//------------------------------// // Flurry Heart // Story: Darkness: His Last Visits // by The Real Darkness //------------------------------// The moment Flurry felt something near her, she spurred about after using the sigil to summon her own crystal longsword to her hoof. She slammed the blade once, twice, thrice into a very decorated cursed sword, an eleven foot monstrousity that the wielder moved his body around to place the sword between hers and himself. “Fierce, ruthless, strong,” Lucius’ robes flowed gracefully as he continued to defend himself, proving his wrist as strong as steel. On the fourth attack, his massive blade upended and forced Flurry’s crystal weapon to slide down it, sparking along while he heaved it in a great circle. Her weapon was thoroughly smacked down and the unholy weapon came uncomfortably close to scarring her cheek. Lucius rolled into the same great circle overhead this time and used the centrifugal force of the massive blade to bound himself through the air and away. Flurry took intiative and swung her sword as he leapt back, cutting only his kingly robe. “The seamstresses won’t enjoy this news,” Lucius returned to a combatative stance, “Flurry, would you want a real battle?” “I’d want to know what’s going on. I didn’t call for you,” at her words, Lucius’ divine sword vanished in purple flames. “I’ve come to discuss some matters with you. Why are you all alone in your massive Empire? Where have all your subjects gone?” Inquiries he knew the answer to. Flurry lowered her hoof and laid the crystal longsword along her back, magic attaching it for her. She looked to the crystal heart and opened her mouth, “the hundreth Friendship Festival is being held by Twilight. They say she doesn’t have long left, so everypony went to make the occassion special,” Flurry sighed out her words, “it’s special for them, not us alicorns.” “How long have you lived, Flurry?” Lucius approached her side, gazing at the famed artifact of the Empire with her. “Three thousand moons. I’ll live a lot longer being a natural born alicorn,” Flurry couldn’t explain it, but something about him made more words slip from her lips than she intended to speak. Lucius laughed, reaching his hands out to touch the spinning heart, “a feeling I know well,” his fingers brushed the cyan crystal and the ehart radiated light, the shield around the Empire grew by a considerable size in its radius for just a moment. “Who...who are you? That’s a lot of love to keep inside yourself,” Flurry now stared at him instead of the Crystal Heart. He smiled at her, “You know who I am. I was...a friend of your mother, that’s something I haven’t said. There’s not a soul quite like her. I’d actually told her you’d grow up to be a pony full of warrior spirit whether I kept you in my tutelage or not. You know all the important thing of me.” “R-right, you just always have or know something that never ceases to surprise me, Lucius,” Flurry breathed out, “why do you have so much love?” “I love my people, my culture, my history, my...family, my spouse, you. I love a great many things, but I love today especially,” Lucius formed the telltale orb again, holding it in between the two of them. Flurry stared at it, the heart, and then him. “Would you come to paradise? My afterlife kingdom?” Lucius posed the question again. Flurry didn’t hesitate to shake her head, “sorry, but I’m following after my mom and dad.” “I see, that may sadden Princess Twilight a little. I know that I can’t go changing Empress Flurry Heart’s mind. What of your subjects? Decide for them if they should live out eternity in happiness,” he gestured to the orb again. Flurry nodded, “it is what ponies are always chasing after, especially after the loss of Auntie Luna and Celestia, especially with Auntie Twilight’s old age.” The orb burst at Lucius’ command and a great flood of purple strands streaked across the sky toward Canterlot to touch and taint many souls and their descendants to enter his world after they depart with their last breath. “Why did you come asking me this now?” Flurry asked. “How did you know your mother declined my offer herself?” Flurry laughed, “it’s just that thing she’d do. Mom took it hard when dad passed.” Lucius hummed, “perhaps a lot of her teachings of love did make it past your stubbornly thick skull,” Lucius turned around, stepping away. “You still haven’t answered my question!” Flurry shouted. “You’ll find the answer later today. I promise we’ll have one grand battle, in my own special arena, before you leave your prime age behind,” Lucius pulled open a portal and took his leave. After the entire Friendship Festival that Flurry Heart was purposefully late to so she could reflect in her Empire alone. That night, the evening spent traveling to the celebration of the festival, she said goodbye to her last blood relative quietly. Lucius was kind enough to push Twilight’s body to continue living until Flurry arrived and after the festival, when she retreated to her chambers in a frail state once more. “I see why you chose today. You take good care of Auntie Twilight,” Flurry spoke over Twilight who laid motionless with closed eyes in her bed.