//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Lessons in Recovery // Story: The Centurion Project // by TheEighthDayofNight //------------------------------// When Elias woke up, he found himself alone. It was to be expected though, and while he found that he enjoyed having the ponies around him for a night, he didn’t want to make a habit of it. If he was going to have friends, he had to push himself even harder now. He had to make sure they were safe, even in a world that seemed naturally inclined to harmony rather than conflict. The only way to do that was to remain on edge. Elias felt the voices in his head again, but this time they worked together. The voice at the back laid plans to make sure he kept his friends nice and close, while the voice at the center began brainstorming about the worst things that could happen. The more terrible scenarios he thought about, the more he could prepare for them. With his mind working at full steam, Elias rolled over. A tall stack of books sat on the nightstand beside his bed. On top of it all was his sword belt and a small, folded piece of paper. Wincing slightly as he stretched his arm, he snatched the note from atop his sword belt and read it. See you after shift! Make sure to get plenty of rest! -Love, Flash and Binder Elias snorted softly at the “Love”, but carefully refolded the piece of paper, tucking it in a pouch on his belt. He then rifled through his pockets for his watch, clicking it open to check the time. It was half-past midnight. Six and a half hours until they visited. As he replaced the watch in his belt, Elias thought about what he should do with the time. He leaned back against the pillows and stared at the wall as he let his mind wander. What he couldn’t do was get up and train. He had no idea what treatment they were giving him, but he still felt weakness in his arms and legs, along with a myriad of associated aches and pains that wouldn’t let him stand for long, let alone sling pilla and swing a sword. The books were an option, but Elias found that he didn’t have any particular interest to read at the moment. Since he lacked writing materials, he also couldn’t make lists about his intentions for the future. Elias frowned as he stared at the wall. “Red?” Elias blinked and looked to his side. Book Binder and Night Flash were both staring at him with looks of concern. Elias blinked again and looked to the windows where sunlight was filtering through. Elias looked back to the ponies in confusion. “What time is it?” he asked. “It’s almost seven thirty,” Night Flash responded cautiously. “Are you all right? You were just kind of staring into nowhere for a minute there.” Elias scratched his head, running his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking,” Elias said absently. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, Elias blinked for a third time, finally focusing his vision on the pair of ponies. No master in small talk, Elias asked; “So, uh… How was work?” Night Flash and Book Binder exchanged a glance, then they both shrugged. Night Flash nimbly hopped onto the bed and settled on Elias’ right, his muzzle resting on Elias’ stomach. Book Binder set her saddlebags down and took the seat to his left as she started to talk. “It was pretty much the same as usual for me. Light combat training, then a whole lot of cataloging scrolls. I found you some more books though! When we went to your room to clean it of all the flu germs, I organized the little library you have in there. I noticed that a whole bunch of them were advanced editions, so I picked out better editions that didn’t include all of the theoreticals about magic. I don’t know how you got some of those tomes though. There were some rare ones in there. Did you pick them all out yourself?” “No, Princess Celestia’s protege did it for me,” Elias said. A flash of fear raced through his mind. “How thoroughly did you go through my room?” he asked. “If this is about the notebooks under your bed, don’t worry, nopony even touched them. I had them in front of me long enough to use the purifying spell, and then they went right back under the mattress.” Elias felt a breath he didn’t know he was holding escape his chest. He looked down, a trace of shame hitting him. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have thought you would do anything.” He felt a hoof on his arm, and he looked up to find Book Binder’s eyes gazing at him intently. “Hey, don’t feel bad about it. Everypony has something they don’t want to talk about. You told Flash when you became friends that you wouldn’t talk about it, and he told me the same rules. I don’t know the reason behind those rules, and I don’t really care about it. We’re your friends Elias. You can take all the time you need; we know you’ll open up when you feel ready. If that day never comes, so be it. We’ll be your friends anyway. Until you say otherwise, we will follow your rules as best we can.” Elias pointedly looked at the pegasus laying on his stomach. Book Binder stuck her tongue out at him. “No physical contact is a silly rule. Hugging is like breathing for ponies. You’re just going to have to suck it up.” As she said this, she nuzzled his hand. Elias wouldn’t be beaten however, and he began scratching her ears softly, just like he had done with Steel Scalpel. The unicorn cooed softly, and unfortunately; she had another card left to play. She climbed onto the bed, laying at Elias’ side with her head resting on his chest next to Night Flash’s. As soon as she settled, she seized Elias’ hand, pressing it harder against her head. “Oh, that is nice!” she said, her ears flicking as she pressed against him. She grabbed the hand and shoved it toward Night Flash. “You’ve got to try this Flash! It’s like he gets all of the spots that always itch but you can never reach.” Night Flash looked at Elias, who calmly used his secret weapon, a second arm. Returning his left hand to Book Binder, he also began scratching Night Flash behind the ears. The pegasus had a much more noticeable reaction. He whimpered softly and his hind leg began thumping against the bed. Like a dog, he rubbed against Elias, his tail twitching in excitement. Flash’s eyes sprang open and he grabbed Elias’ hand, holding it out in front of him. “By Celestia these are great! It’s like a gryphon hand, but without the talons. It gets everything!” Night Flash smiled brightly at Elias. “I know you probably won’t get a cutie mark Red, but if you did, you would definitely have one with ear scratching as your special talent.” Book Binder grunted softly. “I’ll say. Best ear scratch I’ve ever had.” Night Flash nodded in agreement, then settled again, letting Elias resume his ear scratching. Elias sighed as he leaned back, content to scratch the ponies for a moment. Book Binder hummed happily, while Night Flash curled into a little ball. Elias made sure to file the moment, as well as the feeling he had in his chest, deep in the recesses of his mind. He would cherish it, and use it as fuel. Careful to not let the mental tension spread to his hands, Elias combed through the scenarios the paranoid half of his mind had cooked up. Some he discarded out of hand as being too ludicrous, while others he kept to the side as likely situations. Each and every one would be looked over and prepared for. For the little ponies at his side. As all good things did, the moment soon ended. With one last rub against his arm, Book Binder climbed down from the bed. Elias silently lamented the fact that the ponies were leaving, but he knew they couldn’t, nor wouldn’t always be at his side. They likely had lives outside of the castle. Elias frowned when he realized that he didn’t know anything about them or their outside lives. He would need to remedy that in the future. Night Flash rose as well, and Elias let his hand drop to allow the pony climb down. He was pleasantly surprised when the pegasus merely shifted sides, laying down against Elias’ left side, his muzzle facing Book Binder. The unicorn smiled at the two, then reached down to her saddlebags. Elias knew he didn’t have nearly the same sense of smell as the ponies, but he shared Flash’s excitement when he smelled, then saw the two compact dishes Book Binder pulled from her bags. With it came a tall cup, sealed at the top, and filled with a particularly nasty looking grey sludge. Elias watched in horror as the ponies got the food, while he got saddled with the sludge. He looked to Book Binder. “What is this? Why don’t I get real food?” he asked. Book Binder opened her dish, revealing a steaming plate of hay fries. While Elias knew that he couldn’t eat them, it didn’t mean that his stomach didn’t want to try. Maybe they were made of hay, but they smelled so good. Book Binder smiled. “Because you are still sick. Until Doctor Scalpel clears your infection and your flu, you have to eat these protein & vitamin shakes to keep your strength up. It’s the exact same thing everypony gets when they get the Pony Flu as foals. I think yours has a bit of meat mixed in it if it makes you feel any better.” Elias looked at her suspiciously. He unscrewed the lid, opening the cup as he took a small sniff at the sludge. He recoiled in disgust. “Come on, that’s just on purpose!” he said as he tried to ward away the smell. Night Flash smiled happily as he crunched away at a pair of tasty looking tacos. “It’s not that bad Red, we all did it!” Elias felt his eye twitch as the pegasus crunched the shell again. “Just do it in one gulp!” Elias held the cup up to the pony’s eyes. “There is almost a quart of this stuff. How am I going to get that down in one go?” Night Flash stared at the sludge for a second, then shrugged as he bit into his taco again. Elias sighed as he eyed the cup, then he looked over to Book Binder. “Can I at least get a bucket just in case?” Book Binder stared him down, her plate of fries untouched. She was watching him intently, waiting for him to drink it. He imagined she would force him if he pressed the issue. She would try. With a look of disgust, Elias re-screwed the top and set it on the nightstand. Book Binder frowned and immediately levitated it back to his hands. “Elias, this is serious. If you want to get better, you need to drink this.” Elias crossed his arms and stared at her. “I have eaten many things, some of which I am not proud of. That, however? No. I will not.” “Elias, you are making this a much bigger problem than it needs to be.” “I really don’t think I am,” Elias said. “For Christ’s sake, you could at least make it look more pleasant, food dye perhaps? Everything in Equestria seems to be either colorful or fuzzy.” He curled his lip as he eyed the cup with disgust. “This little drink of yours seems to be on the verge of the latter. I will not drink it. Low as they may be, I have standards.” Night Flash sighed as his tacos were levitated away to rest on another bed with Book Binder’s fries. Elias carefully noted their location as he tensed up, ready to make his move. If they wanted to play, he felt more than game. Maybe he was still being affected by the flu, but he had a fair idea what was about to happen next, and he felt positively giddy about it. Book Binder got out of her seat, her horn sending a sheet of paper away with a flash of light. “Elias, you will drink your medicine. This is not up for debate.” Elias grinned at her. “You’d be surprised how untrue both of those statements are.” With a flash of motion, Elias threw his blanket over Night Flash as he slipped from the right side of the bed. He took the cup with him as he rolled, hitting the floor with a grunt. He then got to his feet, ducking around the bed as he made for the door. As he expected, Elias found himself lifted in Book Binder’s magical aura, so he responded by throwing the cup across the room. This left the unicorn with a decision; keep him suspended, but lose the “medicine”, therefore voiding the point of the exercise, or, she dropped Elias, allowing him a chance to escape while catching the cup and its fowl contents. She chose the latter with a loud gasp. Elias hit the floor and immediately bolted toward the door, only stopping to snatch a blanket off of one of the beds. He was naked again, and he had enough dignity to not run back to his room without some sort of covering. He hit the infirmary doors at a run, wrapping the blanket around his waist as he bolted left. It was the roundabout way, but it might buy him time to lose the pair of ponies before he hid in the safety of his own quarters. Just as he turned the corner, he heard the infirmary doors slam open. “Elias! Get back here! You are sick and you need to rest and take your medicine! I promise that if you drink all of it, we’ll give you extra hugs before we leave.” A part of his mind was tempted to turn back, but Elias knew better than any, even a portion of his mind, that hugs were bad. They had already made him too soft, and running would be the only solution to stay out of their fuzzy clutches. That, and that cup looked horrifying. He wanted no part of what was inside. Trying to remain as silent as possible, Elias crept along the carpeted floors, his foot falls silent compared to the average pony. It helped that he was lighter than normal. Footfalls quickly began to echo behind him, so Elias picked up the pace, trying his best to remain quiet. His body wasn’t going to last at a dead sprint, so stealth was his only option. He neared the next corner, just as Book Binder came around the last one. “You!” she shouted, pointing a hoof at him. Elias bolted immediately. He heard the unicorn give chase, likely trying to get in range to levitate him again. “Elias, you get back here this instant!” she called. “What is wrong with you people?” he shouted over his shoulder. “Whatever happened to soup when you got sick?” He gripped the corner with his fingertips and swung himself around. He spotted a door an arm’s length away, so Elias seized the handle and quickly flung the door open. Dipping inside, he closed it behind him just as quickly. He made sure to let the door jamb slip close quietly, as to hopefully throw Book Binder off his tracks. The room was pitch black as soon as the door closed. Elias held the handle with both hands. If she tried to open it, he would imitate a lock, keeping it securely closed. With hope, she would pick a different door in the hallway so that he could slip out and back to the infirmary. Then the tacos would be his. After that, he would slip out again and hide out in his room, bolting the door so that he could rest in peace, without fear of sludge drinks. In one ear, Elias listened to the sound of hoofsteps approaching slowly outside the door. In the other, Elias realized he heard rustling. He bit his tongue and looked over his shoulder. A pair of green eyes stared sleepily back. “Who is there?” a very familiar, yet groggy voice asked. Elias winced; she was being far too loud. “Would you believe me if I said nobody?” he whispered back. “Just a note, give me a minute, and I won’t be here at all.” Luna sat up, rubbing at her eyes. “Ah, Guardsman Bright, it tis only you. It is a surprise, though not necessarily an unwelcome one. Might I ask why you are in my quarters at this hour?” she paused for a moment. “And why are you naked?” As Elias’ eyes adjusted, he could very clearly see that, yes, these were indeed Luna’s quarters. He had caught a glance inside once while on guard duty. Due to the darkness, he couldn’t really see any significant details, but the fact that the princess was sleeping in the room was more than proof enough. The hoofsteps in the hallways had slowed down slightly. Elias prayed that Luna would stop asking questions. “Just trying to avoid being poisoned by friends, you know how it is.” he hissed at Luna. “As for the naked, they keep taking my clothes in the infirmary. I know ponies don’t need clothing, but I do, and I’ve really got to talk with Doctor Scalpel about not stripping me down every time I’m admitted.” The hoofsteps stopped in front of the door. He could hear Book Binder muttering to herself; likely she recognized the door, but she didn’t try the handle. Elias listened carefully as the steps retreated, moving further down the hall. Excellent, a few more seconds, and he could bolt. Unfortunately, Luna got out of her bed, and the lights flicked on. The princess smirked as she beheld the sight that was a sickly Elias, clutching a door handle, while half-naked. Elias imagined he would laugh too if the roles were reversed. “That is excellent news Elias,” Luna said. “Making friends is a wonderful thing, especially two who care about you so much.” Elias didn’t like that tone in her voice. She was mocking him, biding her time. Elias didn’t want to find out what she was planning. He listened to a door open in the hallway. A few seconds more… “Unfortunately, Guardsman, Doctor Scalpel thought this might happen, and as such he has delivered contingencies to everypony around the infirmary.” Elias watched in horror as she produced a full crate of the awful looking sludge from underneath her bed, all packed away into quart sized jugs. Elias looked at Luna, who was smiling widely. He ripped open the door swiftly and darted out. “What is wrong with all of you?” he shouted as he bolted again, now with two ponies hot on his tail as Book Binder gave a cry of victory as she began to pursue him once more. “I can’t be this important!” He rocketed around the corner again, this time almost tripping on the carpet as he slid, hitting the wall. He pushed off and ran the opposite way, quickly flying past the hallway leading to the infirmary. Luna and Book Binder took the corner much better than he did and set off in hot pursuit. Elias was losing ground, he knew it. They were in much better shape than he was, and there were two of them now. Make that three. Night Flash poked his head around a corner ahead of Elias, smiling widely as he blocked the path. Elias had one card to play in this situation, and while it would hurt later, it would be miles better than drinking that foul liquid. “Night Flash, if you don’t block me, I’ll give you a hug later, no complaints!” Elias shouted. The pegasus perked up, his grin widening. “Really?” he asked as his tail wagged. Elias glanced over his shoulder; the two mares were getting closer. “Yup! Anytime, no questions asked!” Night Flash flapped into the air in excitement as he cheered. Elias ducked under the pegasus and sprinted onward. As he began making his getaway, Book Binder slowed to scold Night Flash. “Flash! We can always take hugs from Elias. That’s what friends do!” Night Flash smiled sheepishly. “But Bindey, a freely given hug always feels better!” Elias grinned as he saw a window ahead. The infirmary should be on the first story, so if he jumped, he could disappear into the gardens. With no linear hallways to trap him, he could hide without limit. They’d give up eventually, or at least so he hoped. Elias quickly undid the latch and flung the window open, hopping on the ledge as he looked down. His eyes widened and his grip on the wall tightened when he realized the window opened, not to the gardens, but to the edge of the several thousand-foot drop that made up Canterlot Mountain. Elias quickly realized that he had made a tactical error, and that was made more clear when he looked back to find a pony already closing in. Luna grinned savagely at him. “No more running Guardsman. The chase has been most exciting, but it is over. Surrender yourself that we might help you get better.” Elias looked between her and the pool of water at the bottom. Technically speaking, he had done this kind of thing before, although the last time almost killed him. Elias weighed the option in his mind. As he took the time to think, Book Binder and Night Flash caught up. Book Binder smiled. “Oh, cool! Thanks Princess, that drop is huge, he’ll never jump from that height.” Elias’ eyes narrowed and he glared at the unicorn. “I should jump just to prove that I can.” Book Binder scoffed. “Don’t be silly Elias. Running is one thing, and admittedly a lot of fun, but that’s actually dangerous. We don’t want you getting hurt.” Elias spotted the cup of sludge carefully hidden behind her back. His mind was made up. He smiled, gave them a two fingered salute, then leaned backward out the window. He didn’t even fall a foot before he was wrapped in blue magic. Elias mentally cursed himself. He forgot they could do that. As he was pulled back into the window, Elias at least had the dignity not to squirm. Luna was still smiling, while Book Binder and Night Flash were not. As soon as Luna set him on the ground, Book Binder jumped on him, pinning him to the ground as she smacked the back his head. “Really?” she shrieked in his face. “You would rather die than take some icky medicine?” Elias smiled slightly. The motion seemed to make the unicorn angrier, so he dropped it. “There was water at the bottom, I thought I could make it,” he said meekly. She smacked him again. The second time it actually hurt. Book Binder got right in his face, and Elias noticed tears at the corners of her eyes as she yelled at him. “This isn’t funny Elias! You could have gotten seriously hurt!” She whimpered softly as she looked away. “I-I thought you were jumping so we wouldn’t have to be friends anymore. I was so scared for you.” Elias blinked in surprise. This wasn’t just friendly concern; he had actually scared her by jumping. Mental clarity seemed to finally reach the man, and he blinked as he looked at the still open window he had almost, no, had leapt out of. The true stupidity of his decision, as well as how it must have looked struck him, and a horrible feeling spread through his brain. He sighed, and pulled the pony close, wrapping her in a light hug. “Hey now, I wasn’t running from you, I just… I thought this would be fun. I still want to be friends with you.” She sniffed once. “I- I thought maybe I had gone too far. I broke your rules, and I-…” Elias shushed her softly. “Book Binder, don’t worry about my rules. I just made a dumb decision is all.” He chuckled slightly. “I think I might still be a little sick.” She looked up at him with those big, tear-filled eyes, wiping her muzzle as she sniffed. “More than a little,” she said. Elias smiled. “You’re probably right, more than a little. I’m sorry Book Binder, I don’t know what came over me. It won’t happen again.” She sniffed and nuzzled his bare chest, using her magic to pull his arms tighter around her. “Better not,” she mumbled. Elias felt his eyes fall on the cup for a moment. A smart man would realize that he still had an opportunity to be rid of the foul stuff. The window sat ready, and now the cup was in arms reach. A single motion could send it flying. As he looked at the still saddened pony in his arms, Elias sighed, grabbing the cup with one hand. He lightly poked Book Binder in the side. The pony looked up at his face, then to the cup, then back to his face, her eyes becoming hopeful. “I’ll drink it, on one condition,” he said, putting a finger up. Book Binder’s tail wagged slightly. “What is it? I want to see you better Elias, and I’ll do a lot to see it happen.” Elias grimaced as he eyed the cup. The sludge inside seemed to mock him. He looked back to Book Binder, who smiled enthusiastically. Elias sighed. The things he had to do to get by. “Can I at least get some soup to wash it down?” The drink was every bit as disgusting as it looked, but as agreed, the next one would come with tomato soup. Elias took a small bit of satisfaction in that win. The rest of the morning was spent chatting away about nothing, with Night Flash and Book Binder rotating who sat in the bed with Elias, and who sat in the chair, telling a story, or occasionally even reading from the stack of books on his nightstand. Throughout it all, while he did enjoy the company, a thought gnawed at the back of his mind. Why had Book Binder displayed such anger and grief when he jumped? They had known each other for maybe a day, and had shared less than a hundred words with each other, yet she acted like he was a lifelong friend that she had made many significant memories with. It puzzled him, as she didn’t seem nearly so outwardly innocent as Night Flash. The pegasus was very clearly a forgive and forget kind of pony, but Binder didn’t seem like that. She seemed much planned out, as if every action had significance, as opposed to Night Flash, who seemed to flow from one place to another, happy with his situation as long as he had his friends. The pegasus in question was sprawled across Elias’ lap, his wings splayed out as he snored and twitched in his sleep. Since the pair had the next day off, they had decided to make an extra-long visit out of the morning. The result was two tired ponies, though Book Binder actually stayed awake. She was simply laying against Elias’ side, smiling as Night Flash kicked in his sleep. Elias scratched her ears softly. “Hey Book Binder?” Her head perked up and she looked at him. “Yes Elias?” she asked curiously. Elias sighed as he thought how to best phrase the question. When nothing nice popped into mind, he decided to just say it as concisely as possible. “Why are we friends?” Book Binder frowned; her eyes downcast. “Oh,” she said softly. She kneaded the mattress under her hooves. “I-if you don’t want to be, I get it and…” Elias bopped her lightly on the nose, causing her to squeak in surprise. She looked back up at him with big eyes. “That isn’t what I asked,” Elias said firmly. “I just want to know why you beat yourself up so much when we haven’t even known each other for that long. We’ve had a total of three conversations, yet here you are, taking care of me when I’m sick. I couldn’t ask anyone to do this, yet you did it without being asked. I just want to know why.” Book Binder sniffed, then shrugged as she laid her head back down. “I don’t know,” she replied. “It just feels like the right thing to do.” Elias snorted at the non-descriptive answer. “But why? Why me?” he asked. Book Binder pressed a bit closer. “For me, it’s a couple reasons. First, despite what everypony might think or say, I don’t think you’re some sort of bad guy.” Elias opened his mouth to respond to that, but Book Binder cut him off, not even bothering to turn around. “Not a word mister. I don’t care what happened in the past. Right now, you are a good guy. I can see that clearly, and Night Flash can too. It’s why we’re both trying to care for you so much. It’s plain for anypony to see that you’ve been hurt. I don’t need to know why, or how, I just now that it has happened, and now you are trying to do better. That’s what matters to me. You looked after Night Flash, even though you had no reason to. You became a guard, instead of whatever else the princesses offered you.” She pressed her muzzle into his side softly. “That’s more than reason enough for me. Night Flash is only a little bit different, because he believes everypony deserves friends, and so he tries to make friends with anypony who doesn’t have one. It is the single best thing about him. He just tries so hard; it’s why I love him.” She froze in horror as she uttered the words. Night Flash twitched softly, but he continued to smile as he remained asleep. Book Binder whirled around, crawling up Elias’ chest so that they were nose to nose. “You can’t tell him I said that!” she whispered harshly. “He doesn’t know yet!” Elias blinked. “All right,” he said slowly. “But why doesn’t he know? You two seem to get along well enough from what I’ve seen.” Book Binder’s tail swished back and forth. “I know, I know, it’s just… I want him to come to me. Traditionally the mare is supposed to approach the stallion, but Night Flash is different.” She whimpered softly, and her eyes fell. “I don’t want to scare him off, and I think that if I try to court him, he’ll run away.” She sniffled. “I don’t want to lose him.” Elias stroked her mane softly. This was getting out of hand. He had no idea what that kind of love was like. Platonic love between friends? Sure, he had experienced some of that. Marital kind of love though? Completely foreign. He never had the time, nor the interest. Still, he had tried reading one of those romance novels once upon a time, so some of those lines should work, right? “Hey, that won’t happen,” he said, trying to sound as comforting as possible. “Night Flash is a good guy, and I have no doubt he shares your feelings. Just…” Elias struggled as he tried to think of the right thing to say. He mentally snapped his fingers as an idea came into his head. “Try to think of it like a minefield.” Book Binder tilted her head slightly. “A minefield? Why should I treat our potential love life like a minefield?” “I… didn’t say that right. Look, imagine it like this. Night Flash is on one side of the minefield and a serious relationship with you is on the other end. What you have to do is lead him carefully through the minefield by dropping hints and clues to lead him to the conclusion you want.” Elias could see the metaphor rapidly disintegrate before his eyes. Book Binder stared at him like he was stupid. Elias sighed in exasperation and threw up his hands. “I don’t know, I’m not a love guy. Coming to me for advice about this kind of thing is about the worst place to ask.” Book Binder snickered and rubbed against his side. “You’re funny Elias. Sometimes you seem like this old grizzled pony, like Princess Celestia, and yet other times, you seem like a little baby the way you have no idea what you’re doing. It’s adorable.” Elias raised an eyebrow as he tried to cross his arms across his chest. Unfortunately, there was a pony smiling up at him. “Care to rephrase that?” he asked, trying to sound angry. Book Binder stuck her tongue out at him, completely unconvinced. “Nope!” she chirped cheerfully. Book Binder pressed against his side as she stared at Night Flash. “Can you keep this a secret though? I don’t want him to get scared of me. I’d rather have a secret crush on him forever and still be friends then have him know and never talk to me again.” She sniffled softly. “It would break my heart.” Elias nodded. “Your secret’s safe with me Book Binder, but I think you should tell him. The longer it sits, the more it will hurt. Trust me, I know.” Book Binder nodded in understanding. “Thanks Elias. It means a lot.” She climbed off his chest, snuggling back at his side. This time however, she put her head on Night Flash’s belly, snorting softly into his fur. The pegasus giggled in his sleep, rolling over so that his wing draped over Book Binder’s body. The unicorn cooed happily, and closed her eyes. Elias shook his head as he watched the unicorn fall asleep. Watching the two sleeping ponies, he smiled, feeling a bit warmer inside. This was swiftly replaced by a cold feeling, and though he couldn’t see him, Elias knew he was there. “You know we have to do everything in our power to keep them safe, right?” Other-Elias whispered in his ear. Elias bit his cheek. “A bit late for you to be cautioning me,” he whispered. “Weren’t you the one who recommended this kind of decision?” “Of course I did, and it paid off in spades, but that doesn’t mean we’re not us, and that we aren’t physically more capable than these ponies. They might have weird powers, but we have the nerve and the strength to do the job right. We know how best to keep them safe. For any price.” Elias nodded, for once in complete agreement with the phantom. “For any price,” he whispered.