The Centurion Project

by TheEighthDayofNight


Chapter 7: The New Guard

Journal Entry

Day: Bite Me (870)

All work and no play makes me a dull boy, but any play makes me a dead boy. Is it better to be dull or dead? I should ask Jimmy. He’s been swimming in the swimming hole for hours. He can hold his breath for a very long time. The concrete must help. I’ll fish him out before he gets wrinkly, make sure he knows I’m not going to ground him for stabbing me in the hand.

“Are you honestly trying to convince my sister and I that you sustained these injuries during a, quote; “human cultural sharing ritual”?” Luna asked in disbelief.

Elias couldn’t blame her, it wasn’t his most believable lie, but he had few options. The best lies were small and contained a measure of truth. There was no semi-honest answer that would dismiss the bandages on his legs and neck.

“I am trying to convince nobody of anything,” Elias responded blankly, meeting her eyes with a bored stare. “You asked what happened, I answered. I’ve been hurt much worse sharing my culture with other humans; these are glory wounds, nothing I haven’t suffered before.”

Luna turned her glare on Nightshade, who was standing at a rigid attention, her face blank as she tried not to sweat. Elias frankly enjoyed watching the ponies back up his lie with their silence. He had no doubt one, if not both would talk to the princesses in private to tell the truth, but right now, they were following him blindly. He could say anything, and they would agree. They were in far too deep to back out now.

“Is all of this true Captain? You were merely sharing cultures with our guest?” Luna asked accusingly.

Nightshade wisely remained silent, and Elias let her suffer for a moment before butting in by clearing his throat. The blue princess glared at him as he spoke.

“Princess, it is tradition for none of the participants to speak of the cultural sharing. It is meant to be a rather intimate ritual between…” Elias paused as he tasted the word in his mouth. He didn’t like it, even as he said it with a calm voice. “friends.”

Twilight groaned and slammed her head into the table.

“I can’t believe I missed out on more human culture! I’m missing all of the good stuff!”

She had been surprisingly open to conversation with Elias despite his outburst. She had offered a tentative apology; which Elias had accepted at the prodding of Steel Scalpel. He made sure to add the condition to steer clear of any subjects he didn’t wish to discuss, but he promised to tell as much as he could, fulfilling his deal with Nightshade. The thestral had grinned at him mockingly before she had drawn Luna’s ire. Said ire which was now being thrown around the room as Luna tried to pry the truth from the human and the two closed lipped ponies.

As he had assured the two ponies, the princesses couldn’t disprove his statements, and with the silence of their subjects, along with the occasional groan from Twilight, they were forced to concede. Elias could tell neither of them were happy about it, with Luna pointedly glaring at all three suspects while Celestia simply frowned in disappointment, looking primarily at Scalpel and Elias.

“Very well,” the white alicorn said slowly. “If you are sure that nothing negative has happened we can move along to other matters. Though I will be talking with each of you individually to ensure that all is truly well. I have no wish for grudges amongst my subjects.”

Elias wanted to point out that he didn’t fit into that category, but he tactfully remained silent. He had no desire to have the princesses find out the truth immediately, and being overly mouthy would only lead to more pressure. It would be better to let the events fade from memory a little before they could figure the truth out.

He shifted his weight between his feet, his legs aching as dull pain began to set in. While he had no doubt that Luna would enjoy watching him suffer, Celestia seemed to notice his discomfort, and she gestured toward the empty seats at the cleared table.

“Please, let us begin anew. We still have much to discuss this evening.”

They all resumed their previous seats, though Elias noticed that both Scalpel and Nightshade scooted their chairs just a bit closer to him. Luna had an almost predatory look on her face as she scanned the faces of the two obviously guilty ponies. Elias’ calm, almost bored demeanor acted as a calming agent however, and the lie was believed… for now.

“I believe it would be better for all if we steered our conversations toward the future, rather than the past, agreed?” Celestia said.

Everybody responded with silent nods, and Celestia smiled.

“Excellent.” She faced Elias directly. “Elias, the… events of tonight have only strengthened my resolve to help you.”

Elias bit his cheek, suppressing the irritation he could already feel rising in his chest. Although a large part was directed at the ponies for pitying him, a small portion of that anger was directed at himself. Why had he made such a stupid bet? It didn’t matter what Celestia said, he would have to accept; that, or shoot the last bit of character he had left in the face. Elias really didn’t like that option; he had tried it once. Never again.

“My sister and I have discussed several potential solutions,” Celestia continued. “First, we have already begun researching a method by which to send you back to your world. While we pursued this avenue, you would stay as our guest within Canterlot Castle, and hopefully we could help you resolve your issues with your emotional distress.”

Elias shook his head.

“I wouldn’t waste your time. I was brought here by a freak accident; something called an anomaly. They usually disappear after contact with a living creature, so it is likely gone.” He shrugged. “Besides, I have nothing waiting for me on Earth but pain and death.”

Celestia inclined her head.

“I had surmised as such, but I did not want to assume and keep you trapped here.”

'And yet, here is exactly where I’ll be trapped,' Elias thought, biting his tongue.

He briefly considered bolting again, but that small voice at the back of his mind yelled at him to keep his word. Elias sometimes wished he could physically slap that voice.

“Another solution we discussed was a... parole of sorts,” Celestia said. Elias raised an eyebrow in response, but Celestia quickly continued. “I am not accusing you of a crime,” she said, trying to allay his fears.

“Yet,” Luna growled.

Celestia shot her a glare before continuing, turning back to Elias.

“We merely wish to see if you are compatible with our ponies. Through what I am sure is no fault of your own, you have been traumatized, and as such may not realize when you are being too… aggressive.”

Elias smirked.

“You can just say that I’m a violent anti-social threat. I don’t mind. If I didn’t have keen self-awareness, I would have gone insane. Humans are supposed to be social creatures. Certain circumstances have made me an outlier.”

Celestia seemed to hold onto only the social creatures bit, because she sat up slightly.

“Then this solution may work the best. I would like to send you to Ponyville with Twilight. Once there, she will assist in educating you on pony society while you are re-socialized. Her friends are marvelous ponies, and I am sure they are more than capable with helping you find peace.”

“What would I do for housing and food?” Elias asked.

“Ooh! You can stay with me!” Twilight said excitedly. “We can stay up for hours talking about humans and you can help me study and then we’ll organize the library! I always need an extra pair of hands when tidying up.”

Elias felt his eye twitch as he watched the overly excited unicorn ramble. That solution died quickly in his mind. He had already disliked the notion of being forced into a society, but doing so while being at the mercy of Twilight and what was quickly becoming an obsession of hers; he’d rather not.

Elias looked back to Celestia.

“Did you have any other solutions? I don’t think I’m the peaceful library type.”

Celestia sighed, shaking her head at Twilight’s antics.

“Indeed. The third solution is to take you on as a guard here. This solution would allow Doctor Scalpel and Luna to closely monitor, and assist, your emotional state. You would need to sign a service contract, but your full room and board would be covered, along with a stipend paid weekly.”

“How long would this contract be for?” Elias asked, already solidifying in his mind which option he would take.

If anything else, being a guard would be an excuse to remain constantly armed. He didn’t care how peaceful ponies saw themselves. He’d be dead and buried before he walked around without his gladius.

“The standard guard contract is five years,” Celestia replied. “Though, we could modify yours to be based upon your physical and mental state. If both Doctor Scalpel and Luna determine that you are emotionally stable, I would have no issues with allowing you to find a different place in our society at your discretion.”

Given the look he was receiving from Luna, Elias knew he was going to be stuck with the five-year contract. He could already sense a grudge forming against him. It was funny, all things considered.

“What does being a guard entail?” he asked, making sure he knew what he was getting into.

Nightshade was actually the one to answer, her voice only slightly robotic as she spoke.

“It depends on which service you choose, but in sum; you would be involved in twelve-hour shifts with an assortment of positions. We would need to ensure you have complete combat and duty training, but ultimately you are a watcher; waiting for something to go wrong so that you can respond in a quick and efficient manner.”

“While the Guard acts as Equestria’s primary military body,” Celestia continued, “it is solely based here in Canterlot and acts more as a peacekeeping force. Most disputes are solved by our ponies themselves or, in extreme cases, during our day and night courts. It is very rare that any threats require a… violent response.”

Elias smirked, pointedly looking at Nightshade and Luna.

“Really? How interesting.”

Luna sniffed, sticking her nose in the air.

“You are a special case Elias. My guards attempted to confront you in a non-violent manner, and you responded by assaulting them. What followed was merely insurance that you wouldn’t remain a threat.”

Elias shrugged in dismissal.

“I’m not blaming you; it isn’t dissimilar to how I would have responded. Next time though, please just do me the favor of stabbing me to death. Nearly drowning isn’t nearly as fun as it’s cracked up to be.”

Luna pushed back her seat, her voice rising as she jabbed a hoof at him.

“That would not have occurred if you had simply remained in place! Instead you ran along like a mare in heat with your tail between your legs as you tried to escape.”

Elias tilted his head, trying to appear calm when in truth he wanted to laugh. He couldn’t be bothered to get angry; this was starting to get kind of fun. He hadn’t had a good verbal sparring in a while, and it would seem that Luna had a bit of an anger issue. Her buttons were easy to push. Who was he to waste an ideal situation?

“I was merely making a tactical withdrawal to a better position to fight an unknown enemy that outnumbered me. What would you think when creatures straight out of a story book came by your campsite and started sniffing your bloody bandages? It isn’t my fault your version of introductions comes at the point of a sword in the dead of night,” Elias responded.

“Brought about only because you decided to act like a sneak thief in the middle of the day!” Luna shouted. Elias glanced over to Celestia, who was shaking her head slowly, her face one of exasperation. Evidently this wasn’t the first time this had happened.

Elias cocked his head.

“I apologize for being delirious, I seem to recall having an arrow in my chest. My judgement tends to suffer when I’m bleeding my life away.”

Luna scoffed.

“Please, you have the dramatic sense of a foal. If you were truly that injured, you should have approached Ponyville on the main path and received proper medical care. Instead you ran and cowered like a child.”

Elias felt a grin spread across his face.

“You’re accusing me of being a child, yet one of us is shouting at the top of their lungs, in front of her subordinates and sister no less, while the other is a human merely trying to learn more about his new environment. Who would you say is acting childish now Princess?”

Luna turned beet red. Her mouth opened and Elias heard an impressive intake of air. He braced himself for a shout, but was blindsided when it came from Celestia instead.

“ENOUGH!” she shouted, slamming her forehooves into the table, nearly upending it.

All of the ponies jumped, while Elias tried to contain his amusement. This was far too easy. Maybe he did have a place here. A little bit of trouble making never hurt anyone, and it had been a very long time since he had had the opportunity to make innocent mischief. Celestia took a deep breath and settled back into her seat, her face calming visibly as she brought her flash of anger under control. She looked first to her sister, shaking her head slightly as she spoke.

“Luna, you should be ashamed of yourself. To be so easily goaded; I thought we had worked on this,” Celestia admonished.

Luna looked down as she sat in her chair, occasionally shooting a glare at Elias when she thought nobody was looking. Celestia then looked to Elias, and shook her head in disappointment.

“As for you Elias, I cannot pretend to be happy with your words, but I also cannot punish you for them. Do note that should you accept a position in the guard, such behavior will not be tolerated.”

Elias nodded, keeping his face calm as he responded.

“Of course, Princess. My apologies. I always found that a bit of argumentative banter eased tensions.”

“Why do I severely doubt that?” Scalpel muttered.

Celestia gave Scalpel a look that told Elias she agreed with him, but they all let the subject drop. Calm and dignified once more, Celestia said;

“There are three guard branches, though the Royal Guard is off limits until you serve a full year within one of the regular guard forces, as well as pass a series of exams.”

“And the other two?” Elias asked.

He leaned forward in his slightly, his recently unused curiosity beginning to rise. Elias felt mentally cluttered, like his mind was stuck between two points. One was trying to warn him to remain cautious, to only learn enough to get done and get out. It advised him to drive the ponies away, to remain aloof until whatever service he was due was up, then run as he had planned earlier.

The other half wanted to relax, to let go of his suspicions so it could learn. It wanted to find a library, to see what books they had. A new world meant new cultures to study, new civilizations. He relished his knowledge of ancient Greek and Roman life, and he really wanted to see how this world stood up in the face of human empires. It wanted to joke, to play, to see and experience. All of that could be done by using this chance as a tool for future interests.

Elias decided to lean toward the latter voice. Escape was a solid back up, and remaining aloof would have benefits for keeping certain ponies away, Elias felt his eyes flick to Luna before flicking back to Celestia, but he had an opportunity here. If nothing else, learning more could be used as a weapon.

Satisfied with his mental justification, Elias listened carefully as Celestia continued to speak.

“The Solar Guard is my personal branch,” she said. “They are led by Guard Captain Shining Armor, and operate from dawn till dusk, guarding the daylight hours. It is the largest of the three guard forces, and I am sure that you would be able to make many friends if that should be your wish.”

Luna, her temper cooled in the moments of passing talk, continued where Celestia left off.

“As for the Lunar Guard, it is a much smaller force, but no less powerful. You have already met Captain Nightshade, and should you choose this branch, you will act as guardian of the night,” she smiled sinisterly, “with me of course. It will also allow us to… get to know each other better.”

Elias gave her an unimpressed look before turning back to Celestia.

“I’m assuming there is some sort of paper I’ll have to sign?” he asked.

She seemed to perk up in her seat as her smile brightened.

“Are you sure you’ve already decided? We would be more than happy to allow you to rest for a few more days so that you could think about this. It is no small decision.”

Elias shrugged, trying not to look at Nightshade as he spoke.

“I’ve already told myself that I would accept what I could get, and this is going to be the best option. Signing a few years of my life away for peace of mind isn’t so bad. I’m young. I’ll have plenty of time after.”

Celestia nodded.

“Very well Elias. I shall have the appropriate documentation prepared before your first training session. Shall I put you down for the Solar Guard then?”

“The Lunar Guard actually,” Elias replied calmly.

“WHAT?” Luna shouted, her hooves hitting the table.

Elias heard Scalpel sigh and saw a small pouch float into Nightshade’s waiting hoof, the pony keeping a straight face as she tucked it away in her armor. The motion went unnoticed as Luna began to rant.

“This is unacceptable!” she said, pointing at Elias. “You merely wish to be a member of my guard to make a mockery of it! To tarnish its name and uniform! I shall not allow it.”

Elias frowned, meeting the seething pony’s eyes with his calm ones.

“I will do no such thing. Though I may forget myself from time to time, I am still a man of my word, and whatever terms and rules your contract has, I shall follow them to the best of my ability.”

Elias straightened in his seat, erasing the slouch he had been maintaining lazily.

“I have no interest in bringing your guard shame Princess. I shall treat whatever position I am given with the same respect as I would my own legion. If you do not believe me-…” Elias stood, unsheathing his sword. He flipped it in his hand and offered the hilt to Luna. “then take this and let’s end this farce here and now. I have no interest in being some sort of passive subject, and I will not continue a life lived in shame. If my word isn’t valued, then my life lacks meaning. If you don’t believe me, take up my sword, and let’s talk no more.”

As he finished, he gently tossed the blade, letting it clatter to a stop just in front of Luna. Her eyes flickered back and forth between Elias’ calm face and the sharp blade glistening before her. Elias could see the shock in her eyes, and he imagined that it was mirrored on the faces of the other ponies. The words were a bit melodramatic, as was the action of giving her his sword, but it served its purpose. If nothing else, it was a full commitment that should get the ponies to trust him. Exactly as he needed them to.

“Elias, I don’t…” Luna started. She seemed unable to continue, so Elias gestured to the sword.

“Princess, for a man, his word is his life. If he does not honor it, he doesn’t deserve to live, and is no longer a man. Only those who are insane or cowardly willingly break their word.”

“And which are you?” Nightshade asked.

Elias shrugged, the motion drawing pain from his arm. He re-cradled it as he answered.

“I don’t know anymore,” he replied simply. "but I believe I will soon have an opportunity to figure that out."

Nightshade frowned, and Elias could tell she didn’t really accept the answer, but she wasn’t important right now. Elias looked back to Luna, who was now solely staring at his gladius.

“I have given the choice to you Princess,” he said. “My life is in your hands. That’s how much I believe my word is worth.”

Luna frowned in thought, and Elias could practically see the gears turning behind her eyes. For a split second, Elias thought he could see a smile on her lips, then the moment passed as she raised her head, her face a calm mask. The gladius lifted into the air in her blue aura, and Elias watched as it spiraled through the air.

“Are you sure about this human?” she asked him carefully. “Will you be able to devote yourself to the night, and by extension me? Your duties shall not be light.”

“No challenge has put me down yet,” Elias replied. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep moving forward.”

The blade settled in the air above his head, its edge pointing down. Luna’s eyes were locked with Elias’, both of them unflinching.

“Will you swear to have no fear? Will you pledge to give your life for others should it become necessary?”

Elias smirked.

“I’ve already survived my worst nightmares, and therefore I fear nothing. I’ve been living for myself for a while now. It might be a good change of pace to die for others.”

Luna tilted her head slightly, and this time Elias was sure he had seen her smile. Not in a mocking fashion either, but a genuine smile. Odd.

“Very well then.”

The gladius descended swiftly, fast enough that he felt the air cut as it stopped just short of his tunic. Elias didn’t so much as blink. The blade gently alighted on his left shoulder, then his right. “I dub thee Guardsman Bright,” Luna said, her tone rising slightly as she made her proclamation, “official member of the Lunar Guard. Serve thy position well Guardsman, I shall be watching you closely.”

Elias’ gladius flipped smoothly in the air, the hilt now facing him. He inclined his head slightly as he took the offered blade, sheathing it quickly. The rest of the ponies stomped lightly; what Elias assumed was their version of clapping. Either way, it made him uncomfortable, and Elias quickly sat back down, supporting his arm once more as he tried to avoid eye contact with all of the smiling ponies. He felt his face flush slightly in embarrassment, and he pushed hard to suppress the emotion. It was supposed to be a display of grit and fortitude, yet the ponies were acting like it was a congratulatory affair was foreign to him. Mostly, he just didn’t like the positive attention.

His actions seemed to win him favor with Luna though, because her glares at him ceased, replaced by a calm mask, hiding her emotions carefully. Nightshade leaned over.

“Nice job,” she whispered in his ear.

*****

Elias walked behind Luna; their pace leisurely as they walked through the castle corridors. Thanks to Doctor Scalpel, his arm was in a proper sling now, though Elias had rejected the use of any kind of painkiller, medicinal or otherwise. He wanted to keep his head clear. He had to make rational, well thought out decisions, and he couldn’t let the ponies effect how he thought. While he was going to be stuck with the them for the long haul, he didn’t intend to change much. He had to remain stand-offish, even it meant alienating a few people. Without looking back or so much as a single mistep, Luna said;

“So, Guardsman, while I do believe you are sincere in your pledge to perform your duties to your fullest, I must say I am curious. Your armor and weapons seem to indicate that you would prefer fighting in daylight, yet you chose the night. May I ask why?”

“Unfortunately, that armor was made for me during my time as a legion commander,” Elias replied. “Normally, you would be correct. When fighting with a unit trained as mine was, daytime is the best to organize and fight battles.” Elias felt a smile at the corner of his mouth. “The armor is supposed to shine in the sunlight; a visual intimidation factor if you will.” His thoughts quickly soured. “When what happened happened, I was left with only my armor. I kept wearing it even though my strategies changed. I chose the night guard because I have had an abundance of practice striking from darkness.”

He shrugged as he brought his rogue emotions back under control.

“Also, I like it better than the day. Sunlight is great and all, but the quiet doesn’t seem so unnatural at night.”

“I apologize Guardsman. It is likely no small thing to witness the death of one’s species,” Luna replied.

“It wasn’t just my species Princess; it was all of them. Humans killed the whole planet. What still lives won’t be doing so for long. It’s why I know I won’t go back. I’d rather take my chances in mysterious fantasy world than my own.”

Luna snorted, and yet the action somehow seemed dignified.

“Our world is fantastical? Nonsense. You are the one who speaks of touching stars. We are tame by comparison.”

Elias eyed the back of her head.

“Ignoring the radical difference in species, you have the natural ability to fly and to use magic. Real magic, not card tricks, genuine magic. Humans have no such thing. I would say actual magic weighs in favor of being more fantastical.”

Luna scoffed.

“Please Guardsman, all creatures have innate magic. Your species must have simply missed or ignored the signs of your world’s magic.”

Elias shrugged, looking at the wall pointedly as they walked.

“I guess you could be right Princess. For instance, having thumbs is awful useful, one could say it’s the magic finger, though there might be some debate on that.” He titled his head slightly as he looked back at the pony.

Luna sighed and stopped, turning around with a disappointed look on her face.

“Guardsman, as much as I enjoy your nigh flippant tone; you will act like a professional while in my guard. I shall tolerate no less.”

Elias bit back a retort that he wasn’t technically a guard yet, but the look on her face helped him drive the comment away. He didn’t know precisely what it was, but he just didn’t like seeing Luna look at him like that. It reminded him of…

Elias blinked, widening his eyes so that the memory would stay buried. He couldn’t afford another panic attack so quickly. Elias let the small voice at the back of his mind have the reigns for a moment. He bowed his head, lowering his eyes.

“Sorry Princess. I’ll get it under control.”

Her eyes narrowed at his quick submission, but she nodded and turned back around, resuming her quick stride. Elias followed close behind. The rest of the walk was in silence, with Elias unwilling to give anything more than short, non-descriptive answers. As they arrived at a door, that to Elias looked the same as any other, Luna stopped, turning to him once more.

“Before we enter this room,” she said, indicating the doorway with her hoof, “the gryphon that resides here is a bit, how do I put this properly… eccentric,” she finished.

Elias was a bit more in shock that she had mentioned another fairytale creature. Clearing his throat, he asked;

“Respectively Princess, are there any other mystical creatures I should know about? Do you perhaps keep a dragon nearby? Maybe a hydra or two? Should I be expecting a minotaur on an afternoon jog perchance?”

“These creatures are all fantastical to your world as well?” she asked in reply.

Elias nodded.

“From an assortment of different cultures.” He sighed, blowing some hair from in front of his eyes. “They’re all real, aren’t they?”

“Quite,” Luna answered with an amused smirk. “Though you are unlikely to find any within our borders, especially not in Canterlot.”

Elias sighed, his face downcast as he thought, his mind struggling to grasp the situation as it slowly unfolded. Evidently his mood was readable.

“Are you all right Guardsman?” Luna asked, a frown on her face.

Her tone also became slightly more concerned, which Elias found mildly irritating. He didn’t need pity. The small voice helped him suppress the urge to lash out, and Elias answered the question truthfully.

“Just beginning to realize how out of my depth I am Princess. It’s… a lot to process. I’ll probably have to do some reading so that I don’t induce another panic attack from mental strain alone.”

“Guardsman, if you still need further time to recover, it is not a sign of weakness,” Luna said. “I am quite willing to delay your entrance to the Lunar Guard in favor of you being better adjusted.”

Elias shook his head slowly.

“No, no. I’m… I’ll get better faster if I get to work. I’ll just need to borrow some books; if you don’t mind of course,” he added, looking back to Luna.

She eyed him carefully, but nodded.

“The Royal Library is always available for all guards. I shall be sure to take you there before our tasks tonight are completed.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Elias said, his mind drifting off as he laid out what he would look for.

He would start with some sort of cultural book, or maybe something on local fauna, He could then expand to history, and if he was truly free to look up what he wanted; local weaponry. Magic had to have an impact on warfare, and Elias would need to have intimate knowledge of it if he wanted to learn how to counter it in the future.

His mind snapped back to the present like a bowstring. He gestured to the door with his good arm.

“You were saying about the gryphon?” he asked leadingly.

Luna sighed, staring at the door with a look that Elias assumed was trepidation.

“Let us finish our business here quickly. I do like Anyon, but when he is working, he has a nasty tendency to be abrasive. It can be distasteful.”

She sighed again and pushed open the door, letting out a wave of heat and noise from the room. She walked confidently in, and Elias followed, letting the door close behind him as he squinted. He did his best to let his eyes adjust to the sudden change in both light and heat. Where the corridor had been a bit cool, the room was sweltering. Elias saw several furnaces running at full steam, their light painting the walls with hot oranges and reds. And that was just in the front area of the room. The back area was blocked by a simple wooden barricade that ran from the floor to the ceiling, with only a door and a bathtub sized opening in the middle. Through said opening, Elias spotted rows of dark blue armor across from rows of bright gold armor. In the center sat more furnaces, as well as a myriad of tools hanging from the ceiling. It all looked disorganized and tightly packed, so tightly packed that nothing should have been able to move about.

Yet skittering throughout it all like a madman was a gryphon, straight out of a fairy tale. Elias noted however, that this one seemed rougher than those drawn in any book he had seen. Its head feathers were black, though whether that was from its natural color or the soot hanging in the air, Elias couldn’t tell. As it flipped back and forth between a workbench and hammering a glowing sword, Elias noticed that one of its eyes were missing, with a long scar over the socket in its place. All of this he observed in the second that it took Luna to walk to the opening which acted as a storefront for the blacksmith.

She cleared her throat loudly.

“Anyon? I am here for the special request.”

Without looking up from his work, the gryphon answered.

“Princess, ah already said ah cannot make a bed that bounces for ya. It cannot be done! The frame won’t take the strain! There just ain’t a material out there that can take the abuse an alicorn can throw at it! I know ya like jumpin' up and down on it, but it cannot be done!”

Luna’s ears twitched in embarrassment, her eyes flicking to Elias as she gauged his reaction. Elias kept a passive look on his face and he feigned looking around the smithy, pretending to be uninterested in what the gryphon had let slip.

Luna cleared her throat loudly as she looked back to Anyon.

“I am not here about… that request Anyon,” she said, her eyes flicking back to Elias again. She leaned forward a bit, as if trying to shield the already exposed information from him. “That was supposed to remain private!” she hissed.

The gryphon spun around, abandoning his work as his eye found quickly found Elias, who stared back.

“Ach!” the gryphon squawked, his eye flicking back to Luna. “You didn't tell me you were bringin’ him! The armor’s almost ready, ah just have to wait for the enchantments to settle.”

Elias looked to Luna, his face showing his confusion.

“Armor?” he echoed. “What’s wrong with my old set?”

Luna opened her mouth to respond, but Anyon scoffed first.

“Ignorin' the fact that it’s the wrong color, yer “old set” is dung. Ah’ve seen hatchlings with better skill out the egg then who’er made that.”

Elias growled and his hand clamped onto the hilt of his sword.

“My best friend made that armor,” he said, his eyes becoming dangerous.

Anyon scoffed again.

“Yer friend’s an idiot and needs to find himself a new craft if he intends to live with himself. Ah wouldn’t arm my cat with that low-grade mish-mash rubbish.”

Elias felt his hand freeze as he began to tug his sword free. His eyes quickly fell on Luna, who’s horn was lit up. She ignored him in favor of glaring at Anyon, who currently had his beak clamped shut in a blue aura.

“That is enough. I will not have either of you instigating a fight. We have already had one of those tonight.” she said, pointedly looking at the bandages wrapped around Elias’ legs. “You two will cease this folly at once, am I clear?” She looked to Elias apologetically. “Your old armor was quite fine Elias, but it simply does not meet the needs of your new position. Please, let us not have violence again, it is not fitting this night.”

Elias scowled, but he let his hand drop away from his gladius. Anyon waved a claw at his entrapped beak, and Luna released him. The bird scratched it before staring at Elias. He rubbed at his chin as he looked the man up and down.

“Princess Luna’s right. Yer old set was missing enchantments, and it wasn’t made from good ol’ Equestrian steel.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “Ahm sorry ‘bout yer friend, ahm sure he did his best.”

The gryphon extended a claw of peace to Elias, which Elias simply glared at. Anyon snorted.

“Fine, be like that.” He turned his shoulder to Elias as he looked to Luna. “I don’t know where ya keep finding these strays Princess, but they could learn a thing or two about manners afore you bring ‘em in ‘ere.”

Someone should teach you some manners, buzzard,” Elias spat in Latin, carefully tucking his thumb into his sword belt. “I didn’t carry that armor for this long to have some raggedy bird spit on it.”

I already said I’m sorry youngblood,” Anyon snapped back. “Take the damn apology so we can both move on from this.”

The pair froze as they stared at each other in shock. Luna looked between them in confusion. She didn’t understand the tongue in which they spoke, but it was clear they understood each other. Anyon was the first to recover, his glare fixed intently on Elias.

“How in the world do you know the old tongue?” he questioned sharply.

“I would ask you the same thing,” Elias responded, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the gryphon. “It is an old tongue, but a human one. Latin. The language of conquerors.”

Anyon shook his head, and Elias noted some of the black, now clearly soot, fall off with the motion.

“Nay. That is the language of kings. Rex loqueris. Gryphon leaders have been speaking that tongue for ages to each other to counter any who would plot against them.”

Elias looked at the gryphon curiously.

“If that’s the case, then how do you know it? This workshop of yours doesn’t look like much of a kingdom to me.”

Anyon laughed.

“Aye youngblood, that it's not. No, ah used to live far from ‘ere in Gryphonia, as the king’s personal blacksmith!” His chest feathers fluffed out with pride. “And being the best blacksmith meant ah was privy to everything, even a language that was meant for a special few.”

“So why are you here now?” Elias asked. “That sounds like something you would never leave for anything.”

Anyon nodded in agreement, then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“It was. But… ah may or may not have shared a nest with the king’s wife, if you catch my meaning.”

Elias blinked in shock.

“You gave up your position as the king’s personal blacksmith, a life likely filled with more luxury in a single day then I’ve seen in my entire life, just to fuck his wife?” Elias asked slowly.

“Guardsman!” Luna said, aghast. Anyon only laughed.

“The youngblood knows his words! About time someone with some class started creepin’ ‘bout this place." He smiled and shrugged at Elias. "Anyway, just about. Ya gotta understand, she was the fairest catch in the land, and since he’s king, she had an awful tendency to get real lonely…”

Elias shook his head in disbelief.

“Nobody gets that lonely.”

“Ah was younger then ya daft idiot!” Anyon screeched. “An’ even if ah wasn’t, ah coulda still wooed her with my handsome charms.” He puffed his chest out again and combed back his dusty, black feathers.

The gryphon then looked to Elias, who just stood, one eyebrow raised as he subtly shook his head again. His eye flicked to Luna, who was doing her best to suppress a smile as she shook her head in a firm 'no'. Anyon sighed and let the façade drop.

“Ah yer right. Ah’m an old bird now. She’d want some youngblood stud like yerself.” He shrugged, his rugged demeanor returning in full. “Still, back then ah was a bit more foolish and hotheaded. Much like yerself.”

Elias sneered at him silently as Anyon continued.

“Ah was with the fair lady for some time, oh and the things she could do…” he stared wistfully into the air. Luna sighed and sent a light shock through her horn, making the gryphon jump. He continued instantly. “One day the king came home early, and well, there ain’t no fightin’ the king, so ah gave her a kiss and flew the coop.”

Anyon gestured toward Luna.

“The princesses were kind enough to offer me sanctuary in exchange for my smithin’ talents, so ah changed my name and now ah’m here in Canterlot to stay. Have been for some time now.”

Elias looked to Luna.

“And this king was just okay with that? You can’t expect me to believe he never found out.”

Luna smirked.

“He found out within a week. You must understand King Steel Talon is not a bad king, in fact he excels at the position, and has done so for as many centuries as my sister and I have ruled Equestria. His work simply keeps him busy, and every wife he takes begins to be neglected as duty overtakes personal life. It is why my sister and I do not take lovers.”

“That seems like a rather bleak life,” Elias said.

Luna shrugged in response.

“Such is the fate of near immortals. We are viewed as gods by some. This is a false premise of course, but regardless, remaining ageless despite the millennia passing does tend to leave one to isolation. Only in recent times has the world become peaceful enough to even consider such personal trivialities. Tell me Guardsman, would you seek out love on your world as you try to carve civilization from the wilds?”

Elias thought about the question for a moment before shaking his head.

“No, I guess not. I always saw other people getting together, but never really…”

“Found the time?” Luna finished.

“Yeah,” Elias said. “I was always too busy keeping things running.”

Luna nodded.

“Precisely. Now spread that existence over centuries. Your duties become your life at some point, it is… calmer that way.”

Luna’s voice drifted off, and Elias almost felt like he should ask her if she was alright. He instead decided to push the conversation forward.

“So how did you end up getting away with it?" he asked Anyon. "If he knew that quickly, there must have been some sort of repercussions.”

“Aye,” the gryphon said, nodding. “There was. Even though the princesses took me in, ah had already lost the eye at that point, and King Talon made me swear off any rights ah had as a gryphon. As far as everyone back home is concerned, ah died.”

Luna perked up slightly at the reassertion of the original conversation.

“As for us, we gave the gryphons a small bit of territory on the edge of our borders. It was merely a ceremonial gesture. Talon saved face by making a permanent diplomatic treaty with Equestria, while we got a superior arms smith. I do not fault my ponies and their efforts, but…”

“Only two species know how to make real armor,” Anyon cut in. “And it’s gryphons and minotaurs. If ponies get all their fancy spells and such, we get the magical know how to enchant any piece of metal we come across. It’s in our blood,” he said, his pride returning. Anyon’s eye seemed to twinkle as he smirked and winked at Elias.

“Besides, ah got the better deal for it anyway. None of them feather heads appreciated my armor fully. Here’s much better. Nobody can even challenge my craftwork, nobody dares!” he proclaimed loudly.

Elias grunted in response, only slightly impressed.

“Guess it worked out then.”

Anyon winked again.

“Oh aye. Ah get everything ah could ever want. Peace, quiet, three square meals, all the best materials I could want…” He paused as he smirked broadly, “and opportunities to chase after those young and spry pegasi always flying ‘bout the place. Haven’t caught one yet, but when I do…”

Luna sighed and rubbed her eyes with a hoof.

“Anyon, can we please get back to the task at hoof. Elias has accepted a place in the Lunar Guard and needs his equipment.”

“Course he does!” Anyon shouted, charged with excited energy. “That’s why ya came to me! It won’t be long now, was workin’ on the shield just before ya came in, had to make sure the improvements were right.”

Elias’ face twisted slightly as he felt anger rise again.

“Are you going to tell me my scutum is worthless too?”

Anyon shook his head.

“Nay youngblood, that shield is a piece of real craftsmanship. If it’s made by the same friend, he shoulda been a carpenter. The wood's a bit different than ah’m used to, it’s a bit tougher and less pliant, but otherwise it’s just well used. You’ve seen a few fights, haven’t you?”

Elias nodded silently, and after a moment, Anyon continued.

“Ah took the liberty of making some improvements. Put a couple fortifying enchantments on it, gave it a fresh coat of paint. I’ll double check to make sure I did the right branch first. I had an inkling ya would go with Princess Luna, but ya never know.” He scratched his feathers, sending more soot into the air. “I do got one question for ya though.”

He turned around and began rifling through a stack of what looked like scrap material. Only once he fully buried his head in the stack did he find what he was looking for, and he drew out a long, familiar piece of material.

“Now ah understood why you got two sets of handles, especially now that ah see ya, by what is this doodad for? Ah couldn’t figure the reason you had it.”

Anyon laid a long piece of leather on top of the counter, and Elias picked it up, lightly touching the holsters with his thumb.

“It’s for holding pilla,” Elias replied, wistfully staring at the worn strap. “I, and my legionaries would carry two each for throwing. They were carried on the shield for easy access.”

He carefully laid the strap back down.

“I lost mine some time ago. One broke in half, while the other went down in the chest of a man who fell into a river. I haven’t had time to make new ones.”

Anyon frowned in thought.

“Ah’m afraid ah ain’t familiar with that word youngblood. Ya wouldn’t happen to have a design ah could look at? Ah can do my best to recreate from words, but if ya want the real thing, ah need somethin’ to look at.”

Elias looked at the gryphon, his mind alight with curious possibilities.

“Am I allowed to get something like that made?” He looked back to Luna. “I can’t imagine you would want me to have non-uniform weaponry.”

Luna shrugged.

“You will not be an orthodox guard,” she replied. “If you require additional equipment to perform your duties in the best manner possible, I see no issue with Anyon creating these pilla. I shall be interested to see how they function.”

Elias looked back to Anyon.

“I have a book back with my gear. It should have everything you need.”

“Stop by anytime,” Anyon said. “New weapons are always good fun.”

His eyes fell to Elias’ waist.

“Ya mind if ah take a look at that youngblood?” he said pointing at the sword hilt.

Elias followed the gryphon's claw to his gladius, and his hand gripped it tightly.

“What do you want it for?” Elias asked, his voice dripping with paranoia.

Anyon sighed in exasperation.

“Maybe to hit ya on that stubborn skull of yers.” The gryphon beckoned Elias to hand the blade over. “Come on now, ah jus’ want to take a look. It’s the only bit ah haven’t got a peek at.”

Elias didn’t budge. His eyes stared back and forth between Anyon’s eyes and his outstretched talon.

“Don’t give me that look youngblood!” Anyon squawked. “Ah ain’t gonna break it, ah just wanna look. A blacksmith can tell a lot about someone on how they treat their blade.”

Elias stared at the gryphon’s waiting hand, his thoughts racing for a second. He sighed as he found he agreed with the old buzzard’s logic, so he unbuckled his sword belt, laying it all gently in Anyon’s waiting palm. The bird gave him a grateful nod before he began to turn the sword belt over in his talons. He gently spread apart the belt, and Elias watched tensely as the bird pulled out a small magnifying glass from some unseen drawer. Elias twitched; he felt naked without his blades on his hip. Still, he controlled himself while Anyon slowly went over the belt, piece by piece.

He began by drawing forth Elias’ knife, a blade that was as long as the distance between the tip of his middle finger and his wrist. The gryphon ran a claw up and down the glistening blade before setting it down on the counter without comment. Anyon then held the belt up, studying each part of it before he grasped the sheathe of Elias’ gladius.

The blade came from its sheathe smoothly and soundlessly. Elias felt a flash of pride as Anyon cooed at the blade, spinning it slowly as its pristine edges flashed in the light of the furnaces.

“Now this here’s a piece of craftsmanship. Did yer friend make this one as well?” Anyon asked, looking to Elias before his eyes drifted back to the blade, studying its sharp edges. He seemed hypnotized by it.

Elias nodded as he answered the question.

“It was the last piece he made. He started with my armor, and then ended with my sword. It took him two months working for sixteen hours every day to make all that armor and weaponry. My gladius came last. A gift. He was really proud of it, said it was his best piece of work.”

Anyon nodded in agreement.

“It shows. Ah take everything ah said back. This… this is real work.” He swung the blade through the air experimentally before looking to Elias again.

“You the one keepin’ it sharp and clean?”

Elias snorted before he nodded.

“I trust nobody else to do it right.”

“Good answer,” Anyon said.

He tapped at the base of the blade, flipping it over as he looked closely at the hilt.

“Leather around wood around steel,” he muttered. “The hilt is custom?”

Elias nodded.

“Yeah, I had a knife like that, and that hilt made it easier to transition to sword play.”

Anyon nodded silently as he ran a claw across a chip near the base of the hilt.

“It’s seen use.”

“Yes it has,” Elias said solemnly. “Too much if you ask me.”

Anyon smiled at the statement as he flipped the blade again, once more analyzing the sharp point.

“Another good answer. A good sword should never see too much fighting. A good fighter always approaches conflict with an open hand.” He looked to Elias, saying; “If’n you don’t mind, ah’d like to take a crack at this. It’ll just take a minute, and ah swear you’ll like the results.”

Elias frowned, wished desperately for the sword belt back; but he nodded.

“Just… be careful. That sword is one of the only things I have left.”

Anyon nodded and gave Elias a grin.

“Don’t worry youngblood, it’s a beauty of a blade; it’s just missing those special touches only a gryphon can give it.”

The bird spun around, quickly pulling down half a dozen tools as he shoved the gladius into a furnace. Elias couldn’t even pretend he didn’t flinch when the whole gladius, hilt and all was sealed behind that steel door. HE shifted on his feet and his thumb messed with his sling. His whole body felt like a bundles of nerves as his eyes ached to see his gladius returned unharmed. Luna seemed to be watching his movements carefully, but for once Elias didn’t care what information he might be giving away with his body language. He wanted his sword back.

After the longest ten-count in existence, Anyon withdrew the heated blade from the furnace, quickly pouring a vial of liquid over the hilt as he whispered something at the sword. Elias saw a light haze spread over the blade before settling into it. The gladius took on a light glow before it looked like normal once more. Anyon then looked over his shoulder.

“She got a name youngblood?” the gryphon asked as he reached for another vial.

“Gavin called it the Reaper,” Elias responded.

Anyon scoffed.

“That’s pretentious. And the sword is a she youngblood, ah’m surprised one like yerself who gives her such care would treat her as anything less.”

He poured the second vial over the sword, this time carving runes in the liquid with his talons.

“Nah, she’s gonna be a little Feather on yer hip youngblood. Perfect for a stud eagle such as yerself.”

Elias flinched as his blood ran cold.

‘They don’t know. They don’t know.' He repeated mentally, trying to remove the shock from his system.

Luna frowned.

“Are you all right Guardsman? Does that name mean something?”

Anyon looked over his shoulder.

“If ya don’t like it ah can always make somethin’ different. Blade's whatever ya want her to be.”

Elias shook his head far too quickly.

“No, it’s fine. There is nothing wrong with Feather. It’s a fine name. Speaks to the lightness of the swing.”

Anyon smiled as he went back to the sword.

“Aye, that it does. A good slashing weapon this is, though ah imagine she's a thrusting sword too. Fantastic design.”

Elias swallowed nervously, pointedly not looking at Luna as she eyed him with all the carefulness of a cat watching a mouse. Her eyes eventually flickered away, staring at the floor as if trying to break down the sentence to find what had brought out Elias’ nerves. He couldn’t let her figure it out. He cleared his throat loudly as he shifted is weight between his feet.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what exactly are you doing?” Elias asked, motioning to his gladius with his good hand.

Anyon grinned as he raised the blade into the air. He moved back toward the counter and passed the sword to Elias.

“See for yerself youngblood.”

As he picked the blade up, Elias noticed instantly that the hilt felt different in his hand. He gave it an experimental swing in the air as he looked at the blade, studying it for differences. When he didn’t find any, he looked back to Anyon. The gryphon grunted, and with a bit of effort, he lifted a stone block onto the counter. Anyon patted the top of the block and grinned at Elias.

“Give it a swing youngblood. Ah wanna make sure ah ain’t losin’ my touch.”

Elias opened his mouth to protest, but found that he had more than a bit of confidence that the gladius, Feather, would be just fine. He swung the blade as hard as he could at the left corner of the block. Likely due to his exhaustion, his aim was slightly off, cutting out a bigger chunk of the rock than he had intended. Elias’ eyes widened when the blade didn’t jar back, but instead cut clean through the stone, the corner sliding to the ground before shattering into a hundred pieces. Elias felt the chips bite into his feet, but he didn’t care; he felt hypnotized by the sword in his hand.

The blade was unmarred, and in truth looked sharper than ever. In awe, Elias looked back Anyon, who nodded with a satisfied grin.

“Gryphon magic youngblood. Ain’t nothing that can beat it. Little Feather can cut through just about anything unenchanted and more than a few things that are. She’ll never dull either. It’ll take a mountain of force to break her, but don’t go trying, or you’ll succeed.”

Elias swung the blade through the air again.

“There’s something else. It feels… easier to swing her.” He looked to Anyon. “If that makes sense.”

The gryphon chuckled.

“That’s just a little confidence enchantment. It ain’t nothing compared to some of the endurance spells the unicorns got stirring about, but you’ll get a few more swings out of her, don’t ya doubt.”

“I…I don’t know what to say,” Elias stammered.

Anyon smiled broadly, a playful wink in his eye.

“Well, a pony might say thank you or some such; you though? Ah imagine you’ll call me an old buzzard and say how little Feather there isn’t worthy to wipe your arse.”

Elias mock laughed.

“Ha ha, very funny. Thank you, and fuck you.”

“Ah mah ears!” Anyon squawked, his tone clearly mocking Elias. “So vulgar, and in front of the princess no less!” He flopped onto the ground dramatically. “Oh, you’ll be sent to the sun fer sure!”

Elias looked to Luna with a deadpan look, and she simply sighed and shook her head.

“Anyon, when will the rest of Guardsman Bright’s equipment be ready?”

The gryphon popped up, his one eye still staring at Elias.

“Ah the youngblood can come fetch it in a day or two. If he’s gonna be carryin’ a sword like that, he needs the armor to match. I got a few ideas in mind. He gonna be wearin’ the red all the time?”

Elias looked to Luna and shrugged, leaving the decision to her. The alicorn looked to Anyon.

“No, I shall see him to a tailor. In uniform he shall wear a standard blue, but out of uniform..." She paused and her eyes seemed to linger in disgust over his tunic. "He is in a drastic need for new clothing.”

Anyon nodded in agreement as he pushed Elias’ sword belt forward. Elias didn’t need a second invitation. As he began to strap it on with one hand, which was no easy feat, Anyon snorted.

“Ah’m surprised that the youngblood isn’t struttin’ his stuff. That raggedy thing don’t do a thing to make the mares come to him.”

Elias looked down at his clothes. He pinched the well-worn fabric between two fingers before he looked back up.

“What’s wrong with this? It’s my favorite tunic.”

Anyon snorted.

“It’s got no protection youngblood. That thing couldn’t stop a breezie.”

“It isn’t meant for protection from attacks,” Elias responded. “It’s meant to prevent chaffing under armor and to help keep me covered.”

“From what?” Luna asked curiously.

Elias looked between them, quickly noticing that they were both in fact, nude. Great. He flapped his arm as he tried to think of how to justify casual clothing to two species of nudists. He finally seized on the similarity between the two creatures.

“You both have fur. I don’t. My clothing helps keep me warm, and keeps bugs and such off my back.”

Anyon squinted.

“Ah guess you are a hairless thing. Still, ah’m an old coot and ah can tell that yer little dress ain’t impressing nobody.”

Elias felt his face flush slightly.

“It isn’t a dress,” he growled.

“Of course it isn’t,” Luna scoffed. “A dress would not look so wretched. That “tunic” looks like a potato sack.”

Elias opened his mouth to protest, looking to Anyon for help. The gryphon’s grin broadened.

“Don’t worry Guardsman, ah think ya look pretty in yer dress.”

Elias’ mouth flapped in fury as he tried to think of a retort that wouldn’t make him look even more foolish. He jabbed a finger at the gryphon, then shook his head and spun away with a growl, quickly leaving the room as anger, and no small amount of embarrassment overtook him.