Fur Umbra

Chapter 1: An Uninvited Guest
Fur stood by the buffet table lined with sweets and pastries of all types and varieties while watching on in bored amusement at the scene before him. He had snuck in through an open window a few minutes ago, though nobody had noticed his sudden appearance nor approached him for any reason.

Thank my lucky stars for dad’s cloak.

The cloak in question was a deep-blue satin, almost as dark as the princess of the night’s coat. It was crafted with special magics imbued into the threads that allowed its wearer to remain mostly unseen by diverting the attention of onlookers. Fur had ‘borrowed’ his father’s cloak to gate-crash the event. He had always liked certain pastries crafted by the castle’s chefs, but given they were only made on special occasions, and never offered to the general public, Fur had taken it upon himself to... ahem, “sample” the dishes in person at every opportunity he got.

He hadn’t been caught so far and given how smoothly this event was running it seems that he wouldn’t be caught here either. All the other attendees were foreign princes or members of nobility, all vying for the hand of one, (or both, if they were cocky enough) of the two princesses in attendance. They were Royal Suitors after all, and this was the event where upon its conclusion the princesses would be expected to chose a consort for the forseeable future.

I don’t think a thing could go wrong at this point. It’s straight on the up-and-up from here on out... Me and my big mouth!

After tempting Marephy’s law one too many times, it seems karma has come to colect on its debt as one of the princesses was making their way over towards him.

Princess Twilight Sparkle hadn’t been an alicorn for very long, and was barely of age to be married off. Fur almost felt sorry for her- not only did she now have to endure immortality, but she was expected to chose a life-long partner from among these pathetic nobles.

The princess grabbed a glass filled with a non-alcoholic beverage and drunk deeply before sighing. Fur didn’t bother attempting smalltalk, he knew she was likely sick of the nobles and their attitude and was seeking a break from it all. Surprisingly, he didn’t have to as Twilight initiated the conversation herself.

“Not much for conversation?” She asked with a small smile.

“Nah, I can’t stand nobles. I only came here for the lemon tarts- best damn dish in Equestria.”

Twilight let out a small chuckle. “Not even going to try with the posh introduction, fancy language, or fake accent?”

“Nope. Can’t be bothered. The day I act like a noble is the day Discord becomes sane.”

“Be careful what you wish for, he’s never been known to be predictable in the past. He might end up doing so just to spite you.” Twilight said with a smile. “So, what is your name?”

“Ah, does it even really matter anyways? I mean, its not like anyone here is going to matter appart from the lucky idiots that just happen to be ever so slightly more tolerable than everyone else. I couldn’t care less about any of this-“ Fur gestured to all the other suitors in the room, “-I just came here for the free food. No offence.”

Twilight gave off a small chuckle, “At least your being honest about your true intentions here- that’s already better than half of that lot.” Twilight held out her hand, “Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria.”

Fur shook the princess’ hand. “Fur. Fur Umbra.”

“Nice to meet you, Fur.”

“Likewise, Sparks.”

Twilight took a few moments to process the nickname she’d been given out of the blue.

“What? I already told you I’m not gonna act like some stuffy noble,” Fur stated as Twilight tried to contain a small bout of laughter. “‘Sides, I’m comfortable with how I am right now, I don’t think I’ve even got enough space in my head for an ego the size of a house.”

Twilight burst into a fit of giggles as she couldn’t help it anymore. She may be a member of royalty, but she’s still a person at heart. “I didn’t think noble egos came that small; *snrk* I thought they started at mountain size!”

Fur joined in as the two laughed together at the expense of nearly everyone else in the room.

“Ahh. I think this the the best I’ve felt all week... though I should probably get back to the others. Celestia wanted me to spend as much time conversing with everyone as possible without showing favouritism.”

“Eh, its fine. You probly won’t see me again anyways.”

Twilight was a little shocked “How come?”

“Well as I said, I came here for the food, I’m not actually interested in trying for anyone’s hand or anything. I mean, sure, it seems nice to start with, but actually trying to deal with the ins and outs of politics just isn’t my thing.”

“Well, there’s more to it than just that, but I get your point. Will you at least show up for the next few days though? Its nice to talk to someone that treats me as a person rather than an egotistical ass that just wants to put a ring on my finger.”

Fur had to think about it for a bit. It had been tough getting a hold of his father’s cloak, but... “Sure. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Great. Thanks. I’ll see you around, Fur.”

“See ya, Sparks.”

As Twilight moved off to speak with the other nobles Fur took another sip of his drink, grabbed a tart for the road, donned his hood, and, now that he was somewhat unnoticeable, made like a runaway train by jumping out the open window. He landed on the banister below and slid down, before jumping off into a nearby tree next to the castle gardens. From there he made his way tree-to-tree before reaching a high enough branch that he could use to jump onto the wall. Once there, he lept onto a nearby rooftop and made his way back home, arriving at the back window as his father opened the front door after coming home from work.

Fur silently ran to his father’s office, hearing the footfalls on the stairs getting louder.

“Fur! Are you home?”

Fur hung the cloak back up in it’s case and leapt across the hallway and into his bed, pulling up a notepad and pen just before his father arrived at the doorway to look in on him as he sketched.

“Hey dad; how was work?”

“Hey, son. You know how work is, the usual. Boring. But now I’m back home. How about I make us some afternoon tea?”

“No thanks, I just ate.”

His father’s eyebrows perked up, “Oh? I didn’t think you were the type to make yourself something to eat.”

“Nah, I didnt. I just got myself a snack is all.”

His father nodded. “Well, dinner will be in a few hours so I hope you’re not too full. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

“‘Kay dad.” Fur replied as he continued sketching, grabbing a bite to eat from the tart he’d brought with him after his father left. Princess Twilight had asked him to be there the next few days, but that meant there was the possibility of getting caught each time.

Then again, dad’s going away for a while soon... that might work.

And with that thought, Fur began scheming about how he was going to continuously gate crash the most heavily-guarded event in Equestria since who-knows-when.