The Centurion Project

by TheEighthDayofNight


Chapter 17: Discussions

Journal Entry 976

I think it’s going to be healthy for me to write down a set of rules I developed. Things are terrible awful lonely rough out here, and I need to have a clear set of principles if I want to stay alive. So, here are the basics for this first attempt, I might try to add more as I think of them.

1. Save what you can. Food, resources, people. Everything has value, you just might not realize it yet.
2. Mercy comes in many forms. Don’t be afraid to do what is needed, even if it hurts.
3. Diplomacy first. A loaded gun is nice, but isn’t always needed. Talking is usually a good first step (or at least I think it is)
4. People are inherently good

1440 Edit: people are dog shit. Worthless in every aspect and should be shot on sight. They lie, cheat, steal, kill. They are no better than wild animals and should be treated as such. No mercy. Take care of yourself, and only yourself.

Elias stood with Night Flash to his left, on the other side of the doorway leading to Luna's bedroom. With nothing to occupy their eyes, the two stared at the wall in complete silence. It was by far one of the worst guard positions to have, but Elias always found that the utter silence and solitude was better than having to deal with the inane questions the castle staff always asked, and that he, as a guard, was required to answer. Why that had been a part of the guard manual, he had no idea, but it was a requirement, so answer the questions he did. Usually the ponies gave up when he only gave them short, non-descriptive answers. None of the cleaning staff ever came by Luna’s room during the hours when she maintained the dream realm. Elias had no idea what that actually meant, but he chalked it up to magic and left it there.

After stealing him from the cafeteria, Scalpel had actually strapped him to the bed, with what he claimed was an uncuttable rope. Not to be out done, Elias had found, upon his awakening, his gladius waiting on his bedside, cleaned and polished with a note from Scarlet apologizing for everything. After sighing about the pony’s misplaced guilt, Elias had tried, using the extra sharpness of Feather, to cut and work away at the rope. He had shouted with victory when he had cut through the rope, only for the two lengths to immediately seal back together and electrocute him. Since it lacked any visible knot, and he had no urge to be a twitching mess, Elias had left the rope around his ankle be.

As punishment for letting Elias talk them into leaving the infirmary, Night Flash and Book Binder had gotten the punishment of limited visitation. When Book Binder had responded by going to Luna, Scalpel had relented, letting them visit whenever, on the condition that they had limited physical contact with Elias. Another letter to the princess later, Scalpel had broken completely and had left the two be, as long as they promised to not allow Elias out of the bed. Book Binder had agreed cheerfully, cuddling up with the disgruntled human as she read aloud to him from a dozen different books. Elias found that they both liked the Daring Doo books the most, though he preferred the parts with the action, while she preferred the sections where Daring interacted with her love interest. Elias had spitefully refused to learn the stallion’s name, and after several hours arguing with Book Binder, the two had decided that she would simply read these sections to herself, curled under Elias’ arm while he and Flash talked.

After three days, Scalpel had set him free, with a harsh warning about returning, as well as a scheduled meal together. The unicorn believed that if he left the infirmary more, Elias would stop going to it. Elias imagined that their Wednesday meal would likely become a regular thing, and a large part of him hoped it would.

Either way, his wounds were healed completely, and without scarring, so he quickly fell back into the swing of things. He trained daily with Flash and Binder, and each day they continued to improve, despite the fact that he continued to win their scuffles. More than once Elias had to get on Book Binder for hesitating. With the trial motherhood ongoing, she had a difficult time striking out at her “baby boy”, despite Elias’ insurances that he would be fine. It didn’t help that the one time that she succeeded with an attack, she put him through a stone wall. Even when he comforted her, telling her that she did perfectly, she wouldn’t listen, tearing up as she tried to, quote; “kiss his boo boos away”. Elias had let Night Flash handle that one.

That incident was one of several that had begun to show the mixed results of the trial motherhood. Sometimes, Elias felt like he was growing ever calmer and closer to his friends and “potential” parents. They sparred, laughed, and simply talked, with Elias growing more comfortable with Book Binder’s motherly gestures. Other days however, Elias relapsed. His temper grew shorter, flashing up at little things that wouldn’t normally cause him issue. The rate of his violent panic attacks increased, and he got lucky that Night Flash was usually close, because the pegasus was usually able to quickly and quietly break Elias free. Usually. The intensity of his night terrors increased as well, with as many as two to three happening per night. Whenever somebody tried to pry about the content of the dreams, Elias would leave as quickly as possible, his anger growing to the point where he was a breath away from striking someone. One incident had been far too close, and he had only barely held himself back, his fingernails digging into his palms as he stalked away with murder on his mind.

Other days were simply… off. While not bitter and filled with simmering rage, Elias felt the need to be alone, to avoid his friends. He hid out in the depths of the library, ignoring the soft calls of Book Binder or Night Flash, even occasionally Luna as he buried himself in a book, tucked between bookshelves so that he couldn’t be found. It made him feel like a coward, but it was the only way he felt like he could relax. With all of the ponies pushing him so hard, especially Book Binder, Elias felt like he was at his wits end. Only after long hours of silence could Elias muster up the strength to drag himself back to the populated halls, where he was swiftly met by a worried Book Binder, which left the human feeling even worse about himself. The only way he could cope and not drive her further away was to pretend that he was merely distracted and lost track of time. A few half-jokes about his poor hearing later and Book Binder would relax, though he occasionally caught her giving him nervous glances. It would allow them to fall back into their normal rhythm however, and so they would usually eat, or spar.

Over the course of their combat sessions, Night Flash and Book Binder showed noticeable improvement, and they could tell. It showed in the way they held themselves, walking taller, being a bit more physical with their play banter at each other. They were also a bit more boisterous, which Elias found himself enjoying greatly. Scarlet got better as well, although at a much slower pace. Despite their almost friendly truce, Elias didn’t want to antagonize the Royal Guard captain further, so he watched at a distance as the two pegasi sparred lightly with each other while Ice Blossom coached. On one occasion, she had actually approached Elias for his assistance in motivating Scarlet Shield. For every match he “won”, he got an extra hour in tactics planning. For every match he “lost” an hour was taken away. A win was determined by the pegasus landing a single hit on Midnight Chaser, while a loss was getting thrown from the arena.

Though it took him many, many tries, Scarlet began to win. When he began to win every match, Ice Blossom had upped the conditions, making Scarlet land two hits. It had taken him a bit longer to meet the advanced benchmark, but Elias had no doubt in his mind that he would get it with time. They still had a full week to prep for the big exercise, and Scarlet was working like a dog to be ready. Every conversation somehow brought the subject up, and each ended with Scarlet wistfully looking into the air as he prayed that he got to be team captain. Elias hoped the pegaus got it.

Elias was jarred from his thoughts by the sound of the door to his left opening. Luna walked out, yawning widely as she looked between him and Night Flash.

“Ah, I see the shift has not yet changed. Pray tell, what time is it?”

Being the more dexterous of the two guards, Elias pulled out his watch.

“Just past 5:45 Princess,” he answered, quickly closing the watch and tucking it back within his belt.

Luna nodded, rubbing at her eyes as she yawned a second time. She shivered briefly, ruffling all of her feathers before she looked to Elias with a smile.

“Come Guardsman Bright, I wish to take an early morning stroll. It is so rare that I am free to watch Canterlot awaken.”

She looked down to Night Flash.

“Guardspony Flash, you shall remain here. Alert any interested parties that I am walking the streets.”

Night Flash gave her a single, grim nod. Luna then smiled widely at Elias.

“Come Guardsman!” she said cheerfully. “We have much to see!”

Elias bit his lip to avoid sighing as she began to prance away. He slipped his pilum into one of the available sheathes in his shield. He certainly wasn’t going to parade around with the thing in his hand.

It took him a few quick steps to catch up with the energetic princess, but when he did, he fell in behind her, keeping an even pace that matched hers perfectly. That had been another interesting part of the small training he had received. There was a way to walk “properly” when escorting a princess, and that meant he was forced to practice a certain pace that they always fell into. Lucky for him, he wasn’t limited by relatively stubby pony legs, and his long strides matched up very well with that of Luna. All that was left was to simply get the right speed for each one, which had taken less than a minute. Nightshade had been unhappy at that, claiming the best part of the training was watching ponies stumble around learning how to walk fast without trotting.

As they walked, Luna would greet any pony she saw, though that primarily consisted of Lunar Guards, with the odd maid or chef appearing for a moment. They stopped only once when Luna gave a compliment to one of the maids that had apparently been tasked with cleaning up Elias’ blood. The maid gave the human a glare as she accepted the praise, but then went about her day like nothing had happened.

Luna continued her cheerful trot as they exited the castle. Outside of the gates, she paused briefly to stare into the sky, her horn alight as she made minute adjustments to the moonset. Then they were on their way. Elias struggled not to stare at Luna as she skipped along. Other ponies were not so subtle. They openly gaped with surprise as their princess pranced through the streets happily, a wide smile on her face as she occasionally stopped at shop windows, watching bakers prepare their goods, or made her way over to open displays, smelling flowers as florists watered their blooming plants.

Throughout it all, Elias simply stood silently and watched. He was surprised that he didn’t get more looks, but he attributed it to the fact that Luna was literally hopping from place to place. Her wings flapped occasionally as she bounced through the air, and her cries of joy were loud enough to echo down the mostly quiet street.

As they reached the end of the street, Luna bounced into Elias’ side, giggling happily as she leaned against him. Elias tried to ignore the feeling of incredibly soft fur on his arm. He was surprised that to find that it was even softer than Book Binder's fur, and he had to suppress the urge to start petting the princess like a cat.

“Ah, that was excellent,” she said breathlessly. “It tis my second favorite time of night.”

Elias glanced at her before looking forward again.

“Your second favorite time of night is right before it ends?” Elias asked.

She nodded.

“Indeed, it is Guardsman. It is the only other time of night when my ponies are becoming active once again. True, it might be to prepare for my sister’s day, but I like to view it as my subjects are enjoying my early morning twilight, seeing the stars just before they vanish.”

Luna looked around as they continued to walk, going down a less active street.

“Tis also a good time to view the world at large. You see how everything looks just before it is prepared for the light of day. Everything is still calm, and tucked away, warm and safe.”

She paused in the middle of the street, twirling around as she looked at the white Canterlot buildings. Her smile still wide, Luna took in a deep breath, closing her eyes as she savored the air. As her eyes opened, she looked to Elias. He stared back, waiting for the real reason they were out here. He had no doubt she enjoyed being out of the castle, but that wasn’t why she had brought him out into Canterlot. She didn’t keep him waiting long.

“So, Guardsman, let us talk.”

Elias scanned the buildings as if looking for a threat.

“And just what will we be talking about Princess?” he asked absently.

“Think of this as a… wellness check,” she replied. “I wish to see how you are truly adjusting.”

Elias snorted.

“Wouldn’t you be better asking Scalpel? He’s seen about as much of my body as I have at this point. I’m sure he has a folder on me the size of a tome.”

“That is not the kind of wellness I am speaking of Guardsman Bright,” Luna replied, her voice a bit short with irritation. “Despite your many fights, and injuries, your body is substantially stronger and more filled in than when we found you. That much is obvious. I am referring to your mental state, the one you keep private.”

Elias frowned. Now he found solace in looking at the buildings. He didn’t want to talk about this. Not now, not ever. He had found comfort in pretending there wasn’t a problem, and having friends that continued to grow closer had helped him in believing it.

“I’m doing just fine Princess,” Elias replied robotically. “Talking more, been working on my temper with Book Binder on occasion. Things are going swimmingly.”

Luna didn’t believe his words; he could hear it in her voice.

“So, your night terrors have faded?” she asked.

Elias sighed and looked at his feet.

“No,” he admitted. “I still have them every night, without fail. On the upside, they haven’t gotten much worse, so there’s that.”

Luna snorted.

“Guardsman Bright that is false, and both you and I know that. They have increased in number, and they have begun increasing in intensity. You thrash more, and it seems you have a greater difficulty fully coming out of the terrors when you awaken.”

Elias looked at her with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

“You’ve been watching me sleep?”

Luna sighed.

“Of course I have Guardsman. As are six of Equestria’s leading psychologists. They have come to the conclusion that you are further suppressing your inner turmoil, rather than using the available avenues you have created to release it. It seems making friends has made you even more secretive, not less.”

“Are you suggesting that I should get rid of my friends for personal benefit?” Elias asked, his voice becoming slightly angry at the implication.

Sure, he had severe anxiety of what could come in the future, particularly concerning Binder and Flash, but that didn’t mean he was going to kick them to the curb. Elias froze internally when he came to the conclusion that he’d rather die than let them go. The voice in the back of his head sat in smug silence.

“No Elias, I am not at all suggesting that,” Luna said, backpedaling. “I am merely trying to determine what will work to help you. A damaged soul yearns for something, and more often than not, simple friendship is enough to fill that void.”

Elias snorted and looked to the buildings again.

“Not for me though huh?” he said, trying to put humor into his voice.

It didn’t work, his tone sounding off, almost jaded. Elias didn’t know who to blame for that particular failure, so he blamed himself. He was the one with the issues after all. He was the one who struggled to form relationships on the baseless assumption that the universe itself would cruelly snatch his friends away like it had done so many times before. Putting the thoughts to the forefront made him feel exhausted, and Elias desperately wished for something to draw him away from this dark place.

Luna sighed deeply as she seemed to notice the shadow that had passed over his mind.

“Guardsman Bright I believe you are a special case. You yearn for friendship, but also much more. Tell me, and answer me honestly, do you like fighting?”

Elias smiled weakly.

“Princess, I love fighting. Until recently it was the only time I felt truly alive.” He clenched his fist as he pictured any of his wild, numerous fights. “The adrenaline makes you giddy, makes it so you can ignore pain, and the blood spilling from your body. The physical sensations are so satisfying that it’s unnatural.”

He looked at her, his eyes partially obscured by the shadow of his helmet.

“Have you ever felt someone’s bones break under your fist? Have you felt the blood splatter on your face, and the entire time you feel aware that you did that, and you simply love it? The heat, the feeling of your muscles tensing and relaxing as you swing away, taking a life in an instant.”

He laughed at himself in disgust.

“And that’s the worst part. The feeling of power you get when you take a life.” He snorted as he shook his head and looked away, once more finding solace in the quiet buildings. “I should be locked up Princess, because I love that feeling. It makes me feel like I’m on top of the world when I kill someone. The fact that I can admit it is even worse. Ending a life shouldn’t give me a rush, and yet it does all the same. It’s the ultimate victory; an enemy who will never rise to fight you again.”

Luna seemed to take his admission of horror in stride, looking at him calmly.

“Have you ever asked yourself why you feel as you do? Do you know if you have ever felt disgusted by your acts?”

“Princess I feel disgusted by my “acts” now. That won’t stop me from doing them again, won’t stop me from relishing the sensations. If you’re asking if there was ever a point when I didn’t feel good killing, then the answer is yes, but that was a very long time ago,” he sighed, “and a very different Elias.”

Luna took them down another side street as they continued to walk. The first rays of sunshine were beginning to decorate the sky in an array of light pinks. It would only be a matter of time before the streets were painted with gold as ponies began to truly awaken. Elias had never seen the city in the daytime, and in truth had never really seen it at night. As part of his guard contract, his first year of duties were restricted to the castle. It had made sense; they certainly didn’t want him to bolt in the middle of an Everfree patrol. Since he spent much of his time in the training grounds, and now with his friends, he had never gotten out and about.

“Tell me Guardsman,” Luna continued, “have you ever considered that you are merely associating the “rush” as you say, of killing with the actual feeling of pride you feel for defending the people you care about?”

Elias shrugged.

“I’ve tried to justify the feeling over the years Princess. I told myself I was killing the “bad guys”, I was “protecting” people, I was “defending” myself, but the simple truth is that I found something I was very good at, and I enjoyed it. It is probably for the best that I don’t have a special talent as you do, because what the hell would it say about me?”

Luna frowned in thought as she tapped her hoof on the ground.

“I believe it would speak more to your caring nature than you believe,” she responded. “Even though you may not show it like a pony would, you are extremely protective of your friends. All of this points back to your lack of openness, even with them. So, I must ask; what are you trying to protect them from?”

Elias reached under his helmet to scratch the back of his head.

“Princess, if I may, what is the purpose of this? How is any of this supposed to help?”

Luna smiled widely.

“I am merely trying to hear your inner thoughts in the open. The first step to help someone heal, as I have been advised, is to be open. That is why I have admitted to my observations of your behavior. Though you may not think it, you are crying out for help. It is my duty to see that you have it, before things get worse.”

“Get worse?” Elias asked. “How can I possibly get worse from here save for going insane?”

'Again,' Elias thought to himself.

Luna’s smile dropped. She looked around, and finding no ponies, she let her voice drop in volume slightly.

“Tell me Guardsman, have you had any suicidal thoughts?”

Elias blinked in surprise.

“Why would you ask that?” he asked, not answering the question.

Luna noticed, but humored him.

“Your theory that you are a rival alpha to our guard captains bears merit, but the more I think about it, I am forced to draw the conclusion that perhaps you are looking for ponies that can grant you death. Humans are a warrior race, by your own admission. I researched similar races, and found that minotuars, when old and ready to die, will seek out strong opponents to battle. This is in the hopes of being killed in the glory of combat, as they believe that the Keepers will grant them rewards if they die fighting.”

She stopped, and made Elias turn toward her.

“So tell me Guardsman,” she said with concerned eyes, “are you trying to find your death at the hoof of another?”

Elias had to make a mental effort not to take a step away from the alicorn. She was watching him carefully. Any and all movements were being studied carefully, including the absolute silence Elias was answering her with. He found that he really didn’t want to think of his actions in this light, and prayed for a distraction.

Fortunately for him, the universe provided for once. Elias heard what sounded like a cry for help, though it was extremely faint. He looked away from Luna, scanning his right as he looked for the source.

“Did you hear that?” he asked.

“Guardsman Bright, do not avoid the question, it is unbecoming,” she said sharply.

Elias held up a hand for her to be quiet as he listened carefully. He really hoped it wasn’t just the ringing that usually occupied his ears. A soft thump seemed to echo in his right ear, and he tracked the sound to a solitary alleyway tucked subtly between two short buildings.

Luna stomped her hoof in frustration.

“I will not be dismissed Guardsman! If you do not wish to speak about this, then merely say so, do not wave at me like some kind of dog!”

Elias felt a flash of irritation.

“Princess shut up and listen!” he said, keeping his voice low, but no less filled with anger.

She glared at him, but her mouth clamped shut as she twirled her ears around. The tension drained from her body when another muffled thump exited the alley, followed by two male voices talking in loud, harsh voices.

“Somepony is arguing? At this hour?” she asked, looking to Elias with confusion. “What could be the cause of such strife?”

Elias shrugged.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. I’ll be back in a flash.”

As he began to make his way toward the alley, Luna called out to him.

“Do try to resolve it peacefully Guardsman!”

Elias gave her a wave of acknowledgement as he grumbled to himself.

“I don’t solve everything with violence you know.”

Yes, you do,’ a voice in the back of his head whispered.

Elias ignored it as he let his hand drift to his gladius hilt. He didn’t grasp Feather yet, he wanted to prove to himself that he could solve whatever situation was waiting without jumping to violence. He peered cautiously down the alley, finding it shrouded in darkness. The rising sun hadn’t quite begun to touch every part of the city, and while the street was growing lighter by the second, much of the alley was still dim. Through that darkness, Elias could see three figures illuminated clearly in the glow of a magical aura. All three had lit horns, towering over a fourth figure who was huddled against the wall, trying to cower behind a basket of what looked to Elias to be bread. Whenever her mouth opened, the three ponies would raise their voices in a false argument, drowning her out. Elias felt his blood rise when one of them, the unicorn in the center, spat on the pony. She whimpered loudly, looking around desperately for help.

Elias cleared his throat as he approached, making no attempt to disguise his armed status.

“What’s going on down here?” he asked in the “formal” guard manner.

One of the unicorns half turned before looking back to the mare.

“None of your bucking business. Now buzz off before you get hurt.”

Elias smiled. He kept his strides long as he came to within a few feet of the ponies.

“Now, I’m feeling awful merciful, since this little act of yours saved me from a rather nasty conversation, so I’m going to let you try that again before I break your jaw.”

Elias cracked his knuckles against his hip as he flexed his hand.

“So, let me ask again, because I think I have poor hearing.”

Elias stopped at an arm’s length from the ponies.

“What’s going on here?”

The three ponies whirled on him with open snarls, only for the expression to disappear as they all paled.

“Oh buck,” the one on the right said.

The middle one growled.

“I don’t know what that thing is, but we can take it. There’s three of us.”

The one on the left smacked him in the head.

“No we can’t you idiot, look at that armor! Whatever it is, it’s a Lunar Guard!”

The leftmost stallion put on a too wide smile as he looked at Elias.

“Kind sir, I am so sorry about my friend, he just drinks too much coffee in the morning and gets easily excited. This is all just a big… misunderstanding.”

Elias rolled his tongue over his teeth.

“A misunderstanding huh? That’s your excuse for why that young lady is on the ground?” he said, nodding his head at the mare.

She looked at him with a mixture of fear and hope. Elias tried to give her his most reassuring smile before he looked back to the leftmost unicorn, who was shifting on his hooves nervously. Elias wiped his nose with his thumb, spitting into the dirt.

“Now, let’s not pretend that I’m an idiot. Give me the real reason you’re tormenting this young lady or things are going to get nasty for the three of you.”

The leftmost stallion tried to keep his smile up, but as he met Elias’ eyes, that smile faltered, giving way to fear.

“W-we... she owes us money you see...” he stammered.

“Really?” Elias asked with a wide grin. “I want all of you to say the exact amount she owes you, at the same time.”

The three looked at each other stupidly, then began to say the beginnings of three different numbers. As they dragged out their words in an effort to coordinate their speech, Elias raised a hand to stop them. They fell into an angry silence as they shot glares at each other.

“That’s about what I thought,” Elias said calmly. “You’re all full of shit, and if you lie to me again, I will ensure you are punished. Now shut your traps and take three steps back.”

He then motioned to the mare with his free hand.

“Come on Miss. These three aren’t going to do a thing to you now.”

He waved for her to move toward him. A flicker of a smile passed over the mare’s face, and she began to rise, only for the middle stallion to shove her back down roughly. She yelped as she hit the wall again. The center stallion growled as his horn glowed with increasing intensity.

“Buck this! I’m not going to be pushed around by one bucking gu-!”

He let out a cry of pain as the stone shattered his nose. Elias kept his face blank as he tossed a second stone lightly in his hand. He watched the pony on the left.

“I suggest you collect your friend and leave before I stop being so kind.”

The unicorn smiled weakly, bowing slightly as he and the right pony grabbed their fallen compatriot and dragged him to his feet. Still clutching his nose as he looked at Elias with fear, the three raced down toward the far end of the alley. Elias watched as they scrambled around a corner and disappeared. He then put the stone back in its pouch and closed the remaining steps toward the mare.

She shivered in fear as he approached, squeaking lightly when his shadow towered over her. Elias dropped into a squat, offering her his hand. He waited patiently with a smile as she opened her eyes. She looked at his hand warily before looking up at his face, fear evident across her face.

“It’s okay ma’am,” he said softly, as if talking to a hurt animal, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

She looked at him in stunned silence for a second more, then leaped at him, clinging to his chest as she cried tears of relief. Elias remained still for a moment, lost in the speed of her action, then he began gently petting her back with his shield hand. His free hand grabbed her basket; he left the bread that had fallen free, and then he rose to his feet. Bracing her rump with his hand, he carried her back toward the alley exit he had entered from. The entire way, she sobbed into his neck, her tears wet against his skin.

As he walked into the light of the street, Luna met him with a smile. It faltered only momentarily at the sight of the sobbing pony, but it rose again, shifting from a happy smile to a caring one.

“Hello Guardsman, I see you have helped one of my little ponies. Who is this?” she asked softly.

The mare sniffled as she replied.

“I-I’m Baked Loaf.

She didn’t turn around, her eyes still closed and buried firmly in Elias’ neck. He passed off her basket to Luna so he could use his free hand to further brace the pony. In the growing light of day, he saw that she was a peach colored pegasus with a light purple mane.

Elias dropped into a crouch as she began to taper off. She pulled away from him, wiping her eyes as she flushed red with embarrassment.

“Sorry about that Guardspony, I was just…” she looked at the ground and trembled, “scared.”

Elias smiled as he remained crouched, doing his best not to tower over, and therefore further scare, the shaken pony.

“It’s no problem at all Ms. Loaf. If you don’t mind me asking though, why were those three after you?”

“T-they…” she closed her eyes and teared up. “I don’t know!” she wailed. “I paid them back twice now! I should never have borrowed from them!” She looked to Elias, her eyes pleading. “Please, you have to believe me! I only asked for their help because part of my shop burned down and I couldn’t afford to fix it! They approached me and offered to get it fixed if I paid them back within a month. And I did! I paid them two days early!”

She whimpered softly, and she looked with fear toward the still dark alley. Elias gently reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder.

“Take your time Miss. Just say it slow and calm like.”

Baked Loaf flinched under his touch, but when she saw him patiently waiting with a smile, she smiled back, rubbing against his hand.

“They wouldn’t leave me be after that,” she continued, calming down slightly. “I paid in full, but they said I owed them interest. When I paid them again, they said I still owed them. So, I told them they weren’t welcome around my shop anymore. I got my brother and his friends to protect it, and to walk me home.”

She cooed softly as Elias’ hand moved up to scratch her ears.

“Mhm, but today my brother got sick and couldn’t get any of his friends to walk me to my shop. They’re either all sick like he is, or they’re all out of Canterlot. So, I tried to take some shortcuts to get to work, but they ambushed me.”

She smiled as she looked at Elias.

“But then you came along.” She nuzzled his hand again. “Such a brave…”

She froze and looked at him with blinking, owlish eyes. Elias raised an eyebrow as he waited for her mind to come back. Blinking again, she took a slight step back, then stared over his shoulder. She squeaked as she fell into a bow.

“Princess Luna, I am so sorry! I didn’t even realize you were here.”

Luna sighed as she walked forward. Laying a wing on Baked Loaf’s back, she stood the pony up.

“It is quite alright Ms. Loaf. What is important right now is that you are safe. As we speak the stallions who have assaulted you are being captured by my guards. Rest assured, they shall not bother you again.”

Baked Loaf smiled widely. Her hooves twitched as if she wanted to leap at Luna to give the alicorn a hug, but she held herself in control.

“Thank you, Princess,” she said brightly. “I already feel safer.”

She glanced over at Elias, with a strange light in her eyes.

“Though I wouldn’t mind if your guard could escort me to my shop.”

Elias saw a brief flash of what looked like anger pass through Luna’s eyes, but the alicorn nodded as she looked at him, her voice cheerful.

“Of course, Ms. Loaf. Guardsman Bright would be happy to.”

Baked Loaf quickly pounced onto his chest again, with Elias barely catching her with his free hand. She adjusted, while suspended in only one arm, eventually settling into a small ball as she looked up at him with a shining smile. Elias looked to Luna with a raised eyebrow. He saw that brief anger again, but it passed quickly as she shooed him to go. The breadbasket floated back into his grasp, and Baked Loaf pointed down the street in the direction of her shop.

Elias looked back to Luna one more time, and she smiled at him.

“Go on Guardsman, we shall continue our conversation later.”

'Not if I can help it,' Elias thought to himself.

He gave her a brief nod, and with a basket in one hand and a pony in the other, he followed Baked Loaf’s directions to her shop.

Unbeknownst to Elias, Luna watched as he walked away with the pegasus in his arms. She felt a twinge of jealously again, but she had no idea where the emotion was coming from. This had actually been a part of her adjusted plan. With the help of the doctors, she had determined that if he wasn’t missing just friendship, then he was missing something much greater. Book Binder and Night Flash had gotten a head start by claiming him as they’re own, and while resistant, Luna knew that in time, Elias would accept their offer. Even his unique brand of human stubbornness couldn’t stand against the love of a mother.

The second part had been to find Elias a suitable mate. With his own admission that he had never pursued love, she had the psychologists lay out a plan that would find him in the hooves of a lover. The pony who he was intimate with had to get the man to open up. Love could conquer any trauma, especially given time. At worst, a lover might give the human a child, and there he could find peace by raising his own seed to adulthood, and therefore find happiness in the accomplishments of another.

So why was she jealous when a potential solution had quite literally fallen into her lap? She had seen that look in Baked Loaf’s eyes. Maybe it was because Elias had swooped in to save her, but the pony had become instantly enamored with the human. It was clear to Luna that he didn’t notice however, and Luna attributed it to his interactions with Book Binder and Night Flash. The pair had already pushed the limits of friendly physical contact, and with the reaction of the rune, it was clear to Luna that it was because they wanted Elias as a son. It was clear that this was a far different reaction however, and that left Luna feeling conflicted for an unknown reason. She frowned deeply as she pondered it.

Luna was jolted from her thoughts as Midnight Chaser touched down beside her, giving her a quick salute.

“Princess, we have apprehended the suspects. One of them had a broken nose, but otherwise they're just terrified out of their wits.” He smiled proudly. “The Royal Guard armor gets them every time.”

Luna nodded absently as she stared at the corner that Elias had disappeared around.

“Quite. Place them in the dungeons. We shall need a full report of the story from Guardsman Bright, as well as the witness reports from a pegasus named Baked Loaf. Have one of the guards tailing Bright drop into her shop after he leaves to collect her statement. I shall determine the punishment of the suspects tomorrow night.”

Chaser nodded and saluted before he took to the sky again, leaving Luna alone with her confused thoughts as the sun continued to rise.