being black and and blue and streaks of grey covering the legs and the ears and the mask designed to look like the head of a wolf only black instead of grey and finally featuring a large version of the symbol I sometimes use as a calling card emblazoned across the chest
"Sweet Celestia Vi, you've outdone yourself! This is AWESOME!" I spoke in awe of the new suit
"Well it isn't just any new suit Fret. Thanks again to your new marefriend this one is the best suit we've ever come up with featuring all the best qualities of your other suits and a new improved cloaking feature" Violet said
"You never could get that invisibility field right could you Vi?" I joked poking her to emphasize the point
"Aw shut up Fret. Just because you got shocked during the test runs of that thing doesn't mean you get to pester me about my failed experiments!" Violet defended herself by yelling at me "This suit is designed to give you full range of motion as well as as much defense as we could provide from fire and electricity to bullets and blades. it should be able to protect you from anything the griffin mafia will be able to throw at you provided they don't have explosives"
"So if they shoot me with a bazooka I'm screwed" I added
"Exactly" Violet deadpanned
"I'm gonna call it 'The Howling Night'!" I exclaimed as I began to open the glass case that held it before Violet slapped my hoof away
"We still need to run a few more tests to be sure that this suit is safe. Theoretically it should be fine but like I said, better safe than sorry, and after that we need to put all the new gear on it and test it's effects on the new tech." Violet argued
"Wouldn't be easier to test it all in the field?" I asked " It's not like we have time to test all of this! Iron Claw has something up his sleeve and I need to be ready as soon as possible"
"Fret do you realize what happened last time you went in without testing your new gear?" My best friend asked
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I got ambushed and nearly got killed...BUT THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT!" I barked "Look Iron Claw isn't going to wait for me. We need to strike fast and we need to strike soon! Otherwise our target will most likely skip town!"
Power Chord stepped up and spoke in his gruff yet wise voice "Unfortunately Violet I'm on Fret's side on this one. While using untested tech is dangerous we most likely will never have a chance like this again to take down Iron Claw somewhere we can plan for. Test as much tech as you can by tonight and whatever you can't test we test in the field"
"Fine...Vinyl let's get testing then" Violet ordered as she and my cousin grabbed the new gear and went off to the armory
It was around 9 in the afternoon when I finally took off from HQ in my new 'Howling Night' suit packed with new and old gear that cluttered my utility belt. As I flew through the skies of my metropolis I heard Babs come on the comms
"Mr. Nightfury! We have an emergency!" Babs yelled into her communicator in a state of panic
"What's wrong Crusader?"
"A bunch of griffins apparently ambushed Detective Cold Case and are holding him hostage in their hideout!" Babs responded obviously worried about him
'Son of a bitch' I thought as swore under my breath "Alright Crusader, I'll go track him down"
"Oh thank you Nightfury! Please save him before those bullies do anything to him!" Babs begged over her communicator
"I will Crusader. Just trust me." I said before swooping down to the roof of a building across the street from the address that Iron Claw had provided me with
'Alright Iron Claw, the jig is up. Time to face the music' I thought as I turn my mask camera on and looked across the street at the villa that served as Iron Claw's base of operations
"You ready for this kid?" I heard my mentor ask
"Yeah....just taking it all in" I replied with a deep breath
"We're all here for you Fret. Now....go take down your brother's killer" Power Chord said in a stern tone
"Nightfury what do we have guard wise?" Violet asked
"Not much on the outside. Two griffins are guarding the front entrance but that's it. The mob still has to maintain some form of invisibility when it comes to their hideout. Oh and they have Coldy in there too." I replied
"Well...that complicates things. Look we'll worry about the detective later. Right now we need to worry about getting in the damn place before we can worry about hostages. Knowing Iron Claw, he wouldn't harm a hostage unless he knew he was going to lose" Violet answered back "Use your new dart launcher to take out the guards at the front entrance"
"Alright" I fired off two darts with the flick of my wrist hitting the two guards in the head, knocking them out instantly before I flew down to their position and dragging the two bodies into the alley on the side of the building
'Two down, a Tartarus full left' I thought as I flew up to an upstairs window and smashed my way through it only to find the window actually led to the front hall which was filled to the brim with hitgriffins which all raised their guns and fired on me. Luckily for me since they were all using copper slugs my new suit was able to redirect the shots around me magnetically
"Welcome to the jungle. Where Nightfury is king." I spoke in a dark tone in my magically altered voice before tossing a pair of small black boxes into the crowd of at least thirty griffins before they released a huge wave of sound knocking out at least half the griffins before I thrust my way into the crowd of the remaining griffins and began fighting
Between bobbing and weaving through the gunshots and claws I fought my way through the crowd until there were only five left "That all you got ya pussy cats? or should I be calling you bird brains? Either way you all suuuuck" I snarked as I prepared to take on the remaining griffins only to hear a door behind me blast open and a huge muscular griffin with a scarred eye and a shotgun walk in
"Well good luck you freak! No you have to take on the might of Tiny!" One of the Griffins laughed as I turned to face this new threat that was three times my size 'Tiny?! This thing's name is TINY?!' I thought as I thought of a battle plan
'Alright so I don't think any of my gadgets would do much to this guy so I need to figure out a way to OH SHIT!' I thought as I rolled out of the way of a shotgun blast. Not even a super magnet could redirect the force of a point blank bast from a pump action
Out of instinct I bucked behind me hitting the mobster behind me in the head and knocking him out just as he went in to strike me before I had to dodge yet another blast from Tiny's shotgun 'I need to find an opening' I thought as I rolled out of the way of the shotgun blast. Tiny tried for a third blast but as he pumped his shotgun it jammed 'Bingo' I thought as I closed the gap only to be swatted away by Tiny with a swing of his shotgun. The smack caused the weapon's handle to snap off and left me dazed in the corner of the room
'Well that didn't work.....guess it's time to go ghost' I thought as I activated my suit's cloaking field
I quickly took out the remaining griffins leaving me and Tiny as the only ones left
"Puny pony come out to play! There no need to hide from Tiny!" The brute spoke in a stunted accent as he raised the remains of his boomstick to use as a bat
"You know what they say Tiny......What you can't see....can kill you" I spoke in a darkened tone before striking him with an uppercut to the jaw before pummeling the brute with a barrage of punches to his exposed chest. Tiny finally caught on and grabbed me by the face and chucked me across the room
"Feisty one eh? I'll fix that" I said as I used my forehooves to push against the floor in order to launch myself at Tiny in a dropkick which struck him in the chest as he raised his weapon over his head in an attempt to strike me knocking him on his back as I deactivated my cloaking field and jumped on Tiny's chest and sent a flurry of strikes to his head before finally knocking him out with a punch to the face
I let out a deep breath as I got off of the unconscious brute and made my way to the door in the back of the room opening it "Alright guys. I made it passed the main defense. What next?"
"The door in the back of the room should lead to a walkway that connects the barracks to the main warehouse. After that you'll have to find a secret door on the left side of the warehouse that will lead to Iron Claw's office area. That's where he should be hiding." Violet relayed as an image appeared in my eyes showing a map of the entire facility
"Gadget, What the buck is this?" I asked
"It's your new suit's Heads Up Display. It's a new feature that me and Treblemaker designed. It allows you to see what we see" Violet explained
"Cool...how do I turn it off?" I asked sheepishly
I hear a frustrated sigh on the comms before Violet finally spoke up again "To turn it off and on simply blink. Any other questions Nightfury?"
"Nope." I said blinking "Over and out"
I made my way into the warehouse through a vent that connected the walkway to the warehouse since taking the front door was a trap waiting to happen stopping at the end of the vent to look into what I was getting into. Just then I heard Iron Claw come onto the warehouse speakers
"Face it Nightfury. It's pointless to continue your crusade. You'll never get past my trained guards. They have been fighting in the Griffin Army for years and they know how to deal with freaks like you"
'We'll just have to see about that Iron Claw' I thought
"And even if you somehow get past them I have my bodyguards here in my office waiting to kill you the moment they have you in their sights....and of course I have you're little detective friend here waiting for you to save him....Don't be late"
I let out a growl as I thought of Cold Case....I owed him so much and he always seems to be in the line of fire because of me, or at least more than he usually is as a detective
I looked through the vent cover and scanned the room 'Five armed guards carrying sub machine guns and seven unarmed thugs...they must be using this warehouse as a front....two of the guards are right in my vicinity so they should be a quick take down but two of the armed guards are on the other side of the warehouse floor and the fifth is near the center...there is machinery all over so that should be good cover bu those unarmed thugs could be a problem if I want to take the stealth approach....hmm' I thought as quietly dislodged the vent cover and activated my suit's cloaking field before dropping down behind one of the guards and silently jumping on his back to wrap myself around his neck and silently knock him out
I did the same to the other guard as I used my ninjitsu training to silently make my way across the warehouse floor. I made it about half way across the floor of the building until I was finally noticed by one of the unarmed thugs when I stepped in a puddle that I missed due to how the lights of the warehouse were angled 'Shit' I set off a smoke pellet as I used my dart launcher to shoot out the lights and used my line launcher to pull me to a light fixture that shot out of the left wall of the warehouse
'Alright I need to think this through....there are three remaining armed guards and I have the advantage with the lights out....but that leaves the other seven...hmmm' I used my grapple gun to hang upside down from the light fixture as one of the unarmed guards approached the fixture from below me. Once he got completely under me I dropped down onto his back and gave him a quick blow to the back of the head knocking him out. Unfortunately for me this also alerted the other guards that quickly turned to face me and began firing at me with their three Tommy guns. Since the rounds were small caliber pistol rounds that fired from the SMGs they sailed past me due to my suit's magnetic field but the muzzle flash worked perfectly as a light source as they continued to fire. I flew up into the rafters before using my dart launcher to take out five of the unarmed guards with a shot to their heads before I stomped down on one of the armed guards as I dropped down from the rafters
The two remaining armed guards surrounded me, guns pointed at my head, yelling at me to drop to the ground. I smirked as I replied to their orders with a smug "Fine" as I dropped to the ground firing off both my line launchers at the griffins' necks as the claws on the end of the lines latched on to the unsuspecting mobsters before pulling them both into a double uppercut before I flew up just enough to deliver split kick to the stunned griffins' heads knocking them both out leaving me with the two remaining unarmed thugs.
The first of the remaining griffins charged me but with a flap of my wings I leaped over the charging griffin and dove down sliding under the other one. As I slide under the other thug I used my back legs to grab the griffin's chest and throw him sideways onto his side before I released my legs and delivered a swift punch to his face knocking him out. I kipped up using my back legs to kick myself into a standing position but just as I before I got to a standing position I was speared by the final remaining thug and pinned against the wall as the griffin tried to wail on me. I managed to dodge a few of the blows by shifting my head back and forth. I felt dizzy as I finally pushed the thug off of me with a push from my back legs
"Ya know you could at least ask me out first before we make this intimate" I joked as I could hear multiple facehooves over the comms
I flew up to the griffin delivering a flying jump kick to his chest as I landed on my hind legs and delivered a series of punches before the griffin in an act of desperation threw a huge right hook that connected to my mouth causing me to stumble back and wipe my mouth smirking as I saw a trickle of blood drip down from the side of my mouth as I spun around and delivered a buck to the griffin mobster's face finally knocking him out
I let out a couple of heavy breaths as I blinked bringing up my HUD as I walked to where the secret entrance was marked to be and moved a large pile of boxes revealing a secret hallway. I could see now what Iron Claw's plan was now. He was trying to tire me out before I could even face him leaving me an easy target for him and his thugs....and it was working. I have never had to take on this many foes in such a short amount of time. I felt my muscles beginning to ache but I had to press on
Just then Violet came on the comms "Nightfury are you okay? Your heart rate is double what it is supposed to be."
"I'm fine. Just.....tired" I responded as I entered the empty hallway
I heard Sunset speak in a panicked tone "Nightfury if you continue at this for much longer you are going to pass out! Get out of there!"
"Sunnyside I can't. Iron Claw has Cold Case and I need to save him. I made a promise to myself and to Crusader that I would protect my friends and Coldy is definitely one of my friends" I said as I walked down the hall only stopping to brace myself against the wall and breath heavily. I knew Sunset was right. I was spent and the toughest part of the job still ahead but I couldn't give up now
"Guys is there anything you can do to give me a boost?" I asked hoping Violet would have prepared for this
"Well....there is one thing....but it's extremely risky" I heard Violet say with a hint of worry in her voice meaning this not only dangerous but also life theatening. Unfortunately for me there was simply no choice.
"Whatever it is do it. " I ordered "If you don't I'm gonna pass out soon"
I heard Sunset cut in in a tone that was more anger than worry "What in Tartarus are you talking about?!"
"If I can reroute your suit's electric relays I could possibly sent an electrical charge though your suit to stimulate your muscles and essentially give you an instant massage.....but if it short circuits it will send a pulse of electricity that will kill you instantly" Violet said in a tone that worried even me
"Well screw that idea! I am not losing my first ever coltfriend to a short circuit!" Sunset yelled back
"I'm sorry Sunnyside but we have no choice. Gadget do it" I ordered as I felt a surge of electricity run through my suit and my aching muscles instantly became less sore. They still felt tired but the effect definitely did the trick
I heard sighs of relief from Violet as Power Chord came on the comms "Alright kid all you have left between you and Iron Claw himself is his three private body guards. These guys have served with Iron Claw when he was in the Griffin Army's elite squad meaning these guys aren't like your normal griffin mobster. They are trained killers so be careful"
"When am I not careful?....don't answer that" I said as I came to the end of the hallway and a large door
"Alright before I enter this Tartarus pit...gear check." I asked as I blinked bringing up my HUD and displaying all my inventory of gadgets
"Dart launcher?"
"Check" Violet replied as I read off my list of gadgets
"Line Launcher?"
"Check"
"Dubstep grenades?"
"Five remaining"
"Static Cannon?"
"Fully charged and prepped"
"Short range teleporter?"
"Primed and ready to use"
"Shock gloves?"
"Check"
"Magnetic field generator?"
"Functioning flawlessly"
"Cloaking field?"
"Check"
"Furyrangs?"
"What?" Violet asked obviously not getting the joke
"Furyrangs? Are my furyrangs ready?" I asked smiling
"No I don't think....Oh you asshole! Stop messing around and get to the mission!" Violet yelled at me as I laughed
"Well maybe you should make me some Furyrangs!" I joked
"Whatever...you're all checked out Nightfury...get back to work" Violet grumbled as I heard not only Drumroll but also Sunset chuckling
I blinked and deactivated my HUD turning on my cloaking field as I opened the door finding two heavily armed griffins carrying a pair of high caliber assault rifles that began firing at me.
I took off flying towards the two while dodging rain of bullets mid flight by flying in a curve running across the walls as I flew. 'Where's the third?' I thought as I managed to make my way to the pair just as they were out of ammo in their magazines. I went in to strike them but was stopped by a punch to the face by a third griffin that uncloaked in front of me.
"Well...that didn't work" I said As I got up from being clocked in the face
I tried the same technique only instead of going in for the strike myself I cooked a Dubstep grenade and released it as I flew by the pair, it going off in the middle of them and knocking them flat on their asses unconscious....but left the third untouched
"What?! How does that work?" I yelled bewildered at the untouched griffin
"Surprised freak? Well that's what happens when you go up against Death Blow!" Boasted the griffin that revealed that his entire body was covered in a cloaking form of body armor 'This.....could be a problem'
Death Blow went on the offensive and charged me but when I tried to fly over him he grabbed me by the hind legs and slammed me into the ground "You ain't goin' nowhere Nightfury! The Boss wants to make an example of you and I'm the one to do it!" Death Blow
"You wish" I spat back as I kicked Death Blow off of me with my hind legs before flying up and trying to deliver a roundhouse to his face but only to have my leg be caught by Death Blow spinning me around and attempting to clothesline me which I ducked and grabbed the back of his head and flipped him over me onto the floor.
Death Blow got up dazed but quickly regained his composure as I went in for a sucker punch. He caught the punch and smashed his elbow into the arm causing me to pull it back in pain but what he didn't expect was a spin kick that hit him square in the lower jaw and knocked him over on his side. I took the opportunity to use my line launchers to pull him into a right hook finally knocking out
"Jeez...Where does Iron Claw find these guys?" I asked as I finally entered the mob boss's office
"Welcome Nightfury.....looks like you have made it past my guards. Time for the final showdown"
I stood across the room from my opponent, my eyes locked in a staring match that seemed to last forever. Iron Claw, the one that killed my only brother and set me down the path that led me to where I am today, stood only hooves away from me.
"So Nightfury....It comes down to this. You and me. One on one. What could I have possibly done to have led you to this?" Iron Claw asked slyly
I narrowed my eyes as I continued to stare into my opponent's soul "Simple. You killed someone I hold dear and in the process ruined my life" I spoke in my magically altered gruff voice
Iron Claw stood there for a second before letting out a boisterous laugh "Ah ha ha ha! You really are just like the others! Every time I spare one of you fools you either grow up under my reign of terror or dedicate your pathetic lives to revenge....usually both. And here I thought you were different! I guess I was wrong about you Nightfury."
I smiled at that and let out a dark chuckle "Well then...I guess I'll just have to show you how different I actually am"
I lunged at the griffin and attempted a flying punch only to be caught in mid air by the mob boss and swung around and thrown out the window. I caught myself using my wings to twirl around and land safely on all fours as Iron Claw flew out the same window holding a tied up Cold Case
"Let us not forget what we are fighting for" Iron Claw said as he threw the detective's bound body to the ground as he landed unveiling a GA-89 from behind his left wing "Now Nightfury...Die" he said unleashing a torrent of bullets. I dodged most of them, flying in a circle around Iron Claw but a few hit home and although my new suit did deflect a large number of the hits a select few made it through the suit's armor hitting me in the left wing and left forehoof
'Damn....I need a new strategy....come on Fret think!' I took a look at the bullet pattern with my Fury vision and noticed something 'Perfect'
I changed direction flying straight at Iron Claw in a serpentine fashion as I approached
"Ready to die Nightfury?!" Iron Claw asked as he sprayed a storm of high caliber metal rounds at me only for me to shoot straight up just as I got in striking range of the mob boss "What the?!" Iron Claw yelled as I spread my wings about fifty hooves above my opponent stopping my ascent. I proceeded to flip around and bring my wings into my sides as I dive bombed Iron Claw at speeds that only increased as I shot downwards
Iron Claw pointed his assault rifle upwards but when he pulled the trigger he found the magazine to be empty "Aw shit" the mob boss said just before I delivered a huge right hook to the mobster's face before using my line launcher to escape from Iron Claw's reach quickly
Iron Claw wiped a trail of blood that escaped the side of his stark white beak with a smile "You got lucky Nightfury, but one lucky blow won't be enough to take me down. If you want even the slightest of chances at beating me then you're gonna have to rely on more then just luck."
"Oh, I've got way more than just luck Iron Claw." I said in my darkened voice as I shot off one of my line launchers at Iron Claw's right foreleg only for it to be caught by the mobster and used to pull me into a huge uppercut and body blow that ,launched me into the wall behind me as I clutched my chest in pain 'Shit....well that didn't work.' "Hey Sunnyside, any chance you can do that "magic through my eyes" thing?" I asked as I got up from the pile of rubble
"Not possible Nightfury. Not only does that take a hell of a lot of concentration to pull off on a Stationary object but it takes a Tartarus of a lot out of my magic reserves and if I do it too long it could possibly kill me." Sunset relayed stressing the 'could kill me' part
"Well then...Forget I asked." I replied as I used my teleporter bringing an image of myself behind Iron Claw to the front of my mind just as Violet had instructed me causing me to appear behind Iron Claw as I yelled "Peekaboo!"
I used my line launcher to latch onto the back of the mobster's head and pull me into a sucker punch and before Iron Claw could react I stomped onto his back as I flipped over the griffin.
"Fuck!" Iron Claw swore as he felt his back buckle under the force of the strike "Alright Nightfury! I was going easy on you before now but you've caused me to show you no mercy!" Iron Claw roared as he grabbed me by the back of the neck and slammed my face into the ground before taking off with me still in his clutches and repeatedly punching me in the back. Just as the two of us reached about three yards above the ground he chucked me straight at the dirt creating a small crater where I impacted the ground
'Damn....Guess I better step up me game.' I thought as I got to my hooves only for Iron Claw to slam his elbow into my back "Gah!" I yelled as Iron Claw scooped me up by the chest with his free claw and spun me around him and slammed me into the ground once more only back first this time before grabbing me by the throat and lifting me to face him eye to eye
"You actually think you had a chance Nightfury? I have fought all my life whether it be ponies, griffins, or even dragons and none could best me! You honestly think that some masked punk like you could beat Iron Claw!" the mob boss said tightening his grip with his claws as he spoke
"I-*cough* think you should try killing me with your claws instead of your words." I strained as I swung my body back and delivered a buck to Iron Claw's chest causing him to release me.
"You litttle shit!" He barked as I activated a dubstep grenade under him causing him to be stunned by the wave of sound that hit him allowing me to deliver a couple of good blows to his chest and head dazing him enough to allow me to spin around and buck him in the chest knocking him back a few hooves
Iron Claw let out a loud roar as his eyes glazed over and he went into an animalistic rage throwing swipe after swipe of his claws at me. I dodged easily due to how unfocused Iron Claw's rage was but he did manage to get in one slash to my chest cutting through my suit's emblem but not deep enough to cut clean through the entire suit. I got in a couple of punches of my own only fueling the griffin's rage as he grabbed my suit and proceeded to chuck me back into the wall that he had thrown me into before. After creating a hole in the wall yet again with my body the rage induced griffin lunged after me only for me to fire off a shot from my static cannon at him paralyzing him temporarily allowing me to activate my shock gloves and fire off both my line launchers at the wall behind him slingshotting me straight at him as I delivered a huge flying right hook with my shock gloves and finally finishing off Iron Claw with a series of electrified punches to his head
"Finally....It's done. Now to untie the hostage." I said with a deep breathe
I approached the tied up detective and released him from his bounds only for Cold Case attempt to tase me unsuccessfully
"You know usually when I release a hostage I get a thanks and not a taser to the chest" I joked
"You!...You aren't a hero! Look at what you've done! You leave innocent ponies in danger and you leave your victims broken boned and unconscious! You think you're some kind of guardian but all you are is a masked menace that think's he knows what's right and what's wrong!" Cold Case barked as he attempted to take me down with a stun spell. I side stepped it and replied back "Would you rather I killed my enemies?"
"What?!" The detective yelled "Are you saying your a murderer as well you freak?!"
"No. I'm not. I could never kill another soul. You are right detective. I am no hero, I'm a defender. I DO take the law into my own hooves and I DO break the law to get my job done...but only because I have to. Half the cops back at the station are under pay roll by the griffin mafia and because of that a lot of crimes in this city get overlooked or simply ignored. You detective are one of the few cops that I trust. you may not like me but I get done the stuff that your coworkers won't do." I replied in a solemn tone
Cold Case went quiet for a second before looking me in the eye and barking back at me in anger "Why am I even listening to you!? You are the enemy and I'm...where did he go? Nightfury!" Cold Case looked down and in my place was a note that read:
Check inside the rest of the hideout. Heck of a lot of hitgriffins waiting to be arrested. I'd hurry if I were you though. They're probably gonna come to pretty soon
Your Friend, Nightfury
On the bottom of the note was a symbol that was all too familiar to the detective
"Damn you Nightfury....Damn you" Cold Case muttered as he went to call for backup to search the griffin hideout
As I flew through the sky of Manehatten I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. My brother's killer was being put behind bars and I finally could sleep soundly knowing that the griffin mafia won't be rearing it's head any time soon
My train of thought was cut short by a message from my filly informant "Mr. Nightfury! The police just got word from Detective Cold Case! You did it!" Babs said in a gleeful cheer
"Thanks Crusader. The griffin mafia shouldn't be a problem for a while now so keep me up to date on any new criminals on the rise." I responded with a smile
"Wait...so your not done fighting?" Babs asked
"What do you mean?" I asked
"Well ya beat the big baddie, so why do ya still wanna be the hero?" Babs added
I chuckled a little and answered back calmly "Crusader, the true mark of a hero isn't whether or not he beats the bad guy, it's whether or not he keeps fighting no matter the odds. Yes, Iron Claw is beaten but that doesn't mean I have to hang up my mask and give up. There are still a lot of other bad guys out there waiting for me to lay the smack down on."
Babs chuckled at that "Yeah, I guess you're right Mr. Nightfury. I'll keep you posted when I can"
"Thanks Crusader. Nightfury over and out" I said with a smile as I switched back to my regular frequency and dove down into the decoy well that sat in the middle of the mansion's backyard
I landed in the middle of the main computer room where I found the rest of my crew waiting for me
"Ya finally did it dude!" Drumroll yelled as he run up to me and gave me a bear hug "Ya finally put old beak breath behind bars!....Say that ten times fast" My best friend said with a smile
"Yeah thanks bro but I think I uh...." With that I fainted the exhaustion from fighting waves of griffins as well as a drawn out fight with Manehatten's kingpin finally hitting me as I fell to the floor
I slowly came to taking in my surroundings as I quickly realized that I was in an unfamiliar room that was stark white and contained only the bed I was laying on as well as a sink and a small chair
"Wait What?! Where am I?!" I yelled as my marefriend rushed in to calm me
"Fret calm down!" Sunset insisted as she pushed me back down to lay on the bed "You're in the mansion. You had a couple of extra rooms so Violet and I decided to convert them into a medical station. You passed out so we got you out of your costume and took you here"
Violet entered the room and spoke up "It looks like your new suit has some unforeseen side effects on you." Violet explained "Along with draining your stamina faster than usual the 'Howling Night' as you call it seems to cause your heart to beat faster which could cause symptoms such as fainting, fatigue, and even heart attack if you use it for extended periods of time. My suggestion is that you either abandon the suit entirely or use the suit in moderation. Extended usage could be fatal."
"Well I'm not just gonna ditch my new favorite suit just because it has some bugs so I'll choose the latter" I said as I sat up
"Of course" Violet replied with a roll of the eyes
"But Fret that suit could kill you!" Sunset urged
"Maybe. But that kind of problem hasn't stopped me before and it won't stop me now. Vi, can you possibly fix the new suit's bugs?" I asked
"Possibly. It won't be an over night thing Fret, so you won't be able to use the suit for a while but I'll see what I can do" Violet replied
"Good enough for me!" I said getting out of bed and slowly getting back on my hooves as leaned on my marefriend for support
"Fret, you worry me" Sunset added as she kept me balanced with her body
Violet chuckled at that "Welcome to the club Sunset"
I sighed as I flew through the night sky of Manehattan. Ever since Iron Claw's arrest crime in Manehattan has been at an all time low leaving me to the routine patrol duty that I do every night. It was boring as ever and after doing every night with nopony to fight it got old really fast. I checked my suit's HUD with a blink of my eyes as Violet decided to make it a standard feature in all my suits and looked at the clock "Two AM....finally time to go home!" I said as I made a mid air u-turn headed back to base when a thought hit me 'I haven't visited her in a while.....Eh screw it! Ponyville here I come!'
"Gadget....Nightfury here. Going to visit Backwater....and Hawk....be back in a few hours" I left as a message on the main computer. Violet always made it a habit to check any messages I left during my night runs when she woke up
I flew through the night sky as the moon shone brightly over the land when the village of Ponyville came into view. While I was here for my niece a familiar grey pegasus caught my eye as I flew over the village. Diving down into the cover of the town's library's branches I quickly took off my costume and approached the wall eyed mare
"Yo! Miss Derpy! Long time no see!" I yelled quietly in order to not wake any sleeping ponies
The grey mare turned her head to look at who had called her name and a smile came to her face when she spotted me "Blitzy! I haven't seen you in ages!"
Now usually I detested ponies using my real name but Derpy was a special case. "So Miss Derpy how have you been? Meet anypony nice lately?" I asked
"Well I met the Doctor last year! He lives with me now." Derpy replied cheerfully.
I smiled at that...Derpy always seemed to be happy with her life no matter what ponies said about her "The Doctor eh? He your special somepony?" I joked
"No. Just a friend. What brings you to Ponyville Blitzy?...Are you here for Scootaloo?" Derpy asked with a hint of concern in her voice
I let out a deep breath before answering. Because Derpy was one of the few ponies out there that knew my true identity she also knew of my family ties to this town....and how they were taken from me "Yeah....How has she been?"
"Good as of late! Her and her Crusader friends seem to get along well and from what my little muffin has told me Scootaloo has been doing fine in school as well...Blitz you know you can't see her right? You shouldn't be in this town at all from what I remember." Derpy responded
"Look Miss Derpy. Just because some Judge says that I can't see my only niece doesn't mean I'm not gonna try anyways....wouldn't you do the same for Dinky?" I answered back in a serious tone
Derpy smiled at that "You're right Blitzwing...I would do the same for my little muffin....after all these years you're still the same colt that I looked after back at Flight camp...always looking after his friends and family whether it was right or not"
"Thanks Miss Derpy....I'll see you later." I said as I flew off into the night before diving back into the foliage of the Treebrary to retrieve my costume
After putting my costume back on I flew across the village to a building tucked away in the corner of the village. Landing, I walked around the building that had the words 'Sunny Side Orphanage' tacked on the sign in front of the building as I made my way to the window of my niece's room only to find the light of the room on and the room's owner staring out the window silently. I ducked against the wall beside the window and listened carefully
"Scootaloo! Why are you still awake?" I hear a familiar voice ask
"I don't know Miss T. I just got got something on my mind." Scootaloo replied with a sigh
"Are you thinking about your father?" Tenderhoof asked concern lining her voice
"No...." Scootaloo replied "I miss my uncle Fret....."
"Oh...well maybe we could-" Tenderhoof was cut off by the filly snapping back at her
"NO! We can't! If my grandparents hadn't ruined my uncle's life I would have a family right now!" Scootaloo yelled with tears in her eyes "I just wish I could talk to him..."
I took that as my cue and looked through the window and spoke "Well I might be able to help"
The two mares looked at me in shock although it could be argued that Tenderhoof was faking it "Nightfury!"
"The one and only. So Squirt, you said you wanted to talk to your unc' right? I might be able to get him a message" I responded with a smile Tenderhoof spoke up first urging Scootaloo to try to speak "Scootaloo this maybe your only chance to contact your uncle!"
Scootaloo grinned widely before shaking her head and finally speaking "Y-you would do that just for me?" Scootaloo asked as she failed to keep her excitement in
"Hey, I'm not your guardian angel for nothin'. Now what is it you want me to tell your favorite uncle?" I asked
"Oh! Ummm.....tell him that I really miss him and that I love him so much....and that I would really like a copy of his latest album for my birthday...please?" Scootaloo asked
I teared up a little at that as I let out a small chuckle "Alright. I'll make sure he get's the message. See you later Squirt...and remember..... Follow the tune of the night...not the wings of vengeance." I said as I flew off into the night
"What does that mean?" Tenderhoof asked
"I dunno. He always tells me that in his notes and stuff...I think it's a secret message or something" Scootaloo answered back
I arrived back in the big city at the crack of dawn as I entered HQ to take a quick nap after getting my suit off only to find Violet waiting for me "What did I do wrong this time?" I said with a groan
"Well I would scold you for revealing yourself to a pair of civilians but Tenderhoof already knows who you are and Scootaloo is a special case so nothing so far" Violet answered
"Then what are you waiting for me for?"
"I've been waiting for you so I could show you this." Violet answered pulling up a message on the computer screen
Meet me at the Mare of Manehattan's hooves at Celestia's first light ~Grey Fox
"Someone has managed to hack our system just to leave a message...I don't get it! Who is this Grey Fox and how does he know us!?" Violet yelled
"I know how....looks like my nap will have to wait" I said before beginning to put my suit back on
"Who is he?!" Violet asked grabbing me by the shoulders
"A friend....well at least I think....I better go see what he wants" I said as I pulled my mask on
"Fine...Go see what he wants but keep your comms on at all times so I can keep track of your conversation" Violet relented
"Where's the rest of the gang?" I asked
"Where they usually are at four in the morning on a Saturday....either sleeping or watching TV." Violet deadpanned "Oh well... See you later!" I said before taking off into the morning sky
I landed at the pier of Celestial Island where the Mare of Manehattan stood tall over the harbor when I saw a familiar grey mare standing at the foot of the statue
"Well if it isn't my favorite cellist." I said as I trotted over to Octavia in her Shadow outfit
"Ugh...Grey Fox invited you too Fret?" Octavia groaned
"Yup. My question is who exactly is Grey Fox?"
"That will be answered shortly Nightfury." I heard come from the base of the statue. Octavia and I turned to see a door at the pedestal of the statue open and a speaker next to the door sound off "Please my fellow vigilantes...come in"
Octavia and I looked at each other and shrugged before entering the open door.
As we both stood there in the elevator that the door at the base of The Mare of Manehattan led us to we both began to wonder what we were being led to.
"Any ideas what this Grey Fox wants?" I asked nervously as my comms went dead due to the depth that we had passed in the elevator
"How do you even know Grey Fox Fret? He was a close friend to my father so I was bound to know him but you have never met either." Octavia brought up
"I met him the other day when I was on patrol. So what do you think he wants?" I answered back
The elevator came to a halt as Octavia looked at me "I guess we'll just have to see."
We both exited the elevator into what looked like a Nieghpanese dojo "Welcome fellow heroes. You're welcome to make yourselves at home" Grey Fox spoke with his signature deep voice
I took a look around the room and took in my surroundings "How did you manage to hide a secret dojo under the city's biggest landmark?"
"There are many answers to a single question Nightfury....Which one you choose could save your life" Grey Fox answered back in a sage like tone
'Well I'm not getting answers from this guy.' I thought 'Why do all Nieghpanese warriors have to be so fucking vague when they give answers?!'
"You two are probably wondering why I have summoned you here..." Grey Fox inquired "Well the answer to that lies within this scroll." Grey Fox pulled a scroll out of his white cloak
Octavia raised her eyebrow at that "Where did you get that?"
Grey Fox simply grinned and responded "This scroll was given to my ancestor by Princess Luna many moons ago as a token of gratitude for serving her."
"And we need to know this why?" I asked only to have Octavia hit me in the shoulder for being rude
"I'm sorry Grey Fox. Nightfury here has clearly not been versed in the edicate of the Nieghpanese" Octavia apologized
"Do not apologize Shadow. Nightfury has every right to be cautious. He is in an unfamiliar place and is cut off from his friends." Grey Fox answered back "Now, if you wouldn't mind please sit and let me continue." Grey Fox pointed to two pillows as Octavia and I sat and listened "Good. Now..." Grey Fox unraveled the scroll and read aloud "As the vultures fall by under the claw of the Wolf and the Tiger loses its stripes, the Wolf will face his equal after he catches the fox by the tail. The day will break and the jungle will overtake the wolf as he cries for the moon to return. Only by uniting with the Fox and the Tiger will the Wolf be able to defeat the Black Sun and bring the moon back to it's place in the sky. The Hawk will take notice and cry out to the Moon for the Wolf to be free from his shackles as the Hawk is spotted by the Wolf once more. The Wolf will fall for the Phoenix and bear the child of the blood of the moon and the heart of the sun. In the end the Wolf will fall to the Nightmare and the Hawk will rise in his place until the moon shines it's brightest and the Wolf faces his ultimate challenge. "
"That seems oddly specific" I noted "I'm guessing the Wolf is me then?"
"Indeed. Nightfury when you took up the task of protecting Manehattan you made a vow....do you remember that vow?" Grey Fox asked
I lowered my head and spoke softly "Never back down, never give up. Through ice and rain all the same. Protect this city and all that live within. Fight to the end always finish the mission. No matter the odds no matter who or why. Crime doesn't back down and neither do I"
Grey Fox smiled and answered back "Nightfury, do you truly wish to uphold that vow?"
"Yes....Hold on. Are you going to suggest that we team up? Because I don't do team ups and I'm pretty sure neither does Shadow here" I spoke anticipating his response
"Well he's not wrong. Grey Fox while teaming up may benefit us as a whole there are simply too many differences between our approaches to fighting for us to be a functioning team. Besides...There's no way in hell I'm ever gonna have Nightfury here as a leader." Octavia added
Grey Fox sighed in defeat "Well as much as I'd like to think differently I'd have to agree with you Shadow....but that doesn't mean we can't help each other from time to time. Truce?" The white cloaked unicorn asked extending his hoof
"Truce." I said shaking his hoof
"Truce" Octavia said rolling her eyes as she shook Grey Fox's hoof
"Good. Now you may leave if you like Nightfury. Shadow, I'd like to speak with you in private." Grey Fox said
"Okay. Allons-y!" I yelled as I turned to held for the elevator "No. That doesn't work either. That sounds more like some sci fi character's catchphrase than a superhero's!" I muttered to myself as I entered to elevator
I flew over the city scanning the streets below as I went over what had happened to my crew
"So that Fox guy wanted to team up?" Drumroll asked
"Yeah...I just can't.... I can't tell you my secret but the moment you step into the line of fire I have to draw the line." I answered back
"Too bad...I would have liked having more than just you to talk to Fret" Violet added
"Oh ha ha. Hey I don't exactly like putting up with you either Vi" I shot back
"Whatever...hold on....We got a report of a robbery on the upper east side. The getaway cart seemed to be a griffin mafia owned vehicle" Violet relayed
"I'm about two minutes away already. I'm on it" I replied as I took off into the morning sky
I approached the cart from above flying directly over it before landing on the roof of the vehicle "Aloha!" I yelled at the ponies pulling the cart
One of the ponies turned and yelled galloping faster in an attempt to escape
"Surf's up dude!" I yelled as a shotgun blast tore though the roof of the cart that I was standing on. I dodged it dropping a dubstep grenade into the hole that the shotgun had left knocking out all that sat inside the cart "Too easy" I smiled under my mask as I used my line launchers to grab onto first the cart itself and second the road behind us causing the cart to pull to an abrupt start
"Hand it over" I said flying off the roof and in front of the cart holding out a hoof
The cart drivers sit at me in response and I proceeded to knock out his partner with a quick hook before I grabbed the stunned pony by the foreleg and twisted it just before the point of breaking it "Hand. It. Over." I repeated
The driver pointed to the underside of the cart frantically as I knocked the driver out with a strong elbow to his head before checking under the cart finding three bags of full of money "Better return these to their proper owner. Gadget where did these guys rob exactly?"
"The Olympus Theater" Violet answered back
"THOSE BASTARDS!" I roared as I turned to look at the unconscious crooks "No pony fucks with the Olympus" I said as I took off north to the theater
I landed on the roof and pulled a key out of my utility belt and unlocked the roof entrance and made my way through the building. I stopped briefly as I looked upon the stage as a flood of memories entered my mind. I remembered the time when my brother took me to the opening night for Space Wars: The Kingdom Strikes Back. I remembered all the times I would watch my then marefriend Gloria perform her plays.
"Reminiscing Nightfury?" I heard a pony ask from behind me . I snapped out of my trance and whipped around to see the familiar face of Grand Finale, the owner of the theater.
"Yeah... Got your money back." I handed him the three bags of money to the owner before speaking again "It's been awhile since I've been here. How's Sneak Peek?" I asked
"Oh....I guess you wouldn't have known. He is in the hospital right now. His body is finally giving out." Grand solemnly answered
"Oh....well then." Grand Finale's son Sneak Peek was my biggest fan but unfortunately he was living on borrowed time. Sneak Peek was born with leukemia and his mother died when he was young from the same condition, thus Sneak was raised here in the theater by his father. The kid always said that he wanted to be the one to find out who was behind the mask....perhaps I could grant him that wish.
"Well I guess I gotta go visit him then." I spoke with a smile under my mask
"You would risk getting arrested just to visit my son?" Grand asked
"Hey, gotta keep the fans happy" I answered back smugly "Besides if you give me a form of permission to visit him there's no way they can arrest me without breaking the law"
Grand pulled me into a hug and wailed "Oh thank you Nightfury! I don't care what those cops and reporters say about you! You are a hero to me and my son!" Grand then ran off towards his office
'Okay...that was weird' I thought as Grand ran back holding a piece of paper
"This is a signed document allowing you to visit Sneak. If the doctors give you any trouble just call me and I'll raise a fuss!" Grand proclaimed with a smile
I took the paper and smiled "I'll make sure Sneak gets to see his hero one more time."
Grand smiled wholeheartedly before hurrying me out the front door.
I stood outside the theater and smiled "Gadget....you get all that?"
"Yeah. Go see him Fret. He could use some hope"
I hurried out of the theater and flew off towards the hospital
I landed on the roof of the hospital taking off my suit and hiding it in a vent before gliding down to the entrance and entering the hospital proper
A feeling of misery fell over me as I entered the hospital. I always hated hospitals and not because I hated doctors. I always felt uncomfortable in hospitals due to the feeling of suffering that lined the air, well that and most of the criminals that I fight end up here.
"Hello. Are you here for anypony specific?" The receptionist asked
"Yeah, I'm here to see Grand Finale's son Sneak Peek." I answered
The receptionist, finally realizing who I was, quietly squeed before speaking in a stuttering voice "Oh!Ummm I'm sorry Mr. Fret Shredder! Please, follow me!" The mare led me to the elevator and pressed the button as the elevator doors closed before asking me some uncomfortable questions
"So how do you know the patient?"
"I've been a friend of the family since I was a kid."
".....I get off at eight...you mind getting a coffee?"
"I'm actually seeing somepony..."
"Oh! Who would that be?"
".....no comment"
Finally the elevator doors opened and the mare led me to Sneak's room "This is his room. Visiting hours end in three hours so please be mindful of the other patients" The receptionist said
I smiled and asked politely "Miss...what is your name?"
"Oh! My name? It's Cece Pommel!" The receptionist answered
I grabbed a pair of tickets out of my pocket and handed them to Cece "Take these. They're a pair of front row tickets to my next concert. After the concert simply go to security and tell them your name and they will let you and a friend go backstage"
Cece took the tickets, thanking me and silently walked off back to the elevator before audibly squealing with joy once the elevator doors had closed
I looked at the door to Sneak's room and pulled out the piece of paper that Grand had given me and using a clip in the shape of my calling card I tacked it to the front of the door and made my way to the stairs and up them back to the roof making a mental note of where Sneal's room was.
I put my suit back on and glided down to the balcony of Sneak's room and landed softly. I was lucky enough to find the glass door to his room open and the room was empty other than the sleeping colt that lay in the hospital bed in the middle of the room. I quietly entered Sneak's hospital room which was lined with colored pencil drawn comic pages of me in costume and letters from "The Nightfury" along with an acoustic guitar with a small in the left corner of the room. Using my line launcher I grabbed the handle of the hallway door and closed it by pulling on the line.
The sound of the door closing caused the sleeping colt to slowly wake up and scan his surroundings although the moment he spotted the costumed hero he rubbed his eyes doing a double take before responding "Nightfury? Why are you here?! I heard my dad's theater was robbed! Is he okay?"
"Your dad's fine Sneak. I just got back from taking those bad guys out and returning your father's money. Grand tells me that you're sick. Is that true?" I asked
Sneak let out a sorrowful sigh "Yeah...the doctors have been talking about how I have two weeks to live. they try to hide it but I hear them at night talking about it."
'Yikes' I thought as I considered my next words. Do I tell him the truth or lie to him? I chose the third option "Sneak. Whatever they tell you I want you to keep fighting. you know how I fight the bad guys?" I asked
"Yeah....." Sneak answered back confused
"Well right now the bad guy is your cancer and I want you to fight it for your life!" I responded back
Sneak confidently nodded in agreement "Alright Nightfury! I will!.....but what happens if I lose?"
I took a deep breath and turned my comms off as I got ready to answer "Sneak...in case you lose...I want you to take off my mask...."
"But Nightfury! I...are you sure?"
"Dead sure" I said leaning down so he could reach my mask
Sneak grabbed onto the plate on the back of my neck that connected my mask's armor to the rest of my costume pulling it off revealing my face "FRET?! That...makes so much sense...you became Nightfury to avenge your brother!"
"Kinda....it's a little more complicated than that" I said. I looked around the room at the hoof drawn comics that lined the walls. The art style was pretty good reminding me more of a manga than a traditional comic book and the fight scenes were almost perfect recreations of the actually events "You ever considered submitting your work to a company?"
"No...even if they accepted it I wouldn't live to see it be published" Sneak answered back depressed
Thinking I grabbed the guitar in the corner of the room and began another song that I knew Sneak would love
Sometimes you tell the day, by the bottle that you drink
Sometimes while you're alone, and all you do is think!
I'm a Cowcolt, on the steel wings I fly!
I'm wanted, dead or alive
Wanted, dead or alive
I played the solo allowing Sneak to clap along with the beat before continuing on with the song
I'm a Cowcolt, on the steel wings I fly!
I'm Wanted....Dead or alive
I'm Wanted, dead or alive
And I trot these streets, a loaded six string on my back!
I play for keeps, cause I might not make it back
I've been everywhere, still I'm standin' tall
I've seen a million faces, and I've rocked them all
I'm a Cowcolt, on the steel wings I fly!
I'm Wanted....Dead or alive
I'm Wanted, dead or alive
And I'm a cowcolt, I got the night on my side!
I'm wanted, dead or alive
And I'll fly!
Dead or alive!
I'll still try!
Dead or alive
Dead or alive....
We continued singing for the next hour before I heard a doctor begin to open the hallway door, grabbing my mask and gave Sneak Peek a wave before flying out from the balcony
Doctor Heartbeat walked in in a bit of a worry as he entered Sneak's room "Sneak Peek! Are you okay?!"
Sneak simply smiled as he looked at a shiny copy of the clip that had been on the outside of the door "Yeah....I'm feeling great Doc."
The doctor looked over to the acoustic guitar in the corner of the room, walking over to it and picking it up and looking at a note that was stuck in between the strings
Dear Doctors,
I watched this colt grow up and I refuse to let him go out with a whimper. Please, If he has to go out like this....Please take his comics to the Atop the Fourth Wall comic book store and tell the clerk to look them over and submit them to Marevel Comics. I know Sneak doesn't have long to live so I'd like for his one passion in life to be rewarded while he's alive.
Your Friend, The Nightfury
Doctor Heartbeat looked around the room at the comic pages that littered the walls of the hospital room "Sneak...would you mind if I took your comics down and took them to an expert?"
Sneak looked at me with a concerned look "What do you mean sir?"
I gave the kid a reassuring smile "I'd like for somepony to look over your work. Perhaps I could have someone with some experience look these over and submit these to a comic company. You always told us that you wanted to write for one of those big comic companies right?" Sneak nodded "Yeah...."
"Well then I may be able to grant your wish" I responded 'Perhaps this Nightfury guy isn't that bad...'
I flew into the main computer room finding it empty. I took off my costume and looked around wondering where everypony was
"HELLO?! ANYPONY HOME?" I yelled as Violet came on the intercom
"Fret please come and meet us in the arsenal room as soon as possible."
I rolled my eyes and got my costume off before making my way to the base's firing range where the rest of my gang was waiting "What we here for?" I asked as I walked up to my crew
"Vi's got some new tech she wants to test" Drumroll said moving out of the way to reveal a trio of new weapons
"Oooo! New toys!" I said as I picked up one of the new gadgets that looked like a pair of my normal costume gloves "Ummm...What is it?" I asked shaking the gloves
Violet swiped the gloves from my hooves and yelled at me "Be careful you idiot! These are experimental sonic pulse projectors!"
I tilted my head at that "What?"
Violet let out a groan and answered back "You know your precious 'Dubstep Grenade'?" Violet asked using her hooves to air quote for emphasis
"Yeah. They're awesome!" I replied
"Well these puppies use the same principle but are, at least in theory, directional." Violet replied "They are designed to unleash small pulses of sound that should knock anypony who gets hit by them on their ass. Unfortunately, they are still in the experimental phase so I'd be careful around them."
"So, basicly I can punch ponies with sound with those things?" I asked
"Yes Fret. You can punch things with sound with them" Violet groaned rolling her eyes before picking up another one of the devices, this one being a small, circular, metal device "This is my new magic amplifier. It should be able to amp up your magic shields and any magic based tech provided it works."
"Sounds iffy. What happens if it malfunctions?" I asked
"You'd die." Violet deadpanned as she pulled out the final device or should I say devices as she pulled out a pair of devices that by the looks of it were wing mounted
"What are those?" I asked as I looked at the devices that Violet held with her magic
Violet smirked and answered back "Furyrang launchers"
I gasped in shock "You're kidding....REALLY?!"
"Well as close as I could get to the real thing. These are wing based projectile launchers that fire off boomerang like shuriken that will knock out mid range goons pretty easily. Care to test them?" Violet asked handing over the devices to me
I giggled in joy as I mounted the twin devices on my wings and took position in the firing range as a trio of target dummies popped up
Violet rolled her eyes and instructed me "Fret to fire them you need to flick your wings forward in a swift motion."
I did so giggling like a schoolfilly as a trio of furyrangs launched from the devices on my wings and, while missing the targets, looked awesome either way
Power Cord spoke up voicing his concerns as he did after every test of a new gadget "I think you should hold off on putting this in the field Violet. If Fret can't aim it right it could be problematic"
I took the launchers off my wings and looked at my mentor in shock "AW COME ON POPS! These furyrang launchers are AWESOME!"
"No Power Cord is right." Violet answered back "We should make sure you are properly trained to use the new equipment before we put it in the field."
"Damn!" I yelled as I saw my marefriend walk in
"So this is where you guys have been hiding. I've been looking all over for you ponies. What are you doing in here anyways?" Sunset asked
"Oh just testing some new gear." Drumroll answered
"Like the new Magic Amplifier?" Sunset asked
"Yep. " I responded "Testing out my new Furyrang launchers"
"Sounds cool but I'm not here for that." Sunset responded
"Then what are you here for?" I asked back
"You up for another date tonight?" Sunset asked with a slight smile on her face
"Sure but I thought the stallion was supposed to ask the mare out.....where you wanna go?"
"Well Celestia contacted me yesterday asking me for a report on Nightfury's actions and after I told her she said she wanted to meet you so Canterlot sound nice?" my marefriend asked innocently
"Ugh....I hate Canterlot but if Princess Celestia wants to see Nightfury I can't object....fine. Do I have to wear anything fancy? I HATE penguin suits." I answered back dropping my head just a bit in annoyance as I groaned
"Just wear what you wore to our first date. That should be good." Sunset answered back "We leave at 2 this afternoon so be ready."
I looked over to the clock hanging from above the arsenal's entrance reading 7 in the morning "Alright. I'll be there...wait which train station are we taking? Because I can't fly in mountain conditions and I'm pretty sure that they don't just allow ponies to randomly teleport into Canterlot let alone the castle after the whole Changeling debacle half a year ago."
"Grand Celestial of course" Sunset answered back as she trotted out of the room "See you later Fretty" and with a wink she teleported away leaving me dumbfounded
"Di-did she just-" I stumbled as my best friend finished my sentence
"Yup. Looks like you got yourself a pet name bro"
"I....I'm gonna go clear my head" I said as I walked off to the elevator
I sat on the bed in my room with a hardcover copy of my favorite current Marevel comic: The Steel Stallion. I read aloud as I looked over the paneled pages
"Furious I told you I don't need the rest of the Redeemer's or SWORD's help! I just need to know who in Tartarus this Iron Stallion is! Besides last time I teamed up with them we nearly dropped a city out of the sky" Iron Smith barked over his holocommunicator
"Sir data analysis indicates that the only pony that is a viable match to the Iron Stallion's identity is War Monger, your father's partner." Iron Smith's AI A.L.V.I.S. ( Another Learning Very Intelligent System) spoke in his Trottingham accent
"Impossible! War Monger died three years ago! I held him in my hooves Alvis! It's simply impossible!"
"Smith stranger things have happened to this world let alone you before. Never count out the impossible. I've been through the data myself and I'd bet you my eye patch that under that armor is War Monger." Furious said over the holocommunicator
".....I'll look into it. Alvis bring up War Monger's file" Iron Smith said as his AI pulled up a hologram of War Monger's file
"Ah Steel Stallion....You and the Redeemers got me back into Marevel after my Power Ponies fallout. Thank Celestia that Marevel has such a good film department...can't say the same about PC though....Stallion of Steel was a underwhelming and if they had used the Midnight trilogy as a launch point instead it would have been a hell of a lot better." I commented reaching for the next issue only finding that I didn't have it yet "Shit! Well I guess this calls for a visit to Atop the Fourth Wall!" I yelled as I threw on my saddlebags and leaped out of my room's window flying towards my favorite comic book store.
As I flew I looked down upon the bustling city below. It was only 8:30 in the morning and the streets of Manehattan was already filled with busy ponies and the sounds of a metropolis. It felt weird as I usually stay in the shadows and out of the fray of the city streets when I'm on patrol as Nightfury and as a rock star I tend to stay away from large crowds outside of performing and press conferences leaving dealing with the paparazzi and reporters to Vinyl.
Finally spotting my favorite comic book store I glided down and landed just in front of the entrance. Pushing the door open I noticed my favorite comic book nerd looking through a stack of papers
"Yeah. This kid's got talent....too bad he won't get to see it come to fruition." Linkara muttered as he looked through the papers
I walked up to the store owner/clerk and glanced at the stack. I instantly noticed it as the comics that Sneak had drawn. Glad to see the doctors took my request. "So Linkara....got the new Steel Stallion issue yet?"
Linkara pulled a familiar gold, green, black, and steel dagger out and yelled "GET BACK FOUL.....Oh hey Blitz.Sorry."
"You know Linkara at this point I'm used to it. What you looking at?" I responded
"Oh this?" Linkara asked pointing to the stack of pages "Some cancer patient named Sneak Peek drew these and the doctors asked me if I could look them over and get them to Marevel. Bit of a task since I don't ACTUALLY have any association with Marevel but being the owner of a comic book store does have it's perks so I called my Marevel supplier and they said that they usually don't take in fan made comics but since it's a cancer patient they said they'll look it over."
I picked up one of the pages and pretended to look it over "This is Nightfury...I thought big comic book companies hated Nightfury." "Oh they do but when it comes from the hooves of a cancer patient they tend to look past their hatred" Linkara responded stacking the pile of pages neatly "You asked about the Steel Stallion issue?"
"Yeah. I just finished issue 23 and I'm dying to see what happens next. I was going to ask you for a copy of the new Deadpool issue but he's in the middle of that whole Secret Secret Wars event and I'd rather wait until that comes out in hardcover form."
"Yeah. I do the same thing. " The comic book guru said as he pulled up the issue I was looking for on the computer "Yeah we just got the new Steel Stallion issue yesterday. I reserved a copy for you. Let me get it. " Linkara reached under the counter and pulled out a copy of Steel Stallion Issue 24 and handed it to me "I'm guessing your going to put it on your card?"
"Nah. I brought real money this time. " I said as I reached into my saddlebags with my wing and pulled out fifteen bits "Keep the change" Linkara happily took the money and handed over the issue.
Just as I flew back into my room, tossing my saddlebag to the side, and unpackaged my new comic I felt a the buzzer on my wrist go off. The device was a small wrist communicator that buzzed whenever the alarm in the HQ went off. Begrudgingly I got up and made my way to the main computer room
"What could possibly be more important than me reading a new comic!?" I yelled as I entered the main room of the HQ
"Mammoth is on the rampage in Times Square and a squad of cops are pinned down." Violet responded with an emotionless stare
"Oh...Steel Fury?" I asked
"Yep." Power Cord replied pointing to a security sensor in the corner of the room
I walked up to the security sensor put my hoof it
"Identity confirmed. Welcome Nightfury." A digitalized voice spoke as the floor panels in front of the security panel opened up and rose to reveal a hidden armored suit
"Geez. I haven't used you in awhile" I said as I put my hoof to the chest of the suit causing it to open up in response
The Steel Fury as it was dubbed by its user was a suit designed as a heavy duty suit that allowed me to take on opponents that were significantly stronger than me or in Mammoth's case had a suit of their own. The suit was more or less designed the same as my other suits but was made of a series of titanium-steel alloy plates that covered the normal suit. While it did restrict my movement slightly due to the extra weight, the suit's plating was designed to shift according to my movements so my agility wasn't affected at all.
As I finally got the suit on and disconnected it from it's stand, I fell onto my front hooves and closed the helmet plates as the suit's new HUD came up "I am Steel Stallion...." I spoke in a semi serious tone before chuckling
Violet looked at me in annoyance "No. Your not. Now go and fight your stupid mammoth."
"Let's rock!" I yelled as I flew out of the ceiling hatch to the backyard
"Can he get more generic?" Violet asked
As I flew towards the crime scene I heard Violet go over Mammoth's police file
"Dr. Tinker Tool also known as the Mammoth was a well known inventor up until around 13 years ago. He has documented anger problems and a well known hatred for failure and after having his latest invention, the Visiophone* being called unsellable he snapped and created the Mammoth mechanized battle armor and went on a rampage. He has been incarcerated in Galyndor Maximum Security Prison twice and has escaped once with the help of a fellow inmate. Weaknesses: His suit is heavily armored but is slow and clunky. Avoid the mounted weapons at all cost. Suggested Strategy: Outmaneuver it and take out the pilot."
*the Visiophone was similar to an old school TV....yes I know I have had TV's in this universe before but 1. This was 13 years before the present day and 2. Equestria is really inconsistent with its level of technology so let's just say that at that point they had TV but it wasn't affordable to the public
"Got it Gadget. Any suggested gadgets?"
"Not much you have so far will be able to help. His suit will absorb any electrical attacks thrown at it so your storm charge and static cannon are useless and the Dubstep grenade won't be able to budge the heavy armor so I'd suggest the tranquilizer darts. Get a good shot in and you should be able to take out the pilot" Violet responded
I spotted the armored brute below and answered my techie back with a "Thanks" before swooping down to the pinned down squad of officers
"Need some help?" I asked noticing a orange stallion with blue hair in royal guard armor pinned down alongside the cops
The royal guard looked at me in shock as I shushed him "What's your name?" I asked
"Flash Sentry sir." The royal guard answered back in bewilderment
'Still calling a vigilante Sir? This guy's just a recruit! Jeez...' I thought "Alright Flash, I want you to get these cops to safety and clear out any civilians in any of the lower floors of the surrounding buildings. Got it?"
"But why should I listen to you? Your the enemy." Flash responded
Just then a missile flew at us and I used my line launcher to grab onto it and redirect it to hit the ground a couple of hooves away from us.
Flash immediately took notice and took a radio from on of the cops "I want any unnecessary personnel to evacuate the area. We need officers to clear out the lower levels of the surrounding buildings!"
I used my line launchers to swing around the armored mech, trying to get a shot in with my tranquilizer darts to no avail
"Face it Nightfury, these puny ponies never appreciated my genius and never will! But now I give them a reason to respect me! FEAR!" Tinker yelled over his mech's speakers
Using my line launchers I latched onto the 'tusks' of the mech and launched myself at the cockpit of the monstrosity and kicked in the glass but before I could fire off a dart at Tinker himself the mechanical trunk of the mech grabbed me and threw me into the wall of on of the surrounding buildings
"Ugh....That hurt...well I got myself an opening. just got to SWEET FAUST!" I yelled as the mech charged me ramming into the wall of the building just as I swung away with the help of my line launcher
"Well that really got my blood pumping! Nice try Tinker but you'll have to do better than that to- why do I open my mouth?" I asked as I dodged a barrage of bullets while flying around the mech 'As much as I love these line launchers I gotta say I much prefer my wings...I just need to stop forgetting I have them'
Mammoth pulling his mech suit free from the rubble fired off a twin missiles at me and using the same technique I used earlier I redirected them at the trunk of the mech knocking it of operation. Seeing my opening I fired off a tranquilizer dart at the cockpit hitting Tinker in the head,knocking him out
"Boom, Headshot!" I yelled as I landed before the Royal guard from before came up to me and saluted "Sir! I see you have taken down the mechanical monstrosity. Shall I take it's pilot into custody?"
"Ummmm...sure? Don't call me sir...or salute. I'm just doing what I have to do to protect this city. I'm not some war hero. I'm a vigilante. and to you....I AM the enemy" I answered as I set off a smoke pellet and flew away
I looked at the clock in the bathroom as I got out of the shower. It read 1:30 giving me just enough time to make myself look presentable enough for Sunset and I's trip to see the princess. To say I was nervous was the understatement of the century. The last time I was in Canterlot was Princess Twilight's Coronation and the last time I spoke to somepony of the upper class was the last time I saw my parents and that ended in me becoming a masked vigilante so you couldn't really say my nerves were unfounded.
I trotted out of the bathroom and got to work putting on my suit. I really hated formal attire and not for the usual 'It's uncomfortable' reason....well sort of. Wearing formal attire always reminded me of my parents and their upper class snooty lifestyle and as anypony who knows me could tell you anything that reminds me of my parents I automatically hate.
I heard a knock at my door as I finally slipped on my penguin suit and I walked over to open it revealing my date in a flowing black dress and her mane in a ponytail "That's a new look" I commented with a smile
Sunset playfully punched me in the shoulder "Shut it Fret. Princess Celestia will be judging you so be on your best behavior"
"And just add to the already nervous wreck that I am right now. Thanks." I responded with a smirk
"Let's just get to the train." my date replied teleporting us to the train station
As Sunset and I sat on the train I nervously shifted back and forth in my seat
"Fret, calm down. It's only the Princess. Besides she told me we'd be meeting her along with some friends of yours" Sunset said as she looked into my eyes
"Sorry Sunny I just have a bit of stage fright." I replied
Sunset looked at me in bewilderment "Ummm....how? You perform on stage in front of millions of ponies on a weekly basis! How do YOU have stage fright?!"
"Well when I'm performing not only do I not know 99 percent of the ponies I perform in front of but since everypony in frickin' Equestria knows who the Princess is, It's different!" I yelled back
"....Fair enough. But still, I've known the princess for more than half my life and I know she'll like you." my marefriend reassured me putting her hoof on my left shoulder
"Thanks Sunny" I replied with a smile as I felt the train come to a stop. I looked out the window and saw the majestic sight of the mountain based city of Canterlot. The city itself is a mixture of pearl whites, silvers, golds, and teal blues. Then there was the castle. With a series of tall spires covered in white and gold with royal purple roofs. The castle was the symbol of the elegance of the city itself. For those who lived here, Canterlot was the height of society but to those who lived anywhere else the city was status incarnate.
As the conductor yelled for us to disembark from the train Sunset and I made our way off the train and into Canterlot proper
Sunset led me towards the castle as I took in some of the nasty looks that the locals gave me although I did appreciate the shocked look I got from a passing Prince Blueblood at the sight of me holding hooves with Sunset.
As we reached the perimeter of the castle we were stopped by a pair of guards "Identification!" One of the guards barked
"Are you kidding me?!" Sunset yelled as she pulled the guard up to her with her magic "I'm a student of Celestia and have a scheduled meeting with the Princess! I-"
"That's enough Sunset." The princess said cutting off my date "Guards please allow these ponies into the castle and escort them to the throne room. I will meet with them shortly"
The two guards saluted Celestia and led us into the castle and though a series of hallways to the throne room
"I wonder what's keeping Celestia?" I asked my fiery haired marefriend
"I don't know but whatever it is it must be important. The Princess hates keeping ponies waiting" Sunset answered just as the throne room doors opened to reveal Celestia along with three other ponies
"Celestia, I'm not sure why you....Sunset Shimmer?" A confused Princess Twilight asked
"Ah good old egghead." Sunset replied with a smirk
The other two ponies looked in my direction and the moment we locked eyes we both yelled in excitement
"FRET!!!"
"DASHIE!"
"Yay!"
"FLUTTERBUTTER!"
I ran up to the two mares and performed me and Dash's secret hoofshake
"Pattycake and loopdiloop! Rock it out and through the hoop! Speedin’ around at the speed of sound, together forever, we're the best in town! Mess with us, it'll be your doom! Rockin and rollin, we'll hit you with a rainboom! Yeah!" We chanted as we ended our hoofshake with a classic brohoof
"Nice to see you again Fret" Fluttershy spoke softly
"Yeah! I heard you're coming out with a new album! It's gonna be wicked cool isn't it?" Rainbow Dash asked
"Yeah but what are you doing here?" I asked "I know you guys are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony but I'd think if that was the reason you were here there would be more of you here so what gives?"
Princess Celestia cleared her throat as everypony in the room fell silent as the princess spoke up "The reason they are here Fret Shredder is because they are associates of yours and they deserve to know the truth. Now if you wouldn't mind please explain to them why you are here."
I looked at my two foalhood friends guiltily and sighed in defeat "Dashie, Flutterbutter, have you heard of the Nightfury?"
"Yeah! He's so awesome!" Rainbow Dash replied with glee
"He's that vigilante that flies around Manehattan fighting mobsters. I heard he's really scary." Fluttershy spoke in her signature whispering tone
"He's some stallion that thinks he’s above the law. He should be arrested for what he's done." Princess Twilight said prompting my marefriend to chuckle
"Well.....I'm here girls...because I'm the Nightfury...." I said looking away from my friend's gaze as I revealed my secret
"No way....I don't believe you." Dash said as she gave me a skeptical look
"Well...." I pulled out my mask from my pocket and put it on
"That's amazing!" Fluttershy quietly yelled
"So let me get this straight...you dress up every night in spandex and beat up innocent civilians?" Princess Twilight asked skeptically
'I can just hear Violet yelling 'it's not spandex!' right about now' I thought
"Twilight! You don't have to be so mean. Fret is just trying to protect his city in his own way" Fluttershy said coming to my defense
"Yeah! Fret is a hero and the first thing you say to him is that he's a criminal! Not cool." Dash agreed
"Twilight Sparkle..." Princess Celestia spoke in a soft yet stern tone
"But Celestia he's a crook! Why haven't you arrested him?!" Princess Twilight asked
"Because...I trust him" Princess Celestia said confidently
"Princess Twilight what can I do to get you on my side?" I asked politely
"Other than become a proper royal guard and hang up your spandex....Nothing." Princess Twilight replied
"What if I told you all some of my previous heroic deeds?" I asked
"That sounds nice. I would like to hear some stories as well" Fluttershy agreed
"Fine. I'll give you a chance to impress me." Princess Twilight begrudgingly agreed
"Alright, this first one way my first night as Nightfury."
I flew through the sky above Manehaten as I looked down looking for some sign of trouble when Violet came on the comms
"Fret, are you still sure about this whole Nightfury thing?" Violet asked
"Yes. I'm dead set on this Violet." I confirmed "Any reports of trouble?"
"No...Wait. We got a report of a filly trapped in an apartment building that caught ablaze. The Fire Department has already tried to get to her with no success. think you're up for it?" Violet replied
Looking around I spotted the burning building about a mile from my position "Yeah. I see the building now. What floor is the filly on?"
"The fifth floor. The stairway to the fifth floor has been destroyed at this point and any attempt the firefighters have made to fly up there has only fed the flames. You need to be quick" Violet answered
"Alright. I'll be in and out" I replied as I flew towards the burning building
"Saving a filly from a building… Sounds pretty heroic" Dash said nudging her purple friend
Princess Twilight simply grumbled and motioned me to continue
"Well it wasn't easy but I managed to get the kid out."
Listening in to the firefighters from above I heard them arguing
"Look Chief we either waste our time trying to save one kid or we keep the flames from spreading to the surrounding buildings! We don't have the stallion power to do both!" one of the firefighters said as I looked at the windows of the fifth floor. Unfortunately for me all the windows were either spewing flames or closed.
Picking one of the closed windows I prepared to smash through the glass 'This is gonna suck' I thought as I rammed through the glass smashing it and leaving me with a bunch of cuts
I looked around the room and yelled "HELLO! KID! I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU! IF YOU COULD JUST LET ME KNOW WHERE YOU ARE THAT WOULD REALLY HELP!"
I heard the sound of whining come from the hallway and I immediately ran out to see a filly with her left hind leg trapped under a piece of fallen ceiling
"Alright kid I'm here to save you!" I yelled as I ran to lift the fallen rubble
"Who are you?" The filly asked
"That's not important right now." I replied "What's your name kid?"
"Sundrop." The filly replied
I looked at the rubble and grimaced "Alright Sundrop, I need you to be strong right now because when I lift this off your leg it's gonna hurt.. A lot. But don't worry. I'll get you out of here."
"Promise?" Sundrop asked tears in her eyes
I smiled "Promise."
"Alright here we go." I said as I began to lift the large piece of rubble off the filly. She began to scream until I gave her a look of confidence and she instead bit down on her lower lip in response to the pain "Alright Sundrop I need you to move! I can't hold this up forever!" I yelled as the filly crawled out from under the rubble
I dropped the rubble wiping the sweat from my face 'We need to get out of here fast. I can't take this heat for much longer' I thought as I looked at Sundrop's leg.
"Alright kid it looks like your leg is broken. Climb on my back." I ordered lowering so she could climb on. Sundrop obeyed and climbed on as I turned to exit the way I came only for the ceiling to collapse blocking my exit 'Shit… .Alright you can do this Fret...' I thought as I scanned the hallway for a possible exit only seeing the reminisce of the stairway with flames coming from the floor below 'Well time to put my life on the line' I thought as I yelled "Hold on tight kid!" before I glided down the stairwell flying just above the flames into a room on the floor below and flying out the window
"LOOK! MY BABY!" Yelled Sundrop's mother from below as she spotted me and Sundrop flying out the window
I landed on a roof across the street and let Sundrop down as her parents burst through the roof entrance and grabbed their child "Oh thank you Sir!... Sir?" The mother looked around to see the roof was empty and only a small pendent sitting where I was along with a note. The mother picked up the pendent and note and read it
Your daughter has a broken leg. Get her fixed up and make sure she's okay. No thank you is required.
Nightfury
"So was the filly okay?" Fluttershy asked
"Yeah, I visited her in the hospital a couple weeks after the incident and gave her family a bunch of money to replace their stuff" I replied
"Did you steal that money?" Princess Twilight asked determined to catch me red hoofed
"No."
"Twilight! Not cool!" Dash barked
"That was very heroic Nightfury. Please, continue." Princess Celestia spoke
"Alright this next one happened about fifteen years ago about a few weeks after my college graduation. My… Friend Cold Case and I were in his parent's basement playing when we smelled smoke"
"We need to get outta here dude!"I yelled as Cold Case and I ran out the front door of the house and away from the burning building and into the rain
"Do all your 'heroic deeds' involve escaping burning structures?" Princess Twilight asked eyebrow raised
"It does tend to happen" I responded rubbing the back of my neck
Cold Case whipped around looking back at the building realizing something "Fret! Where are my parents?! They must still be inside!" Cold Case yelled preparing to run back it
I grabbed him by the forehoof and looked him in the eye "Don't you dare try to be a hero. Leave it to the professionals."
One of Cold Case's neighbors, a colt about ten years old, yelled "Yeah like that new guy Nightfury!"
I felt a tinge of guilt fall upon me. I could save his parents, but if I did it would totally blow my cover. I swallowed hard and replied guiltily
"Yeah. The Nightfury...."
I looked over and saw the tail of a griffin disappear into an alley. I looked over to my friend Cold Case "Hey bro, I'm gonna go make sure the fire department is coming." I lied not knowing this would come back to bite me. Cold Case didn't respond instead just standing there staring at the flaming structure. I decided to take my chance to leave and ran into the alley that the griffin had ran off into.
"You just left your best friend there while his house was on fire and his parents were dying inside?" Princess Twilight asked with her eyebrow raised
"It is a bit mean Fret, to just leave him there." Fluttershy reluctantly agreed
"There was nothing I could do. If I left briefly to get my costume and came back to save his parents as Nightfury, Cold would put the pieces together and would have figured out who I am. I couldn't risk it. Besides the story isn't over." I explained
Sunset chimed in and asked "And yet you've told so many others?"
The others looked at me suspiciously as I went silent. Luckily for me Princess Celestia spoke up and got me off the hook "Fret obviously regrets leaving his friend that night but why don't we let him finish his story before we make our judgments"
I gave Princess Celestia a grateful look as I continued my story
"After I entered the alley, I followed the trail that the griffin had left" I continued
Following the trail, I was led to a back alley behind the apartments.I pulled out my comm out of my pocket and put it on my ear "Gadget can you warp my suit to my location?" I asked
"What do you need it for? I thought you were hanging out with Coldy." Violet asked
"His house caught fire and I'm investigating a griffin that was fleeing the scene of the crime." I answered back
"Wait...you just left him there?" Violet asked though I couldn't hear it as the rain began to pick up into a downpour
"I'm sorry Gadget, I couldn't read that. Just get my suit here! My location is the alley between 27 and 33 Crooke Avenue" I replied as I saw my suit appear in front of me with a small device attached to it.
"Thank Celestia that Violet made this portable teleporter. Makes getting my suit to me a heck of alot easier" I said as I got my costume on
After putting on my suit I activated my scanners and followed the trail of latent magic residue that the griffin had left. Violet explained to me that all beings had latent magic that their bodies produced that allowed them to do things like use magic spells, fly when their wings shouldn't allow them to, and manipulate the clouds among other things that I didn't catch due to the fact that I dozed off halfway through her technobabble speech. She of course yelled at me but I tuned her out and told her as long as it works that's all I need to know.
Following the traces of magic that that griffin left, I was led out of the alley to the opposite street and into a closed construction site where the trail went dry
"Where oh where could that griffin gotten off to?" I asked myself as I spotted a clearing in the rubble that had a trap door in the center of it. I trotted up to the trap door and opened it to find a secret tunnel that seemingly led to the griffin's base.
Following the tunnel I was finally led to an underground subway tunnel and an abandoned subway car on a separated piece of track. I went to investigate the car only to see the griffin and a larger griffin talking inside. The smaller griffin seemed to be wearing some sort of suit and carried a large flamethrower.
"Did you get the job done Cinder?" Asked the larger griffin
"Yes sir! The Hard Case household is ablaze as we speak!" Cinder answered in glee from behind his mask
"Good working with you Cinder. Glad to see someone can get that job done without that pesky Nightfury getting in the way." The larger griffin replied "Always a pleasure seeing a fellow griffin get the job done"
I thought back. The past few weeks I had faced off with a bunch of different griffins, all within a couple of miles of Cold Case's apartment.
"Oh it was my pleasure Iron Claw! You know how much I love the beautiful flames of destruction!" Cinder answered back with a childish giggle
"Oh I do Cinder. I do...now I need to get back to base to give my speech to the new recruits." Iron Claw said as he exited the abandoned subway car and flew out of the subway tunnel and into the night sky
"Lightning I got a positive ID on Iron Claw...I'm gonna go after him. " I whispered into my comm
"No kid. You aren't prepared for a full on fight right now. Your suit is only prepared for light combat and search and rescue." Power Cord answered back.
I was about to argue when I thought of something "How is it against fire?" I asked
"Your current suit is fire proof, yes. Why?" Violet responded confused by my question.
"Cause I'm about to go up against a Pyromaniac" I replied as I turned my comms off and, using my shock gloves, I lifted the bar connecting his car to the third rail that fed his car the magic that powered his car, dropping it off the rail.
"What in Tartarus!" The griffin pyro yelled as the lights in his car went out. The griffin went out to inspect the bar and I hid behind the car in an attempt to jump him. The griffin walked over to the disconnected bar and looked around. "Alright you stupid teens I'm gonna light you up this time! I warned you the last time not to mess with Cinder and it's time you all joined your friend's in Tartarus!"
Just as the suited griffin turned the corner I speared him into the dirt and gave him a shock to the chest with my shock gloves. Unfortunately for me his suit absorbed most of the electricity and the rest simply took out the voice box of his suit.
"Ah yeah! Fight time!" Dash exclaimed
"I'm guessing you beat him up?" Princess Twilight asked sarcastically
"Wow Sparkle, I didn't think you were capable of sarcasm." Sunset joked "You and Moondancer always seemed so oblivious back in school." Princess Twilight rolled her eyes as Fluttershy giggled at that.
I waved them to quiet down and continued my story.
Cinder threw me off as he let out what I assumed was a threat that got muffled through his mask "MMM GRMMM PHRRMM!!!"
Cinder proceeded to shoot me with his flamethrower which I dodged easily as I flipped over him and grabbing a loose pipe I swung at the tubing that connected the flamethrower to his backpack gas tanks, knocking it out. After avoiding a swing from his flame thrower, I threw one of Vinyl and Violet's experimental pocket speakers under him and activated it sending a shockwave of sound out, knocking Cinder onto his ass as I jumped onto the suited griffin's chest and gave him a right hook to the face knocking the pyromaniac out.
I got off of the griffin and turned my comms back on "Gadget, call the police. Tell them that the griffin pyro that they've been looking for is waiting for them in the subway tunnel under Ocean Avenue"
"Got it Nightfury." Violet responded
"That didn't seem very heroic to me..." Princess Twilight responded "Seemed more like you were just some vigilante who got lucky and beat up a thug."
"Well maybe you just don't know what heroism is then" I muttered
"What was that?" Princess Twilight asked
"Oh nothing!" I replied with a smile
"Twilight you just need to give Fret a break. Sure his methods are a bit violent but that's what you gotta do when your a crime fighter. " Sunset added
"Thank you Sunnyside." I replied to my marefriend's comment
".....Sunnyside?" Princess Celestia asked bemused by the nickname
"Ugh Fret I thought I told you not to call me that around the Princess." Sunset told me with a frown
"Uh you didn't say anything about that." I replied
"Well I should have!" Sunset shot back
"Oooo! Fret you got problems in the bedroom?" Dash joked as both Sunset and I shot her a glare
Princess Celestia stepped in front of us, breaking us up before we could do anything we'd regret "How about we hear one more story Fret Shredder? Perhaps you tell us how you decided to become the Nightfury?" Princess Celestia suggested
"Well I usually don't like to tell others this story but if you all promise to keep this between us then I guess I could." I responded looking around the room
"You already got my word" Sunset responded
"I promise" Fluttershy replied
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Dash responded doing some weird motions along with it
"Fine. I promise." Princess Twilight replied with a groan
"And I promise as well." Princess Celestia replied
"Well it started after my brother died. My brother Blazewing was the only one in my family that was ever nice to me so it was a big deal to me when he died." I started
"Hold on....Blazewing? You mean the royal guard Blazewing?" Princess Twilight asked
"Yeah. Why? Did you know him?" I replied "Well kind of. He was a friend of my brother Shining Armor when he was in training to become a royal guard. " The princess of friendship answered
"Oh! Shining Armor! Yeah Blazewing used to talk about him. He always said that he saw him going places. I guess he was right considering he's essentially a prince now." I replied "Anyways after Blazewing died We went through his will and me and my parents found out that his daughter Scootaloo Lightwing's custody was to be given to me. To say my parents were pissed would be putting it lightly."
"Well you can't blame them. You don't seem like the most responsible pony." Princess Twilight said causing my eye to twitch
Dash and Fluttershy gave their alicorn friend a dirty look as Dash replied "Not. Cool."
"What did I say?" Princess Twilight asked
Sunset spoke up and explained "Twilight, Fret's parents took away his rights to see Scootaloo and the custody through a rigged court."
Princess Twilight looked at me with a stunned look. "How do your parents' hate you that much?" She asked trying to contemplate the idea of parents who don't like their child "It just doesn't make sense. Why would any parent hate their child?"
I sighed and answered "My parents didn't hate me when I was born. They hated me because I wanted to be a musician, which to them was a disgrace. They always drilled into my head that musicians were low class scum that could never get anywhere in life. I disobeyed them and they thought as me as exactly what they thought a musician was: a low life."
"That's.....just wrong..." Princess Twilight muttered in disbelief
"Now you see why I had to become what I am." I replied "They told me in that courtroom that I didn't have what it took to be a guardian...so I proved them wrong, becoming the guardian of Manehattan."
"I see....." Princess Twilight answered back finally breaking out of her trance."I guess I was wrong about you. While I still don't agree with your methods I can at least say I see why you are what you are."
"Thank you Princess Twilight. That's all I'd ever ask for. Now, is there anything else you’d like from me Princess Celestia?" I asked
"There is one other thing but I'm afraid the others will have to wait outside for this." Princess Celestia replied motioning for the others to leave the room. They all complied and stepped out as the princess gave me a serious look "Fret Shredder, I'm sure Sunset Shimmer has explained the importance of the name Nightfury so I'll get to the point. You are the descendant of a long forgotten class of elite warriors. The Nightfuries and the Daybreakers were officially disbanded after my sister's transformation into Nightmare Moon....unofficially though, they still exist. Your brother was in training to become one before he died and that responsibility passed on to you upon his death. You becoming Nightfury was no accident. My sister and I have been leading you towards that destiny ever since your brother's death."
"Wait...so you've been messing with my life! I was never meant to become Nightfury?!" I asked in disbelief
"Yes Fret Shredder. My sister and I have lead you down this path but it was you who decided to continue down it, not us. You have a choice Nightfury....continue down this path and defend Manehattan....or give up the path and let the city fall to ruin. It is your choice to make no matter how my sister and I manipulate your destiny. The wolf may follow the moon or he may follow the pack but it is his decision. So what is your choice?" Princess Celestia explained
I thought for a moment. I could give up being Nightfury.... But what would that teach Scootaloo? Give up on your dreams? Accept defeat when the going gets tough? No. I had a responsibility and I would continue to fulfill that responsibility no matter the odds. "I will follow the moon. I am no quitter." I answered
"Good. Now go to your friends and catch up with them. Have a good time." Princess Celestia replied "And know that when the time comes, you will be called upon to protect Equestria."
I nodded and ran out to my friends.
"So what have you mares been up to other than saving all of Equestria from evil with your orbital friendship cannon?" I asked asked as I took a sip of my milkshake. After leaving the castle the five of us decided to go to Joe's Donut store as Sunset and Princess Twilight suggested telling us "It's the best donut you'll ever eat!" Which I kindly disagreed telling them of the awesome Moe's Donuts back in Manehattan...turns out the two are related.
"Well I finally performed my Sonic Rainboom at the last Young Flier's Competition!" Dash replied
"Isn't that the move that the troublesome trio used to say you faked?" I asked
"Yup. They ate their words after the competition." Dash replied
"What about you Flutterbutter?" I asked
"well I made a new friend a few months ago." Fluttershy replied with a innocent smile
"Oh? And who is that?" I asked taking a big sip of my milkshake
"Discord" Fluttershy answered causing me to nearly sit my mouth's contents all over my marefriend who sat next to me
"Di-Discord! I thought he was turned to stone by your elements! When did he get free?" I replied a little afraid for my sanity at the thought of the spirit of disharmony and chaos on the loose
"Princess Celestia thought it would be good if I reformed Discord so he could use his magic for good instead of evil. She put me in charge, so I decided to try to befriend him. Turns out the poor fella has never had a friend and he's actually a very nice draconequus. We have tea parties every Tuesday." Fluttershy explained "And don't worry. I told discord that if he wants to keep me as a friend then he has to be a good guy and not try to take over Equestria."
I smirked at that. If there's one thing that Fluttershy has always been good at, it's manipulation, and while most ponies would call that a flaw Dash and I know that it can be very useful as a tool....It's how we got extra cookies back in flight camp.
"So Egghead. How's being a princess be going?" Sunset asked her former classmate
"Well I have been having to get used to these wings. Not exactly easy when you weren't born with them." Princess Twilight answered "Eh you'll get used to them. " I added
"You still got that reptilian assistant?" Sunset asked
"Yeah. Spike has been doing well, especially with Rarity around." Princess Twilight replied
"Oh? Does the little guy have a crush?" Sunset joked
"How old is she?" I asked "I'm assuming she's a pony."
"She's the same age as me." Princess Twilight answered
"And how old is he?" I asked
"Well I hatched him when I was seven so he's seven years younger than me… What's your point?" She asked
"Well considering this Rarity is the same age as you and he's seven years younger than you that makes him seven years younger than Rarity. I've seen bigger age gaps between couples and dragon and pony relationships aren't exactly unheard of so I don't see why you are embarrassed." I replied
"Huh.... I never thought of it that way...." Princess Twilight answered looking away in thought "Perhaps I could get Cadence to give him some love advice… granted Rarity isn't pining over another stallion."
"So Fret, how did you and Sunnyside meet?" Dash asked
I looked at my marefriend and shrugged "Me and the gang were in the middle of celebrating at Six String's and I heard some noise outside so I went to investigate. Found Sunset here fighting off some muggers with her magic. It was love at first fight." I replied
"I saw him drooling over me and knew he was Nightfury so I asked him out and told him I was ordered to join his team." Sunset added
"I'm sure Violet was thrilled." Dash responded
"Oh she was ecstatic." I answered back, sarcasm lining my words
Donut Joe finally walked out and asked in an accent that was clearly Manehattan in origin "What else can I get ya?"
"I'd like a chocolate long john with strawberry filling" I asked
"I'll have a vanilla with sprinkles" Princess Twilight ordered
"A bag of chocolate munchkins" Fluttershy ordered quietly
"Gimme a double chocolate supreme!" Rainbow Dash ordered. I gave her a surprised look and Dash replied "What? Pinkie got me hooked!"
"Pinkie? As in Pinkie Pie? The world famous party planner?" I asked
"Yup!.... Wait… World famous?" Dash asked as the three Ponyville mares looked at me in confusion
"Yeah! Ever since my cuz Vinyl used her as a planner for the Vinyl Scratch One Year Anniversary Party she's been known all over Equestria as the best party planner in all the land!" I explained "I heard even Cheese Sandwich has endorsed her… He also said he would love to challenge her to a goof off."
"A what?" Asked Princess Twilight
"A goof off. It' s a traditional challenge that party planners do to see who the better partyer is." I replied
"I'll have to look that up." the alicorn replied
After eating our donuts we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Sunset and I made our way to the train station and waited for our train
"So when are you gonna become an alicorn?" I asked my marefriend as we sat on the train station bench
Sunset gave me dirty look and I raised my hooves in defense "I asked Princess Celestia the same thing a long time ago. I was planning on running away but she told me I had a different destiny. I asked what she meant and she replied that I was born into one of the families of the Daybreakers. I was destined to become one but after your brother died I was put in charge of making sure you became a Nightfury in your brother's place. That book that you found was mine and I purposely dropped it so you could find it." Sunset explained "I've been helping the princesses manipulate your life for years...." My marefriend looked away in shame
I used my hoof to gently move her head to look me in the eye "Don't feel bad. I chose this path and I will protect Equestria whether it be under the Princess' order or my own decision. If being your dark knight is my destiny, then I say it's worth it to have my Fiery Princess."
Sunset gave me a smile and chuckled "You know there was one thing I've done that wasn't under the order of the princess'"
"And what's that?" I asked
"Fall in love with you." Sunset replied giving me a kiss on the lips
I returned the kiss and we stayed like that for a good minute and a half..unfortunately for us we weren't the only ones in the train station...
A flash from a camera caused us to unexpectedly break our kiss as we saw a reported standing a few feet away from us
"Shit..." I muttered as my marefriend chased after the reporter screaming profanities. She eventually gave up the chase as the reporter ran onto a train that quickly took off
Sunset drudged her way back to me and sighed "We're gonna be headlines aren't we?"
"Most likely." I replied "Hey, It's not like I'm not used to it"
"I'm not...." Sunset replied
"Well you're dating me. You're gonna have to." I replied
"This is gonna suck" She answered back
"Agreed" I said as our train rolled into the station
A week passed since our visit to Canterlot and the news of our relationship spread like a plague through the media staying in the papers for three days after it hit the news. Vinyl and I decided to make the most of it and use it as a publicity stunt
"You are listening to the show that will pierce the heavens with my voice! Hello Equestria, you are listening to K-COLT! Rockin your world since 1001! Welcome to The Vinyl Scratch! I'm your host, the Master of Metal, DJ PON-3 Metal riff plays and my co-host the classical genius herself, Octavia!"
"...keep that one Vinyl... I like that title." Octavia replied
"Sweet! I finally came up with one you like! Anyways today we've got a special treat for you! In the studio today we've got the new dynamic duo, the former student of Celestia and the international rock star and my cousin, Sunset Shimmer and Fret Shredder! After the break we'll have their story on how they met and how their relationship will affect Fret's life as a rock star! But first we've got a special lineup of Phoenix Rising hits starting with their hit single 'Rainboom of the Heart' " Vinyl yelled into her mic before hitting the button to mute the mics
"Alright Fret, you and your marefriend got a cover story on how you met?" Vinyl asked
"Wait....Are you going to lie on live radio?" Octavia asked
"No Octy, we're just not going to tell the truth" I answered " And yes cuz, we've got a cover story."
"Alright cool! We're back on in 5...4...3...2...1 and We're back! Today we've got Fret Shredder and Sunset Shimmer in the studio so let's get to it! Fret, how did you and Sunset meet?" Vinyl asked
"Well me and the band were hanging at our usual spot when in walks Sunset and I nudged my buddy Drumroll sayin' 'dude look at that mare over there! That is some hot stuff!' so Drumroll dares me to go over and talk to her so I do and well...Sunny you take over."
Sunset took the mic and continued the story "Fret walked over to me and I looked at him and rolled my eyes, I knew who he was but he didn't know me so the first thing I do is ask him 'before you start talking rock star what's my name?' Fret looks at me nervous for a few moments and says 'Sunset Shimmer?'." Sunset handed the mic over to me and I continued
"I got lucky since I had been interviewed back when you left Celestia." I commented
"In fact one could say you got lucky in more ways then one!" Vinyl added
"VINYL! There are children that listen to this!" Octavia yelled at her co-host
"After Fret correctly guessed my name I gave him the chance to speak and to my surprise he wasn't just an arrogant prick. We talked for a while and I decided to give the guy a break and asked him out." Sunset continued
"I thought we agreed I asked you out!" I argued
"In your dreams rock star." Sunset replied with her tongue stuck out
"Well the tension in the air of the studio is thick with these two! So Sunset, does this mean you'll be joining the band?" Vinyl asked
"No. I have no desire to be a rock star. I'm content with dating one but not being one" Sunset answered
"What about you Fret? How will this new relationship change your status as a rock legend?" Vinyl asked
"Hopefully it won't. I'm still the Rockin' Wolf, Fret Shredder, but that doesn't mean I can't have a nice marefriend on the side." I explained Octavia spoke up "And will you be writing any songs about your new marefriend?"
"Good Question Tavi! All us hopeless romantics need to know Fret! Will your next album feature a song proclaiming your undying love for Sunset Shimmer?" Vinyl asked
"Eh maybe… Depends on if inspiration strikes. If I come up with an awesome idea for a song then yeah probably" I answered
"Oh really Fret? And what kind of song would you write about me?" Sunset asked
"Ummm...I dunno....probably a love song..." I replied embarrassed
"Eh good enough for me." Sunset replied
The interview continued for another hour cutting to commercial several times and Vinyl and Octavia asking things such as when we would be getting married, which we both unanimously agreed "Not any time soon" or things such as whether or not Sunset would be moving into the mansion, which Sunset surprisingly replied "Maybe in the future." until Vinyl had to wrap it up yelling to her listeners "Well that wraps up our show! Tune in next time when we interview the Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire themselves Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor! Keep rockin' and Ro Ro fightin' the power!"
