> Tickle Tag
>  by NightFurySpeedey8156
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Round 1: Love On The Hunt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Ponyville, most residents are as cheery as can be. Fillies and Colts playing games, older ponies chatting it up and making small talk. But most importantly, having fun with their lives. This description of the small town can't be said for some, however, as there was one creature, a Speed Shifter mind you, that wasn't feeling as cheery as his neighbors. Night Fury strode through town with a blank expression, his mood in clear opposition with the other ponies around Ponyville. Although he had all the time in the world to have a good time with friends, he just wasn't feeling like himself. 

He slowly walked through the dirt paths of the rural town, letting the ambient noise of bustling work and kids at play full the void. He had never felt this sad and sluggish before, he was usually a very high energy, chippy creature. But for the past few days, he has been in the gutters. He made a right turn onto the main street of Ponyville and saw his friend, Twilight Sparkle, sitting under the shade of the Golden Oak Library while reading a book. He ultimately paid her no mind, but he couldn’t help but notice that as he walked by, Twilight looked up from her book and glanced at him.

He could see her expression change to a sort of somber "He doesn't look happy" type look. All of this happened in his peripheral vision as he continued to stride towards his abode, making him wonder what she was thinking when she saw him. For a few days, Twilight has been passing glances at him from afar, as if she could see through the act he had been putting up to keep anyone from asking him if he was okay. He didn't think much of it at first, thinking that she was just letting her eyes roam around. But today, she made it obvious that she was looking at him. 

Could she be worried about me? I wouldn't be surprised considering she's the Princess of Friendship. But she, also, could have been looking at something else entirely too. Eh, I won’t bother with finding out. 

He let out an exaggerated sigh as he walked up the hill to his villa and opened the door, closing it with his skinny tail before plopping down on his couch.

"Uuuugh, these past three days have been the absolute worst!" He moaned, "For a town that is filled with things to do and places to go, I just can't seem to find something that'll cure this boredom."

For Night Fury, he had managed to gain a bit of a reputation for being a very outgoing cat. He was often regarded as a 'Bright light of energy' and a 'Funny friend that could make your day'. But for the past few days, he was not that friend. He had been waiting for something to pop out at him for a new opportunity to have fun, but every corner he turned was a dead end. 

He made a conscious effort to try and keep a happy face on for the past few days, but recently, his facade had faltered. He always kept a smile up when he was out and about, keeping his neighbors none the wiser as to what his situation was, but today was a day where he didn't have the energy to hide his sorrow. He didn't want to admit that he was bored, he was in the most perfect town for activities to keep you going after all. But nothing in town was seen as good enough to satisfy him and quench his boredom.

Fury sighed, “I wish someone or something would just pop up in front of me and actually help me with my problem, then I’d have something to do. But what are the chances of that happening?” He scoffed, not believing that anything would come up to greet him and save the day. But he would soon be proven wrong, when a bright flash of teal light filled his vision, a scroll materializing in front of him. He looked at it with a bit of confusion as to who could be wanting to speak to him. He didn't know many creatures that could use a scroll sending spell besides Spike and the princesses, so this was a strange sight. He grabbed the scroll with his paws and opened it, reading its contents. 

Dear Night Fury,

I have heard from Twilight that you've been feeling a bit sad and bored these past few days and I'd just like to say that I feel just as bad for you as she does. As a good friend of yours would do, she came to the best of the best to try and help you with your problem and I am happy to say that we might have found a solution to your problem! I hereby invite you to The Crystal Empire with me and my fellow princesses to play a fun game from my past. I shall not reveal the details within this letter, but just know that this game will hopefully have you back to your old self again. We all hope to see you soon, Night Fury.

Much Love,
Princess Cadance

Night Fury sat on his couch wide eyed for what felt like an eternity before he smiled warmly at the letter. He was grateful that Twilight was looking out for his well being and his royal friends wanted to help. He always knew that he could count on them to help him out in his time of need.

“Okay, a new game from Cadance's
past that I've never heard of. Sounds interesting. I think I might have just found what I've been missing.” He spoke as he set the letter down on the table in front of him.

I wonder what type of game this could be? Could it be an alternative version of an Equestrian sport? A homemade game? A board game? Who knows! But enough pondering, this feline needs some cheering up.

He thought to himself as he got up from his couch, made sure he looked decent, and headed for the train station to get to the Crystal Empire. He was still a bit sad with his recent experience and his expression did show that, but under that flat expression lay a spark of hope that his crippling boredom would soon be torn away from him. As he got his ticket and sat in his seat on the train, he thought to himself that he was very lucky to have made good friends with the royals of Equestria. He would have never guessed that they would be so kind as to invite him to their domains to have some fun with him to cheer him up. Even so, he was glad they thought of him as a worthwhile investment in their lives.

–

The train soon arrived at The Crystal Empire, the wooden doors opening to let off and on the passengers. Night Fury walked out onto the platform and looked on at the Crystal Palace in its full view. The Crystal Empire was a beautiful place to go to, especially in the summertime when the crystals shine their brightest. Night Fury felt lucky to have the privilege to be there, especially with an invitation.

“Okay, I just need to get to the castle to meet my friends. Ready or not, here I come.” He said blankly as he began his trek up the shiny path to the castle. The road to the castle shone in the sunlight, guiding Fury's steps as he drew closer to the tower. He looked around as he walked and saw kids playing with a ball. He noticed how happy they looked doing something so simple and it made him feel a slight twinge of bitterness. He wasn't jealous of them, he just felt insecure about how easy they were getting along with such a simple game of catch.

I'm not jealous of those kids, I know that. I just can't bring myself to admit that I feel a bit sour about how they can get along so well with a simple game of catch while I have tried everything in between to try and help myself! Okay, easy Fury, no need to get hissy about it.

He thought as he continued to walk. He then looked up ahead and saw his four royal friends standing there waiting for him. He would’ve gotten their attention and said “Hi”, but his sour emotions kept him from making first contact. He eventually made it to the base of the tower and met up with his companions, who immediately noticed him.

“Hey Everypony, Night Fury's here.” Twilight spoke. The three other princesses turned to him and walked up to him, Cadance making first contact.

“Night Fury, I'm so glad you could make it!” She said, hugging him. She then changed her tone when she realized he wasn't returning the embrace like he usually would. She pulled back and looked him in the face.

“Still feeling droopy today, huh?” She asked with sympathy.

“Yeah, I'm not feeling like myself. And, to be honest, I haven't felt like myself for a while." He said with a blank expression.

“Well, we believe that Cadance has an idea that’d be “purrfect” to make us all happy,” Luna said, with a wink. The other Alicorns couldn’t help giggling at the Night Princess’s joke. Night Fury however, didn't make a single noise. This got the immediate attention of the royals before him as they went silent in concern.

"Wow, have these past few days really been that rough?" Luna asked. “I thought for sure that you’d like that joke. I apologize if I upset you further, Fury.”

“It's okay, Luna. I liked the joke, I just can't seem to crack a smile.” Fury complained, his mood still somber. “I just hope this game Cadance talked about can help me with this.”

“I’m sure it will,” Twilight said with a smile. “She played it with me a good bit when I was a filly. And we were always very happy afterward. Lots of laughter was involved, and knowing my friend, Pinkie Pie, laughter is always the best medicine.”

"You've got that right, Twilight. Now come on, let's get inside so I can explain what this game is." Cadance said.

“As you wish,” Fury mumbled, heading in the direction the princesses were taking him.

–

The group stopped in the throne room and looked up at Cadance who sat on her throne. Clearing her throat, she began to explain what was happening.

“As we all know, our feline friend has been feeling a bit down lately. So I thought of the best game to bring his spirits up. A game that I have played since I was just a filly, Tickle Tag.” She announced. Night Fury's face contorted as he heard the name.

“Tickle Tag? I've never heard of that before, what is it?” he asked.

The other princesses started laughing, particularly at his confusion.

“It’s basically the same as a regular game of tag. Except, whoever’s ‘it’ tags the other players by tickling them.” Twilight explained, still giggling.

“And Cadance has informed us about how much you love a good tickle.” Celestia said, looking at Night Fury. A sly grin upon her face.

“Trust us. You’ll love it,” Luna said, reassuringly. Fury was a bit hesitant playing this game, but it was the only way he could think of to cure his somber mood.

“Okay, I think I'll do it. So, how does this work?”

Twilight started laughing, again. “So, we have to choose somepony (or cat) to be ‘it’. Whoever’s it has to chase the others around trying to tickle them. They are running around trying to avoid getting tickled. If they get tickled, they’re ‘it’. Did I miss anything?” She explained.

“Just one thing, Twilight.” Cadance added, stepping down from her throne. “If you get tickled, you join the ticklers and chase down whoever's left.” Twilight blushed and giggled, embarrassed that as bright as she was, she had forgotten that rule. Then she realized something. “Umm, should we give Night Fury wings and a horn, or have the four of us wear magic suppressors and not use our wings? I mean, it has to be fair, right?”

“Twilight, you do remember what power I have at my disposal, right?” Fury reminded her, running a few quick laps around her with his super speed. Seeing this made Twilight dizzy, which caused her to laugh again. “Touché,” she replied, after regaining her composure. “So, how should we decide who gets to be ‘it’ first?”

“Well, since this was her idea, I propose Cadance take the first round.” Luna said. “I second that,” Celestia agreed. 

“I would also suggest we get rid of our regalia.” Celestia continued. “It would give a better chance to truly experience the tickling in this game on our hooves.” The other princesses and Night Fury agreed. Celestia ignited her horn and in a bright flash, all of the regalia was gone from the princess's bodies.

“Wow, I have never seen you three without your regalia. You basically look naked without it.” Fury commented. 

The princesses blushed, slightly embarrassed by his statement. “Yeah, hehe, wearing clothes isn’t something that ponies usually do. Unless, of course, you’re an upperclasspony or in royalty. But, I don't even wear clothes, unless I’m going to an event such as the Grand Galloping Gala.” Luna spoke softly. 

Cadance soon accepted her role as first ‘it’ and took her position back on her throne. “Okay, Night Fury, prepare to have that frown turned upside down. You all have 20 seconds. Go!”

Night Fury and the other princesses scattered out of the throne room, each in a separate direction. Night Fury was still a bit skeptical about how this would work for him, but he didn't let that stop him from trying to enjoy it.

After the allotted getaway time, Cadance began her hunt for the other players. She began her search around the kitchens and dining hall as she slowly snuck around as to not draw attention to her position. She looked around the table and curtains for any traces of prime tickling subjects, but nothing came up. That was until she heard a strange rattling noise from the cabinets. “I wonder who that could be?” She thought to herself, giggling slightly at the thought of finding a potential target so soon. 

She opened every individual cabinet in an effort to find her prey, finally opening the last door to find her sister-in-law hiding away inside of one. “I found you.” Cadance stated, excitedly. “You’d better run, because it’s tickle time!” 

Twilight let out a squeal that would put a wild hog to shame before making a mad dash out of the kitchens and into the halls. Cadance followed close by as her sister-in-law ran for her life. Unfortunately for Twilight, she was no match for Cadance, who was born a pegasus before she became a princess. Cadance soon caught hold of Twilight and began to mercilessly tickle the younger Alicorn’s hooves. Twilight was in stitches as her former foal-sitter attacked her biggest tickle spot.

“Ehehehehhehehe! Stop it, Cadance!” Twilight squeaked, trying to make a getaway.

“I don't think so! I could always stop, if you call uncle, of course.”

“Ahahahahahahahaha, nohohohohohohohoh!” Twilight pleaded. However, she eventually had trouble breathing, which finally caused her to say the safe word. “Uhuhuncle!” She squealed, embarrassed that she couldn’t take it anymore. Cadance obliged her request and let her go, allowing her to catch her breath as she giggled on the ground.

“Y'know, you haven't changed a bit since you were a filly, Twilight.” Cadance remarked, reminiscing on her old foalsitting days. 

“Yeah,” Twilight said, still giggling because the tickles hadn’t completely worn off. “And it’s just as fun as I remember. Who else have you found?”

“Sorry, Twily, you're my first victim.” Cadance said. Twilight cursed herself under her breath for not being able to last longer, but she had fun nonetheless.

“Well, who should we try for next? Twilight asked.

“Let's go get Luna next, she has always been bragging about her superior hiding skills. I say we give her a bit of karma.” Cadance suggested

Twilight laughed very hard at that statement.

“True that! Let’s show her who’s boss!” And with that, the two sisters-in-law went to find the Princess of the Night.

–

Twilight and Cadance soon came up to the castle library and looked around the large room as they stepped inside. The room was very large and was home to books as old as the castle itself, but did it hold the nocturnal princess within its walls?

“Hoo boy, this is gonna be hard. She could be anywhere in here.” Twilight complained, looking around the large room. 

“But I’m sure you can find her. You did live in a library for years. You should be able to notice if an odd sound occurs. I’ll bet it’ll most likely be Luna.” Cadance assured her sister-in-law. Twilight gave a confident smile in return as her fellow princess gave her some encouragement.

“Okay, I'll see what I can do. You take the fiction section, I'll go for astrology.”

Cadance nodded, then remembered something.

“Twilight! If you do find her, her back hooves are her weak spot.” She said with a wink. The two alicorns went their separate ways as they began the search for the lunar goddess. Twilight scoured the aisles of books as she continued her search. With every nook and cranny, she paid thorough attention for anything out of place. 

She soon came up on the horoscope books and noticed something was off. She saw what looked like a small blue waffle cone sticking out of one of the shelves. Twilight grew a sly smile as she casually approached the out of place object. She then plucked a loose feather from one of her wings, just in case. 

“Oh wow, look at all of these horoscope books.” She said innocently. “And what's this? A small, blue waffle cone? I had no idea there was ice cream here, perhaps I shall see if it's real.” She then began to wiggle the feather over what was obviously Luna's horn. The Night Princess’s breath hitched slightly as she felt the touch of the feather on her horn, almost blowing her cover.

To Luna, it was more of an irritating itch rather than a tickling sensation, as her horn wasn’t a tickle spot. However, it was almost enough to give her away. Cadance soon showed up to the scene and saw what was happening. Twilight gave her a simple look and she understood that it was time to play along.

“Pray tell, what is it that you've found, Twilight?” she asked, feigning ignorance.

“It seems that I have found a strange, blue waffle cone sticking out of this shelf. Perhaps the other end shall reveal the ice cream.” Twilight said, emphasizing on the ‘other end’. Cadance understood Twilight's words and walked to the other side of the shelf. Lo and behold, one of Luna's back hooves was sticking out, a prime target for tickling. Fortunately for them, it wasn’t long before Luna broke into an uncontrollable fit of giggles and gave herself away.

“Yahahahahahahhahaha! Not myhyhyhyhy hohohohohooves!” Luna begged, realizing that she’d been caught. “Okay okay! Uncle Uhuhuhuncle!"

Cadance finally let go of Luna once she heard the safe word, letting her squeeze her way out of her hiding spot.

“Hehe, I must admit, I wasn't expecting you to have caught me so off guard.” Luna explained, still giggling.

“Well when you leave your horn sticking out for all to see, it's kinda easy to find out who's attached to it.” Twilight spoke, walking around the bookshelf. 

Luna’s cheeks turned crimson, and she let out an embarrassed chuckle. “A valid point, Twilight Sparkle.” Then she looked around to see her companions. “I take it you still haven’t found Tia?” She asked them.

“Nope, and we still haven't found our feline friend yet either. He still needs cheering up.” Cadance said. She then got an idea. “How about we save him for last? 

“We find Auntie Celestia first, and have all four of us try and catch him? And once we do, we give him the best tickling he's ever had.” She suggested. Twilight and Luna nodded in agreement with the plan.

“I say that's a wonderful idea. Come, let us find my elder sister and make her laugh.” Luna said, guiding the other two princesses to find her.

–

The search for Celestia extended to the loads of guest bedrooms that filled the halls and was proving to be very difficult.

“Any weak points we should be looking for once we find her, Auntie Luna?” Cadance asked.

“Her wings are her biggest tickle spots. I remember when our mother found Tia trying to sneak some cookies for a snack when we were young and she was mercilessly tickled at the base of her wings.” Luna explained. Twilight was trying extremely hard to keep herself from giggling, and was barely succeeding. As were the other two.

“Okay, not trying to jinx us here, but shouldn't it be easy to find her? I mean no offense, but, isn’t she huge?” Twilight questioned.

“Tia and I have our “disappearing tricks” that don’t involve magic, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna informed the younger Alicorn. “While the both of us may be bigger than the average pony, we still have our ways of hiding away.”

They then came to the last guest room at the end of the hall and decided to take a look inside. 

“Anypony wanna take a gander?” Luna asked, with a smirk. The younger princesses gave a nod as Luna opened the door to a seemingly empty guest room.

“Now we just have to find where that growling is coming from. Spread out.” Twilight ordered. They all spread out across the room in search of the solar princess, listening very closely for the sound of Celestia. The trio soon decided to take a look in the small walk-in closet nearby. 

“Okay, are you ready?” Cadance asked, the two other royals nodding. “Okay. One, two, three!” with one big effort, they heaved the closet door open. They expected to find something but we're only met with a pile of clothes.

“Awww, dead end.” Twilight whined.

“Oh but wait, just because we can't see anything, doesn't mean there isn't something else to listen for, right?” Cadance suggested.

Luna agreed. “That is true. But what should we…”. Luna froze. She heard something. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Twilight asked.

Then the sound came again.

“I heard it that time,” Cadance said. “It sounded like growling.”

“It sure did,” Twilight said. “But, it didn’t sound like any creature I know about.”

“You’re right, Twilight Sparkle. It sounded like…” Luna’s eyes widened as the noise sounded again, and this time she realized what it was. “Oh, Sister…” Luna giggled, shaking her head lightly. “You are trying to hide from us and you do it on an empty stomach? How embarrassing.”

Cadance and Twilight tried hard to keep their giggling together, and were just barely succeeding. Luna then noticed a glow coming from under the bed. She looked at her companions and pointed her wing toward the glow. Then each Alicorn gently plucked a feather from her own wings with their magic, and sent them below to where the glow was. Seconds later, they heard the delightful sound of Celestia’s hysterical laughter, as the solar princess realized she’d been caught.

“Uncle uncle!” She called from under the bed. The three princesses retracted their feathers and waited for Celestia to reveal herself. She then slowly scooted her way out and stood at her full height.

"Oh bother, what gave me away?" Celestia asked. Cadance and Twilight finally broke out in hysterics as Luna poked at her sister.

“Your growling stomach, that's what.” The teased, poking at her sister's underside, causing her to giggle. Celestia blushed a bright red as she felt embarrassed that such a natural occurrence would give her away. 

“Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.” The solar princess stated as she looked around at the troupe. “Have you found Night Fury yet, by any chance?”

“Nope, he's our last one. He's got to be somewhere around here just waiting for us.” Twilight said.

“This can't leave him feeling somber once we give him a good tickling.” Cadance said. She then got an idea. “Hey, how about we put on an act for him? Let's say a little 'Tickle Monster invasion'?”

The other princesses laughed happily at that suggestion.

“That’s a great idea, Cadance. But, we should be sure to allow him a chance for retaliation if he desires,” Luna said.

“Of course, he needs to at least get the chance of getting away from this so-called 'invasion'. But where else have we not looked?” Twilight inquired, putting a hoof to her chin.

“Well, we still haven't checked around my personal quarters yet. Maybe he's somewhere around there.” Cadance spoke. The other princesses nodded with her as they decided to go looking for him.

“Okay ladies, let's go cheer Night Fury up with a good show and a lot of laughs!” Celestia cheered, leading the final charge to find the feline in question and cheer him up.

–

Night Fury sat in Cadance's personal quarters in anticipation. He had to admit that he was feeling better than he was before. All of this talk of the suspense of this game he was playing was exciting to him and he didn't hate one bit of it.

“This game is super fun! I have never felt so good under pressure in all my life.” he said, although still a bit down. He then perked up as he heard strange noises coming from all around him. Not knowing what to do, he called out.

“Hello? Who's there?” There came no answer for a few seconds before all went dark and a purple light lit up what looked like Twilight. But she didn't look like she was here to hide with him.

“Night Fury, I have come for you from another world." A ghostly voice came.

“What do you want from me?” he asked, shivering at the cold atmosphere.

“I have come to cheer you up in the most powerful way possible. I am a part of a special group of monsters that you should feel great fear for.” Said the voice. 

“Wh-what kind of m-m-monsters?” He asked, terrified. The creature stayed silent before jumping out at him and yelling… 

“Tickle Monsters!”

Realizing that he wasn’t in any real danger, he made a mad attempt to flee, giggling the entire time.

“You’ve gotta catch me first,” he taunted.

He darted out of the room and headed for one of the living spaces in the building, hoping to find some cover from the curtains or furniture. He turned a corner into one of the living spaces and dove behind the couch, letting Twilight pass by. He let out a sigh of relief that she didn't catch him, but little did he know, she wasn't the only monster after him.

“Oh Furyyyyyy~” another voice chimed. Night Fury's blood ran cold as he gulped and turned around, only to be met with another Tickle Monster, Cadence. 

“GAH!” he screamed, and made another attempt at fleeing. He managed to outrun her and flee into the kitchen, taking a moment to catch his breath. 

“Hoo, that was close. There can't be more of them roaming around here, it's just two.” He reassured himself, but he would be soon proven wrong. 

“That’s what you think, silly boy,” he heard as a bright silver glow appeared behind him. He turned around and saw Luna standing there with a menacingly large amount of feathers and a grin on her face that would rival the Joker.

"There are actually three of us, but are there more? No time to find out, this monster is about to serve you up on a platter!” She said deviously as she sent all of the feathers towards him. He managed to start dodging the feathers as they flew by and kept himself from getting caught once again as he made a mad dash down the main hall.

As he ran, the three monsters behind him tracked his every move making attempts to catch him as he went. He made turn after turn, trying to get them off his tail, but they wouldn't go away. He then saw that they began to back off as he kept running. Were they making a retreat?

“Ha, see ya later! You so-called monsters are all bark and no bite!” He boasted. But one more roadblock would ultimately trip him up. He looked forward and gasped as he saw the final monster, Celestia, sitting in his way.

“Sweet mother of Equestria!” He called out in panic. He tried to hit the brakes, but the smooth crystal floors just let him skid and slide as he got closer and closer until… 

“Gotcha!” Celestia caught him in her forelegs.

“Grrrr, let go of me!”

“Not a chance! Us monsters have to work together. And now, we have what we need.” Celestia spoke in a dark tone. The other three princesses soon descended upon him in his captured state.

"Well well well, looks like we have our prey.” Twilight giggled. “This is where we do what we Tickle Monsters do best.”

“Puh, good luck with that! There's still one ace up my sleeve, you all don't know my weak spots!”

“Oh, really?” Cadance asked, menacingly. “What about… here?”

She then started twirling a feather around his hind paws.

"Eh, I've felt worse.” he said casually, but Cadance was determined. 

“Okay. How about here?” She moved over to his neck. No effect. She tried everywhere else, his back, front paws, and even his flanks. But she just couldn't find his weak spot.

“I don't get it, where could your weak spot be?” She huffed. Celestia then spoke up.

“Oh Cadence, why are you working around the problem when you need to get to the center of the issue.” She suggested. 

Catching her drift, Cadance grinned evilly.

“Ok girls, Flip him over.” she ordered.

“Wait! What?” Night Fury yelped as the other princess did as they were instructed. Fury was soon flipped over and on his back. His eyes widened as he realized what they were doing. But before he could speak, Cadance jumped in.

“We have you where we want you. And it's time for us to do what Tickle Monsters are known for. Do you know what it is?”

“Oh dear,” Night Fury said, fearfully. “No, I don't.”

“TICKLE!!!!”

Cadance and the other princesses then attacked his poor tummy with everything they had with them. He was in hysterics, instantaneously. 

“Bahahahahahahaha, nohohoohohohohoho!” He squirmed and squealed like a baby as he was mercilessly tickled.

“Coochie Coochie Coo!”

“Nohohohoho stahahahahahp!” He begged, but nothing came of it.

“Aww, he's got a ticklish tummy. How about a little buzzer beater?” Luna suggested, breathing in and blowing the biggest raspberry on his belly. 

“Nahahahahahahahahahaha!”

“I've got something better, a couple of ants that I got from Fluttershy.” Twilight mentioned, revealing a container full of the insects. “Alright, little guys, give Fury your worst!” 

She opened the container and the small insects began to do as they were told and give Fury a good tickling. Night Fury was kicking and squealing at the seemingly endless tickling, but soon he had enough and gave in. 

“Uncle! Uncle!” He cried, after enduring ten long minutes of the brutal torture. The princesses heard the safe word and immediately stopped. Twilight recalled her ant army, Celestia and Cadance pulled their hooves away, and Luna raised her head from where she’d given him a belly blast. Fury lay there, giggling and squirming around like a child. He had never expected for the princesses to put on a show while coming after him, but nonetheless, he was feeling better.

"So, you feeling better, fuzzball?" Cadance asked, Night Fury nodding as he was still recovering from the attack. 

“Say, I can’t believe I’m asking this. But, is anypony, or cat, up for another round?” Twilight asked. The other princesses took a moment to think. The game was rather fun and let them be loose for once in a while, especially for Cadence, Celestia and Luna. For years, they all have had the same problem of having to maintain a serious and impenetrable composure all day every day. But now, they could finally let loose and be silly.

“I must say, this game makes me feel so much younger." Celestia remarked. "And it's not everyday that I or Luna truly get to be free from our obligations and be the cheeky selves we were as fillies. I say yes to another round!”

“Well, I’ll admit, I did enjoy this a bit more than I thought I was going to, not that I thought it wasn’t going to be any fun, that is. I’ll gladly play again!” Luna declared.

“Well, now all we need is approval from our feline friend. So what do you say, whiskers, you good enough for another round?” Cadence asked. Night Fury had finally got himself together enough to speak fluent English and nodded.

"Sure! And I feel so much better now! I can't thank you guys enough for putting me as top priority. I would have thought that this was out of the question, considering how backed up you all are with royal stuff. But now I see that I'm just as special to you guys as you are to me, and I can't believe what I would be like if I never met you." He said, pulling everyone into a giant bear hug. 

“And don’t you ever doubt that for a second.” The princesses all said, embracing the smaller feline. 

"So, now that this round is over, who's next to be ‘it’?” Fury asked.

“Well, the way I play it usually begins each round with the first one who was caught to be ‘it’. So, Twilight's next." Cadence declared. 

“Uh-huh!” Twilight said, blushing from the embarrassment of being caught first. “Well, let's head back to the starting point and get ready for round two!”

The other players nodded as they headed back to the throne room to begin round two. By now, Night Fury was feeling way better than he was before. This game did just what he needed it to do to cure his boredom and sadness, while also giving him a new perspective of his royal friends. He had no idea they could be so cheeky, considering they were high ranking figures that stood tall for their kingdoms. But right now, he was glad that they were showing this side of themselves, having found four new friends that he could always call on for a fun time.
> Round 2: Twilight's Tyrannical Tickling
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Princesses and their feline friend made their way back to the throne room for round two. Since Cadance had caught Twilight first, it was now the small lavender Alicorn’s turn to play ‘it’.

“Okay, so the turn comes to me. I hope you all are ready.” Twilight declared.

“Oh trust me, Twilight, we are. Though I can't say the same for Celestia's stomach." Fury chuckled, getting a giggle out of Luna. 

Celestia blushed and giggled at his comment. 

“Well, we’ll see about that.” She stated, summoning her magic to make a small cake appear.

“I suppose I should indulge before we begin. Would anypony, or cat, like a slice?” She offered. 

“Tia, spare us the pleasantries. We all know you're just going to eat it yourself.” Luna remarked snootily. Celestia was surprised that she would be taking such accusations. She looked to Cadance for assistance.

“Sorry, can't help ya, Auntie.”

Then Twilight… 

“I don't think I even have to say anything.”

And finally, Night Fury.

“Sorry Princess, but after that Gabby Gums article, (and Luna showing me your dreams) there's no denying that you have no interest in sharing.” He quoted, mumbling about Luna's dream reel. 

Celestia finally just rolled her eyes, blushing profusely, and finished the cake.

“You all bug me sometimes.”

“Aww, is old granny Tia not pleased with the younglings? Should I get your walker and dentures, meemaw?" Fury joked. 

The others could just barely keep from laughing.

Celestia cast an angry glare at Night Fury.

“Say that again, and you’ll be sporting a different shade of black! Understood?” She threatened.

“Eh, I'm not as scared of you as most others are. As a matter of fact, I think I'd enjoy seeing you try and attack me. If your old stick legs don't give out, that is. Rattle Me Bones!”

“Ok, that’s enough!” Cadance yelled, casting a barrier between the two. “Chill out, the both of you. I don't need you blasting my castle to smithereens, and I don't need you trying to give yourself an early funeral. I still need to have a friend around."

“Besides,” Twilight put in. “We’re all here to have a fun and good time. Let’s not waste it fighting each other. We’re all friends, right?”

“Hey, I'm not the one who looks like they're about to blow their stack. I'm just making jokes.” Fury stated. “And besides, Discord taught me those lines.”

The others all deeply sighed and shook their heads.

“Oh fine, I'll tune it down with the snideness. Sheesh, and I thought Rarity was stuck up.”

“Thank you, Night Fury. And… I apologize for my attitude earlier. That’s just a very touchy subject to me, and I don’t like it being talked about.” Celestia stated.

“Eh, I get it. Having to live with the fact that you're over 1000 years old cannot be easy.” Fury said more calmly. “But anyway, let's get on with the bookworm trying to tickle us.”

“As you wish,” Twilight said, giggling. “Three… Two… One… Go!” 

The four players took off to find their hiding spots. But strangely, Fury was sticking with Luna.

“May I ask why you are following me?” she inquired.

“Well, I figured since you're the most like me, you would be the best to hide with.” Fury admitted. Luna was taken by surprise at the statement. Was she similar to him in some way? 

“And give Twilight a double bounty? Are you sure you want to risk that?” She asked, with a smirk.

“Hey, it gives me the chance to get to know you. And besides, I like living on the edge. I wouldn't have been gifted with super speed and the ability to turn into any creature I want if I wasn't meant to put them to their limits.”

“Fair enough,” Luna said with a shrug. “Come young feline, let us hide away and get familiar with each other.” She took the lead and guided him to their spot. Fury was somewhat attracted to her. She was assertive, strong, kind and funny. Maybe there was a chance for something greater between them.

–

“Ready or not, here I come!” Twilight called as she began her search for the other players. She began her search in and around the guard barracks, searching supply lockers and random doors for any traces of prime tickling subjects. Thankfully, the guards were deployed somewhere else for a few weeks as they would be rather confused as to why all four princesses and a random feline would be running around tickling each other.

“Hmm, if I were trying to hide around here, where would I go?” she asked herself, paying close attention to her surroundings. She then stopped as she saw a rather funny sight. It was obviously Celestia, but she was attempting to hide behind a batch of lockers. Unfortunately, being so big, she stuck out like a sore hoof.

Twilight smirked, and used her magic to silently teleport behind Celestia without the solar princess noticing. To her luck, Celestia’s hooves were placed right next to where she landed. Twilight plucked a feather from each of her own wings, wincing slightly as she did so, then caught her mentor’s hooves in her magical grasp, and attacked her with the feathers.

“I've gotcha now, Celestia!” She called out as she began her assault. As soon as the feathers made contact with her hooves, Celestia collapsed and began laughing like a hyena. Caught off guard, the tickling was twice as intense as she was expecting. But it still felt good.

“Bahahahahahaha! H-how did you see mehehehehehehe?!?”

“You stuck out from where you were hiding. For once, your size was your downfall.” Twilight giggled, continuing her tickling. Celestia blushed from the embarrassment of being caught, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying the tickle torture she was being put through.

“Okay okahahahahahay, I think I've hahahahahahad enough! Uncle uncle!”

Twilight smiled, and ceased her tickling. She knew that she’d worked Celestia up good with that play. Celestia soon regained her composure and stood up. 

“Oh bother, sometimes I wish I wasn't so big.” She huffed, which caused Twilight to have to muffle a giggle.

“Who do you propose we seek next?” The violet Alicorn inquired.

“Let us go after Night Fury next. I need to get my revenge for his jokes regarding my age.” Celestia said with a devious smile. 

“As you wish,” Twilight giggled. “Just, please don’t kill him. He is our friend, after all.”

“Oh trust me, I won't kill him. But I will make him suffer for his crimes.” Celestia said, walking with her former student to find the cheeky feline. They soon reached the ballroom that houses many tables, a disco ball , and many curtains for aesthetics.

“Hmm… this doesn’t seem like a place that I’d want to hide. Then again… you can never be too thorough,” Twilight said. There was then a gust of wind from behind that swept her mane and tail to the side. She quickly took a glance behind her to see what made the wind, but nothing was there.

“That's strange. Either one of the windows is open, or somepony is trying to toy with us.”

“I’ll bet you it’s the latter,” Celestia stated. “I also have a feeling that there's not just one somepony here.” Twilight furrowed an eyebrow at the statement, but went with it. They began to work their way around the ballroom in search of any players. Looking under the tables, behind the curtains, and even up on the stage, they found nothing. Then they heard some giggling from above. Twilight and Celestia then cast knowing glances at each other, and nodded knowingly.

Just above the ground, Luna and Night Fury sat on top of the gantries, giggling to each other as their cheeky work to confuse the other princesses prevailed.

“Wow, I can't believe that we managed to stay out of sight while doing that.” Fury chuckled, Luna nodding in agreement.

“I must agree, this is a very funny experience. But, do you get the feeling that they've stopped looking?” The two looked below and saw that Celestia and Twilight had disappeared.

“Yeah, that's weird. Where'd they go?” Fury asked. They then felt an overwhelming presence behind them.

“Uh Luna, is it just me or do you sense an overwhelming presence behind you?”

“TICKLE TIME!!!”

Celestia and Twilight pounced on them and brought them swiftly, but harmlessly, back to the floor and ruthlessly tickled the pair silly, laughing themselves almost just as hard as their captives. 

"Gahahahahahahaha, I cahahahant do this!” Fury said, trying to squeeze out of Celestia's grasp. He successfully did so and began to make his escape.

“Nahahahahahahahahahhaha! Stahahahahahap ihihihihihihihihiht!!!” Luna laughed as Twilight mercilessly tickled her hooves. Twilight then noticed the fleeing Speed Shifter and called him out.

“Fury's getting away, catch him!”

“I've got him!” Celestial leaped to him and grabbed him by his hips. She dragged him back and turned him around, hugging the small feline close to her chest.

“Oh how small of prey I have in my grasp. But a big, dangerous predator like me has to satisfy her desire to hunt. So I must take advantage of my size and gobble you up!” She giggled deviously. She then laid him down and sat on top of him, blowing a raspberry on his tummy as she pretended to gobble him up. 

Twilight heard Night Fury’s squeal, and had to laugh at it herself.

“I think he’s enjoying this just as much as Luna is,” she chuckled, looking back at Luna, who was still writhing in ticklish bliss, tears of laughter flooding out of her tightly closed eyes.

“Uncle! Uhuhuhuhncle!” Luna finally cried out, which told Twilight to cease her attack.

“Okay okahahahay, I was wrong for the age jokes! Uncle Uncle!” Night Fury screamed. Celestia stopped her tickling and let Night Fury go. The two hiders were now tickle-tuckered out, completely drained of their strength.

“Fury, are you still functional? And not eaten?” Luna asked breathlessly.

“Sorry Luna, but I've been viciously gobbled up.” He sighed. 

Twilight and Celestia just about died at those statements, laughing just about as hard as their ‘prisoners’ did during the tickle torture.

“Oh this is amazing, we got you two so good.” Celestia giggled, the two affected players righting themselves onto all fours. 

“I told you that going for a little cheeky teasing was too much!” Luna shot, giving Night Fury the stink eye.

“Heh, maybe you're right. I got a little too ambitious.” He admitted, blushing a bright red. “Well, that leaves Cadance as our last one. And I have an idea for her.” Fury said with a devilish smirk. 

“And just what might that be?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Let's just say that I have some prey to catch. And this predator is feeling hungry.” Fury snarled as he took off. 

“Intriguing,” Luna said, and left to follow him. The other princesses shrugged off the strange wording and left the ballroom to follow the feline to his destination.

–

“Hmmm, I can smell her. She has to be close by.” Fury said, looking around another one of the lounge areas for the Princess of Love. The other three royals soon caught up to him and looked on as he slowly and methodically searched the area.

“Are you getting close to your prey, Fury?” Celestia asked, smirking.

“Close, but not close enough.” He sniffed around at the furniture in the room trying to pick up Cadance's scent. He then took a look at the fireplace at the center of the room. He didn't think much of it and was about to give up when he saw the slightest puff of sutt and a slipping noise come from the fireplace.

“I know that look, Fury,” Twilight said with a smirk. “Do you think you found a clue?”

“I think I may have found more than just a clue, my purple pony pal.” Fury then turned around and used his long tail to feel around the fireplace. He grazed the walls carefully until he hit something soft and heard a giggle. He began flicking his tail back and forth quickly for several seconds before a cloud of sutt flew up and Cadance came giggling out. Night Fury continued his attack as he held her down and listened to her squeaking and squealing.

“Awww, you sound so cute when you laugh.” Fury chuckled. 

The other princesses had to laugh, themselves, as Cadance’s cheeks, although covered in black soot, turned a darker shade of pink at the cat’s comment.

“Okay okahahahahahay, I give in! Uncle Uncle!” She called out. Fury took his grip away as he let Cadance squirm around, but he wasn't done yet.

“Oh but I'm not done with you yet. Ladies, allow me to show you my second ability.” Night Fury said confidently. His body began to glow red, electric energy flowing around him as he slowly grew in size and became more bipedal. Soon, the energy dissipated and a giant, black kangaroo stood before the four princesses. The three princesses who weren't still recovering from a tickle attack went slack jawed, they had known Fury had the ability to turn into any creature he wanted, but to be able to go to such an extent? That was a truly amazing feat.

“I know, this looks unbelievable. But it isn’t, my royal companions. Now, for my final trick.” Fury then turned to the still giggling Cadance and grabbed her, bringing her up to meet his face.

“You have fought well, Cadance, but I grow hungry from this little charade. Now, be terrified as I consume you forever!” He declared, tossing her up and letting her land in his pouch. 

The other Princesses’ eyes widened with terror at his statement, but they relaxed and laughed a little when they saw where she ended up. Cadance landed in Fury's pouch with a thud, her eyes widening as she realized where she was. She soon calmed down though and decided to play along with him.

“Nooo! I've been eaten by a giant kangaroo, what ever shall I do now?” She said sarcastically. She began squirming around inside of Fury's pouch, tickling him in the process. 

The other princesses were rolling on the floor in stitches from the scene unfolding before them.

“Hahaha, hey! Stop squirming around in there, that tickles!”

“Ohhohohoho! Thihihihis is greheheheat!” Twilight tried to say through her laughter.

“I cahahahan’t breheheheathe!” Luna wheezed.

“Sthahahahahap beheheing sohohoho funnehehehenehehy!” Celestia was all but screaming.

“H-hey, it's not me! If it weren't for Cahahadance squirming around in there, I could focus enough to take the credit! And don't make me stuff you three in here too!”

“Maybe if you let me back out, they’ll eventually calm down.” Cadance suggested, slyly. Fury conceded to Cadance and let her out of his pouch, returning to his original form. 

“There, the show's over. Are you guys done forfeiting your lungs over there?” Fury sighed.

After a few more minutes, the other Princesses regained their composure and stopped giggling.

“Ohoh, oh that was brilliant!” Luna chortled. “I must figure out how to do that with a transformation spell.”

“I'd do the exact same.” Celestia said.

“Ditto.” Twilight added. Fury smiled at how much recognition his powers were getting and decided to oblige their wishes.

“If you three want, I can give you a few tips so you can be just as good as me.”

“We’d love that!” They all exclaimed at one.

“Then it's settled, I'm gonna teach you all how to be like me! Now, since she was first caught this round, It's Celestia's turn to go on the hunt.” Fury pointed out. 

“Of course,” She said. “Let us return to the throne room, get a quick lesson in transformation from our feline friend, and begin round three.” And with that, they all returned to their starting point to initiate the next round and learn a few new tricks from their friend. Things were going smoothly. Friends were bonding, jokes were made, laughter was all the rage, and a new favorite game was slowly making its way to popularity.
> Round 3: Sneaky Sun Goddess
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Okay, now just focus your energy into what you want to perceive yourself as. Try to imagine what you would look like as that creature, use a little transformation magic, and presto! Give it a whirl.” Fury directed. The three princesses in front of him did as they were told, focusing on what creature they'd want to be. And in one flash of multi-colored magic, they all transformed into different animals. Celestia became a kangaroo, her white fur remaining much the same while her mane was traded for spots of the same colors. 

"My, this is a very new feeling. I've never felt so lightweight and bouncy before." Celestia said, testing out her new legs. Then there was Luna who became a Komodo Dragon. Her black cutie mark spread all over her body in black patches and her legs became stubbier and short.

"I'm much smaller, but I still feel powerful. Especially with these new teeth, I feel like I can bite through anything!" Luna said excitedly, snapping her jaws.

Then came Twilight who, unfortunately, got the short end of the stick as she had transformed into a toad. Warts grew on her back and her voice box croaked as if she were calling out to other toads.

"Seriously, a toad? I was trying to turn myself into a chameleon!" The small amphibian moaned as she croaked once more. Her companions were cracking up at her mishap.

“It takes practice. Even a professional magic user like you still needs training.” Night Fury chuckled.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious.” Twilight muttered.

"Oh, this is too good! I have to try this!" Cadence said. She memorized what Fury had said and used her magic to transform into another Speed Shifter like him, the only difference being she was female and pink.

"Did I do it right?" The love alicorn turned cat asked, observing her shape. Fury's jaw dropped upon seeing her new form.

Sweet Celestia, why is she so hot?! 

The other Alicorns were equally surprised, having already regained their original forms to observe her new form. 

“Astonishing..” Celestia gasped.

“Beautiful…” Luna cried.

“Wonderful!” Twilight squeaked, summoning a mirror so Cadance could see for herself. Cadence was amazed by her new shape. She was already sleek and slim as an alicorn, but she felt even slicker as a Speed Shifter. She felt light and maneuverable, like she could jump with the constitution of an Olympic athlete without any trouble. She felt as if she was even more graceful than she was before. Then she noticed the rather starry and Night Fury looking her over.

“Well, Night Fury? How about your two bits? What do you think?” Cadence asked, politely.

"You should forget about Shining Armor, I've got a better life to give you." He said quickly, not checking his words. The others gasped in shock, and Cadence blushed.

“Sorry, Fury,” she giggled. “But Shining and I are already married. And I won’t be leaving him anytime soon.” She then assumed her original form.

"Awww, bummer. It's been so long since I've snuggled with a girl. Trust me, it gets lonely for me sometimes." 

“We understand,” Twilight said, sympathetically. “But, you know? Because your residence is within Ponyville, you’re more than welcome to visit me and my friends anytime, day or night. Right? Our doors are always open to friends in need.”

"I have no idea why, but I have a feeling you need more than just friendly cuddles, Twi." Cadence said with a cheeky smirk. Twilight's face went red and she smiled sheepishly as she began to break down. 

“Cadence!” She groaned as she hid behind her mane. The other princesses and the Speed Shifter laughed.

"Heh, as much as I would love to explore more of the… intimate ways of love, I'll save that for later. And besides, I'll come to the expert for that lesson." Fury explained.

“I agree, you should,” Luna stated before reeling everything back in. “Who’s ready for the next round? I believe it’s Tia’s turn, is it not?”

"Yes it is, dear sister. Let us begin the next round!" Celestia spoke. The four others went to hide throughout the castle, quickly tucking themselves away in various spots to avoid detection. Celestia was confident in her ability to find them, but little did she know that her confidence had jinxed her chances.

“This is going to be almost too easy. If they act like I know they will, then I know just where to find each of them,” she giggled, sinisterly. “Now the question is… who should I look for first?”

After thinking for a moment, she decided that she’d search for Night Fury first. She believed that he’d be able to help her track the others down fairly easily.

“But… where would he hide? I suspect he’d try a new place… but… where to look first?” She pondered.

"Ahh, the kitchen! He's always had a bit of a sweet tooth, perhaps he's in there munching on some snacks while he hides?" She said, making her way to the kitchens to find her first target.

–

As she walked into the extensive kitchen of the Crystal Palace, she looked around for any obvious signs of her target. Seeing that he had hidden himself better than she anticipated, Celestia began scouring around in the nooks and crannies of the room. 

Night Fury had hidden himself in the farthest corner of the pantry, and was helping himself to some of the snack foods present (mainly Cadence's stash of small chocolate cakes and eclairs).

“I might get in trouble for this… but it’ll be worth it,” he said to himself, not realizing that Celestia was quietly approaching.

“INDEED, YOU ARE IN TROUBLE!” Celestia proclaimed, using the Royal Canterlot Voice. Night Fury screamed in terror, turning around to face the solar princess.

“AND THE PUNISHMENT FOR THIS TREACHEROUS ACT IS DEATH,” Celestia stated, watching her prey cower at her sight. “BY… TICKLES!”

Celestia pounced on Night Fury and began to wiggle her wings over every square inch of his little body, keeping him in a constant state of giggles.

"Nahahahahahahahaha! I thought I would last longeheheheheheher!" Fury laughed, his body wriggling in an attempt to escape. 

“Well, too bad for you,” Celestia playfully mocked him. “However, I suppose I could release you. But you’d have to say something for me, and I believe you already know the word.”

"No, nehehehever! I'll never fall to you, you giant marshmallow!" 

“Ohh! Is that how we’re going to play, huh?” Celestia teased before blowing a huge raspberry on the poor feline’s tummy.

"Bahahahahaha! Uncle Uncle!" Fury screamed out, his tender tummy having had enough. Celestia relented upon hearing the safe word, and stepped back to allow the cat to regain his composure.

“You really have to stop making this so much fun, Fury,” Celestia quipped.

"As if being on the receiving end isn't just as much fun!" Fury breathed. This caught the solar goddess off guard. Was he enjoying being tickled?

“You’re actually liking this?” She asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I am. Not only because I'm feeling better than I was before, but also because it makes me feel all fuzzy inside."

“That’s great, Fury!” Celestia said, wrapping her feline friend in a hug. “I’m so happy that you’re happy again… Say, you wouldn’t want to help me search for our friends, would you? I bet you’ll help me find them so much easier with that sniffer of yours.” She playfully booped his nose after that last statement. Fury giggled at the gesture and nodded.

"Okay, I'll help! Let's get after Twilight next. I've got something planned for her." Fury said sinisterly. Celestia nodded, but she couldn’t help noticing a chill in the air as he said those words.

–

The two reached one of the hallways in the castle and began to look around as they walked. Though the hallways were not the most ideal place to hide, they were still a place to hide nonetheless.

"Hmmm, her scent is strong here. But I can't make out where it's coming from." Fury said, sniffing the air.

"Perhaps she is hiding somewhere that blocks her scent. She must know that you have a strong nose, so she must have hid in a place where multiple aromas can flourish." Celestia suggested. Fury nodded and began to think about where Twilight could be. 

Hmmm, somewhere that has multiple aromas floating around… Bingo!

Fury snapped his claws in a realization. “I've got it, the laundry corridor! The maids always use a ton of different detergents to wash out the fabrics of the curtains and sheets around the castle. And I've got a feeling she's in there too!"

“It’s definitely worth a shot, Fury. Lead the way!” Celestia commended him.

-

The two reached the laundry corridor in record time, and began to search it thoroughly for Twilight. Searching through closets of detergent and stockpiles of clothes, they looked for any signs of the purple alicorn. Then came Fury's discovery as his nose picked up a scent.

"Wait… I think I've got a scent" ,” he said.

“Goodie, goodie!” Celestia praised him. “Where does it lead?”

"It leads… to this… pony sized washing machine with clothes in it?" Fury said, a confused look on his face as he looked at the machine. It was big enough to hold an entire pony, but only clothes could be seen through the exterior viewing window.

"This doesn't make any sense. Twilight's scent is right in front of me, but I can't see her." 

Celestia bent down to whisper in Fury’s ear.

“Perhaps she’s behind that pile of clothes inside the machine.” She said with a wink.

"Sure, but how are we gonna coax her out for me to do my thing?" Fury asked. 

Celestia smiled, and then used her magic to quietly place Night Fury atop of the machine. She then placed her hoof to her lips, telling him to keep quiet, and slid the door open just a cinch. After that, she poured some detergent and walked towards the machine.

“I wonder how long this will need to run? Maybe an hour or so? Well, better get started.” She said very subtly, as she poured the detergent. Also winking at Night Fury as she did so.

“PRINCESS! WAIT, PLEASE!!!”

Twilight shot out of the machine like a cannonball, fearing she might get trapped in the load. But little did she know that this was all a part of a bigger plan.

"C'mere bookworm, time for some tickling!" 

“Oh snap!” was all Twilight had to say before Night Fury had her pinned. Fury started to tickle her sides and she began to laugh. Her laugh was wild and loud, occasionally snorting like a pig which made Celestia chuckle.

"It's been a looooong time since I've heard her snorting laugh. She was only a filly that last heard that sound." Celestia recalled, thinking back to her deeply soothing memories of her and her student. Celestia then decided to up the ante, and used some feathers from her own wings to tickle Twilight’s back hooves. This new sensation made Twilight’s laughter reach another octave.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHOHOHOHT THEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHERE!” She screamed. Her protests were in vain, however, as she was clearly enjoying the new sensation.

"Uncle Uhuhuhuncle!" Twilight finally called out. Both Celestia and Night Fury pulled away from her so she could catch her breath, watching as their handy work took effect.

"The old bait and switch, very clever." Fury complimented. 

“I’ll say,” Twilight said, still intoxicated by her laughter. “That was a pretty mean trick.”

"I have my ways of persuasion, Twilight. And they seemed to have worked." Celestia said, smiling at her cleverness.

"That was an awesome hiding spot, Twi! And… is that lavender?" Fury asked.

"Yeah, I rubbed a bit of lavender soap on me to try and cover my scent. But apparently, your nose is too strong." Twilight giggled, finally finding the strength to stand up.

"Well, at least we found you. And did you know that Night Fury here actually enjoys being tickled?" Celestia announced. Fury blushed at his exposure while Twilight smirked. 

“I had a feeling.” she said as she shifted her wings to brush against his hip, making him giggle. “I like getting tickled, too. Although, I’m usually too embarrassed to bring it up around anypony other than my brother.” Her face blushing as she made the statement.

"Okay okay, I get it. Well, you might as well tell everyone else since you two already know. Speaking of which, who's our next target?" 

“You decide, Fury,” Twilight said.

"Alrighty then, I choose Cadence! I have a few things that I want to try." Fury said.

"When all of us took off, I saw her heading towards the pool. Maybe she's there?" Twilight suggested. Fury nodded and turned to the exit.

"Okay then, let's head for the pool!" Celestia agreed.

–

The group of three soon walked into the indoor pool, taking in the surrounding area. The smell of chlorine filled the air, the quiet but still present sound of water sloshing around giving the room ambience.

"Alright, spread out. She has to be here somewhere. Celestia, check the snack bar. Twilight, the floaties and pool noodles. I'll go for the surrounding area of the pool." Fury commanded.

“On it!” The mares stated, and they took off for their assigned sections. Twilight, Celestia and Fury looked around the pool for a good few minutes, but nothing came up.

"The pool floats and noodles are good. Celestia, what about you?" Twilight asked. Celestia popped up from the snack bar and gave her report. 

"The snack bar's clear. Fury, any luck?" The solar goddess asked.

“You ladies come up empty-hoofed, too?” Fury asked after scouring the perimeter. The two princesses nodded solemnly.

“Interesting…” Fury commented, then he thought of something. “Twilight… does Cadence know a spell that allows her to assume a seapony form, by any chance?”

"No, but she is a good swimmer. Why do you ask?" Twilight stated.

"Well, we've all been looking around the pool. Why not try looking in it?" 

“That’s a pretty good suspicion, Fury.” Celestia commended. “Would you care to do the honors?”

"Watch me go." Fury said. He focused his energy and transformed into a sea otter, his slick black fur glistening along his small but long body as he dove down into the pool. He looked around the shallow side and couldn't see anything, so he began to go deeper into the pool. It was only at the ten foot deep dive near the diving boards that the small otter noticed a pink spek at the bottom of the pool.

"Huh, I wonder what that is?" He asked himself. He swam deep into the water, the pressure squeezing his body tight as he hovered a few feet above what he now realized was Cadence sitting cockily at the bottom of the pool with an air bubble around her head. 

“Oh dear,” Cadence gulped, as Fury approached her. "Stay away!"

"I don't think so. I'm a sea otter, and we're very curious." Fury said cheekily as he put his plan in action by swimming circles around her belly, tickling her exposed fur.

“Nohohohohohohohoho!” Cadence squealed. “Furhrhrhrhry! Thahahahahat tihihihihihihickles!”

"Coochie Coo, Cadence! Wow, your tummy is really soft! I can poke at it like a stuffed animal." Fury said, continuing his assault on Cadence's belly. Cadence blushed at his comment, but continued to laugh herself silly from his continuous tickle torture.

“Uncle! Unhnhnhnhnhcle!” Cadence screamed 20 minutes later. The little sea otter pulled away from Cadence and swam up to be face to face with her, even though Cadence currently dreaded the black otter with whiskers in front of her. 

“You…(gasp)… are…(gasp)… relentless.” She said with a tired smile, trying to catch her breath. 

"What can I say, I'm persistent." Fury boasted, doing a backstroke.

"And I'll get you back for that comment about my stomach, it is not that squishy!" 

"Oh yes it is! It's so squishy, I can squeeze it. Like this!" Fury said, using his quick moves to go in and squeeze Cadence's belly. Every squeeze made Cadence squeal in ticklish bliss. And Twilight and Celestia even found the scene very amusing as they swam down with air bubbles of their own.

“That is cruel to leave us out of all of the fun!” Celestia thundered as she and Twilight made their way to their friends.

“Yeah! Why should you have all the fun?!” Twilight shouted as she closed in on Cadance and began to tickle her friend again.

"Ahhh! Hahahahaha, h-hey! I already called uncle, quit it!" Cadence begged. 

“Ohhh, all right.” Twilight said as she relented.

“So,” Celestia said, assuming order. “Anypony, or cat, want to take a guess at where Luna might be?"

"I have an idea, the darkest and gloomy place of them all… Cadence's bedroom." Fury said dramatically. 

“Oh, come on! My room isn’t that dark!” Cadence giggled. “But, it does seem logical. Let’s do it!”

–

The group soon reached Cadence's room and readied themselves to take on the final challenge.

"This is it, the final boss. Let's give her our worst!" Fury cheered as they entered.

“So much for the element of surprise.” Twilight muttered, amused.

"No sign of her so far. C'mon, let's look around." Fury directed. They all split off to different parts of the room in search of the lunar princess. But she was nowhere to be found. 

“Where could she be?” Celestia thought out loud.

"Wait, shhh!" Twilight spoke, turning to whispers. "Look up."

The other three looked up at the ceiling and there, attached with some magic, was Luna on the roof. She had no idea they were watching, but she was still at the ready.

"I'll take this one. Sister to sister, you know?" Celestia said. 

“Be our guest,” the others stated in unison. Celestia opened her wings and quietly flew up to her sister, sneaking up next to her without a sound.

"Hehehe, they'll never find me up here." Luna giggled. Then Celestia decided to put her plan into action.

"Oh sister, how brave of you to assume that I wouldn't find you~" Celestia whispered. Luna’s eyes widened and she gulped nervously. She slowly turned around to face Celestia, silently praying that her sister would be merciful.

“Hehe, h-hi, Tia. Fancy seeing you here.” Luna said, blushing.

"Oh but it's not just me, we all are here to give you your comeuppance. Now C'mere!" 

“Y-y-yes, Sister,” Luna said. And she came down with Celestia. They both landed and all three of the other players stood in front of them.

"Now, I'm going to choose one of them to give you your punishment. And I choose… Night Fury." Celestia announced. Fury took this to heart and stepped forward. 

"Well well well, looks like I have some prey at my mercy." Fury said evilly.

“P-p-please, Night Fury. G-g-go easy on m-me, p-p-please.” Luna begged, although she knew she had nothing to fear.

"May the gods have mercy on you, because I won't." Fury said, finally pouncing on Luna and beginning to tickle her. She began to giggle and laughed relentlessly, her reflexes instead of pushing him away, pulled him in for a hug as if they were trying to help him maintain his grip. 

“Ihihihihihihihit tihihihihihihickles. Ahahhahahahahaahahaha!” Luna laughed hysterically as Night Fury continued tickling her to town. The other princesses laughing themselves silly at the sight in front of them.

“Good! It’s supposed to,” Fury commented. "Now let's see if the same trick I used on Cadence works on you!" 

Cadence blushed, and giggled sheepishly. Twilight and Celestia raised their eyebrows, curious as to what they were referring to, but continued laughing nonetheless.

“What exactly is he talking about, Cadence?” Twilight asked.

“You’ll see, Twilight. You’ll see.” the mare in question responded.

Fury wrapped his tail around Luna’s right hind hoof and used it to continue the tickling. He then moved his paws up to the night princess’s shaking belly and began to squeeze at different spots, each touch making Luna squeal like a filly.

“Nohohoh, AHH! Hahahah- AHH! Nohohot AHH! thehehehere. EEH!” Luna's voice hit a new octave with each tummy squeeze the cat provided.

“Yup. Just like Cadence.” Night Fury chuckled.

Cadence blushed and began to giggle.

Luna continued to laugh as Night Fury tickled her silly. Luna hadn’t been this happy in a while, and the others were all just as joyful. After a good fifteen minutes of relentless tickling, Luna finally had enough.

“Uncle! Uncle!” She cried. Fury backed off and stopped the squeezing, eventually just laying on top of Luna with his head on her chest.

"Looks like I won that one." Night Fury smirked as he laid down on top of her.

“Hehehe. Y-yes, Fury. Hehehe. Y-you win.” Luna admitted. She then noticed how comfortable he looked on top of her and in an act of defiance, fell for her intrusive thoughts and began to pet his head.

"You know, you look cute like that. So cozy and relaxed, you look like you're almost enjoying laying here with me." 

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t pleasant.” Night Fury admitted.

“Not to mention how cute the two of you look like that.” Celestia commented, which caused Twilight and Cadance to giggle helplessly. Luna and Night Fury didn't care though, they were actually enjoying each other's company.

"Don't mind them, they can be… immature at times." Luna said.

"As if I'm any different? Like, do you not remember when we all first met?" Fury joked, calling back to Cadence's wedding. 

“How could we forget?” Cadence said, laughing happily. The other princesses were laughing with her.

"Either way, you're still a good friend. And a cute one at that, you're so adorable!" Twilight said.

"Hey, I'm not that cute!" Fury objected, his cheeks turning red.

"Oh really? How about I show the others what I know about you that they don't?" Twilight giggled, grabbing onto Fury and pulling him down into a loafing position.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Fury exclaimed in false fright.

"Yes I would, kitty cat. Now watch as the secret is exposed, ladies." Twilight then began to pet Fury on the head while she simultaneously scratched his chin. Fury tried to resist the temptation, but he eventually faltered as he did what he dreaded that anyone would find out he could do… He started to purr.

“Awwww…” The other Princess’s cooed.

“That’s such a sweet sound.” Cadence stated.

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to become even sweeter than you already are.” Celestia commented.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. Watch this." Twilight said. She then flipped Night Fury over and began to not tickle, but rub his belly. Then the second thing happened as he passively turned into a Golden Retriever and began to let out small yips as his tail wagged. 

“Oh dear! Cuteness overload!” Luna stated, her eyes widening.

“I’m going to have to call the Adorable Police, Fury. You are guilty of first degree delightfulness.” Celestia quipped.

“EEEEEEEEEEEE!” Cadence squealed, and then proceeded to join Twilight in the belly rubbing.

"Hey, I don't think he hates this." Cadence said, using her magic to read his thoughts and emotions. "I was right! The only reason he didn't want anypony to know was because he didn't want to look soft."

"Well, toughness is a solid virtue that Speed Shifters carry. I'm not surprised he wanted to keep it a secret." Celestia spoke. 

"So you are enjoying this, huh fuzzball?" Luna asked, smirking. All of this attention made Fury blush and roll his eyes. Although, he was enjoying it. He was glad to have friends who cared for him.

“Yes… I admit it. I am enjoying this. It’s embarrassing, but it’s true.” Fury finally spoke.

"No need to feel embarrassed, we understand. Both how you feel about looking soft and how cute you can be." Twilight said.

"Am I really that adorable to you four? Cause I don't feel like it." Fury stated.

“But, of course!” Luna said. “You can be way too hard on yourself, you know that?”

“Takes one to know one doesn’t it, Luna?” Twilight asked, giving the night princess a hug.

"Listen fuzzball, you're as adorable as a newborn kitten. And we love you for it. That's why we made this game happen in the first place, to help you see that we love you for who you are. A bright, funny, bubbly cat that loves to have fun." Cadence explained, giving him a squeeze hug. 

“Fury, I know the dangers of watching someone you love become something that they never should have,” Celestia said, wrapping Luna in a hug with her wings, as both mares attempted and failed to hold back tears. “That’s what caused the riff between Luna and myself. When she was redeemed, I made a vow to myself that I would never allow another friend to fall to the same depths. Twilight and her friends can vouch for me, I’m sure.”

“And my friends and I all have embarrassing stories of when we tried to go without help when we needed it. You don’t have to make the same mistakes we did. We’re all here for you. Always remember that. Okay?” Twilight said. Fury was on the edge of crying at hearing how much they cared for him, he had never felt so important to someone in all his life. They all came in and hugged him, holding him tight as they became closer than ever.

"Thanks for the reminder, I needed that. You're all like the sisters I never had." Fury said.

"And we're happy to oblige." Celestia spoke. "Now that this round is over, we should move onto the next!"

"Yep, and I got caught first so I'm it." Fury chuckled.

"Okay, but can we hug for just a bit longer? I feel too comfortable next to Fury to let go." Cadence said, the other princesses agreeing. Celestia was reluctant to accept, but she felt as if she couldn't resist.

"Okay, we can stay together for a little longer." Celestia said, rejoining the group hug and embracing those around her.
> Round 4: Fury's Fast Tickle Takedown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the group had disbanded from the previous group hug, they reassembled in the throne room for Night Fury to begin his turn.

"Okay, you guys, you better be ready. Because I expect a challenge!" Fury said, stretching out his legs to give him a bit of an advantage.

“We’ll do our best.” The four princesses said in unison before they dispersed.

“Boy! Let’s hope we can meet his expectations.” Luna said before they split up.

“I know we will.” Twilight answered.

"Don't let your confidence get the better of you, bookworm. Alright, let's do this. Ready… Go!"

The four Alicorns ran for the hills after his call. Each tried to plan another “new” hiding place, and to cover up their scent to make it a challenge for their feline friend. A few minutes later, Fury began his search. He took a sniff at the air to see if he could track them by their scent, but he smelled nothing.

"Ahh, they must have wised up about my sense of smell and covered their tracks. Clever girls." Fury said as he walked calmly to find his first target. He decided to head to the conference room and began to look around. The large table stretched fat to either side of the room, chairs lining the table's edge as he walked around. He was about to give up when he noticed a gust of air brush his paw from down below.

He reached his tail down under the table and came into contact with something, or someone, soft and began to wiggle his tail until he heard a familiar giggling. 

“Oh boy, you’re in trouble now, Luna!” He said, assuming the shape of a bear to whip her loose, and then changing into a rattlesnake to wrap around her hind hooves, using his tail and tongue to tickle them.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Luna screamed as the tickling commenced.

"I've got you now, big girl!" Fury teased.

“IHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHT TIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHICKLES! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA” Luna screamed, tears of mirth flooding out of her sealed eyes.

"Wow, I didn't know you could be so hysssssterical. Ha ha ha!" Fury quipped.

After twenty minutes of the intense tickle torture, Luna had finally had enough and called the safe word.

“UNCLE! UNCLE!” She cried out. Fury backed off and slithered his way next to her.

"Well, looks like us reptiles can do big thingssssss." Fury hissed. 

Luna was still giggle-sobbing after Fury ceased his tickling. The tears and sobs were from the joy and fun that they’d had throughout the day.

“You…(gasp)… are… (gasp)… brutal, Fury.” She said while trying to catch her breath.

"Hey, I'm just doing what I do best. Having some silly fun!" Fury said as he transformed back into his original form and scooted next to Luna. She wrapped her hoof around him and pulled him in for a hug. After approximately ten minutes of rest, Luna had regained enough of her composure to continue, although her cheeks were still crimson red from all of the laughter throughout the day.

“Who should we look for next? You’re in charge, right?” Luna stated.

"Let's go for Cadance next, she's got another visit from the Tickle Monster on her schedule." 

Luna nodded, she needed to arrange more time to spend with Cadence. And this was the perfect excuse to do so.

“Any ideas as to where she might be?” Luna asked.

"She knows this place better than anyone, but she does have a few spots where she likes to hang out. Say, for example… her private study?"

Luna face-hoofed, chuckling slightly.

“I should’ve suspected something like that from her. You’d make a great detective, you know that?” She said.

"Aww, come on…" 

"Hey! What did I say about doubting yourself?" Luna reminded him sternly. 

“Okay, okay. Well… now that you mention it, that does sound like a career that I’d be good at.” Fury stated. “Anyway, back to the game. Let’s head to Cadence's study and see if she’s there.”

"Agreed, lead the way!" Luna cheered, following the black feline to their next destination.

–

They slowly entered the private study that was higher up in the palace and took in the surrounding area. The walls were lined with books and scrolls, a second and third level being accessed by a staircase to explore the room. A balcony sat in front of them with the view of Canterlot in the distance, the wind gently blowing through the room for perfect conditioning.

"Alright Luna, we're in her private domain now. Who knows what kind of nooks and crannies she had dug out to hide her secrets, or in this case, herself." Fury stated.

“Uh-huh,” Luna acknowledged. “The question is… where do we look first?”

"Well, if I were her, she would probably hide up higher. It's easy to get lost amongst the many books, so it's easy to miss any imperfections. So let's start high up on the third floor and work our way down." Fury suggested.

“I like your thinking, Fury,” Luna agreed. “Hop on.”

Luna kneeled down to allow Fury to climb onto her back. Once he was secure, she took to the air to test their theory.

"Woah, easy. This is my first time flying, believe it or not. I haven't really delved into my avian transformations yet." 

“Oh… (giggles). Sorry, Fury. I didn’t know.” Luna said as she eased her pace.

They flew around the perimeter of the room, looking for any abnormalities.

"Hmmm, nothing yet. Let's get down to level two." Fury directed. As Luna lowered down to the second level, Fury caught something out of his peripheral vision. 

"Hey Luna, hit the brakes." Fury whispered, Luna doing so. "I think I just saw that pile of pillows move on ground level. Maybe she's trying to hide in plain sight this time?" 

“I wouldn’t put it past her to do something like that. Let us see if your theory is correct.” Luna whispered back, as she lowered herself.

"Wait, not too low. Bring us back up a bit." Fury said. Luna was a bit confused as to why he wanted to be higher up, but she followed his lead. 

"Okay, watch this little trick I picked up from Discord." Fury chuckled. He focused his energy as he held his paws in front of him, electric charge building within himself before forming an electric ball the size of a baseball in his grasp. He gave Luna a wink before reeling his arm back and throwing it at the pile of pillows. Surprisingly, getting Cadence's head to pop up from the unexpected zap.

"Yow! What in Equestria was tha- Uh oh." She looked up and saw her aunt and Night Fury hovering above her.

"Hey Cadence, sorry for the lighting strike. But I'm pretty sure the weather forecast was cloudy… with a chance of tickles!" Fury said as he jumped off of Luna and dove for the pillow pile. 

“Hey! Save some for me!” Luna called out, and dove head-first for her friends.

When the two of them landed, feathers went everywhere. Tickling all three of them. Fury and Luna quickly got ahold of Cadence, though. And began to mercilessly tickle the pink Alicorn. Luna used her wings and front hooves to tickle Cadence's tummy, while Fury went to town on her rear hooves.

“NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!” Cadence laughed, uncontrollably. Her friends laughing at her predicament.

“I’ll never get tired of hearing the music of your laughter, Cadence.” Fury said, making her blush profusely.

"Such a beautiful symphony of noise, music to my ears." Luna added. Cadence was both embarrassed and amused by their comments as she laughed for a good ten minutes before she had enough.

"Okay okay, uncle uncle!" 

Luna and Fury relented upon hearing the safe word, and stepped back to admire their work. Cadence was in a hysterical giggling mess, and it took her another ten minutes to stop laughing and regain her composure. Tears of mirth still falling down her cheeks.

“That… (gasp)… was… (gasp)… intense.” She said, still breathing heavily.

"Aww, she looks like a baby in that pile of feathers and pillows. Such a small little baby!" Fury cooed. Cadence snapped her gaze towards him as she heard that. Her face became a deeper shade of crimson.

"Baby?! Why you little…" She immediately jumped out at him and tackled him, wrapping her forelegs around him and squeezing him.

"Who's the baby now, fluffy?" She said as she squeezed him.

"Wait nohohoho, stahp!" 

"Oh you think I'm done, just wait!" Cadence changed her position and flipped him over raising her hooves and plunging them down into his belly and poked different spots in rapid succession.

“Ohhohohoho! This is great! Hahahahaha!” Luna screamed as she fell on her back, laughing hysterically at the scene before her.

“Okokokokok! UNCLE!” Fury screamed. Cadence backed off and rested her head on his belly.

"Don't ever call me a baby. You understand, Plumpy?" She spoke.

"Plumpy? That's real low!" Fury said, then his stomach gurgled under Cadance's head. "See? Even my stomach agrees with me!" 

Luna was just laying in a nearby corner, crying from laughing so hard at the scene before her.

“My tummy hurts!” she cried out as she continued to laugh. 

She eventually regained her composure, though.

“So,” Luna said, clearing her throat. “Who do we look for next?”

"Well… let me think." Fury said. He tried to think of who he should target next, but his stomach wasn't letting him concentrate.

"Oh, will you hush?! Seriously, I'm not even hungry and this thing just can't be quiet." 

“Hmmm… maybe it’s not your stomach, Fury.” Cadence suggested.

"Well, who else could it be?" He asked.

“I think I know how we can find out.” Luna said with a mischievous grin. She used her magic to place a slice of cake near the entryway. Once again, the growling sounded off, this time it was louder. Fury's eyes lit up at the realization of Luna's plan.

"Ooooh, now I get it. Let me handle this one." Fury said. He walked over to the entryway and looked around. Sure enough, he saw a glint of two magenta eyes in the shadows. 

“Darn it,” a voice whispered, apparently belonging to said eyes.

"Looks like your quest for cake has brought you to your knees, goddess of the sun. Now prepare to be punished!"

Celestia gulped and chuckled nervously, coming out of her hiding place behind the statue to the doors right.

“O-ok, Night Fury. I… I surrender.” She said, blushing.

"Surrender? You poor, misguided fool. You don't get to surrender unless I deem it satisfactory. And right now, I do not." Fury said as he tripped Celestia and got her onto her back. She gulped again and continued to giggle nervously, awaiting her fate. Cadance and Luna were just barely maintaining their composure. 

"So, now that I have my prey where I want it… I shall feast upon such a helpless morsel like yourself!" Fury announced as he began to blow raspberries into her tummy. Celestia screamed in laughter as her tummy tumbled under his blow. The other princesses lost it. They fell apart in fits of helpless laughter at the scene before them.

“Uncle! Uncle!” Celestia finally cried. Fury released his hold on her tummy and looked at her squirm around like a child.

"Oh how the strong have fallen. Perhaps I should take over as king of Equestria since I have defeated all of you with seemingly no opposition to face me, I seem like a more strong and solid creature than what you all have shown me." Fury joked. 

“Well… Twilight could still take you,” Cadence reminded him.

"I doubt it. She may be strong, but she is fairly predictable. I will take over Equestria by today and show the world that I am immune to tickling! Muahahahahaha!" 

“Really? I’m not convinced,” Luna said, waving a feather across his tummy. “How about something to really laugh about?”

But Fury held up and didn't collapse. "Not even a snicker. I have grown stronger." 

“Oh well,” Luna muttered with an eye roll. Then she decided to change the subject. “Shall we proceed to find Twilight, now?”

"Let's go find her. And I've got a good idea of where she is." Cadence said as she took the lead to find the last one hiding.

“Lead the way.” her teammates replied.

–

"Where exactly do you think she is, Cadence?" Night Fury asked.

"Well, considering how smart she is, she would go somewhere that isn't usually a good hiding spot. Somewhere that not even the bravest players would go. Somewhere like…" She stopped and pushed a set of doors open, letting the light flow in as she revealed… 

"The throne room? But this is where it all started." Fury stated, confused.

“Not to mention that there’s very little, if any, places to hide in here.” Luna added.

“Which would make it the last place we’d think of looking,” Celestia said with a chuckle. “Twilight, you are clever.”

“Anycreature want to take a gander?” Cadence offered.

"You've got my vote! Come on ladies!" Fury said. The four of them spread out, trying to find the purple alicorn. But they didn't find much for the first few minutes. That was until Cadence found something odd.

"Hey guys, come check this out." 

“What’d you find, Cadence?” Luna asked, approaching her niece.

"Feel the space around my throne." She said. The others were confused, but they took her seriously. Night Fury took the dive and reached out, coming in contact with something soft. But there was nothing there.

"There's something here, but it's invisible." Fury said, shocked.

"I think you meant to say that she is invisible." Cadence smirked. The others had a look of realization and immediately understood what the pink alicorn meant. 

“Took you all long enough,” Twilight said, dropping the spell. A sly grin across her cheeks. “Nopony said that using an invisibility spell wasn’t legal. So I figured, why not?”

"Clever move, brainiac. But you're still forgetting what this game is all about." Fury said, making Twilight gulp nervously.

“Believe me, Fury. I remember.” She then laid herself down on her back and tried to prepare herself for the impending tickles.

"Good, because this predator has a thing for hearing ponies laugh!" Fury said, menacingly.

Twilight blushed hard, but still smiled happily.

“O-ok, Fury. Y-you all got me.” Twilight said. “F-fire when ready.”

"Alrighty. One… Two… Three!" 

The others all pounced Twilight at once. Cadence went to town tickling Twilight’s hind hooves (her weak spot, by the way), while the other princesses tickled Twilight’s neck and chin and under her forelegs with their wings. Night Fury, however, scribbled his claws all over the youngest Alicorn’s poor tummy. All Twilight could do was just laugh her poor heart out.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAH!” Twilight screamed in relentless laughter.

"You can't escape, you won't escape, you'll never escape!" Fury said in an evil voice. 

“NAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAHAHHAHA!” Twilight laughed, in a failed attempt to stop the teasing.

"I shall defeat you and take your place as future ruler of Equestria! I shall be the king of all the land, with nopony being able to stop me! I have defeated your elders, now it's your turn to fall to my power!" Fury laughed maniacally. 

“NEHEHEHEVEHERHRHRHRHR! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Twilight screamed in defiance, tears of happiness flooding from her tightly closed eyes.

“She’s definitely strong-willed, I’ll give her that,” Luna commented.

"But she is still weak, she can't hold out forever. She will fall to me!" Fury said as he kept going with his attack. 

“How long have we been going now? Five minutes maybe? Anyone wanna place bets on how long it’ll take for her to break?” Celestia asked, half jokingly. The comment made her pupil blush. 

"She's about to falter now, there's no point in taking bets." Cadence spoke up. And as she had predicted, her sister-in-law had enough.

"Uhuhuhuncle!" She cried. The four attackers relented and let Twilight catch her breath, her body shaking in a flurry of excitement. She still couldn’t stop giggling.

"Ha ha! The final princess had been defeated!" Fury announced stepping up to Cadence's throne. "I now rule all of Equestria! And there's nothing that can stop me now from becoming king! I am all powerful!" He said. 

The other Princesses rolled their eyes, amused at his little act. Twilight, however, was still giggling like a fool. The tickling sensations still had not worn off.

"That… was… insane." She gasped, attempting to regain her composure.

"How does it feel to gaze upon a now all powerful being, Twilight? One that cannot be taken down by any means? One that is impervious to even the strongest of them all?" 

“He’s all bark and no bite. Although… he is a great warrior when he needs to be.” Luna commented.

"All bark and no bite, huh? I'm no wild mutt! You can't stop me, nopony can!" 

Luna fell apart, laughing almost as hard as Twilight.

“It was just an expression! Hahahahaha” she squealed, the other Princesses laughing along with her.

"Aww, how cute. The young ones have been amused by my infinite humor. Perhaps I am truly invincible to this world's devices. What could possibly get in my way now that I have proven my power?"

“Knowing you…” Celestia started, catching her breath. “You would rule with anything but an iron claw.”

“You’re no tyrant, Night Fury. All of us can vouch for that. Nevertheless, you are a great leader,” Cadence commented.

"Yes, I am a great leader! I shall give the people what they want and what they love!"

"Okay, I think Mr. Nine Lives could use a reality check. Don't you think, girls? How about we show him our power against him?" Twilight suggested. 

“Umm…” Fury said in a worried manner. “W-what do you mean by that, Twilight?”
The alicorn in question said nothing as all four of them began to creep up on the black feline like they were predators looking for a snack.

The others formed a square around their feline friend. And then at Twilight’s command, they all pounced him, and again, served up a relentless dose of tickling.

"Nahahahahahahaha! You guys are supposed to be at my mercy. Nohohohot the other way around!" Fury laughed as he was "eaten" by the "predators" attacking him. The princesses just continued to laugh their hearts out, and made him do the same. Cadence' plan had worked. Night Fury was happy and laughing once more.
> Round 5: Luna's Last Laugh
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright, here we go! The final round! Let's see who can survive the longest!" Fury said. The princesses and Night Fury had all reassembled in the throne room for the final round, Luna being the one who would be doing the searching.

"This is gonna be good, I'm almost too excited for this!" Said Twilight, practically bursting with excitement and anticipation. 

“You said it, Twi.” Cadence exclaimed.

“Are you ready, Sister?” Celestia asked, giving Luna a mocking grin.

“Ahh, you seem to doubt my abilities. Let me assure you, I will not make this easy. Especially for our feline friend. He has proven a worthy adversary, and I think it's time he gave a true battle.” Luna said, giving Fury a sly grin.

"Aww, how sweet. The baby is trying to challenge me, ha!" Fury mocked, his grin almost childish. Luna just rolled her eyes, while the other Princesses stifled their giggles.

“Getting a bit cocky, are we?” Twilight asked, playfully poking Fury on his side.

"You four started this game because of me, so I figured I should at least start to get a little more aggressive with my taunts. Like how the giant marshmallow next to me sticks out like a gumdrop on a cookie." He quipped.

Celestia rolled her eyes, amused. The others were just barely suppressing their giggles.

“I’ll let that one slide, Fury. I say enough chit-chat and more play. Is everyone ready?” The Solar Princess asked.

“Excuse me, Sister! But I believe that it is I who should be asking that question,” Luna reminded her. “I am IT, now. You’ve had your chance.”

Celestia shivered at Luna’s taunt. But she played along, nonetheless.

“True that, Lulu. Fire when ready,” she responded. 

“Ok everyone! I’m giving you all thirty seconds to go hide.” Luna said. “And your time begins… Now!” 

And with that, they all shot off in different directions to find new hiding spots. They all knew that this was the determining factor on who would be crowned the winner, so their spots had to be good. Fury decided he was going to try to stick with someone else and hid with them, this companion being Celestia. While he wasn't confident in being able to hide with her, mostly because of her sheer size, he was confident in his ability to run when things got hairy. And as this round would prove, things would indeed get hairy.

–

As Luna began her search, she moved slowly between her chosen spaces to scout. Paying attention to the most minor of details to try and identify who would be her first catch.

“This better be a challenge, because I want this to be fun for me,” Luna thought to herself. “Who should I search for first?”

Then she remembered how Night Fury had hid with her in a previous round.

“I bet he’s doing it again,” she giggled. “The question is… with whom?”

Luna decided to search for Cadance first. She found the Princess of Love’s make-up lounge and decided to take a peek. She went through every nook and cranny that she could find.

"Oh Cadence, where are you?" She sang as she continued to look around. Cadence's make-up room was rather colorful, so she would be able to blend in rather easily. But Luna could sense that she was close by, a little closer than she had anticipated. 

“Hmm… that’s a large futon over in the corner,” Luna whispered to herself. “I wonder if she is beneath it?”

Luna used her wings to cautiously land on the futon. Cadence felt the furniture creak over her, and it made her tremble with excitement. The pink Alicorn just barely suppressed her giggles, as Luna made herself comfortable. 

"Hmmm, this is rather comfortable. Perhaps I shall lay down for a nap before I look for Cadence." Luna giggled as she wiggled in place to settle in.

Cadence waited for ten minutes before she attempted to silently move away. She figured Luna would get bored enough within that time to leave, allowing her to get away. Sadly, she was mistaken. As she silently slid out from the under the futon, Luna was waiting for her.

“Naughty, naughty! Trying to get away from me, Cadence!” Luna shouted as soon as she saw her niece. Cadence squealed in false fear and attempted to run, but Luna’s magic held her in place.

“You shall be punished for your acts,” Luna declared. “And I know just who to bring out!”

Cadence’s eyes widened. And she began to shake her head.

“Please, Auntie Luna! I’m sorry!” she tried to apologize, feigning fear.

“Here…” Luna said.

“Auntie, no!” Cadence begged.

“Comes…” Luna continued.

“Please! No!” Cadence begged again.

“THE TICKLE MONSTER!!!” Luna shouted as she tackled Cadance and pinned her on her tummy. Luna then got ahold of Cadence’s back hooves and brushed her wings vigorously against them.

“GYAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAH!” Cadence squealed as she was mercilessly tickle tortured.

“Awww, is wittle Cadence's wittle hooves too ticklish?” Luna teased her niece.

"Hahahahahahaha, yes they are! Hahahahahahaha!" Cadence laughed, her body twisting around to try and escape. 

“Well too bad,” Luna teased. “Because they are now my new tickle toy. However… I supposed I could release you. You just have to say the safe word. And I believe you already know what it is. Or we could see how long it takes me to break you. I like challenges!”

Cadence’s cheeks turned red, both from how hard she was laughing and her aunt’s teasing. Somehow, she felt even more ticklish when Luna teased her.

"Okay okahahahahay! Uncle uncle!" Cadence called out. Luna released her hold on the pink alicorn and scooted up to her, holding her like a newborn baby in her forelegs.

“Thahahat was torture, hahaha.” Cadence said, still giggling uncontrollably.

"But it was lots of fun for me. Look at you, still a giggling baby like when I first had to take care of you." Luna recalled, thinking back to Cadence's juvenile years when she was a filly. Luna was never the energetic type, but Cadance seemed to change that about her. Night Fury also seemed to do so, his childish demeanor and bright personality making Luna feel more connected to him, like a younger brother that she and her sister never had. 

“Yeah, hehehe. That was fun.” Cadence admitted, finally regaining her composure.

“So, who should we search for next?” Luna asked. “You decide.”

"Hmmm… Let's get Twilight! She's going to pay for her crimes against her sister-in-law." 

Luna chuckled heartily at that statement.

“So be it. Let’s bring her in,” Luna declared. “By the way, what “crimes” are we referring to? Just out of curiosity.”

"Let's just say we're in a bit of a “Sibling Rivalry”, simple as that."

“Whatever you say.” Luna said, laughing heartily as they both walked out to find Twilight.

–

The two princesses walked down one of the halls that lead to one of the guard barracks, slowly and silently moving closer to their destination so as to not give themselves away.

“Odd place to hide, don’t you think?” Luna whispered softly to Cadence.

"Odd but sensible. She has just as much knowledge about the nooks and crannies of this castle as I do. And if I know her, she would be hiding out in the one place that has the least amount of good spots to avoid anyone coming close to her." Cadence replied. 

“Ahhh, Sneaky.” Luna realized. "Well, let's not delay our search. Let's go find her."

They both pushed the doors open to the guard barracks and looked around. The room was silent, not even the slightest peep of sound coming from any direction. The beds in the barracks lay untampered and the lockers remain closed, showing that nowhere in the immediate vicinity were any signs of Twilight. 

“So… I want to ask you, Cadence,” Luna whispered. "How did you get to know Twilight so well?"

"I was her foalsitter when she was a filly, we practically did everything together. Watching movies, playing board games, talking to her imaginary friends, funnily enough. And we played all sorts of make believe games, her imagination was a treasure trove." Cadence said.

"I see. Celestia and I were much that way as well. But, going back to Twilight’s fillyhood. Was there any particular tool to get the most giggles out of her when she was tickled? A feather? A mane brush? Something?” Luna asked. “What made it the most intense?"

Cadence thought back to when she foalsat for Twilight and remembered her ultimate weakness. "Oh! She goes nuts when you flick a feather against her sides, she squeals like a baby pig!" Cadence giggled as they continued to look for her. Luna snorted, just barely keeping herself from laughing.

“Oh… okay. Now that is something that I have to see,” Luna said, blushing profusely and trying to retain her composure. As the two continued their search, they finally got a clue on Twilight's whereabouts in the form of a strange rattling.

“Where’d that come from?” Luna whispered, taking in their surroundings.

"It sounds like it came from one of the armor lockers." Cadence said. "Come on, let's go see."

The two walked up to the locker in question and looked it over, not seeing any tampering on the outer hinges or locks. But even so, the rattling was coming from that locker specifically.

"I think we might have found her." Cadence whispered. 

“Would you care to do the honors?” Luna asked, with a sly grin.

"Let's get her." Cadence said, using her magic to unlock the locker and open the doors. Inside was a suit of armor, but there was something (or somepony) else inside of the armor as well. 

“We found you, Twilight,” Luna said to the armor. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, I suggest you come on out.”

"No. Twilight cozy in Armor." Twilight said, sounding like a cave pony with her lack of proper grammar. The two Princess’s eyes were watering as they attempted not to laugh.

“Looks like it’ll be the hard way then,” Cadence declared, using her magic to banish the armor elsewhere in the castle. When it disappeared, Twilight fell to the ground and stared at the two princesses, trembling in excitement as she did so.

"Okay Twilight, here it comes!" 

“No, please no!”

“TICKLE TIME!!!”

Luna and Cadence tackled Twilight and instantly began tickling her. They made sure to hit all of Twilight’s sweet spots. Twilight was in stitches, unable to contain her laughter as they attacked all of her tickle spots.

“NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!” She cried out.

“Are you ticklish here, Twilight?” Luna asked, rubbing her feathers across Twilight’s right side.
And sure enough, Twilight squealed just like the pink Alicorn said.

“Told you.” Cadence quipped, continuing to tickle Twilight’s hooves.

Twilight’s eyes were flooding with tears of happiness as she was mercilessly tickle tortured. 

"Uncle uncle!" She cried out, freeing herself from her ticklish prison. Luna and Cadence released the pressure on her and allowed her to breath, her wings splayed out at full length.

"Wow, she gave up fairly easily. How disappointing, I was hoping for some more time to tickle her." Luna said. This comment caused Twilight to blush.

"She was never the resilient type, I'll tell you that. But she can hold her own when she needs to." Cadence said, looking down on her sister-in-law. 

“That is true,” Twilight said. “But… perhaps we can arrange a date to do some more tickling. If you’re that desperate to get me, that is, Luna.”

“Believe me, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, chuckling heartily. “I would love to tickle you completely silly.” She wiggled her feathers across Twilight’s rear right hoof to prove it, causing Twilight to laugh hysterically again.

"Okay okay, I get it!" Twilight squealed. "How about we go looking for the others now? I think I saw Fury and Celestia going to hide together somewhere." 

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Luna said with a smug grin.

“Lead the way, Twilight!” Cadence cheered as they trotted off to find the last two.

–

As the day was coming to an end, the sky grew dark and the hustling ponies below began to retire. But not for the three princesses on the hunt, they were looking for one of their own and another whom they were friends with. They scoured high and low for them, looking in every direction that they could have gone in. They soon came up to a set of doors that they didn't recognize. In an act of pure desperation, they opened the door to find a room full of fluffy cushions and pillows.

"Cadence… since when did you have a giant room full of pillows?" Twilight asked. Cadence blushed and decided to reveal her secrets.

"You know how when I'm super drowsy after a long day and I say that I'm going to bed, but the next day, I come out of these doors saying it's a “Guest Bedroom”? Well, this is my private cuddle room. It’s where I come to relax on top of soft and cozy pillows when I can't make it to my bed. And also a place where I like to cuddle stuffed animals and relieve stress. Although, I would love to have somepony… well, alive to enjoy this with." Cadence said.

“I’m surprised you haven’t told Shining about this, Cadence,” Twilight remarked. “I’m sure he’d understand, and be happy to oblige.”

"He isn't allowed in here. I need a space to myself so I can decompress. A girl has to have her own things in her marriage too, don't you think?" 

“Ahhh! That makes sense.” Twilight reasoned. 

"Hmmm… Maybe Fury would be interested? We did make the offer that we'd all be welcome to have him cuddle with us after he said he's never cuddled with a girl before." Luna reminded her niece. 

“Well… perhaps,” Cadence agreed.

“And if he’s not around, you could always send me a letter asking for this. I’d be happy to help you.” Twilight admitted, a blush appearing on her cheeks.

"Aww, you're all too kind. But enough talk, we've got some friends to find and tickle." Cadence said as she led them into her private room to search for the remaining two players. 

The three of them climbed through the pillows and cushions as they searched the room, looking for any signs of the solar goddess and the black cat. They turned over every pillow, cushion and pad in search of the final two. But nothing was found. 

"Wow, those two really hid themselves well!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I've searched every white pillow here, and none of them have a pair of feathers." Luna said.

"And I can't find Fury! There are no black pillows in here, I was expecting him to stick out like a lollipop in a black licorice factory." Cadence added. 

“Hmmm…” Twilight thought. “Does anypony have a suggestion that would usually be crazy to think of? I’m sure all of us are open to suggestions.”

"Ooh, I have one!" Cadence said, lighting her horn and making a large canister appear. "This tank is filled with laughing gas! If we let this leak in here, we'll see where they are and it'll be an easy game over!" 

"Ummm, maybe we shouldn't," Luna warned. "I wouldn't want to subject Night Fury to that. And besides, he doesn't have the large lung capacity that we possess. What if he runs out of air and starts to cough up?"

"Actually, Luna, I know all about this gas,” Twilight said, using her magic to summon another smaller box. “And I have the antidote right here. One for each of us, just in case we get exposed. And while this gas will cause us to laugh ourselves silly, it doesn’t have any long-lasting side effects other than the subjects retaining their happiness for a while. As a matter of fact, Pinkie Pie fills her balloons with this stuff."

"Even so, I think it would be cheating to use the gas. Let us use our own devices to find them. Let's have some honor." Luna said. 

“Fair enough,” Cadence agreed, but then put on a goofy grin and hugged the container. “I still want to experience this stuff, though!” 

"Maybe on your own time. For now, let's try and find those two." Twilight said, continuing the search for Celestia and Night Fury. 

“Any suggestions as to where we look next?” Luna asked the troop.

"Well, the pillows go deeper down. So maybe they're hiding somewhere right under us." Cadence said. 

“A plausible theory, Cadence,” Luna complimented. “I say we put it to the test!”

“Let’s dive!” Twilight yelled as she shot herself up and proceeded to Cannonball into the pillows, the others following in her wake. As they dove down, they felt the soft fluffy of the pillows grazing against their bodies, some passively tickling them with their own material.

"Hehe, I see why you enjoy being here, Cadence. It feels so warm and cozy in here." Twilight said, pushing her way through the numerous cushions and pillows. 

“How deep does this go?” Luna asked, attempting to keep from laughing as a pillow brushed under her wing.

"I don't know," Cadence admitted. “It's been a long time since I've been in here."

Just then, they heard the telltale sound of whispers and giggles.

"Stop squeezing me! I'm not a squishy toy, but I'll squeal if you hold me too tight!" Whispered one voice.

"You were the one who wanted to hide with me, so I get to hold onto you how I want." Said another. 

The three Alicorns were just barely keeping themselves together as they followed the voices. Tears were falling down their cheeks and each of them were clenching their teeth in goofy grins to keep from giving themselves away by laughing.

"I think we're getting close, I can hear them." Twilight acknowledged. 

“How should we get them?” Luna asked.

“You two take down Auntie Celestia, and I’ll go after Night Fury. Okay?” Cadence ordered. The two other princesses nodded and squeezed their way through the pillows until they caught a glimpse of a few specks of black and white. 

“On the count of three,” Cadence commanded as they prepared their assault.

"One… Two… Three!" They all rushed in and surprised the two sitting within the pillows.

"Yikes, they found us! Sorry, Celestia, gotta squirm!" Fury said as he quickly squirmed up towards the surface, leaving Celestia alone. 

“Night Fury! You coward!” Celestia cried out before Cadence and Luna overtook her.

“It’s tickle time!” Cadence squealed with joy as she began tickling her aunt’s hind hooves.

"Bahahahahahahaha! Nohohohoho! Fury, I'll get you for thihihihis!" Celestia squealed, squirming in ticklish delight. 

“Haha! I’d like to see you try!” Fury called back, mocking Celestia’s predicament.

“She won’t have to!”

Fury turned around to come face-to-face with both Luna and Twilight. His scream of terror quickly turned into a scream of laughter as the two princesses pinned him against the pillows and began to tickle him mercilessly.

"Nahahahahahao, not like thihihihis!" Fury called out.

"Oh, but it is happening like this! You're under our control now!" Twilight said, but Fury wasn't going down that easily.

"Not for long!" Fury said as he began to spin up. Luna and Twilight were surprised at the new trick, and were even more shocked when he shot all the way up and out of the pillow pile and landed on the surface, leaving all of the princesses underneath his belly as he laid there in relief.

"Phew, I got away. They're pretty deep in there, so they'll have to squirm a fair way out if they want to get back up here." Fury sighed in relief. Meanwhile, the princesses heard his muffled voice from below him. 

“What now?” Twilight groaned in annoyance.

“I have an idea, Twilight.” Luna said, as she began to light her horn. A small pink orb appeared, and Luna sent it in Night Fury’s direction.

“What was that?” Twilight asked with a sly grin.

“Just a twinkle orb, Twilight.” Luna replied, calmly.

“Seriously? I expected something more from you,” Twilight said, disappointed.

Luna gave the younger Alicorn a sly grin.

“You didn’t notice its color, did you?” She asked.

“Of course I did,” Twilight groaned. “It was pink!”

“True, but what shade of pink?” Luna replied, flashing her eyebrows. Twilight stared at Luna, confused by the question. However it sank in a few seconds later, and once again, she was in tears trying to keep herself from laughing.

On the top side, Fury noticed the small pink orb and just laughed. 

“Is that the best you can do? A small twinkle orb?” Fury laughed as the object in question closed its distance on him.

“Fury! What color is that orb?” Twilight called out.

"Pink? So what?" 

“What shade of pink, Fury?” Luna hollered, grinning devilishly.

"It's… sort of a hot pink. I don't get it, I don't use magic." He said, confused. 

“What common expression involves the color pink and laughter, Fury?!” Twilight hollered, trying to give him a hint. “If you’re just as happy as can be, we could say that you’re what?”

Fury thought about it for a second, and then he gasped. "Tickled Pink." 

A split second later, the orb attached itself to Night Fury’s tummy, and he began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Yahahahahahahaha! Not this! Anything but thihihihihihis!" He yelped, the pink orb driving him to his limits. By then, all four princesses had crawled their way back up to the surface to see him wiggle and squirm. No matter where the little orb went on his body, it was tickling him, and he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Twilight and Luna laughed at how defenseless he was while Cadence and Celestia thought it looked rather adorable. Fury giggled and laughed so much that he began to bounce, some of the pillows following him up and down as he got higher than usual. Then, he began to bounce forward and back.

"Cadence, what is the floor of this room made of?" Celestia asked. 

“Beats me. I didn’t oversee the construction of this room.” she replied, with a shrug.

“That’s because I did it,” Luna admitted, with an embarrassed blush. “I… uh… cast a spell that made this place similar to a fun house. This just happens to be the *bounce room*.”

"And it's very bouncy! Hahahahahahaha!" Fury laughed as he bounced up and down. "It's like bouncing on a giant jelly mold!" 

Twilight cast a spell, banishing the tickle twinkle from Fury, and then she proceeded to bounce with him.

“I feel like I’m a filly again!” She shouted, happily.

“That… does look like fun,” Luna admitted, with a smile.

"Well, why don't you join in!?" Fury said as he bounced high and slammed down in front of Luna, compressing the bouncy floor. 

"Alley Oop!" The black feline proceeded to launch up with the Princess Of The Night in front of him as they flew. 

“Hey! Save some for me!” Cadence cried out, launching herself onto the bounce floor. As she reached the peak of her bounce, Fury grabbed onto her.

"Gotcha!" He called out, hugging her tight as they floated for a few seconds.

"Down we go!" And then they began to fall back down. 

When they landed, Cadence bounced so hard that Night Fury flew off of her. As he neared a bounce stop, he realized his claws were out. He panicked, thinking he was about to blow everyone’s ears off with a POP!!!

But that’s not what happened. All he heard was a clink, as his claws attached to something metal.

“Huh?” He said, confused. He hopped down and proceeded to examine the object, curious to what it might be.

“Did you find something, Fury?” Twilight called out, as she and the other princesses came to join him, the room assuming its normal state.

"I did. It's something slim, metal, and a shade of pink?" He questioned as he took a look at the object in his grip. He then heard a slight hiss from the object that made him even more confused. 

“Please tell me you didn’t just accidentally puncture it with your claws, Fury?” Twilight said, worried about what might happen.

"Punctured what?" He asked. Then, he started to feel weird. "Hey guys, I'm starting to feel… weird. My tummy feels all fuzzy and swirly." 

“And…” Twilight bit her lip, attempting not to giggle as the gas had infected her too. “Tickly?”

Before they realized it, the other princesses all gasped. Succumbing them to the effects of the gas as well.

"What's hahahahappening? I feel all fuzzy!" Fury laughed. 

Twilight just barely managed to bring the canister’s label into view before losing her composure. She didn’t even have a chance to see what it was holding before she started to laugh uncontrollably. It sounded as if she was being tickled again.

“Oh nohohohohohohoho!” Luna hollered, losing herself to the gas. "I think you punctured Cadence's laughing gas tahahahahank!" 

“Mother of mehehehehehehehehe!” Celestia cried out, as the laughing gas overtook her.

“Nohohohohohohoht agaihihihihihihihihihiihihn!” Cadence cried out as she too, lost herself to the effects of the gas.

"Is thihihihis how it ends? All of us laughing while sihihiting on a pile of pillows?! GYAHAHAHAHHAAAHAHAHAHA!”  Twilight laughed.

"I guess sohohohohoho! But I'm not complaining, this was fuhuhuhuhun!" Fury said, still paralyzed with laughter. 

No pony could respond with anything but joyous ticklish laughter. But there was no reason to, they were all having the time of their lives. While this would be the final round of the game, they all knew that this would be a memory to last for a lifetime. Nothing would be able to replace the feeling of weightlessness and pure joy as they laughed, giggled, chuckled and hollered the evening out in a blissful state of ticklish happiness. .