Fur Umbra

Chapter 5: Opening Pandora’s Box
“Junior? What did you do?!” Fur’s father, AKA Fur Senior, asked. “I’m on my buisness trip and everything’s going fine until two royal guards come up to me and tell me to return to Canterlot immediately. So tell me, Junior, just what did you DO?”

Senior only called Fur ‘Junior’ when it was serious, though given the royal guard reception and being directed straight to the castle, of course he’d think it was serious. And it kinda was... ish.

“I... stole your cloak... mul-tiple times...” Fur responded.

“It’s not Fur’s fault,” Twilight tried to intervene, “It’s our fault. If it wasn’t for us asking him to-“

“NO! Nonononononononono! Of course it’s not your fault princesses! It’s my fault for letting Fur do something this stupid in the first place. At least tell me you still have it.”

Fur held the cloak up to his father, “Not a tear in it, just like always...?” Fur tries to sound somewhat happier, though comes off questionably by the end.

Senior grabs the cloak from Fur, “Well thank god for that. Wait, always? Have you been taking this without my permission before?!”

“Yes...”

Senior sighed. “I don’t even know what to do with you anymore. What trouble did you even get yourself into. With the royal guard and princesses involved it must be serious.”

“I...” Fur paused, unsure of how to continue. “Uhm... I was...” he looked to Twilight and Cadance for support. “I... snuck into the princesses’ suitor gala... and, um-”

He didn’t get any further. “The suitor gala?!? No WONDER the royal guard is involved! Junior, what have I told you about the castle! It’s OFF-LIMITS!!” Senior reprimanded. He turned to the princesses, “I am so sorry for my son’s poor behaviour during this time. I will make sure that such an incident doesn’t occur in the future and that you’ll never see him agai-“

“NO!!” Twilight cried out, Cadance looking like she wanted to say something as well, “I-I mean, no, that’s not necessary. When Tallon attacked me, it was Fur’s swift actions that stopped him and saved my life. I-I don’t know what would have happened if he wasn’t there that night to save me.”

“He was right about Tallon spiking the drinks too, we found evidence of powder in his room that would have ordinarily been shrugged off as medicine, if not for Fur sharing his suspicions that Tallon might have been the one adding a little more ‘punch’ to the drinks,” Cadance added. “He was also the most enjoyable to be around during the whole thing when everyone else we talk to just wants to bed us or stick a ring on our finger. He was at least normal compared to the rest of them.”

Senior’s expression softened a little bit. “Well, alright. I’ll give you that, but still, he interrupted an important royal event simply so he could... could...” he turned to Fur, “What were you even doing there anyway?”

“Lemon tarts. They don’t make ‘em as good anywhere else,” Fur replied. Bluntly, and without remorse or regret.

Senior had to take a few seconds to think. “Lemon... you interfered in the event of the century for a dessert?!?” Senior said with disbelief.

Fur merely shrugged. “They’re that good.”

“Right. And you just happened to save a princess along the way because you just so happened to be there at the right place and the right time. Eyeyey... what are you gonna tell me next, you got enganged?”

“Twice, actually,” Cadance replied, Twilight blushing beside her.

Senior took a moment to take it all in. Nobody could blame him, the entire situation was absurd. After several minutes, he turned to face Fur. “And I suppose you know exactly how this happened.”

Fur took in a deep breath, opened his eyes, and spoke, “I have, absolutely noidea how this happened. Don’t look at me, I gatecrashed this thing for a pastry, returned by request of the princesses, happened to be stargazing at the right time, couldn’t attend for nearly a week after you grounded me (before you left); thanks for that, by the way; and then this happened. I’m even more stumped than you are, and I was there for it all.”

“We know he’s not a noble, or a prince or anything, but he’s the one we chose. It’s... kinda a bit late to go back on that now.” Twilight said.

“And what about the other suitors? Were they not better suited to the two of you? And why both of you? It just doesn’t make sense, I mean, you have anyone in the world to choose from, powerful kings, rich princes, honourable nobles, and yet you both choose him?!” Senior asked, pointing at Fur.

“Dad, I don’t mean to be rude, but have you ever seen the type of person that travels halfway around the world to marry one of these princesses? They’re either old perverts or rich kids wanting new toys to play with. They suck. Full offence intended.” Fur said.

“Junior! How dare you ca-“

“He does have a point.” Celestia commented, walking in on the conversation with Luna close behind. “They aren’t exactly the nicest lot, but they are what we have to deal with if we wish to not upset our neighboring kingdoms. It was fate that he was there the night Twilight was attacked, perhaps this is the work of fate once again.”

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, forgive me, I did not see you there.” Senior said as he bowed. “Junior!” he hissed at Fur in an attempt to get him to bow also.

“It is alright, there is no such need for formalities here.” Celestia said, allowing Senior to stand up again. “As it stands, by Equestrian law and tradition, Fur, chosen by Cadance and Twilight, is now their fiancée. There is nothing else that can be done about it.”

Senior stood in silence thinking for some time. “If that is how it is, that is how it is,” he turned to Fur, “but don’t think that you’re out of the woods yet, Junior! I’ve got some things to say to you young man!”

* * *

Fur was lectured for the rest of the day, through the night, and well into the following day before being allowed to grab something to eat and finally fall asleep. Senior had been tough on him, moreso than usual, but by the end of everything it was clear he was more concerned for Fur’s sake than his own.

As Fur lay down and let sleep overtake him, Luna stealthily entered the stallion’s dream. “Alright, Fur, let’s see what secrets you’ve got in here. I wonder what they might be? Perhaps a master plan to overthrow Equestria? The delusions of a hormone-driven teenage colt? Or perhaps you want to just feel the rush of making far superior beings bend over backwards to do you service.”

Luna searched through his mind until she came across something interesting, a memory from not too long ago. She peeked in on it, only to find it was the memory of Cadance and Twilight paying him a surprise visit while he was stargazing on the roof and frightening the living daylights out of him.

“Hm... not exactly what I was looking for, but perhaps a similar memory...”

Luna set to work on similar memories, looking for what happened the night Tallon attacked. What she found was exactly as Fur, Cadance, and Twilight described, nothing new of interest. She looked for older memories, when he first showed up to the event. Nothing out of the ordinary or malicious in any way. She tried every memory she could find, but by the end of the dream had to give up on her search. They were right; he was a perfectly normal, if somewhat overly-abstinent, stallion.

“Guess I was worked up over nothing.” Luna said to herself as she left the dream world, a lone figure watching her departure.

Soon, princess. Very, very soon...