Darkness: His Last Visits

by The Real Darkness

Celestia

“I see, you lay in bed now, your one moment alone,” a deep toned and slow masculine voice filtered in to the room. It had been thousands of moons since Celestia last heard it.

“You come back again?” Celestia called out as she laid in her quarters.

The door opened and Twilight began to trot in, her coat was stained with tears on her hooves and around her eyes.

A portal colored a deep but wrong purple appeared in the room, the door was frozen stuck in an aura of the same color, as was Twilight. Everything was frozen in the dark purple’s grip.

“Yes, it must be you. You are the only one strong enough to hold our entire world still.”

A bipedal walked out of the portal, clad in a complete black ensemble with silver swirls decorating his shirt and pants cuffs. Blackened boots wrapped his feet perfectly. A heavy, thick, and immacuately tailored robe sat atop his shoulders. Despite the robe having its own sleeves, he didn’t put his arms within them. A thick silver cord held it to his shoulders by laping across his chest. The robe was entirely purple, some fur of some kind of animal, with glinty white ascents and feathers of many different birds around the edge of the purple robe. A symbol not seen in Equestria was emblazoned on the back of the robe.

“Lucius, welcome,” Celestia smiled as she turned over to look directly at him. Lucius strided over, bowing lightly.

“Princess, not many live a life as full and ambitious as you,” he rose his head and torso, meeting her magenta dulled pupils with his blazing purple eyes, “tell me, would you have any regrets?”

Celestia giggled, her dry throat heaving, “I would, these words would stay between us, correct?”

“As the one who took mantle of half-Creator, I would ensure so. The world outside this bubble shaped confine does not move,” he smiled.

She shook her head, “hard to believe how powerful you are and you can’t simply force things to be the way you wish.”

“Just as the true Creator had, I gave up that part of the power I claimed. It would be meaningless if I could will anything to existence,” he walked to the bed, sitting near her rear hooves that were hid under the white quilt.

“I regret a few small things. Forgetting to tip a catering company, not stopping to look at the trees, lying to keep my posture in front of my subjects. Those are just a few.”

“I can share that sentiment, princess,” Lucius looked to the Twilight who was still frozen in his powerful grasp.

“Oh please,” she lightly bumped him with her rear hoof, “don’t be formal with me and stop lending me power.”

Lucius had severed the purple thread he laced under her quilts and Celestia visibly fell further into the bed and coughed.

“But there are only two things I truly regret,” Celestia spoke up with a hoarse throat again, “I didn’t live enough for myself and I didn’t tell them how much I loved them enough.”

Lucius stood from the bed, “I assure you, they know you love them. Whoever it is; Twilight, Luna, Cadance, they all know.”

She shook her head, “it wasn’t for the purpose of them knowing. I regret I didn’t show, didn’t share, didn’t tell them for my own sake. They deserved more from me than I was able to give.”

“Time is a thief. It is always looking for valuable potential memories to steal. As I stand immortal and dauntless, I could easily pass by opportunities with my family and friends. I remind myself to not, because if I do then those memories will never have been potential.”

“Wise words, Lucius. Do you enjoy asking powerful ponies like me these questions on the doormat to death?” Celestia kept a small graceful smile.

“I can always learn and always have something new to observe,” Lucius held a hand in the air between them, “but...before I let you have your very last goodbyes...”

“Your offer, fitting that the second time you should offer it would be this moment.”

“I have been watching your world...it’s one of an incredible harmony,” Lucius’ hand formed a deep black transparent sphere, purple energies swirling within.

There was something profanely off about it, but something deeply comforting in it also. It unsettled Celestia, but the kind of discomfort that comes from accepting a higher status or place. The orb floated just two centimeters from Lucius’ palm, innocent.

Lucius spoke up, “would you like your world to join us in a paradise?” He asked as plainly as one would order a coffee from any barista. His eyes closed while he smiled.

Celestia laughed, not at him, at herself, “no, we will be fine. I appreciate your offer and tenderness despite your position.”

Lucius still held his hand out, the orb shrunk in size to that of a finely misted water droplet, “Princess Celestia, will you join us in paradise?” He asked the specific question.

She hesitated, opening her mouth before she closed her eyes and shook her head, “no, I won’t be, Lucius.”

He clasped his hand shut and the orb flittered out in purple sparks that dashed in the air, “I would beseech you to reconsider, but your mind has been made up,” he straightened his back.

“Mmm, that it is. Say, you dress awfully like royalty, what is your official title to this paradise you talk about?” Celestia smirked and watched him as he walked to the center of the room.

“King.”

“King,” Celestia let it roll off her tongue, “and yet you called me princess.”

“Of course, I would,” Lucius pulled his hand down vertically in the air and the unnatural portal from earlier formed again, “Princess Celestia, you are a unique existence, I romanced the idea of having such good company with me.”

“You’re kind. Farewell,” Celestia called from the bed.

Lucius had no other words to say. She could say goodbye to him as it was fitting, she would not see him again. Lucius would see bits and pieces of her everywhere else, though she would not recognize him anymore. He passed through the portal and the circular anomaly vanished.

The purple aura around the room and on the door vanished. Twilight finished bursting into the room, tears freshly streaming again while Luna, Celestia, Cadance, and Spike followed.

Lucius observed quietly for one last moment before he turned his eyes away from the bubble in the Not named Equestria and gazed to his own world. He would always give others true privacy.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Lucius pulled from my main work of original fiction.

What is that work about? Or did I already ask you this?

[The Real Darkness]

11869741
You haven’t asked yet.

It’s a fantasy with a little surrealism in it. It’s not released anywhere as it’s still in a draft form and being edited.