//------------------------------//
// The Return of an old villain 
// Story: A New Hero 
// by 21latenighter 
//------------------------------//

He watched as the guard ran frantically for the throne room, as if his very life depended on him arriving.  He was a northern guard by the look of his armor, glistening with rare gems that were once plentiful there, created from his former homeland, The Crystal Empire.  The guard made eye contact with him for a split second before continuing in, nearly breaking the giant doors down.

       “Your Majesty!News from the northern edge of Equestria!  I am simply to tell you that, It.. has returned…” 
the guard panted as Princess Celestia gasped before taking up a quill and scroll.

Fury Flight walked in after a few minutes, trying to act casual, though he was nearly beaming… this was the first major thing to happen for nearly five hundred years.  The guards saluted him as he walked by, as was proper, as Fury was the Royal Defense Council, the pony that Celestia would look to for all military functions.

Celestia herself was immersed in her scroll, not noticing Fury's approach.

Fury cleared his throat, getting her attention as she closed the scroll before sending it.

“Yes brother, what is it?” She asked, trying to act normal.

“What's going on…” he asked as he gestured to what used to be her scroll.

“Oh.. nothing Fury, just a little errand for Twilight,” she asked, trying to smile, though her smile was now unnaturally wide.

“Celestia, you're lying,” he said, before making the same smile she was wearing.

“Alright… fine, the Crystal Empire... has returned..” she said squeamishly.

       “It What!!!” 
Fury shouted, rattling the stained glass windows that lined the throne room.  Though he sounded angry, he was actually quite the opposite, as it was once his home, but more importantly, it held the tombs of his parents in the catacombs under the castle.

“And there's more…” Celestia said just above a whisper.

“More… what more could there be?” Fury asked, tilting his head slightly.

        “He has returned with it,” 
she said as she watched his body language change to offense.  He was King Sombra, or known to the two alicorns as Kaorn, master of the shadows, one of the seven great alicorns, creators of the world.

“He came back with the Empire… w-we must call the guard to arms at once,” Fury said as he began to strategize.

“He hasn't gained physical form yet, but he has returned as a shadow across the land..”

“Then I will pack and be on the first train out,” Fury said as he turned to leave, but Celestia stopped him with her hoof.

“No Fury, I am going to send Twilight,”

“You know what he is capable of! and you send a young unicorn to face him!” Fury said as the rage of a thousand years of memories began to fill him.

“Fury!” Celestia said sternly, “this is why I am calling upon Twilight for this mission, already you're fuming, and from simply mentioning his name…”

Fury thought it over for a second,
'Maybe she's right…’ 
he then toned down his voice and language.  “I'm sorry sister… I see your point… where would you like me stationed?”

“The Everfree, Twilight wrote to me about a peculiar incident a while back, and I need confirmation of it..” she said as she produced a scroll with her magic.

“Confirmation of what…” Fury asked hesitantly.

          “An Ursa Minor..” 

“An Ursa, but they haven't been seen for nearly two thousand years!” Fury responded.   “And you think I'm the best pony for the job?” He asked as he took the scroll from her, reading the contents, revealing the precise location of the cave the Ursa called home.

“You'll be fine brother, I just need confirmation that it is truly an Ursa Minor,” she said as she tried to reassure Fury.

Fury finally nodded and walked slowly out of the room, taking his anger out on an innocent bush as he entered the atrium that lead to the outside.  He looked to the north, where a streak of red could be seen climbing into the sky, calling out to the rest of Equestria that it had returned, and reminding it who had come back with it.  It should've been been him, traveling to the once great empire to face his arch enemy and save the world, but he was here, going to check on a sleeping bear.

He began the flight to Ponyville, and the Everfree Forest…