Levi, the SellSword

Days Later after Twilight's return...

"Why didn't you tell me you got hurt?!" Celestia exclaims.

"Because it wasn't necessary," Levi says. "The only thing that mattered was getting Twilight back to her family and you."

"You lost your fingers Levi, your FINGERS!" Celestia emphasized. "You're a lot more prone to keeping damage than I am. If I lost a limb I can grow it back in a few hours or day at most. You can only reattach as long at there is something to reattach and reattach too."

"I know that," Levi rolls his eyes. "I've done it plenty of times before Tia."

"This is different this time," she liftS his right hand in her magic to to look at his totally charred numbs of the remains of his pointer and middle fingers. "What possessed you to take a incineration bolt like that?"

"Protecting my granddaughter!" Levi shouted jumping up out of his chair looking down on her. "Of all the ponies out there I would think you would understand that most of all!" he pokes the solar princess in the chest.

Celestia sits down and sighs hanging her head, "I do understand Levi but," she looks up with sadness in her eyes as tears form, "you have to understand, you're one of the two that don't live in the palace out there that I hold so close to my heart outside the ones in this entire world. It's hurts my heart so much to see you so injured like this and not being to do anything to help you."

Levi kneels down and pulls Celestia into a warm hug, "I had to act Tia and your right I should be more aware of those around me and how they feel about my actions but I would gladly do it again if it meant saving any of my family."

"I know you would," She wraps her wings around him. "And I'm glad you told me before you left," She pulls back and then goes over to a table and uses her magic to wheel it over. "Cause I was able to have the alchemist and an armorer throw these together for you," she pulls back the cloth over the table to reveal two silver fingers of a gauntlet attached to a leather strap, a prosthetic.

"They're a bit crude," she nervously remarks, "but hopefully they'll act as the replacements. I used some of the medical journals you wrote for me for the mechanics and the statue I had in the gardens for the models. Luckily there was a minotaur smith in the city who was familiar with making arm and he took up the rush order. Could a maybe..."

"Go ahead Tia," Levi smiles hold up his rights hand without hesitation.

Celestia takes the prosthetic in her magic and then places it on Levi's hand where his fingers had been and snaps the strap snug, "Now this is just the proto-type. It connect to he nerves in your hand and should function just like your old ones. You should even have some sense of touch." she walks over to her desk and picks ups a journal with her magic then hands it to Levi. "This is a copy of everything from construction to maintenance. I imagine you'll be able to refine it more once your home. I would like updates on it. If it works well for you we maybe able to start on large versions of whole limbs for others."

Levi moves his new finger back and forth a few times before opening and closing his hand.

"Just think," She says. "Ponies with missing legs walking again, If you don't like you don't have to-"

She was cut off by the cold boop on her nose by Levi's new pointer finger, "Thank you Tia. Thank you very much."

Celestia smiles warmly, "You're very welcome Levi," then she got stern. "Now tell me of the events."

"The Shadow outed her employer at Countess Morning Glory," Levi explains sitting back in his chair and pulled the Shadow's black mask for a bag. "The mask kept a record of whatever the wearer saw. The enchantments the Unknown use are very similar to our own in the Survey Corps but mush stronger. The spell is a bit older than ours but after some time our enchanters were able to track its origins to the Night Guard from about a thousand years ago."

Celestia folds her ears against her head, "You think they're followers of Nightmare Moon?"

"That was a very high possibility at one point but I don't think so," Levi taps the mask. "I think one of their early member was either a Luna assassins or had very close tie to the sect."

"Hmmm." Celestia stares at the mask. "Can you prove this isn't a forgery of some sort?"

"Easily," Levi held up a hand. "These spells are old and hard to enchant onto objects. Most of the Unknown gear s register to be around seven-hundred years old indicated it was passed down to new members as they earned the right to join by killing the older members."

"You did wipe them all out?" She asks sternly.

"The ones in the city yes," Levi nods.

"How many nobles?" Celestia asked

"Not a one," Levi nipped that bud. "But we did find ties to many of the nobles dating back some few hundred years and a quite a few in current times. Your guard are currently heading these arrests and investigations," he sips some of his tea. "The Survey Corps are currently outing the rest. We are systematically wiping the rest out as we find them."

"I don't like the notions of killing my ponies, but they need to be ended," Celestia she scowls and then sighs slumping forward. "What were they going to with Twilight?"

"According to the Shadow Countess Morning Glory planned to brainwash Twilight to be loyal to her," he sits his cup down. "She probably banking on the fact Twilight was your student and planning to use the filly to get closer to you and mover up. I think she may have been planning to marry Twilight into the family at some point to keep her close and avoid suspicions."

"We've found evidence of the in her estate," Celestia looked off to the side with disgust. "Her 'husband' has been absent for some years. When we went looking for him we found him in the lower rings of the city in a two bedroom apartment living with a mistress who was a former maid at the Glory Estates. They've known each other since they were foals."

"Arranged marrige," Levi raised an eyebrow.

"That is what he said," She sips some tea. "He had tried to make it work with the Countess but he never felt love for her, on disgust."

"Foals?"

"One," Celestia sighs. "And he adores his father and was devastated when his found out his father went out and mysteriously never came back."

"She used her own son hostage!" Levi yells in out rage with Celestia steadily nodding.

"The count has officially been cleared and reinstated at the rightful own of the Glory titles and lands," Celesta explains. "His son is overjoyed to be with his father and his new step-mother to be. He even got a little bonus in the form of a little sister."

"The countess?"

"Gone..." Tia spat. "She lift the city as soon as your Corps were out in force knowing it was only a matter of time before she was tracked down for her part. I have warrants out for her arrest."

"I didn't realize the Corps had such a reputation already," Levi chuckled. "We'll keep our eyes pilled for her too."

"I want her arrested in order to stand trial, not to disappeared," Celestia says firmly.

"I understand Tia," Levi nods. "On another subject, how's your girl doing?"

Sighing heavily she looks at Levi, "She is so scared. She won't leave the castle for anything Levi," she gets up and walks over to the balcony and looks to the little purple filly with four guards around her on all side. A bull frog sitting at her side. I hear you have Marmy taking her out and shadowing her when I do."

Levi nods a couple of times walking onto the balcony looking down. "I thought it best she have somepony close she knows."

"Levi, I have a job for you." She turns to looks at her old friend. "I want to hire you to be Twilight Sparkle's Personal Body guard."