Legio VII: Invictus

by Silbern

Fretensis

Lucius let out a low groan moments before he lifted the cup of coffee to his lips. He placed the cup back down on the table as the warm and cherished drink slid down his throat. He was skeptical about the drink at first but when Celestia had suggested it to help with his morning stupor, he couldn't resist. It was slightly bitter but it gave him a relaxing warmth.

He was sat at the dinning table in a white tunic that Celestia had lent him. Lucius at first wanted to ask how and where she got it but thought other wise. He imagined her at night measuring his body for the seamstresses to conjure up articles of clothing. It had been a rather quiet early morning as the two sat in silence. He shifted his eyes over to see Celestia with her reading glasses atop her muzzle as report after report fluttered by all the while levitating a cup of coffee which she sipped at now and again.

“Your staring,”

The Centurion paused to see that her Violet eyes were now looking up above the rim of her glasses directly at him with an amused grin. He pulled his own gaze away and instead tilted his cup to drain the rest of his delicious beverage. He placed the cup down and went to refill it until he noticed the coffee pot was levitating over to him already.

“Thank you,” he spoke as he cradled his cup. “What is the news?”

Celestia let out a long sigh before placing her glasses down on the table.

“Anger and Sadness has pretty much swept through the streets. While many are currently still trying to digest the information, others, especially the Ponies with financial power are questioning my Sister and I,” Celestia began to explain. “We are getting responses from Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Vanhoover. Most are promising aid to arrive by train late today. There will be a memorial planned tomorrow that we will be present at. I expect you to be there?”

Lucius locked eyes with the Mare and she had an expectant look.

“Of course. I owe some of those Ponies for fighting by my side, especially Lieutenant Tortoise. He and his group were the reason the Anti-magic ward fell,” Lucius responded. “We owe him and the others more than most will ever know,”

Celestia paused as she let his words sink in. Lucius was peering over his cup in deep thought, his eyes unfocused. She knew that as a seasoned Soldier, he wasn't about to have a break down but such things still weighed on him. An idea came to her head as she smiled.

“How about we honour them with a statue memorial?”

Lucius was quiet for a moment before softly smiling. “I think that will do them honour,”

Quiet had resumed through the room as each enjoyed the company without having to speak about it. This was all interrupted when a small cloud appeared which materialized into a scroll. Lucius dropped his cup to the floor where it smashed into shards, the coffee spilling onto the floor. His hand quickly grasped the knife that he used to spread butter on the bread and pointed it at the scroll. His breath was slightly haggard, his nerves on end as he searched for a potential enemy. The Guards stationed outside burst through the door with weapons at the ready.

Celestia watched all of it before slightly chuckling, her hoof trying to disguise her mirth.

“Settle down every one. It is a scroll from Twilight Sparkle,” She mused as the guards let out a sigh of relief before closing the doors once more.

“But it arrived with fire!”

“Yes, mainly due to it's sender,” Celestia began to explain. “Spike sends it magically using his Dragon's Breath. It sends the letters or scrolls directly to me without having to wait. Twilight has probably heard about the attack and is in full panic,”

The Princess began to read through her scroll, chuckling here and there.

Lucius placed the knife back down and with a sigh he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was way too jumpy but considering what had happened recently he only thought it normal. He didn't receive much sleep last night but he usually had a better grip than this.

“I need to go clean my armour,” Lucius spoke before walking over to Celestia, planting a kiss on her cheek. He watched with his own amusement as her cheeks flushed slightly.

“Dear?”

Lucius paused at the double doors, turning his head.

“I have assigned you two personal guards,” Celestia began and as she saw his mouth open she beat him to it. “No exceptions, my Love,” she pursed her lips and gave him a slight glare.

Lucius gave her a slight eye roll before nodding.

“Fantastic!” Celestia cheered with a smile which Lucius couldn't help but mirror. “Oh, one more thing. Will your armour be ready for just shortly before Lunch time?”

“If I am undisturbed, why?”

“We are to walk the streets to over look the reconstruction. I wish to speak to as many of the Ponies as possible,” Celestia spoke and Lucius could see her hurt. “They all suffered when they did nothing wrong. Whatever Zelus wanted was between himself and us. Those Ponies didn't need to die,”

Lucius paused at the door, his grip on the handle tightening. He hated seeing this. This Princess would have given her life it meant saving every last one of her subjects but without her, he doubt the Ponies of Equestria would be well off. The Centurion pivoted and returned to Celestia to embrace her. There was no tears but that didn't mean her feelings were any less authentic.

After giving her one more kiss he left her to her work. When he exited the dinning room, he almost ran into a couple of familiar faces. There was a silence for a moment as the Mare and Stallion gazed up at him with suspicious grins.

“Good morning, Centurion,” Sergeant Hook greeted without losing the grin.

“Morning, Centurion” the Guard Mare nodded that Lucius remembered from last night that had disguised herself as a castle cook. Her appearance had changed as she was now dressed in the plate armour that was special to Luna's own nocturnal Guard.

Lucius went into full Centurion mode as his scrutinizing glare bore a hole through the grins.

“Corporal Nacht and I have been given orders to be placed under your command as your personal Guards. The orders come directly from Princess Celestia and Luna,” The Stallion announced as he pulled a letter from a satchel. “For your eyes only, sir,”

Wordlessly, Lucius pulled the sealed letter and opened it to see a very short message.

No running away!

-Love, Celestia

Lucius grunted but he couldn't help but give a small laugh. He would have to pay her back with something equal in kind but for now he had a set of armour in desperate need of attention.

“Come along, Sergeant, Corporal,” Lucius called out as he turned towards the bedroom.

Lucius shifted slightly uncomfortably.

“Are you ok, Dear?” Celestia asked as she adjusted her crown just a tiny amount.

The two of them stood before the large doors that lead to the inner castle. His armour had been cleaned and polished, his cloth had regained its valiant red tone without the crusted blood and other fluid he chose not to think about. His two guards had taken the liberty to follow his example and polished their own armour to which he nodded in approval. He had left his shield behind to show a more approachable visage of his attire. This did nothing to calm himself though.

“I am not used to dealing with the public. I have done parades and other public displays but never had I actually interacted with them,” Lucius explained as he nervously tapped his fingers along the pommel of his sword.

A white hoof that wore the brilliantly shined royal attire rested on the Centurion's shoulder. Celestia gazed softly into his own brown eyes with her violet. Her mouth went in slowly to plant her lips on his and he gave no struggle. For a moment they enjoyed the closeness before she pulled away with a smile.

“I will be with you the entire time. Their is nothing to worry about,” Celestia reassured him as she watched the man exhale deeply to calm himself.

“I've gone into battle with calmer nerves,” Lucius chortled before turning his head back to Celestia and nodded. Thoughts of his Father echoed in his head and to that thought, he breathed out some of the anxiety.

Celestia gave the signal and with that, the large double doors slowly separated to have the Sun's light breaking through to temporarily blind all but the Princess.

Lucius quickly regained his sight with the help of tilting his head down to block the Sun with brim of his helm. What he saw was a flurry of activity outside the gate. No Pony really paid them much attention as work crews pushed along to deliver supplies and material where it was needed the most. Guard patrols moved in formation along the streets and to top it all off Lucius paused in surprise.

There was a Human.

It had felt like an eternity since he has seen the last of his species. He noticed the burly man was hammering away on a wall to reinforce where it seemed to suffer some damage. Lucius had to fight the urge to run up and shake the other Human in a tight grip. Perhaps he was of Roman decent?

Celestia pushed forward at a elegant walk which Lucius soon managed to match by her side. The iron gates swung open for the departing group as the guards saluted their Princess. Celestia than begun her best at pleasing the stopping and bowing crowd. The crowd seemed to hang off every word Celestia had said. She thanked every Pony for all of their hard work and that they all have her ever growing respect and love.

Lucius was quiet as Celestia said her own piece of the tragedy and declared that the culprit was brought to justice. The crowd cheered except for a few who seemed to be looking at the human Centurion that accompanied their Princess. Celestia than asked if anyone had questions to which more than a few hooves went into the air. Most of the questions were simple but one of them pointed at Lucius.

“Why did my Brother die so the Human could live?”

Lucius heard Celestia gasped as every single pair of eyes went to Lucius.

“Whatever do you mean, my little Pony?” Celestia asked as she beckoned the Mare to seperate from the crowd.

The Silver maned and grey fur Mare step forth from the crowd with a frown.

“Is it true, Princess? Did so many get harmed or killed simply for this Human?” her words poured forth in accusation much like poison. Her glare becoming more irritated at the mere sight of the bipedal.

“Of course not. Lucius was just mer-” Celestia tried her best to calm the Pony down with soft words but was interrupted.

“Yes. The creature and his disciples were hunting me down,” Lucius responded to the Mare's accusations.

Celestia turned her head in disbelief, not of the words he said but that he spoke them at all. She could have salvaged this situation. The Mare was angry and frustrated and needed something to direct it at but now that he gave her a target she didn't know how things would go.

“So it's true. You are the reason we have suffered so much pain and hardship!” the Mare cried as tears started to form on the edges of her eyes. “My Brother was a Baker! He didn't deserve this fate!”

Celestia was about to speak before a hand found it's way through her ethereal mane and placed on her neck in a calming motion. Lucius approached the Mare before kneeling and removing his helmet.

“No, Lucius!” Celestia pleaded which caused the crowd to take a step back except for the hurt Mare who just bore her angered gaze at the Centurion.

“I have caused your Family torture beyond my means to fix with mortal hands,” Lucius said with a lowered head. “Please, if your anger needs to be sated, be it upon my own body,” his words echoed among the hushed crowd before a hoof had forcefully cracked across his face.

Celestia watched in horror as the situation descended from her grasp. She watched as the distraught Mare had with all her might, struck the Centurion across the face. The sound of the hoof smacking flesh caused many of the surrounding Ponies to recoil slightly.

The Alicorn had seen enough. Her magic grasped a hold of the Human to fling him to her waiting outstretched fore hoofs. The Man struggled in the grip but she refused to let him get beaten again.

“If you are to hit him in your understandable rage, then I must ask that you do it to me as well,”

The crowd let out a collective gasp. The Mare who had started to sob watched in horror at her Princess.

“It was I who had kept him. If you all have the rage in your hearts to strike at this Man, then you must do it to me first. He is my guest and treasured friend,” Celestia announced as the Centurion ceased his struggling and instead clung onto the Princess.

“I couldn't, Princess,” the distraught Mare said between sobs as she collapsed to the stone floor.

Another Mare that had some striking similarities to the now crying Pony broke through the crowd. Her hoofs gathered up the crying Pony and just held her close.

“I apologize, Princess,” she spoke as she cradled the younger Mare in her hooves. “She was the closest to our Brother,”

Celestia released the Human who turned to face the crowd now brandishing a new reddening mark on his face. Corporal Nacht retrieved his helmet that he quickly placed it back onto his head without a word. After Celestia was sure that Lucius wasn't going to move anywhere, she stepped forward a few steps.

“I wish with all my heart that we could live in times that were of only peace. I wish that we would never know the feeling of burying our Sons and Daughters. I have tried so hard to carry that burden, My Little Ponies. I would have been happy to the end of my days if I could alone carry that burden but fate is never that kind,

“All of you are a piece of me,” Celestia explained which made many bow their head. “Let us all remember our dead, both in our hearts and in our memories,”

Lucius was silent as he ignored the already fading pain on the side of his face. He knew he was the cause of all of this. Part of him was hoping that the fact would hide beneath the surface but like Celestia said, Fate was never that kind. Celestia departed from the crowd and he followed by her side. They didn't discuss a single word until Lucius found himself being lead to a dark alleyway alone.

Celestia turned to be face to face with her loved one as she herself untied and levitated his helm off.

It was then that she gave him a smack across the face.

Lucius paused in shocked silence. His eyes wide in disbelief, slowly returning to see tears falling down Celestia's cheeks.

“Don't you dare,” She breathed heavily. “Don't you dare take all of that blame on yourself. I've seen those thoughts crush lesser beings from within,”

Lucius watched as she tried to wipe away the tears that begun to wet her fur. He tried to raise his hand to cup her cheek only to have a hoof push it away.

“Promise me, Lucius Vor. Promise me that you will share that burden for as long as your love for me holds true,”

Lucius paused as her words were consumed not by his logical brain but by his smaller heart. He knew what pain she was talking about. He had seen it in his Father, the ever steadfast man. The damage was the scars that were below the skin, muscle and bone. His gaze softened as it searched deep within the violet sea of Celestia's caring gaze.

“Are you sure that you can hold that much?” Lucius softly spoke. “You hold all of Equestria's worry upon your back. You do not need mine as well,”

“If I could not handle your thoughts, I would never have asked. I have had over a thousand years to balance my burdens,” Celestia spoke as she closed the distance between them. “I still carry the burden of banishing my Sister because of my own blindness and pride,”

“Then share it with me,” Lucius spoke taking her cheeks in his hand. “If you will take my burden then I will take yours,”

Celestia choked for a moment as she heard words that she only dreamed of. She quickly closed the distance between them as the sounds of the world simply faded away to them. For what felt like a happy eternity the two embraced before a cough caught their attention.

A guard pony was standing at attention as he nodded towards the street.

Celestia nodded her own thanks before giving Lucius some room. The two than began to straighten themselves out. Celestia tried her best to dry her fur while Lucius retrieved his helm to place it back properly on his head, giving the plumage atop a quick wave to remove any loose dirt.

“Shall we?” Celestia offered as she motioned for the street.

Lucius stood back up straight as he walked side by side with his Mare.

“The other Mare hit harder,” Lucius whispered with a smile only to get a rump to his side to make him stumble.