> A New Hero > by 21latenighter > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Return of an old villain > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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… > The Secret of the Ursa > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Fury walked down the Lone path through the edge of Ponyville that led into the gigantic forest that was the Everfree, he was drawn back to memories dated back a thousand years, back to the last time he had encountered his enemy. Bang!! Fury brought forth another spell to open the massive doors of the black crystal castle. He and a small squadron of Pegasi and unicorn had stormed the empire, only to find it barren, it's ponies missing. BANG!!! The door only shuttered as his spell struck, enraging the alicorn more. He screamed out in anger as he began to kick the door with his back legs, trying to get through to the king within. His troops were searching for survivors throughout the kingdom, all finding the same thing… emptiness, and a deathly silence. As Fury called upon his Guardian magic, the door slowly creaked open, Creeeeaaak… He could hear the distant laughter of his enemy, and blinded by rage, Fury charged in to meet his nemesis head on. He found Kaorn, or now King Sombra, sitting upon the throne that once held his father. Fury's rage intensified as he fired blindly into the path of the dark ruler, only finding bits of crystal behind him. Kaorn began to laugh as he descended from his dark throne. “Hahahahaaa… you have grown weak in my absence Fury, greatest of your fathers mistakes…” he said slowly as he produced a black scythe with his magic.... Fury blinked his eyes as he was brought back to the present, and looked up at the mouth of a gigantic cave. The entrance was pitch black, and seemed to play a soft song to lure victims into its depths. For the first time in a long time, Fury felt the tingle of fear trickling up his spine. He shuttered as it got to his neck, bringing him to a cold sweat. He was the fearless Fury Flight, a legendary warrior, and now scared to go into a cave. He was truthfully scared of what he would find inside, he had only seen an Ursa once before, but then it was only a glimpse. “You seem troubled,” came a voice as Fury nearly jumped out of his skin. “HUH!! WHAA!!! LUNA!!” Fury screamed as he looked to his surprise guest, his younger sister, Princess Luna. “H-how long have you been standing there?” He asked as he got his wits about him. “Long enough,” she answered. “So why are” “Apparently our sister thinks that we weren't a suitable candidate for this mission she sent her prized student on, and insisted that we accompany you here,” Luna said as she cut Fury off. “So.. you too?” He asked, in a soft but loving tone. “Yes, even after we insisted we protect the empire since we, we..” Luna said before she cut herself off with a tear. “Hey hey hey…” Fury soothed, “you didn't know that the Elements would banish the empire too, it's ok..” Luna's tears nearly dried up instantly as she smiled weakly to Fury before looking to the inside. “Well, let us do this and be done with it,” she said as she used her magic to light her horn and slowly walked into the darkness. Fury reluctantly lit his own horn and followed, not going to be shown up by a mare, his sister no less. As they walked through the cave, they could smell the sweet fragrance of lavender coming from the center of the cave, which seemed endless in every direction. They could feel a breeze coming from the cave, but the air was warm, and had a peculiar berry scent to it. It was then they heard the muffled growl of something enormous. The sound echoed through the cave and shook the ground they stood on, causing them to take to the air to keep their balance. “I think we have the conformation we need,” Luna whispered to Fury, who nodded and began to turn around when the cave began to illuminate. Shakily he brought his eyes back to the darkness to see an eye bigger than him looking him and Luna down. Fury gulped and slowly glided to the ground where the eye rested, followed by Luna. The eye then became a head, massive enough to take a bite out of Ponyville. Its mouth, though closed for now, was full of teeth larger than Luna or himself, and sparkling in the darkness with a glowing saliva. The head now grew to a body, one that put even the biggest dragon to shame, equipped with claws massive enough to reduce Canterlot to pebbles with a single blow. “Th-th-that's n-not a-an U-Ursa m-m-minor… I-it-it's a-an U-ur-Ursa M-M-Major,” Luna said as she quaked, shivering to the bone. The massive Ursa opened its mouth, revealing the rest of its teeth, glimmering in the now illuminated cave. The space of its jaws was so massive that he and Luna could hold hooves and stretch out and still not touch either side. From its mouth came a yawn that nearly split their eardrums. RRRAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR… The beast then returned its gaze to the two ponies in front of it. “WHO DARES AWAKEN ME FROM MY SLUMBER!!!!!!” it growled. “It can talk?” Luna whispered to herself as she remained frozen in fear before the magnificent creature. Fury gulped his guts back down his throat before speaking to the beast. “It is I, Fury Flight, and my sister, Luna,” The beast bowed in respect to Luna, who managed a small grin. “Luna, queen of the night, I am pleased to see you grown..” Luna's fear left her as she looked up to the Ursa with interest. “Grown, we never met, we would have remembered meeting something such as yourself.” “We never met face to face, but we have watched you grow up from a young filly to a great mare…” it said tiredly as it laid its massive head back down. “How?” Luna asked, now inches away from the Ursa’s eye. “We were befriended by a yellow alicorn and asked to protect her children from any harm in the forest…” It said as it took a paw and scratched an itch on its mid back. “You, you knew our mother?” Luna asked slowly, with stars in her eyes. Luna had limited memories of her mother, remembering very little of her, only a moment here and there. “Yes, though I was only a cub at the time,” it said. “Where are the others?” Fury asked, interrupting the two. The Ursa turned its head to face Fury as it spoke. “Your war spared no race, ours included… me and my cub may be the only Ursas left.” Fury bowed his head at the mention of the war the bear spoke of, the Great Alicorn War… the war he lost his parents to, but gained the Elements of Harmony. “I-I I'm so sorry… many mistakes were made by us.” “Yes, but they were corrected by the great power bestowed upon your kind by the life bringer..” the Ursa said. “She would be pleased to see the world you and your brethren have made…” “Y-you speak of her as if she is an old friend, d-did you know her?” Fury asked. “Yes… and I know her still..” “H-how, she left this world thousands of years ago?” Fury asked again, perplexed. “The race of Ursa are more than just gigantic bears stumbling around the forest, we are beings of the fifth dimension, able to live and see through time… and thus, I came to know her,” the Ursa said as it began to slowly set up, rumbling the ground as it did so. “You're saying you can see and speak to her?” Fury said as an idea popped into his head. “You wish to speak to her, do you not?” It asked as it's piercing eyes looked through Fury's question. Fury slowly nodded, “y-yes, I-I would..” The Ursa brought one of its huge paws to the ground. “Climb aboard then, and we will speak to her…” Fury didn't hesitate as he jumped onto the gigantic paw, then he turned to Luna and offered a hoof. “Come on, you'll wanna meet her.” Luna followed her brother onto the Ursa as it began to glow a bright white before disappearing altogether. They reappeared in a dimension of white, inhabited by a single pony, looking through a window that showed their world. The pony was an alicorn, with a coat of pure white, and a flowing red mane that lay softly upon her neck, straight and elegant. She turned to them to reveal soft brown eyes that could cut through any evil. This was the pony that had created all life in their world, from the smallest insect to the largest Ursa. > The Beginning of a Legend > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fury approached her with his head bowed, and immense respect in his heart. This was the pony who had created the Elements of Harmony, and started him down his path. She smiled as she brought a hoof to Fury's shoulder. “Hello Fury Flight, I've been expecting you,” she said in a voice that brought thoughts of a brighter time to Fury, before he was forced to become a warrior. “And hello to you, Princess Luna, how you've grown..” Luna smiled as she approached, her eyes gleaming like that of a young filly. “I-I thought she would like to meet you,” Fury said nervously. The life bringer smiled and hugged the two tightly before looking back at the Ursa behind them. “How long Urson?” She asked with what appeared to be concern. “I have a few moments my friend,” the Ursa apparently known as Urson replied. “Very well, then we haven't much time for catching up,” she said sadly as she pointed back to the window. Through the window, was the newly released Crystal Empire, and the unicorn Twilight Sparkle. “Tell me.. what do you see?” She asked the two as they looked through. “I see the return of an empire that I banished long ago, one that I should be protecting,” Luna said as she looked through with tears forming. “Look closer..” She said as she guided Luna's sight with her magic. “It's the unicorn Twilight Sparkle, our sister's prized pupil, I-I don't understand..” Luna said with confusion. “Look deeper…” she answered softly, revealing a spiritual realm of the world. “I-is that… a-alicorn magic? But it shouldn't be there..” “Shouldn't it… or has your sister seen something within her… something great..” “She is to become… one of us?” Luna asked as she looked away from the mirror. “In time Luna… in time…. Do you now see the wisdom in your sister's actions?” The goddess asked the princess. The goddess then approached Fury, as he stared longingly towards the castle, once again pristine and white, it was the castle he called home. “What do you see?” She asked. “I see home… but not home… it still looks like the same empire I grew up in, but now it's under new leadership..” Fury said, as he saw the newly wedded couple of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor defending the empire from a threat they barely understood. “Could it not still be home… because since when has Fury Flight let authority stop him… you defied a direct order from your parents and charged into the battle of the black castle…” “It will never be home again… not truly… not without them,” he said as he began to pull away from the mirror, but stopped when the picture changed.. to the image of Rainbow Dash, running in a jousting match with another Pegasus, who was scared to death of what was coming. The image brought a smirk to Fury's face, but as well as he tried to hide it, the goddess still caught it. “She is young… only knowing the love shown by you… a love that you hold back on… because of your past..” “I don't want my past to follow me here and find her…” “You hold back because of fear… fear that you will wake to see her parish… but you have lived in your past for so long that you've never opened them to the present or future… this land is at peace, your parents would be proud to see what you three have made… the peace that they fought so desperately for,” she said as she pulled back from the mirror, its wonders disappearing as if they were never there. She then gestured to the Ursa behind them, who had just awoken from a small nap. He arose and brought forth his claw to welcome the two alicorns. The goddess then used her magic to teleport them to the claw, where they looked longingly at her, hoping to hear more of her infinite wisdom. “Farewell friends, and may harmony smile upon you both for years to come, and may peace reign in Equestria for all eternity…” she ended as the Ursa used his magic to return them to the cave where they had embarked from. As they arrived at the cave, Fury and Luna gently glided off the Ursa’s paw and thanked him before allowing him to return to his slumber. “That was an adventure, was it not?” Luna asked as they exited the cave. “It was sister, and a much needed one.” “Well, shall we return to Canterlot and tell our sister of our findings?” She said as she opened her violet wings and prepared for the journey home. “Yeah, let's go home..” Fury said as he opened his own wings and left the ground. When they arrived in Canterlot, they were informed of Twilight's success in defeating king Sombra, and in retaining the Crystal Empire. Nearly a year later… “... the coronation went splendidly sister, not a single thing was out of place,” Fury finished as he entered the throne room, but the look upon her face spelled trouble. “Wh-what is it?” Fury asked worriedly. “Fury… I have a mission for you, a deep undercover mission, full of danger, and top secret… you may be gone for a long time… a prisoner has escaped Tartarus…” Celestia said with a grim tone. “Escaped… but how?” He asked as he approached his sister on the throne. “A couple years back, Cerberus was found in the middle of Ponyville, having abandoned his post at the gate.” “Cerberus, in Ponyville.. and I wasn't told about it?” Fury said as the information stunned him. “I'm sorry brother, but the incident was taken care of quick enough that we were not needed,” Celestia said as she used her magic to give Fury the scroll that contained his next mission. As Fury read through the brief, he recognized a name that sent chills down his spine… Nightingale. Nightingale was the unicorn responsible for creating the Nightmare spell, the very spell that took conciseness after it was attached to Luna for a thousand years. A unicorn from the village of Spearsound, the last villager to be precise, she was skilled in weaponry and nearly every fighting technique known to pony kind. After discovering dark magic however, she found her true strength. Once Luna's advisor, she was granted close access to her to perfect her spell. “... Nightingale… escaped, when do I leave?” “Immediately, and Fury, try to be safe,” Celestia said with a fair bit of concern in her voice. “I will sister, I will” Fury said as he walked out of the throne room and off to his room on the next level. When he opened the door, he collected the supplies he needed for his mission. He levitated two spell books, one being Defense Against Telekinesis, and the other being a spellbook of his own, containing powerful spells he had learned over the years. He then lifted a couple dozen parchments and a few quills. As he lifted his supplies, he brought forth a single piece of parchment and a quill and wrote a letter to his love. ‘Dearest Rainbow, I'm writing to you because I don't know the next time we'll meet face to face. I'm being sent on a very important mission, one that may keep me for months… or even years. I wanted to tell you that I love you, and I'll miss you until the day I return. Don't do anything rash to try to come with me, and don't do anything dumb to get yourself hurt, and promise that you'll write back, With love, Fury Flight’ With a small burst of magic, the letter left his room and traveled through the world to the town of Ponyville, where it reappeared on the bedside table in the mansion in the sky that belonged to Rainbow Dash. Fury took a second to look his room over one last time before leaving it and the castle in search of what would become one of his greatest adventures… The End...