Fluttershy looked at the trashcan lid she was gripping, and had to laugh. It was bent, crumpled, and dented severely. All in all, it looked like it had gone ten rounds with a compactor. Tossing the now useless lump of metal away, she sat down to rest.
She winced, instantly reminded that she had blocked a strike from a massive creature falling at great speeds. Considering her body had still been in the process of being upgraded when it happened, she was incredibly lucky she only got away with minor injuries. Well... she hoped they were minor.
She frowned as a thought occurred to her. She looked at her hooves and the legs attached to them. Yes, she was most definitely showing a lot more muscle now. She knew she was faster too, and she was spotting a lot more details wherever she looked.
How did she have the Serum? It was in Steve Rogers’ body, not his soul… right? After a moment, she decided to worry about it later.
A flash of blue light heralded the arrival of Princess Luna, and Fluttershy stood to bow, again wincing. “Your Highness. What are you doing here?” she asked.
Luna looked at the Ursa Major with a raised eyebrow, and then back at Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked away and cleared her throat, uncomfortable with the attention. “I do not believe I have ever seen a single pony, a Pegasus at that, defeat a Ursa Major before. Most impressive,” she complimented.
“Ah…” Fluttershy blushed. “T-thank you, Princess.”
Luna nodded. “To answer your question, Kind Fluttershy, I received an urgent call for aid from Squire Spike that an Ursa Major was attacking Ponyville. I immediately mobilized the Lunar Guard and teleported us all here. Sister is currently dealing with an urgent matter as well, else she too would be here with her Solar Guard.”
---
“Urgent matter?” Twilight asked her teacher.
“It ties into the reason behind your medical record being frozen. We’ll get to that later though,” Celestia promised.
---
“Are you well enough to help your fellow Pegasi?” Luna nodded towards the Town Square, where Fluttershy’s enhanced eyes could pick out in the sky a multitude of Pegasi and… Thestrals in armor? Ah, the Lunar Guard. They were flying around in a circle at high speed, slowly getting a whirlwind started.
Fluttershy stretched her wings, but the moment she flapped them she winced. “Ow… I’m sorry Princess, but I may be more of a hindrance than help for now.”
Luna nodded. “Perfectly understandable.” She once more glanced at the Ursa, and shook her head in wonder. “When this is over, I would like to hear a recounting of your battle with the Ursa, and why you felt the need to do so in the first place.”
Fluttershy gasped at the reminder. “Oh! Twilight!” She spun around and looked at the Unicorn, who was unconscious next to a frantic looking Derpy and Dinky. “Princess, Twilight’s hurt! Can you help her?”
Luna immediately galloped to Twilight’s side and began running diagnostic spells over her. She winced at the sight of blood dribbling from the mare’s mouth. After a moment, she cancelled the spell. “Twilight Sparkle has sustained grievous internal injuries, alongside a broken bone in her left hind leg. Her body is also in a state of severe shock.” With a flash, a blue glow settled over Twilight. “I have locked her in suspended animation to prevent the wounds from getting worse, but it will only hold for an hour. We must get her to a Healer now!”
After assurance that you could punch Twilight’s body and only hurt your hoof while she was in suspended animation, Fluttershy helped Luna carry the now stone-stiff body of Twilight towards the town Hospital. Derpy and Dinky followed, worried over the mare that had saved Dinky from the Ursa Major.
---
“I pretty much spent the rest of next few days here when I wasn’t working at home. Our friends have been visiting often as well,” Fluttershy explained.
“What about the fire? Was it taken care of?” Twilight asked, worried.
Celestia frowned. “The fire was put out easily once Luna’s Guard began helping. Right now the Solar Guard are investigating the cause. I suspect it was more than just an accident.” She shook her head. “But that’s for another time. I suppose I should tell you my side of the tale now.”
---
Celestia, on rare days such as today where Luna was being kind enough to handle Court for her, could be found in one of the gardens around the castle. In particular, she was in the statuary garden, examining the many statues and enjoying the memories each statue brought her.
Not many today knew that each statue held a story behind it. Like that one there, of a Pegasus, Unicorn, and Earth-Pony standing side-by-side. Most assumed it was related to the Hearth Warming Tale, but that was not why it was carved. The statue was made in the image of three very brave children back during the time before the Fire of Friendship, to remember their story, and remind Celestia of her failure.
They had formed powerful bonds of friendship between them, and refused to heed to orders of their tribes to hate each other. It was those three children that had truly begun the movement that would unify pony-kind. Unfortunately, they were unable to see the fruits of their labors. An assassin from the Pegasus tribe had killed them on the orders of the Pegasus child’s father.
There was a reason why the time before the Fire of Friendship was referred to as the Dark Heart Age. Ponies were more concerned with politics and power than their own family. Celestia had personally seen to the dismantling of that pony’s power structure. He spent the rest of his days in the darkest prison she could find.
“Princess! I bring urgent news!”
Celestia was snapped from her memories by one of the Royal Guards approaching. “What is it?” she asked.
“A thief has been apprehended trying to steal medical documents from the hospital.” The Guard bowed. “He’s been detained and is currently being interrogated.”
Celestia frowned. “Medical documents? Whatever for?”
“They were the medical files of Twilight Sparkle.”
Celestia’s eyes widened, before they hardened. “Take me to him,” she ordered, standing.
“At once, You Highness.”
---
“You may not realize it Twilight, but the day you became my student you were dropped into the world of politics and power plays,” Celestia said quietly. “That was far from the first time the Royal Guard, Solar Guard, or myself have prevented something like this. There have even been a few kidnapping attempts. None got anywhere near you, of course… but you became a target when I took you in.”
Twilight’s mouth was dry. “Why…” she hesitated. “Why didn’t you tell me?”she finally asked.
Celestia sighed. “I wanted you to retain that innocence I saw during the Exam. You were so full of life… and I didn’t want to ruin it by making you look over your shoulder during your every waking moment.”
“Oh…” Twilight supposed there could be worse reasons for keeping something like that from her, but it still hurt. Not wanting to think about it, she changed the subject. “So that attempt to steal my medical records was what caused the freeze order on them?” she asked.
Celestia shook her head. “No, it was what happened during my talk with the thief that did that.”
---
Celestia entered the room and found a pitch black Unicorn with a black mane cuffed to a table with a magic restraining ring on his horn. His fiery orange eyes immediately locked onto hers. “Princess Celestia.” He chuckled. “They were right. The moment your student got involved, you would come running.”
Celestia frowned. “Who are you? Who are “they”?”
The Unicorn bowed his head. “Shadow at your service, Your Highness.” His voice was oddly respectful for a criminal. “I’m a doer. If the price is right, I do what I’m asked to do. Usually that involves high profile thefts or assassinations.”
Celestia scowled. “And this “they” that you spoke of? Did they hire you to kill Twilight?”
He laughed. “Heavens no!” He exclaimed almost jovially. “No assassin worth their salt would target Miss Sparkle, no matter the price. We like our lives and freedoms, and getting you focused on us with vengeance in your head? Ha! Suicide.”
He calmed somewhat, but still grinned. “No, I was hired to look into Miss Sparkle’s medical history for any abnormalities.”
“Why?”
Shadow shrugged. “Dunno. I don’t ask questions unless it pertains to how it affects the job. I figured they were conspiracy nuts that bought into that talk about her being your personal super-soldier and wanted proof.”
Celestia sighed at that. Some ponies take one look at two completely different facts and leap to the most ludicrous ideas. Twilight was powerful, extraordinarily so, and she had taken her on as her student. They took two and two and combined it to, somehow, get two thousand two hundred and twenty two. Conspiracists went nuts that day about armies of super-soldier clones that were fanatically loyal to her.
Really, that was Luna’s schtick, not hers. Er… the fanatically loyal army part, not the super soldier clones. The Thestrals worshiped Luna, despite her distaste of the treatment.
“Who are “they”?” she asked again.
Shadow shrugged again. “Hell if I know. I was contacted through recordings at dead drops. All I know is that they’re good at playing from the shadows. The recordings self-destructed the moment they finished their playback or if any magic was used within twenty feet of them. Nearly lost my hoof to the first one.”
He scoffed. “They promised me a distraction that would keep you and your Guards off of me while I worked, but it looks like it wasn’t enough.” He indicated his shackled hooves. “If your student could handle what they threw at her so well that you weren’t even called in, I think they have a nasty surprise waiting for them.”
“Distraction? Twilight?” Celestia asked, concerned.
Shadow nodded. “They told me that on the day of my attempt they’d set up a distraction that was sure to have you running straight to Ponyville, taking most of your Guard with you. That would have made getting the records easier… if it had worked.” He honestly didn’t seem that put out that he had failed his mission.
“What was the distraction?” Celestia asked, a horrible feeling sinking into her gut.
He grinned. “An Ursa Major.”
Celestia didn’t even bother running. She teleported straight to the throne room. She surprised Luna, who was there for Court. “Luna! I ne-”
“Sister, Squire Spike has just sent word that Ponyville is under siege by an Ursa!” Luna interrupted, recovering quickly from Celestia startling her. Sure enough, there was a scroll in her magical grip. “I was just about to send for you. My Lunar Guards are gathering as we speak.”
Celestia forced herself to calm down and be rational. If Spike was in any condition to be sending a message, it wasn’t too late. They had time. And if Luna and her Guard were going…
“I know,” she said, making Luna blink in surprise. “The Royal Guard apprehended someone trying to steal Twilight’s medical record. After being interrogated, we found out about the Ursa Major. It was supposed to be a distraction to keep me away from Canterlot.” She turned around and started towards the doors. “You go help Ponyville. I’m going to try and get more information,” she said.
“Understood,” Luna said with a nod.
---
“After that I sent along word to have your medical record frozen while we tried to figure out what in Tartarus was going on,” Celestia said. “I poked at some of my contacts, but nobody has heard anything about any major criminal turning their attention on you or me. When Luna sent word that you were hurt pretty badly, I came to Ponyville to see for myself. That was when Luna suggested something that… honestly, it worried me.”
“What?” Twilight asked.
Celestia looked Twilight in the eyes. “She theorized that whoever this is… they knew you were a Hero Soul.”