//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: Distractions // Story: The Centurion Project // by TheEighthDayofNight //------------------------------// Journal Entry Day 1101 I’m always a bit surprised when I find stores of food. Of course, it’s never any of the good stuff, but why did people always stock up on random shit? Like really, thirty-seven jars of peanut butter? Why? Why is there an entire cabinet in your house dedicated to just peanut butter? You couldn’t at least put some jelly in there? I am extremely grateful that I never developed a peanut allergy like… . Anyway, it’s good news that I can eat the stuff. I should be able to get it to last at least a month, if not more. Depends if I can find something to put it on, eating raw peanut butter out of the jar is only going to get me by on a jar a day. I wish crackers kept better; I haven’t seen one of those salty fuckers in three months. Always turn to mush if the littlest bit of water gets on them. Elias walked slowly through the halls; his thumbs tucked into his sword belt. Though she was trying to be sneaky, a Royal Guardspony was shadowing him as he wandered aimlessly through the castle corridors. He didn’t know where Book Binder and Night Flash were; the pair had been absent when he woke up. After taking a quick shower and waiting around for a few minutes, Elias had decided to just get his breakfast on his own. After passing a few guard stations, Scarlet had come rocketing around a corner, nearly tackling Elias as he rolled to a stop, his tongue lolling out of his mouth in a pant. The pegasus claimed that he had just seen Elias and tried to catch up, but from the looks he received from some of the guards, Elias suspected that he was supposed to have an escort while wandering about. Why nobody bothered to tell him that, Elias didn’t know. Regardless, Scarlet, after catching his breath, had immediately begun talking about the rest of the guard exercises. When they came upon the cafeteria, they were met by a pacing Granite, who smiled happily when he saw Elias and Scarlet. He didn’t say anything, merely followed right behind them, smiling brightly, his tail wishing back and forth. Elias remained largely silent at the meal, brooding as he watched those around him. A small part of him was nervous about what his fellow guards thought of him, but when he could find no trace of fear from either Scarlet or Granite, it made him genuinely happy. If his friends were willing to move past the incident without issue, he was okay with the rest of the guard treating him as a threat. Unfortunately, he was technically on “vacation”, so when they had to go to their shifts, Elias found himself alone, with nothing to do. He had tried wandering toward the training grounds, but his shadow had, not so subtly, coughed and shook her head when he began walking in that direction. A minor adjustment sent him toward the infirmary, but Scalpel was absent, out on call to some house fire in Canterlot proper. That left him to continue wandering. He thought about who he could talk to, but quickly realized that he had nobody outside of the guard. Night Flash and Book Binder were Guardsponies, as were all of his friends. Luna had to run court, and if not that, she had a dozen other political things to do, so that avenue was a bust. His favorite past times included reading and fighting. He had far too much energy to sit still and read, and he was being actively pushed away from fighting, which left him at a loss. A tinge of worry stitched across his chest as he realized that he hadn’t talked to his adoptive parents in a while. He wondered where… Elias stopped dead in the middle of the hallway, staring into nothing as his mind worked. When had that happened? It wasn’t out loud, and nobody else knew, but he had thought about Night Flash and Book Binder as his parents. Was… was that a bad thing? Wasn’t it something he ultimately wanted? Elias almost wished he would have a panic attack so that his personality would split so he could have somebody to talk to. As he stood, stiff as a plank, he found that his mind decided to leave him be for a moment, and so his thoughts were his and his alone. With that freedom, Elias found himself paralyzed with indecision. Unbeknownst to the now frozen human, Anyon was chasing after a pegasus; a lithe purple maid who had been flirting with the gryphon for weeks. She had challenged him to the old race for lace game, and Anyon knew he could catch the flighty creature this time. He had a real chance with this one, that laugh, those shining eyes… Oh he just knew he had to get her. Maybe they couldn’t make little gryphon babies, but then again, there was that one doctor in the lower Canterlot districts. Anyon heard, primarily through a certain alicorn who seemed to be one of three creatures on the planet that visited him, that the unicorn could make any species compatible, so if he could just focus on that purple tail before him, maybe he could get a few kids of his own. Now that would be a treat. “You’re going to have to move faster than that you old buzzard!” Split Tip sang over her shoulder. Anyon huffed loudly as she darted nimbly around a corner. Damn pegasi could move fast, and he wasn’t as young as he used to be. He had the endurance, but she would end the race before he caught up, and then she’d tease him, just like always. She’d been kind enough to give him a date though, and while he got a bit mixed up with pony and gryphon mating traditions, he thought she had fun. She’d even tried a bit of steak! Sure, she immediately spit it out, but the attempt was there. Anyon rounded the corner, taking a deep breath as he tried to pick up his speed, only to come to a crashing halt as he realized that Split Tip was staring at a certain curled up youngblood, concern written plainly on her face. Anyon took a second to catch his breath before he approached her. Anyon flicked her lightly with his wing as he stood beside her, staring down at Elias. She glanced at him with an apologetic look. “Sorry fuzzy, but that doesn’t count.” Anyon huffed. “Can’t an old bird get somethin’?” Split Tip smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. “How about a snuggle later? You got closer this time.” Anyon blushed for a second, giving her a jerky nod. “Thanks fer understanding.” The blush dropped as he sighed, looking at the muttering human before him. “Why don’t you go back to work Tip, I think I can handle this, 'least 'till I can get a princess here.” The youngblood looked lost. His eyes seemed vacant as he stared right past the winged creatures standing above him. His legs weren’t quite tucked to his chest, but they were close. His hands hung limply at his side, and his head rested against the stone wall. His mouth moved, and though there was sound coming out, it was nonsensical and soft. Tip leaned against Anyon. “Are you sure? I can run and grab a guard, see if maybe he’s supposed to be with somepony right now.” Anyon shook his head. “Nah, this is somethin’ else. I got a rundown from Princess Luna, he’s free to wander, but it’s lookin’ to me that maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. Go on now, I gotta put on the mean bird act to get him movin’.” Tip chuckled and rubbed against him. “Save some for later Anny. You know I positively love the mean bird act.” Anyon swatted at the pegasus as she danced away, laughing lightly. “Away ya harpy!” Anyon squawked. “Ya know better than to use yer charms in the castle!” “See you later lover!” she called happily as she slipped down another hallway. Anyon blushed again as he grumbled something about pegasi and their fur, then his eye settled on the mumbling human before him. Anyon frowned, kicking the youngblood’s foot. When that didn’t provoke a response, Anyon did it again, this time much harder. The youngblood didn’t so much as twitch. Anyon huffed as he looked around for somebody to pass this off on. All he found was a single Royal Guard trying to remain incognito, who just stared at him with a bored look in her eyes. Anyon glared at the pony “Ain’t this supposed to be your job?” he asked gruffly. The unicorn shrugged. “My orders are to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself or others, whatever else he does with his time is up to him.” Anyon grumbled again as he kicked the youngblood again. When the human didn’t move, Anyon huffed. “Oi, youngblood, get up.” The human remained still. Anyon frowned and waved a hand in front of his face. The human’s eyes didn’t even track the movement. Growling softly, Anyon grabbed hold of the youngblood’s dress and yanked him back and forth while squawking loudly in his face. “Get up ya skinny bastard!” Anyon was pleased when he provoked a reaction out of the human. He was less pleased when that reaction was to lash out with a fist, punching him in the jaw. Anyon fell back with a yelp, clutching his beak as the youngblood looked at him with surprise, his fist pulled back, ready to strike again. “Why are you yelling at me?” Elias asked, stunned at the sight of the gryphon. The hallway had been empty a second ago, where had the bird come from? Anyon snorted as he rubbed his chin. “Ah think ah should be the one askin’ the questions. Why are ya just sittin’ here youngblood? Ya looked off.” Elias opened his mouth to say that he was standing, not sitting, but with the gryphon standing over him, he found that he was definitely sitting. Elias frowned, pushing himself to his feet. He scratched the back of his head as he looked around, finding nothing of note until his eyes settled back on Anyon, who was watching him with curiosity. “You alright youngblood?” Elias looked up and down the hallway, the frown still present on his face. He ran a hand over his face as he took a deep breath. Had he passed out? It clearly wasn’t a panic attack, because Anyon seemed somewhat calm, that and the Royal Guard hadn’t run off. Elias cracked his neck before looking back to the old gryphon. “Fine. Just… lost right now, I guess. I’m usually at work during this time of the night.” Anyon snorted. “Yer tellin’ me ya don’t do anythin’ but work? That sounds awful dull, if’n ya ask me.” Elias shrugged, scratching his ear. “Something to do I guess.” Anyon squinted as he looked the human up and down. He grunted softly. “Are ya really tellin’ me ya don’t do nothin’ but guard stuff? What about yer free time?” Elias shrugged. “I train, or I read,” he replied. He gestured toward the Royal Guard standing nonchalantly behind them. “She won’t let me do the first, and I’m too restless to do the second. I really don’t do much else; work, eat, fight, sleep. It’s simple, but it works most of the time.” “Spoken like a youngblood,” Anyon huffed. He then glared at the black armored unicorn. “Speakin’ o’ you, ah thought ya said you were supposed to stop him from hurtin’ ponies!” he said, gesturing at Elias. “Where were ya when he swung at me?” The unicorn shrugged. “I would hit you if you yelled in my face too. Besides, he didn’t hit you that hard.” Anyon rubbed his jaw and grumbled, glaring at the unicorn briefly before he looked back to Elias, who still felt lost. He couldn’t find anything to focus on, and in truth, there was nothing he really wanted to focus on. Anyon stared at him silently for a moment, then grunted and shook his head, grabbing Elias’ tunic with a claw. “This ain’t gonna do youngblood, we gotta get you doin’ somethin’ and ah know just the place to start.” ***** Luna sighed as she poured over her paperwork while she walked toward the scrying room. The night court had been uneventful, which meant she had to work on some of the overflow from her sister’s court. Four years since her return, and still very few ponies came to petition. Sure, it was largely because the disputes were usually dealt with by a lower court system that hadn’t existed before her banishment, but somepony could make it to her level, right? Either way, the nobles were too lazy to stay up during the night, and they frequently pestered Celestia, so when Luna found a calm night court, followed by a calm dreamscape, she helped sort through the trash to find proposals that had actual merit. Unfortunately, even the honest nobles had to submit massive packets of information that Luna was forced to sift through, line by line, searching for the one sentence that could sign over the kingdom to some greedy pony. While she had no doubts about the intentions of Fancy Pants, she still had to check that the infrastructure improvement bill didn’t have any unnecessary clauses. Such was bureaucracy. Luna trotted past Anyon’s normally quiet smithy, only to stop when she heard a myriad of curses flowing forth. She looked at the door curiously, lighting her horn to check that the sound dampening enchantments were still in place. When she confirmed that they were, she became even more curious. Luna pressed her ear to the door, listening to the two distinct voices go back and forth, in what sounded like two distinct languages. Luna eyed the packet still suspended in her aura, then listened to the sound of something metal being thrown. It was a perfect excuse to delay more paperwork. Luna cracked open the smithy door, and the stream of curses grew louder as she beheld the sight of Anyon screaming at the top of his lungs at Elias, who was screaming right back, his hand hovering over a pair of tongs. Luna could tell that something was in the furnace in front of Elias, but she really couldn’t tell why Anyon was yelling over it. “Look ya daft idiot, ya take it out when ah say ya take it out, not before, not after!” the gryphon squawked. “Or maybe you trust me to actually count to thirty you feathered fuck!” Elias shouted back, ducking under a bar of steel that had been thrown at his head. “You told me thirty seconds, so I’m counting to thirty seconds, now fuck off so I can focus, or I’m going to mess it up!” “Ya already messed it up ya clumsy tall-pony! Ah said to count to thirty, forty seconds ago!” “Not by my count!” Elias replied angrily. Luna counted to six before Elias’ hands dropped on the tongs, pulling out a long, thin piece of glowing steel. Anyon hopped across the smithy in a single flap, trying to snatch the tongs from the shouting human, who almost dropped the heated metal on his foot. The two shouted at each other in a string of foreign curses as Elias shoved the gryphon away from him with an elbow. He then moved quickly toward an anvil, laying the glowing steel across it as he flailed about for a hammer. Anyon provided one, following it quickly with a swing at Elias’ head with his claw. The human took the slap as he swung at the steel, backhanding Anyon across the beak as he pulled the hammer back. The gryphon squawked indignantly. “Ya call that a hit? The steel will be cool by the time it’s hammered flat! Ah’ve had breezies who could swing a hammer better!” Elias ignored him as the hammer came down again, focusing on the task in his hands. Anyon fell silent as he watched over Elias’ shoulder, occasionally making minute adjustments to the man’s posture. Anyon glanced up to find Luna watching the pair with no small amount of confusion. He gave her a small wave before he zeroed back in on Elias’ swings. “A bit softer now lad, ya got it where ya need to start makin’ the small changes. Little taps now, keep ‘em fast and low.” Elias responded silently to the advice, hammering across the piece of steel. He raised the steel before his eyes, then laid it back down, stepping out of the way so that Anyon could get a closer look. The gryphon frowned as he handled the steel, what looked to Luna like a knife blade. He turned the still glowing metal over in his talons, then nodded as he laid it back on the anvil. “Look close youngblood, ya almost got it perfect this time.” He snatched a hammer from the racks suspended above their heads and began tapping near the point of the knife. “Ya made the tip a bit thick, nothin’ we can’t fix, but it’ll make it a beast to sharpen down later on if we don’t get it now.” Elias nodded. “Is that something I’ll learn to eyeball with practice?” Anyon nodded as he raised the blade before his eyes. “That it is youngblood. Takes years, but you’ll get it.” Anyon grinned before dropping the blade into the quenching bucket. He let it sit for a moment before pulling it back out, inspecting the blade once more. He motioned for Elias to get close. “Now ya see there? That’s what ya should be aimin’ for fer a blade like this. Keep the tip thin like the rest of the blade, but not so much that it’s gonna snap off when ya cut into a bar o’ soap.” Anyon patted the human on the back as he dropped the blade back into the water bucket. “Good work for yer first time youngblood, now start fillin’ the furnace again. Ya let it get too low, and yer lucky the steel stayed as hot as it did.” Elias rolled his eyes and gave Anyon his middle finger as he walked toward the back of the smithy, snatching up a shovel on the way. Luna felt her confusion at the rapid shifts in conversational tone creep across her face. Anyon looked at her with a grin. “Evenin’ Princess,” he said, “what can ah do for ya?” “I heard the sounds of an argument coming from within your workshop and decided to investigate, as you are usually alone. I certainly did not expect to find Guardsman Bright in here with you.” She glanced around the gryphon as Elias came back to the front, stripped to his undergarment and pulling a large cart weighed down with what looked like coal. The human didn’t acknowledge anyone as he let the handle drop. He stabbed into the pile of coal with a shovel, guiding it over to the furnaces. Anyon looked over his shoulder at the human and snorted. “Aye, just teachin’ the youngblood a bit about the craft. Found him wanderin’ all crazy like, so ah decided to give him somethin’ to do. Too bad he’s got the blacksmithin’ sense of a foal!” Anyon finished with a squawk. “I blame my teacher,” Elias replied without looking up. “A good workpony never blames his tools,” Anyon snapped at him. Elias smirked. “Anyon, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you just called yourself a tool.” Anyon snorted again, looking back to Luna. “He aint’ terrible, and he can do the heavy lifting, so he’s good enough for me. Do ya need him?” “I suppose we could begin our nightly activities early,” Luna replied. “What was your argument about? We have been cataloging Elias’ aggressive periods in hopes of finding what spurs his anger.” Anyon tilted his head in confusion. “Argument?” He looked back to Elias, who met his confused stare with a shrug before continuing to shovel coal. Anyon looked back to Luna. “We weren’t havin’ no argument. We were just workin’ in here. Ah was givin’ the youngblood pointers and such.” “By yelling at each other?” Luna asked in disbelief. Anyon shrugged, looking to Elias again. “Just talkin’, ain’t we youngblood?” The human nodded, wiping his brow as he leaned on the shovel. Elias squinted at Luna. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed Princess, but everyone seems awfully prim and proper around here. I try to keep it toned back, but Anyon is the only person who actually speaks like a normal person.” He stabbed the shovel into the pile, putting one last scoop into the furnace before setting the shovel down. “It’s actually been nice to cut loose and swear. If I so much as say the word “fuck” these days without some reason behind it, I get looks like I just murdered a small child. It’s just a word, yet everybody gets up in arms about it.” He shook his head and sighed. “I do not understand it, but it’s not an issue, I guess. Already made the change, so who fucking cares?” Anyon grinned and nodded, grabbing a towel from the overhang to toss at Elias. The human caught it deftly as he snatched up his tunic and his sword belt, wiping himself down as he walked to the front of the smithy. “So, what do you need me for Princess?” Elias asked. “Have you spoken with Book Binder or Night Flash today?” Luna asked, answering his question with a question. Elias wiped off his hands, tossing the towel into a corner far from the furnaces. HE shook his head as he pulled his tunic over his head. “Can’t say I have. They were gone from my room before I got up.” Luna smiled. “Excellent, then we must be off. There is much that needs done this night.” She turned to leave the room while Elias looked a question to Anyon, who shrugged in non-answer. Elias sighed and made his way around the counter, following Luna into the much brighter, and cooler, hallway. He briefly wished that he had more to wear, and he made a note to go and talk to the tailor later about getting some winter clothes. Luna smiled at him as she motioned for him to follow. Elias fell in behind her, frowning at the back of her head as she led him through a maze of corridors. “So Guardsman Bright, did you enjoy your time with Anyon?” Luna asked, making small talk. Elias shrugged. “I guess. It was definitely refreshing from all of the soft pony stuff.” He scratched his head. “I think I’m going to start visiting him more often, he seems much more… human really. Ponies are nice to be around and all, but sometimes I just feel out of place.” He chuckled. “Even when I can pick fights with some of the other guards.” “Out of place?” Luna echoed. “Yeah,” Elias agreed, “Humans and ponies aren’t that different from each other, barring the obvious differences, but sometimes ponies seem too… cuddly?” Elias shrugged. “I don’t know, I just think that if I was anywhere except a castle full of the more aggressive ponies in Equestria, I’d lose my mind. At least anyone who is in the guard sort of understands where I’m coming from.” “Would it be accurate to say that pony culture is more of a shock compared to your experience with gryphon culture?” Luna asked. They were getting close to the room, and if Elias thought ponies were too cuddly now… Elias shrugged again. “I guess.” A sigh escaped his lips. “I don’t know, it’s complicated. My friends are great, and I care about all of them and wouldn’t trade them for anything, but…” “But…?” Luna pressured. “But, I can’t “shoot the shit” with them,” Elias said. “They don’t swear, and they’re not competitive conversationalists. Sometimes I just want someone to yell at me for no reason so I can yell and swear right back, and then we go on with our day like nothing happened.” Elias shrugged for a third time. “It might be a human concept of friendship, but I feel like every conversation here is trying to find some deeper meaning, rather than just be some relaxing nothing. Even with Book Binder and Night Flash, it feels… strained. Like we have nothing to relate about.” He sighed. “And I guess that’s partly my fault. My interests are fighting and history about fighting. It doesn’t exactly open a lot of avenues for conversation.” Luna remained silent as she thought out an appropriate response. “Have you considered trying to find new interests?” she asked. “You say you lack a friend to, quote; “shoot the shit” with, but it rather seemed like you enjoyed working with Anyon.” She smiled over her shoulder at Elias. “That old gryphon needs more friends anyway, and I would have no qualms with adjusting your guard schedule to occasionally let you help him with his smithing duties. Would such an arrangement be of interest to you?” Elias tilted his head back and forth as he rolled his tongue in his cheek. “Sure, I think that would be fine with me,” he paused, then added; “though I wouldn’t want to impose on Anyon. If he doesn’t want me there, I don’t want to intrude.” Luna scoffed. “What he wants is not part of the equation. What he needs is somepony else to talk to. Besides myself, and recently one of my maids, he is alone in that shop of his.” She looked back at Elias. “Much like you, he isolates himself, partly because of the cultural differences you have identified as a positive. For those who are not used to his aggressive conversation style, he can be… vexing.” Elias snorted. “That’s a funny way to say, “speaks like everyone should”.” Luna rolled her eyes. “Quite.” They came upon their destination, and Luna did her best to disguise her smile as she paused before the closed door. She calmly looked Elias up and down, snorting slightly at the smell of burnt hair and charcoal on the man. Still, even with a few black spots, he was clean enough for what came next. She cleared her throat as she met Elias’ eyes. “Guardsman, today will be an exercise of your choosing, designed to either draw out your inner anguish, or provide a method for relief of inner turmoil. This door,” She said, gesturing at the closed and silent door before them, “leads to Book Binder, Night Flash, and an array of ponies that have been chosen for a “special” reason.” Elias’ eyes narrowed. “What reason?” he asked suspiciously. Luna smiled mischievously. “You shall see if you choose it.” Elias glanced at the door, then back to Luna. He crossed his arms. “And what is the other option?” he asked. Luna gestured down the hallway. “The other choice is to have a long, detailed conversation with one of the psychologists I have hired to observe your behavior these past months. Observation is useful, but truthful answers from your mouth are much more insightful. I shall let Book Binder or Night Flash come along for this task to help you remain calm, but I shall not allow both.” Elias had several questions, but the most important one in his mind was about the “observing” part. “How long, and how much have I been spied on?” Luna waved a hoof. “Fear not Elias, the observers only watch when you exit your room, or when you are inside with one of your friends. Any private things, like changing or showering, were only observed by myself, and even that wasn’t every day.” Elias looked at in her in disbelief. “And how is that supposed to make me feel better?” He blinked stupidly. “Wait, you’ve been watching me shower?” Luna scoffed. “You act like I have been peeping on you. I have been observing your bathing behaviors to see what consistencies, if any, you have between showers, evaluating how you bathe based on the stress of the day. Even if I was just watching to watch you in the nude, the scrying spell makes sure to cover any private areas that would normally be hidden by your underclothes. Besides, it is common for ponies to bathe together Elias, there is nothing on your nude person that I have not seen before, however impressive it may be.” Luna flushed red when she realized what she said, and her expression was matched by Elias, who now refused to meet her eyes. “I’m going to ignore that and decidedly go with the second option, if for no better reason than to determine if I’m going to attack the shrink that’s been watching me every day.” Luna grumbled as she stared at the closed door. “Of course you did,” she mumbled. “Couldn’t just win me a few bits.” Elias raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. “What was that Princess?” She waved her hoof dismissively. “It is of no import to you, which pony do you want to come with you for comfort?” Elias thought for a second. On one hand, Book Binder would likely be the more effective choice with all of the mother stuff, but then again, Night Flash had a very good track record for catching his panic attacks. The pegasus seemed to react with lightning quick reflexes, comforting Elias before he even realized he was having an attack. Elias frowned. He didn’t want to hurt Book Binder’s feelings though, would she mind if he picked Night Flash over her? Or for that matter, would Night Flash feel left out if he picked Book Binder? Elias ran his hand through his facial hair, then looked to Luna, who was watching him carefully. “Are you sure I can’t take both? I don’t want one of them to feel shorted.” Luna groaned again, much louder this time, and she slapped herself in the face. “Why did I make that bet? Guardsman, you are destroying all of my expectations… and my royal bank account!” Her head thudded into the wall. “Why must you act as you do?” Elias smirked at the princess. “I live to disappoint. For curiosities sake, who are you making bets with?” “That would be me!” Nightshade said cheerfully as she popped into view beside Luna. Elias briefly wondered how long she had been there; he had forgotten she could turn invisible. He wondered if it was something special in her armor. Luna grumbled as she handed the thestral a comically oversized bag of bits from beneath her wings. “Here is your payment Captain, though you may lose it if Guardsman Bright succeeds in the third phase of tonight’s exercise.” Nightshade snorted. “Please, ten minutes? Piece of cake. Doctor Rubber Glove won’t last five.” “Rubber Glove?” Elias echoed. “That has certain implications that I don’t think I want to address.” Luna scoffed. “Doctor Glove is an expert in matters of the mind. He came all the way from Baltimare to observe and speak with you. I had my doubts that you would be willing to speak with him, but now that those fears have been assuaged, I have no doubts that you two will speak for a great amount of time, especially since you will have both of your guards with you.” Elias scowled as he felt a minute pang in his chest. “Ugh, don’t refer to Book Binder and Night Flash like that. It makes having them around feel… impersonal.” “And that agitates you?” Luna asked. Elias’ eye twitched. “More than I like, can we get started already? I don’t like all of this standing around.” Luna snorted, but nodded. She made to move down the hall, but Nightshade stopped her. “Uh Princess, I already moved Doctor Glove into this room.” She smiled widely at Elias. “I knew Guardsman Bright wouldn’t let me down, so I took the liberty of getting everything set up in a comfortable environment.” Luna frowned at the pony. “This room has windows, does it not?” Nightshade nodded. “And the other room didn’t, don’t think I forgot about the second half of our bet. It’s double if he throws Glove out the window.” She grinned, cocking her head. “You weren’t trying to skip out on that, were you Princess?” Luna grumbled more as she glared at Nightshade, who stood up straight, an innocent smile on her face. Luna sighed and looked to Elias. “Please just… Please just keep your violent reactions to a minimum. Doctor Glove can be a bit… zealous in his methods, and I really need a win today. Eleven minutes is all I ask.” Nightshade tsked. “Princess, you shouldn’t force Elias not to act out his emotions. Suppressing that kind of thing could be bad for him…” Luna’s head whipped toward the thestral. “That is why I did not give him an order Captain. He is free to act as he wishes.” Luna gave Elias what he imagined was supposed to be a sultry look, which only served to make him uncomfortable. “Though I would be perfectly willing to reward a certain human for assisting me in my victory.” Elias gave her a look of discomfort. “You make me want to lose with that expression.” Luna pouted at him while Nightshade giggled. The thestral elbowed the alicorn, grinning at her. “Go on Princess, tell Bright what his reward would have been, I’m sure that’ll make this even funnier.” Luna flushed red, which Elias took as a sign that whatever it was, it was most definitely not what he would consider a reward. “I just wished to take him to see my old castle,” Luna grumbled. “He had indicated that he had an interest in exploring.” Elias blinked. “Really? That actually sounds great.” Luna perked up instantly, her normal flowing tail wagging slightly. “Truly?” she asked excitedly. “Because I wished to take you to the Everfree to see it! The ruins have been unoccupied for years, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see more of Equestria!” Elias felt a grin touch his face. “That actually sounds like fun. Who wouldn’t want to explore some ruins? It’s something straight out of a Daring Doo book.” Nightshade groaned and face hoofed as she passed the bag of bits back to Luna, who cheered. “Come on Bright, you lived in a post apocalypse wasteland, and even you got sucked into those lame books? What is everypony’s thing about those things?” Elias shrugged. “Book Binder read them to me, and she does a bunch of the voices, so they seem to really pop. Dragged me in a book at a time.” Luna stuck her tongue out at Nightshade. “See Captain? It was a bonding experience. Those “lame books” serve as a positive influence.” She hefted the bag, and grinned widely. “That bet has been building silently for over a month, oh joyous day.” She smiled brightly at Elias. “Thank you, Guardsman, you have done well this night! Now all you need to do is survive ten minutes with Doctor Glove, and this night shall be truly profitable.” Elias then found himself lurching through the air as Luna opened the door and tossed him into a waiting chair. Book Binder and Night Flash both blinked in surprise at his sudden entrance, but the latter quickly found a place in Elias’ lap while the former crawled onto his shoulders as she untied his hair and began to brush it out. The yellow unicorn before him tutted and wrote down a few notes on his clipboard before he looked up at Elias and smiled widely. “Well Mister Bright, I think we can begin!” Elias heard a loud click behind him, and he half turned to look at the door. “What was that?” he asked. The unicorn smiled. “Just ensuring you can’t duck out early Mister Bright, I want to get the full hour with you.” Elias’ eyes narrowed as he stared at the pony. Night Flash sighed, guiding the human’s hand up to his ears. ***** Luna and Nightshade both flapped just outside of the room where Elias’ session with Doctor Glove was taking place, staring at the watch as if their lives depended on it. The seconds ticked by painfully for the both of them as the small hand neared the ten-minute mark. Luna licked her lips in anticipation as it crawled ever closer to the cutoff, while Nightshade gnawed on her lip, praying desperately that the shouts they were currently listening to would escalate further. She knew she shouldn’t, but she really wanted the bits the bet would win her back. She needed the money to begin to prepare her master plan to win a certain stallion’s heart. Luna cheered silently as the hand passed ten minutes. Nightshade groaned softly. She then threw up her hooves as the good doctor came through the window three seconds later. While Luna caught the unicorn in her magic, Nightshade flew through the window, scowling at Elias, who matched her scowl with one of his one. The human was clenching and unclenching his fist while an irritated Book Binder and Night Flash glared at the window where Rubber Glove had made a fast, forced exit. Nightshade wasn’t focused on that, however. “Really Bright?” she snapped. “You couldn’t have done that twenty seconds ago? Now I owe Princess Luna like fifty bits! And you made me lose all my gains from earlier!” Elias snorted dismissively as he sat back down. Night Flash hopped back into his lap, settling like a cat on his lap, where Elias’ hand quickly found his way to the pegasus’ ears. Nightshade briefly wished she could trade places with the pony. Those ear scratches looked really good, and those fingers… Nightshade shook her head, trying to find her irritation as Luna touched lightly back into the room with Rubber Glove in tow. The unicorn brushed himself off as he was set back on his feet. He huffed loudly. “Well, if that’s how you want to act, I believe I shall remain as strictly an observer. I was made to believe you were open to any and all options that would improve your temperament, but it would seem that I am mistaken.” Book Binder growled at the unicorn as she settled back on Elias’ shoulders. “I suggest Doctor that you not talk to us about your “solutions” again. If Elias hadn’t put your through that window, I definitely would have, and believe me, I would not have been as gentle.” Luna frowned as she looked between Book Binder and Rubber Glove. The unicorns glared at each other hatefully. “I fear I share Doctor Glove’s surprise Guardspony, I would have expected finding a solution for Elias’ aggression would have been a top priority for you.” “I apologize Princess, but I will not neuter my baby boy because he hurts the occasional pony, especially since, so far, they have absolutely deserved it.” Luna felt her blood go cold at the unicorn's words, and she and Nightshade turned to glare at Rubber Glove. The unicorn flinched under their intense gazes. He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. “P-Princess, it is not so drastic a solution. Mister Bright is very similar in nature to the gorillas we have in the Baltimare zoo. One of the great apes had an issue getting along with the rest, but a quick snip later and he was as docile as a puppy. I thought perhaps I would mention the solution as a last-ditch effort.” He cowered when Luna’s glare intensified. “It was just a hypothetical of course.” Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath to avoid throwing the pony out of the window herself. When she opened them, her steely demeanor did nothing to comfort Rubber Glove as the unicorn continued backing away, squeaking as his rump hit the wall. “Doctor Glove, I find that I no longer have need of your services,” Luna said coldly. “I tasked you to find a way to ease Guardsman Bright’s internal suffering, so that he may find his peaceful center. All of this would help him to act less aggressively in his day to day interactions, not to remove his aggression completely. What I did not task was to treat him like a misbehaving dog.” Her snarl caused Glove to flinch. He wisely remained silent as Luna continued. “To suggest such a thing is an affront to the oaths you have sworn as a medical practitioner, and rest assured, the proper authorities will be told of your little “hypothetical”. Pray that you have not suggested similar ideas elsewhere in your practice.” She looked to Nightshade, who looked like she was a second away from jumping the pony. “Take Doctor Glove to his room, and have him on a train to Baltimare within the hour. Tell the rest of the doctors that they will clear out if they shared in this “idea”. I will not stand this sort of talk. It is abhorrent and cruel, at the very least, and if any of them are found to be in possession of such an idea in their observation notes and they do not leave this night, they will be punished.” Nightshade nodded and saluted crisply. She stalked up to Glove, grabbing him roughly. The unicorn flinched as he walked by Elias and his parents, with each giving him a nasty glare as he cowered away. As the door slammed behind the pair, Luna sighed deeply. “Guardsman Bright, Guardsponies Night Flash and Book Binder, I offer my sincerest apologies. Doctor Rubber Glove was said to be the best psychologist in Baltimare, even with eccentricities. I assure you that his practice will be thoroughly investigated for this. I had no idea that his oddities could become so… ugly.” Elias nodded blankly, his anger vanishing with the unicorn gone from the room. “It’s fine Princess, he’s gone now, and you got rid of everyone like him, so we shouldn’t have issues. He’s just lucky I got to him first.” Book Binder snorted in agreement. “I’d show him what aggressive meant. Stupid know-nothing, bone headed…” Elias leaned back against the unicorn’s chest fluff, staring up at her silently. Book Binder sighed, then laid herself over his face, smothering the human as she hugged his head. “Don’t worry baby, I’ll never let anypony get at you like that.” Elias grunted, and he continued scratching Night Flash’s ears while the pegasus glared at the carpet darkly. Luna turned to the window, casting a spell to restore its solid glass pane. As the shards filtered back into place, she sighed again, rubbing at her forehead. If Elias didn’t like the idea of dealing with a psychologist before, he definitely wouldn’t like it now that Night Flash and Book Binder were stacked against the idea. Despite her victory in the bet, the experiment had not turned out as she had hoped. Taking a deep breath once more, Luna looked to Elias, who had a single eye poking free from Book Binder’s fluff. Every time he exhaled; the unicorn would giggle softly as his breath ruffled her tummy fur. The sight brought a smile to Luna’s face. “I again apologize Elias, had I known that Doctor Glove would recommend a treatment such as that, I would never have considered him to speak with you.” Elias waved her apology away. “It’s fine Princess, he’s gone, it’s done. Do I still get to go to the ruins you mentioned though?” Luna sighed and shook her head as she smiled at the human. “Of course Elias, it will take some time to free up my schedule, but we shall go to my old castle as soon as possible.” Elias gave her a thumbs up, then scooped up Night Flash while also swiping Book Binder from his head. The two ponies squirmed and griped at the human as Elias laughed at them, carrying both under his arms as he walked from the room.