Luna watched as the flaming airship of twisting metal passed overhead. She could see the damage and her heart began to twist as she could not see any Ponies escape the wreckage with either wing or parachute. Her eyes painfully watched as the ship finally plummeted into the downtown city. A brand new cloud of dark smoke and further explosions echoed along the streets. The encampment was still in silence and movement as every Pony and Human tried to understand what they just saw.
Luna however was starting at a gallop. Her magic pulled her swords and within a moment she cleared the rampart with wings stretched out. Reason was thrown out to be replaced with sadness that acted much like a sickness of the mind. Her emotions began to take control as she tried to hurry with all of her speed but she wasn't alone. It took her a double take but she witnessed fast moving yet large figures below. For a moment she was expecting an enemy but her heart fluttered for but a moment as she witnessed it was instead allies but not of her own kin.
Kanada was a small nation northeast bound that was a major trade partner of both Equestria and the Crystal Empire equally. While there was ponies who indeed live there, the tundra covered land was populated mostly by Humans and Eurasian Wolves. The two work together in what was known as the Bonding. A single wolf would pledge it's life to a single mating pair and from then on would act like any true close knit family. In both the diamond mines and fisheries, the two species worked in tandem often to each others benefit.
This also was true to combat.
Humans rode on the back of the large creatures as the wolves seemed to batter any of the infected away with their large paws. Never stopping to engage any real threat, they simply leaped over many and for any of the infected Pegasi that actually showed signs of flying, the mounted human would strike out with either spear or shield. The Humans rode in pairs often male and female assorting different weapons.
Their speed was shocking too as Luna soon found that they were catching up to the Princess. She witnessed the leading pair, noticing the Human female look back up to her and nodded before saying something to the Wolf who gave a bark. Luna, now with the help of her allies, charged through most of the forces arrayed between her and Celestia's airship, the HMS Solar.
As they came closer to the crash site, the bleaker the picture was painted. A fireball erupted from it's side as massive cracks and tears appeared along the bulk of the vessel. As far as she could tell, there was no survivors yet. She landed with such velocity that concrete below her crumbled but soon her mass was moving again towards a hatch with the door ripped off.
“Princess!” a female voice shouted.
Luna turned to see a Wolf looking down on her from almost a head taller. His brown and white fur did little to hid all of the muscle beneath. The rest of the allied forces made a crescent defensive formation around them as the lead female rider disembarked along with the male that sat behind her. The female was of darker skin than her male counterpart but they dressed in the same fashion of wolf fur and dark blue linen.
“I am Captain Ye'Lucia. This is my mate Ye'Gaarm,” she gestured towards the man behind her who gave a nod of his head. “And this is Ye'Varl,” she said as she ran her fingers through the Wolf's fur.
“Greetings, Princess,” the Wolf greeted in a deep voice as he dipped his head in respect.
Luna watched as he spoke to examine the rather vicious looking row of teeth that he bore but knew better to pay it any more attention. They may have been enemies many, many years ago but it was still hard to see a Carnivore and not naturally react. Luna opted to nod her head to greet the beast in return.
“We have come to help the best we can, Princess,” Gaarm managed as he pulled an arrow from his quiver.
“He is right,” Lucia agreed with her own voice of pride. “We have been allies for many years and it would sour the taste on my tongue to think we ignored you in a time of need,”
A low hum from Varl echoed the sentiment.
Luna was almost taken back from this. She has been locked away for a thousand years and last she knew, their neighbours were nothing close to the word Allies. Her mind flew back to the thought of Celestia and she nodded.
“I need to find my Sister in this airship. Can you defend this position until I return?” Luna asked making sure to not sound like she was giving an order.
“To our last breaths,” Varm growled out which his two Human riders nodded to with a grin.
“Thank you,” Luna said as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She turned and in an instant, was inside the burning wreck.
Lucius awoke with a startle as his breath was hard to find. He had to cough so much that his lungs and throat ached to stop. His vision wasn't faring much better as he had to blink several times. His body felt insanely hot and as his eyes finally began to function he could see why. The fire was slowly starting to inch towards them which caused him to look down at Celestia's still form.
“Celestia!” he did his best at crying out but his voice protested with searing pain. He jumped into action as he wrapped his arms around the barrel of her chest and heaved. The Centurion pushed his muscles almost to the point that he thought they would fall off only to notice that the Princess moved a few inches. With worry now spreading through his body, he bent low over her face and checked for any sign of life which was rewarded with breathing. With at least that worry set aside he looked back to figure a way to move this dreadnought. He found it ironic that the armour that he was so fascinated by may very well kill the one being he loved above all else. “You stubborn Pony! Get up!”
He cried and cursed as he tried to push the Princess only to manage a few inches at a time. Hope was draining from him and when he honestly thought this would be their metal tomb, a pony shambled around the corner.
“Get over here and help me!” Lucius pleaded as he positioned himself to push once more until he noticed the odd pony dressed in a gown shamble closer. Her eyes were fogged and foam were evident around the edges of her mouth. Hairs began to stand up on the back of Lucius neck. The Mare stumbled forward without saying a single word until she was a foot away from the two. Lucius trusted his gut as he pulled his Pugio from his belt and stabbed upwards to catch the Mare who leaped forward. The assaulting mare landed atop the Human with the dagger deep in her chest but she didn't stop. Hoofs swung at the Human which connected with his chest but thankfully the plate armour took enough of the brunt force. Her mouth had snapped down with angry chattering and if Lucius' hand wasn't around her neck he was sure that he would be missing some flesh by now. The warrior concentrated on his own weapon as he pulled it free and repeated the deadly work until the Mare was still.
A quiet prayer left Lucius lips as he pushed the Mare off him only to see that she brought friends. His hands worked quickly to grab his shield and unsheathe his sword.
“Come on!” He yelled and kicked at Celestia's still form. He could see the head move slightly but his time ran out as he pushed forward with his shield to stop a Stallion from taking a bite out of Lucius' fiancee. The missed bite was rewarded with a jab that took the Gladius through the neck. The other two mares shambled as one and leaped onto his shield which almost caused him to buckle over. With a loud grunt and muscles that have seemed to protest to the point of quitting, he leaned his shield into the wall. He effectively had the mares pinned as they gnawed and punched at anything in reach until swift thrusts caused them to cease any movement.
His breath became more ragged as he felt that there was suddenly more smoke than oxygen within the small hallway. He dropped to a knee and let his lungs breath only to hear rapid hoof beats approaching around the corner which he prepared for with his shield raised. He could hear the threat getting closer and closer and when they were about to pass the corner he pushed forward. His shield came in contact with something much heavier than he expected but he didn't relent until he hit the opposite wall. His sword was about to jerk forward until he saw two swords about to do the same to him. It was at that moment that he observed Princess Luna in equal amounts of confusion.
“Thank the Gods!” Lucius prayed as he flung his shield around the Nocturnal Princess and pulled her into a hug.
Luna was surprised but was now dumbfounded as the Human that had mediocre relations with was now embracing her as a Sister. She could smell the blood and smoke that smothered his exposed skin but it was only for a moment as he pulled away to show Celestia's prone, motionless form.
“Tia!” Luna shouted in worry as she closed the distance to her sister. Her hooves lifted the Mares face and before Lucius could say anything, Luna gave the older sister a firm smack across the face. “Tia! It would be very wise to wake now!” Another slap joined the first and Lucius' heart beat with pure joy as the white mare's eyes slowly opened to show brilliant violet orbs.
Lucius approached from their side to make sure that she could also see her.
“We need to leave this inferno, Celestia!” Lucius plead as he helped Luna pull the stupefied and coughing mare to her hooves. The older sister stumbled but Luna help counter it by being at her side. Lucius strapped his father's armour onto his back the best he could with given the time and he motioned towards the way Luna had come. “I'll lead the way, follow me!”
It was slow at first as the only sounds that didn't come from the burning wreck was the three ponies causing a coughing fit but the air was becoming clearer and soon the moonlight broke through an open hatch. The Centurion stuck his head out to see large wolves and Humans striking out against a horde of the shambling ponies but considering the circumstances he didn't question. Luna pushed the stumbling Princes out of the hatch and quickly followed after. The Centurion took a step out of the hatch to find an odd layout before him. He knew that Canterlot had somewhat tall buildings but his beloved Rome nor Canterlot came close to these monstrous structures. He had to crane his neck just to see the top but he didn't let his observation linger before coming to a stop before Celestia who was steadying her own legs.
“Are you ok? Are you injured?” He fussed over her immediately which only gave him a soft smile and a kiss on his lips for an answer. He pursed his own lips before smiling at the stubborn Mare but Luna was quick to split the moment.
“We need to end this now while we still have forces to spare!” Luna shouted over the battle raging around them. “The thing responsible is probably at city hall which is three city blocks that way,”
Lucius nodded knowing that his part to play in this scheme was coming soon. “Do you have any information on the responsible party?”
Luna shook her head but soon were interrupted as a woman of darker skin approached, bloody from battle but otherwise seemed good to fight.
“Princess!” she exclaimed with a smile as she witnessed Celestia getting much more confident on her Hooves. She turned to Luna “We are holding, Princess, but we are not a defensive force. I am assuming you have a plan?”
Lucius watched all of this with curiosity as he gave the woman a look over which caused a white Mare to slap him upside the head with her wing.
“We do. Are your forces prepared to move out?”
“Just say the word,”
“Perfect, follow me,” Luna ordered and with that, the Human ran back to her wolf giving out a long whistle that pierced the night air.
“Are you in condition to fly, Tia?” Luna questioned as she gave her own wings a couple of test flaps.
Celestia who remained quiet stretched out her own long wings and gave them heavy beats to lift her entire armoured figure off the ground. Lucius watched in pure amazement at the strength she must have to lift that much off the ground until he realized that there must be some sort of magic at work.
“Ok, I will lead,” Luna said and turned towards the direction she gestured to earlier.
Lucius suddenly found himself awkwardly without any means of transportation besides his own two legs. While he would have been fine with them, he looked up to Celestia who already was working on a spell to lift him. In that moment however, he was caught and lifted atop a wolf.
Celestia was stuck in awkward confusion. Either it was the previous experience that cooked her brain or maybe the smoke but she now just saw her Love being carried away. This caused her wings to beat faster and in no time flat she was catching up to the fast beast with a bewildered Centurion that was clasping on for his life.
Lucia and Gaarm watched in surprise as a rather upset Princess flew beside them and without a word spoken grasped the Human with her magic which only caused the poor Centurion to do helpless somersaults in the air. Lucius tried to right himself but he knew Celestia's magical field by colour and by touch and soon just gave up until he found two fore hooves wrap around his torso.
The rest of the flight was handled much more confidently as the large marble pillars of the City Hall were rapidly approaching and with that, a rather large army of shambling Ponies.
Luna came to a sudden stop still a block away and landed which caused most of the wolves to expertly come to a sliding stop. Celestia landed and for once, Lucius managed to make what was up and down.
The arranged allied forces gazed over the sea of ponies gathered around the building.
“There is no way we can make it through all of that with any certainty,” Varl spoke up as quiet as he could but even than the deepness awed the Centurion who was witnessing Wolves speak for the first time.
“If we fly over there we'd be swarmed as soon as we landed,” Celestia noted as she teleported her large Halberd back to her grasp.
“Than divert them away,”
All eyes fell on the Centurion who was already in the motion of taking off his helm.
“Care to make more sense than that, Roman?” Lucia questioned.
“Take your wolf pack and catch their attention. Lead them away from the building so that Celestia, Luna and myself can sneak in,” Lucius offered his plan which caused the surrounding party to look at each other in contemplation.
Celestia took a step beside Lucius with confidence “He's right. There is no need to throw your lives away when we can simply confuse and divert the enemy,”
Lucius wanted to kiss the Mare but he held his emotions in check.
“Alright but what if they don't bite?” Gaarm questioned until a helmet was thrown up to him. “What do you want me to do with this antique?”
“If I was a betting man, I would assume that the enemy is on the look out for a Roman Soldier,” Lucius offered as he unstrapped his fathers own armour and paused. His fingers traced over the armour and felt all of the small details but with a small smile threw it up to the rider as well. “Make sure they get a good look at you and they are sure to follow,”
Gaarm exchanged a look with his mate who was silent for a moment before grinning. The Male Kanadian let loose his own grin before replacing his helmet with the Centurion's.
“Be careful,” Lucius warned. “That armour belongs to my Father! I want that back afterwards!”
With that the wolves took off down a street with an odd looking one among them.
Celestia took a few steps closer to her lover and gave him another quick kiss on the back side of his ear which caused him to give a small laugh. He reached up to run his own fingers down Celestia's neck as she hummed with happiness.
“Try to remember that we are in a battle, you two,” Luna rolled her eyes as they waited in cover.
“She started it,” Lucius argued which got him another playful wing slap.
Lucius paused at the double doors that would lead into the main building. He gave a moment to look back at the sea of shambling ponies that were moving away. The plan had worked and with a quiet determination, the three made their way towards the building unimpeded. Perhaps their luck was changing for the better or perhaps this was all simply part of the Gods plan. Lucius knew better though. Perhaps before his life now, he would believe that the Gods had a plan and fate but he was fighting for them directly. If they had a plan it rested solely on his shoulders.
With that thought gone he settled his nerves and gave Luna and Celestia one last look. With their nods he pushed the door open to reveal a large open room with pillars leading down either side. The lighting was turned off besides a few candles that were alight along a large staircase leading to the second floor. Multiple flags were strewn about and signs of battle were clear as Lucius kicked over what he assumed was some sort of a helmet with a see through mask.
“There is foul magic here,” Celestia mentioned as the three slowly spread out from the front door.
“Very astute,”
All three stopped in their tracks and prepared themselves.
Lucius watched as a man dressed in a suit took slow steps down the large stairway. His black hair was slick to the side and his eyes were something of horrors. He would blink but there were no eyes which to cover. His eye sockets were empty and as the creature now came closer, Lucius could see small black ooze slowly dripping from within.
“I honestly expected you to die by my minions,” he spoke out before stopping on a landing which looked down on the three who stood at the ready. “I am thrilled that you have survived though!”
Lucius wished he had a Pilum for just this occasion. One good throw and perhaps he could end this Daemon here and now.
“I have heard that you killed off Zelus,” It spoke with his finger pressing against a corner of the mouth. “He was strong but always rushed to action. Me? I like when my enemy slowly decays from within,”
Lucius knew in an instant what he was. Morbus. Plague Spirits.
“I just wish I had more time to enact my full plan but Furiae was not one to be questioned. I just ask that you would simply make this effortless,”
The Centurion was instantly put on guard as the Spirit moved with the speed he almost couldn't catch until the full force was pushed against his shield. He was thrown back but his fight with Zelus had taught him well. His feet were quick to catch on and he came to a halt. His attacker didn't stop as a blade came down and in a instant he thought his life forfeit until a loud clashing of metal echoed.
Celestia was there with her own weapon and with a wide swipe she tried her best to counter but Morbus simply jumped back to land easily on a stair step. His own blade seemed to be as sickly as he was. It was chipped and rusted but Lucius knew better than to expect a Spirit to wield something that wasn't deadly.
Luna took flight and dived down only to have both of her slimmer blades parried and with his free hand pushed back in time to dodge Celestia's own thrust. The two Sister's worked in unison as the spirit dodged and parried until he saw his own chance to counter which swiped at Celestia causing her to take a few steps back. The Solar Princess gazed down to her right pauldron to notice a chip had indeed been cut away.
Luna witnessed this and pushed herself back into the offence with swirling blades. She had the Plague spirit on the defence and when she saw her own chance, she stabbed forth only to fall through a dense fog.
Lucius witnessed all of this and waited for his own moment to strike. His patience was trying until he noticed that the spirit went ethereal for a moment only to reappear behind Luna with large wings of decaying membrane wings stretching out from his back. His sword cut forth and Luna gave out a small cry as she fell to the stairs. Her wing was limp but through snarling glare she turned to face the threat before her.
Celestia took up her Sister's defence as she thrust up at the Spirit only to see the fog appear once more.
Lucius prepared as a blade swung down onto his shield. The rusty blade dug deep into the Roman shield and the Centurion had to fight the smell. His right arm began to develop the white ghastly flames once more and with that he struck forth with a quick jab which caught the stuck Spirit.
“So Mars did grant you power?” Morbus hummed with satisfied curiosity as if he was never stabbed in the heart at all. The Gladius that was now firmly driven deep into the chest cavity was stuck. The Centurion tried to maintain eye contact with his enemy while he pulled on the blade but the sockets that stared back shook his very nerves. “You have all of this power and yet you waste it, Centurion. These Ponies will never grant you what you want. They would rather see you buried away in a tomb than see the great Roman Empire stand once more. To see a power greater than they,”
Lucius refused to speak as he let go of his blade and instead kicked the pommel of his sword. His effort paid off as he noticed the blade driven down to the very hilt but the creature did not fall.
“Do you think you stab flesh? Pierce organs?”
The Gladius fell to the floor as the fog danced around behind the Human. Lucius was about to turn until he felt something flash by his head. He gazed at Celestia's Halberd, the wooden shaft that finished off with the metal head that had pierced the Spirit to the nearby wall.
“I am the spirit of disease and sickness. Do you think that mortal weapons, no matter their quality, would kill me?” the spirit echoed as if in a deep cavern. “As long as this plague is still bound to this earth, I shall exist,”
Luna had dug into her satchel and removed a small vial. It had a needle injector and with only a flicker of her magic the cap was removed.
“Than perhaps we should end this pestilence from which it started,” Luna said as she began at full gallop, her magic holding the vial out, ready to stab forth. The vial never made it though as she was soon covered in ponies who began to rain down from the ceiling. Without even a worry to their own life, they simply fell from the second story ledge and onto the main floor like some sick version of dive bombers.
Luna was suddenly covered with falling bodies until she tripped over a splattered corpse in front of her.
“Luna!” Celestia cried out as she moved forward. Her own horn was alight as she flung body after body away from her sister.
Lucius watched as the situation grew worse as doors from every hallway opened to ponies shambling their way towards the City Hall main entrance. He took a step towards the sisters but stopped as he noticed the vial that Luna was desperately trying to reach. His mind was crystal clear at that moment as he started at a full sprint towards the two with his shield raised high to try and block anymore bodies from falling on him.
His own shield edge jabbed forth to knock another pony away from Luna. He witnessed her eyes focusing on the vial and upon noticing her surroundings looked up to Lucius. Her eyes were of pleading and at that moment, he nodded. His now free hand grasped the vial and he turned to the personified evil of all the sadness and terror. His legs approached that of a seasoned runner as he side stepped lunging ponies and within mere moments he pulled his hand back to stab downward.
Lucius let out a groan however as he felt a terrible pain that made his head feel light.
His vision lowered till he found the sickly blade from before now buried within him. He almost felt like he was about to fall but as he looked into the spirit he felt a seething hatred. He was a Soldier who wanted peace. A Warrior that wanted silent nights and lovely days. He was a Lover now that wanted her happiness. All of these emotions propelled his arm to swing down and drive the needle deep within the spirits chest. The vial began to empty and with slow deliberation, the spirit gazed down towards the vial with almost unbelief. That was until Lucius had stabbed once more with his own sword which elicited a groan from Morbus.
“There used to be an age for us, Lucius,” the spirit mumbled as the black liquid began to pour from both the mouth, eyes, and ears. “But I believe perhaps our time is truly done,”
Whatever the spirit was composed of, had quickly deteriorated into a black puddle upon the ground. The large room grew quiet as Ponies all around simply fell to the floor with quiet coughs. Luna was pulled to her hooves and the Sisters turned with beaming smiles towards the motionless Centurion. The waited for him to turn but as the small moments grew, Celestia's smile slowly faded.
“Lucius? My Love?”
Lucius finally turned with a smile which the Mares let out a loud gasp.
It was quiet.
It was as if living in the city your entire life, never leaving it's border. You went to school with the bustling children and foals. You grew up, living your own life the best you can. You find love and marry and one day have your own children. All of this bustling and constant moving was almost like a background noise. Now you are old and as you stare at your loving significant other you seem happy till they finally pass away to leave you alone. With them buried but always remembered, you step away without really stopping until you breach the city limits. Skyscrapers give way to tall oak, Taxis give way to rolling streams.
And that is when you hear it.
The quiet is almost like a sound all its own.
This is how Lucius felt like.
The quiet was so welcoming that he honestly forgot what it felt like. When was the last time that the quiet felt so? His mind rolled over memories recent and old but nothing really seemed to surface. He remembered quiet meaning danger or perhaps mischief but never peace. The man tried to speak but found his mouth could no longer produce sound. His arms or legs no longer wanted to be coerced along his will. At any other given time, Lucius was sure that this would have been something to garner worry but he could only feel peace.
Perhaps this was death?
His final journey towards the underworld.
No. This couldn't be it. Lucius tried to move once more but to no avail.
It wasn't until his mind cleared as the sharp jagged metal was removed from his side.
Lucius cried out in pain as his body and mind became clear. The comforting quiet was gone to be replaced by screaming. His eyes seared for a moment as candles near him illuminated the sickly surroundings. The pain triumphed over any sensation as his hands tried to desperately cover his wound.
“Do not die on me!”
Lucius paused a moment to open his eyes to see a large figure over him. He had to clear his vision with rapid blinks but Celestia's worried face came through. She was looking deep into his eyes with such a sad expression. Her horn was alight no doubt trying to fix whatever was causing him such massive pain. He didn't look away from her even as the black crept from the edge of his vision.
Moments seemed to pass away before a sudden wave of relief washed over him. The relief was soon overridden by the increased beating of his heart. His hands no longer grasp his numb side as he reached out to cup Celesta's face. Through her concentration, she didn't notice the two Human hands rising slowly to embrace her cheek. When the fingers grazed over her silk like fur she choked but refused to close her eyes as she focused on the wound. The black edges of his vision grew stronger but he could still focus on the one thing that still mattered to him. His hands must have been soaked in his blood as he noticed it smudging into her other wise perfect coat.
He wanted to laugh at the picture before him but as he did he coughed and hacked as a spittle of blood splattered on her face. Through all of this she didn't stop from working on the wound.
Lucius could no longer feel his legs and worried soon he would lose the feeling in his hands.
With his remaining strength, he pulled Celestia away from his wound to look at him directly. Lucius knew she would be a wreck and her face confirmed it. Tears fell from her eyes as they mixed with the blood from his hands. She began to visibly sob as her form came closer. He was glad that he didn't need to say anything as she placed trembling lips on his. He could barely feel them but it taste as if it was nectar from the Gods.
His arms soon fell to his side in slow slumps as they compacted the marble floor.
Celestia watched in shock as she shook him.
“No! No, please no!” she cried through a pained throat. The Princess' eyes betrayed their owner as her vision became blurry. “Don't leave me again,” she breathed into Lucius neck as she held him in a tight embrace. Her armour never felt as heavy as it did now. Her heart began to crumble as the Centurion's eyes began to reflect Luna's moonlight less and less. His breathing became almost non existent and then nothing.
All was still as Lucius Vor, Centurion of Legio VII laid dead.