//------------------------------// // Chapter 22: Semper Prorsum // Story: The Centurion Project // by TheEighthDayofNight //------------------------------// Elias cracked open an eye at the sound of the wooden dungeon door opening. For two days he had sat, alone, with no visitors. He was lucky that he had been eating before he had attacked White Shine, because they didn’t even come in to give him food or water. He had to relieve himself in a corner of the cell, the one opposite where he was currently sitting. His tunic reeked as a result, as did the rest of the cell, of blood and piss. His hands were caked with blood, and due to the shackles, he had a difficult time properly getting his tunic out of the way to urinate. Altogether, he felt fairly awful. It didn’t help that cell was kept at a much colder level than he was used to. Due to their fur, most of the ponies wouldn’t likely notice the chill in the air, but lacking anything under than his tunic and underwear, Elias felt it to his core. If he wasn’t severely dehydrated, he would imagine that he would be shivering. As it stood, he wasn’t moving much, with each motion bringing him fresh pain. It had been a long two days with himself. Though he had ultimately concluded that he had done the right thing in both attacking, then sparing White Shine, it had taken a lot of soul searching and convincing to get to that point. The voices screamed at each other at full volume, creating excuses and reasons about why he should or shouldn’t have done more. Why he should or shouldn’t have killed White Shine. It had left Elias in a daze for hours, and ultimately, he had tried for peace in sleep. He found none, as the night terrors would occasionally change, with the sounds of bones crunching under his split knuckles as he pounded away at some faceless pony that all too often became someone he knew and cared about. After the third failed attempt at rest, Elias had begun to pace, doing his best to ignore all of the warning signs his body was sending him about his imminent physical collapse. He shrugged it off by justifying his body as a tool. If his mind wasn’t whole, the body didn’t matter. So, he had paced, back and forth as he waged war with both voices in his head, taking positives and negatives from each as he carefully crafted the why of what he had done. Why had he attacked White Shine? The unicorn had struck and humiliated Elias’ best friend. Why had beat the pony to within an inch of his life? To send a message, both to White Shine, and to anyone else who thought they could get away with the bullying shit anymore. Why had he stopped? Because he would have been left alone and abandoned if White Shine had died. His friends would have viewed him as a monster. The last point felt sour in Elias’ mouth when he had decided on it, but he couldn’t admit that they had changed him that much. He needed to be a battle-hardened protector for the ponies, they needed him to make the hard choices, to spill the blood that needed spilled. He had more than proved that by fighting their top ponies and surviving. By their legal standards he was a child, yet he was near the top of the combat game. In real combat, he would probably be the best. Elias had made that point as a concession with himself. If he had become that weak, he should just kill himself. There was no point in pressing on, he would always fail his friends. If it was just to keep them close however, that he could justify. Three ponies quickly came into his view; Luna, Nightshade, and Scalpel. Each recoiled in disgust as the smell of his cell reached their noses. “W-what is this?” Luna asked. “Guardsman Bright, have you not been cared for? When is the last time a guard has checked for your relief and feeding?” Elias snorted, looking to the stains in the far corner. “I believe the last time was a little over two days ago, when I was put in here. No food, no water, no blankets, no restroom visits, not a word for me. I’d say it’s a fairly genius method of torture, pain by neglect, but let’s be honest, I’ve lived through worse. Give it another week, then we can talk about how much this sucks.” Nightshade unlocked the cell, and Scalpel moved forward, quickly lifting Elias’ manacled hands. His eyes flashed with anger, as he looked back at the guard captain and princess. “Princess Luna, if I may be frank, what the buck are these shackles? Anypony with half a brain could realize that these fit under cruel and unusual punishment, especially given that he’s been wearing them for two days.” His horn lit up brightly, and Elias winced as the unicorn magically unlocked the shackles. The metal fell limply to the cell floor with a clang, and Scalpel gave Elias an apologetic look as he spread each finger apart, one by one. The pain was severe, as was the damage. His knuckles had begun to ooze after the first fitful sleep he had, and each shift in posture had just made it worse as the steel of the shackles pulled back more flesh. The wounds had started to itch when he couldn’t avoid urinating on them. With the color they were now, Elias had no doubt that they were infected, and he winced in pain as Scalpel dabbed at them with rubbing alcohol from a large black bag he had brought with him. Scalpel sighed deeply as he stared at Elias’ hands, then at the human’s apparel. He looked back at Luna. “Princess, we can’t have him stand trial like this. Two days with no medical treatment, no cleaning, and no food and water? He’s liable to collapse.” He looked at Elias’ hands. “And we can’t put those shackles back on his hands and bandage them. It’s one or the other, and I think you know which one I want.” “Then mend Guardsman Bright’s wounds, Doctor. I know not why this has occurred, but rest assured that whoever is responsible will be punished.” Nightshade cleared her throat, wincing back from the glare Luna gave her. “Princess, Captain Chaser is under orders to deliver Elias to the throne room only if he is chained. Otherwise, he can’t leave this cell.” Luna growled. “Captain Chaser will do whatever I tell him, because I am Princess Luna of Equestria. He would not dare disobey my orders.” Nightshade sighed. “Princess, it isn’t that I don’t completely agree with you, but he’s under direct orders from Princess Celestia. He has to follow her orders until she changes them. He can’t listen to one princess over another. It’s all in the rule books.” Luna’s scowl deepened. “Why would my sister order this?” she said, pointing at Elias. “This is barbaric treatment, no matter the crime. I do not recall this level of cruelty in her.” “The Royal Guards are treating Elias like an omega level threat princess,” Nightshade replied as if that explained everything. “Omega?” Elias asked. Luna looked to him, and he saw anger simmering in her eyes. “It is a code for the most extreme magical threats. Discord, and Nightmare Moon are notable examples. These are threats that require direct action to avoid spreading chaos and suffering, typically through the use of the Elements of Harmony.” Her head looked back to Nightshade. “Which makes little sense, as Guardsman Bright’s actions, while violent, were not only targeted, but provoked.” Her eyes took on a dangerous glint. “Rest assured, I shall be having words with Celestia about this.” Elias sighed, pulling himself to his feet. He had to lean heavily on the wall for support, and he gave a thankful glance to Scalpel as he began to pant, drained from the lack of water. He did his best to ignore the signals of pain that his body sent him as he stayed on his feet. He got hurt far too much these days. Far, far too much. He kicked at the shackles with his foot. “Come on, let’s get this done. I’m not worth all of this debate and internal strife. I’m one human with issues. What happens, happens. At this point, I’m just tired of the process.” When nobody moved toward the fallen shackles, Elias kicked them again. “One of you has to put them on. I’m kind of unable to do it myself,” he said, trying to make it seem like a joke. Nobody laughed. Nightshade, grabbing the shackles in her hooves, shuffled forward. She hesitated for a moment, the shackles hanging just before Elias’ bloodied hands. Elias rolled his eyes, and grunted. He pushed off the wall, laying his hands as best as he could within the shackles. Nightshade sighed and clamped them closed. Elias hissed in pain as the metal seemed to immediately rub against his split knuckles. Nightshade attached the lead to her armor again, but she didn’t tug forward as Elias slumped against the wall again, unable to muster the energy to stand unaided. Luna growled. “This is utterly ridiculous. How does anypony expect you to stand throughout a trial if you are too weakened to walk? Scalpel, fetch a stretcher, we shall carry Guardsman Bright if we must.” Elias shook his head. “No, I’m… I can walk. Just give me a second to catch my breath.” Luna stomped her hoof, her mouth open as she began to argue with him, but Scalpel stepped up beside Elias, motioning for the human to lean on him. Elias did so, heavily. They were both lucky that he was still so light. Any weight he had gained in the past few months had gone straight to the muscles he had developed with constant exercise, and since he hadn’t really built up any fat, those had quickly begun to erode away without water and food. As such, Scalpel was able to help him greatly as they limped behind Nightshade. The thestral sighed again as she looked at Luna, almost as if begging her for another solution. The alicorn had none. Her only action was to fall in on the other side of Elias, keeping the human on his feet, pinned between their fuzzy bodies. Elias welcomed the heat, though he knew that he should be repulsed by the rather intimate contact, especially given that he was going to be in public very soon. Given how his fates had drastically shifted over the past few days, Elias couldn’t find it within himself to care. Nightshade led the way, keeping her pace slow to give Elias a chance to keep up. Even with that concession, as well as the ponies supporting him, Elias quickly found himself winded, struggling to press on. His mouth was barren of moisture, and he wondered if he should ask for something to drink. When the wooden door leading out of the cell block opened, Elias got his answer. He didn’t know what to think when he saw no less than a dozen Royal Guards waiting on the other side of the door. They tensed as it opened, but as he was guided out, Elias noted that more than one guard recoiled in horror at the sight of him. Captain Chaser just shook his head as Luna and Scalpel guided the thin human forward. “Princess, he was in there for two days? What happened?” Luna glared at the pegasus. “I should be asking you that Captain. Why was Guardsman Bright not granted food and water? Why did nopony check if he needed to relieve himself? And why are those infernal restraints crafted as they are? Is it not enough to restrain his limbs? Have we really begun to develop unnecessarily torturous methods of restraint?” Chaser shook his head. “Princess, that cell is outfitted with the standard commodities. Food, water, a bed, and a bathroom are all provided for any creature to summon magically. There is no reason that the threat should not have been able to access it.” Elias tried to lift his head to tap his nose, but found that the lead chain wasn’t long enough. Sighing away the urge to use his common mannerisms, Elias chuckled weakly as he looked at Chaser. “Ah, but Captain, you seem to be forgetting something very important about this “threat”.” Elias looked to Scalpel. “What do you think Doc? Seven, eight times? I’m thinking seven times I’ve told somebody that I have no magic, and they didn’t listen to a damn word.” His chuckle became a delirious giggle. “Nope. No magic for this man. Or is it boy? Technically speaking, by your laws I’m a minor, so did somebody commit a crime by neglecting me?” He giggled again, trying to shove away his rising anger. Scalpel stroked his arm, gently shushing the man. “Elias, please don’t talk. You’re not thinking properly, and you might cause problems for yourself.” Elias blinked as he looked down at the unicorn. A moment of clarity popped into his head as he said; “I’m talking like a madman, aren’t I?” Scalpel nodded. Elias sighed as he leaned against the unicorn more. “Alright Doc, I’ll try to keep quiet. You owe me though.” The unicorn snorted. “And what do you want as payback? You don’t go anywhere.” Elias nodded. “Maybe you can get me some ice cream, I haven’t had that in years. I’m curious if it’s still as good as I remember.” He chuckled darkly. “Or maybe you can buy some booze for me. If I’m going to be arrested and tried like an adult, I might as well be able to drink myself into a coma like one.” Then Elias fell silent, staring blankly at the floor. Scalpel sighed as he rubbed against the human. Luna looked at Chaser with anger. “Even if he should have had the methods to feed and water himself, why was Guardsman Bright not checked on? It is standard procedure to monitor a prisoner at least four times in a twelve-hour cycle. That is sixteen missed cycles since Guardsman Bright was put in that cell.” Chaser sighed and turned around. “Princess Celestia ordered that the threat remain isolated until trial. She is unaware if he possesses any mind magic and didn’t want to risk anypony falling under his spell.” Elias chuckled madly at that, but didn’t say anything. Luna scowled at the back of Chaser’s helmet. “This is barbarism of the highest order, and I think words will not be enough. Celestia and I will be discussing this, and if any are found at fault, they will be left in the same manner as Guardsman Bright." Her tone dripped venom as she stopped just short of hissing. "Lead the way Captain, but keep the pace slow. Guardsman Bright is severely dehydrated and cannot move at a quick speed.” Chaser nodded once and they began the march forward. The pace was agonizingly slow, but even still, Elias found himself on the verge of collapse with every step, aid or no. He needed water, but the route they took went nowhere close to anywhere he could get some, not even a fountain. He would have settled for a fountain. He had drunk from much worse before. Though it took them a bit of time, likely longer than anyone had planned for, they arrived at the throne room. Luna gave Elias a reassuring pat with her wing, then she went through the large doors first. Elias vaguely heard someone announce her, but he couldn’t find it within himself to care. Chaser and his guards stood to the side, waving Nightshade forward. She took a deep breath, then with a gentle tug, she began to walk. Elias did his best to dig up his energy reserves, but found little left. The still fresh scar on his chest panged as he moved forward, his long stride gone, replaced by a short shuffle as his sandals dragged against the carpet. He had to squint as they entered the throne room, for some reason it seemed unnaturally bright, and the light assaulted his eyes. He was surprised when he heard nothing more than a few quiet gasps. With all of the security he apparently warranted, he had expected a full crowd, screaming from every end of the room at him in hatred. Evidently not. As his eyes adjusted to the unnatural light of the throne room, he spotted only a few ponies. On her throne sat Celestia, with Luna to her left, barely disguising a glare at the larger alicorn. Twilight Sparkle sat to her right, her eyes staring into a scroll. Celestia’s eyes fell on Elias, and unlike everyone else who had laid eyes on him, she didn’t seem to care about his ill condition. No, Elias thought on second glance, that wasn’t quite true. It was much subtler; her professional mask was better at hiding her thoughts and emotions. As he walked closer, Elias still saw the signs of discomfort. Her nostrils flared just a tad, likely smelling the stench that poured from his body. He noticed her eyes twitch downwards, and Elias looked as well to find his hands bleeding freely once more. It wasn’t much blood, but it was enough to drip. His shackles had worn through his scabs, rending them to nothing. It hurt, but Elias found that he didn’t particularly care about that either. It was good to know his sense of apathy still worked. Besides the ponies on the throne and the guards stationed around the room, the throne room was empty. It honestly surprised Elias. He had expected a bit of a spectacle with rotten fruits and screaming ponies, crying for his blood, but then again, he had never been an actual criminal court, so it was likely that all of the stories he had read had been highly exaggerated. Nightshade led him to just before the throne before she untethered his shackles. She then moved away quickly, assuming a position beside the steps as she stared blankly ahead, her ears twitching as she tried not to stare at him. Scalpel remained at his side, keeping Elias on his feet. Celestia stared at the pony for a moment. “You may go now Doctor. I assure you that I will entrust Elias to your care once the trial has concluded.” “Elias can not stand on his own Princess,” Scalpel replied. “He’s dangerously dehydrated, and he hasn’t eaten in two days. If I’m not here, he’ll collapse.” Elias scoffed. “Nice to know you have faith in me Doc. Makes me feel all warm inside.” Elias pushed off of the unicorn, swaying for a second before he found a stance that he could hold for hours with little effort. His feet were spread apart, with his toes pointed outward as his hands dangled in front of him. As long as he didn’t rock from front to back, he could keep his balance. For a while at least. Scalpel sighed as he looked at Elias. “You’re a big idiot, you know that?” Scalpel said. Elias nodded. “Yup, now get out of here before you get me in more trouble.” Scalpel snorted. He looked like he wanted to give Elias a hug, but he evidently thought better of it, because he moved away, walking slowly to a door on the side of the throne room. Elias heard it open and close, but his eyes were only forward, meeting Celestia’s gaze as she stared at him. They remained like that for a moment before she spoke. “Why have you not eaten in two days Elias? Is this some sort of self-punishment that you sought to inflict upon yourself?” Elias shook his head as he chuckled. “You’ve never been starving before, have you?” He held up his hands. “Don’t answer that, because I already know the answer is no. A man who has starved never goes without again if he can help it. I no more wanted to go hungry and sit in a pool of my own filth than anyone wants to smell it.” “Then why did you not make use of the facilities in your cell?” “Because I can’t Princess,” Elias replied simply. “I have no magic, and therefore I cannot act on anything that requires magic to function.” He shrugged. “I’ve told just about everyone I could, but it seems that nobody listens. I don’t have a magic signature, I’ve never had a magic signature, and I can’t access anything that would require a magical signature.” He smiled as his anger rose, and with it, his energy. “I don’t know how much more proof anyone needs that I’m right. The safety net in the exercise didn’t work. When the guards did their little song and dance, I had no reaction. The cell wouldn’t open when Princess Luna keyed it to my “signature”.” He shrugged. “I have no magic, and honestly, I don’t know why you isolated me, but now is the perfect time to prove it.” He tried to move his arms to spread his hands, but the chains stopped him, reminding him that he was bound. Elias sighed as he tried to point at his chest. “Take a good look Princess, in fact I invite both of you,” he said, looking to Luna. “Scan for magic of any kind, and I promise you that you will find nothing. Not even a drop.” Celestia frowned, but her horn lit up. Elias felt a brief tingling sensation pass over his body, catching in his chest painfully for a moment. It wasn’t that significant for him, but Celestia recoiled like she had just been electrocuted. She looked at him in horror. “T-that can’t be right. It isn’t possible,” she said. “You can’t exist if this is true.” Luna looked at her sister, then at Elias, who waited calmly. Instead of casting her detection spell from the throne, she got to her feet and walked down, standing directly in front of Elias as her horn charged with blue energy. The human waited calmly as he felt a similar sensation pass over his body, but Luna’s felt… kinder than Celestia’s had, as well as more thorough. The sensation seemed to take its time, remaining in his head, as well as his chest for a few seconds before it continued along his body. Luna sighed as her spell came to a conclusion and faded into oblivion. The sensation of kindness didn't fade as her green eyes found his. “I had suspected this would happen; it is why I did not have Doctor Scalpel heal your wounds.” She looked over her shoulder at Celestia. “It would appear that Guardsman Bright is indeed correct. No magic exists in his body. He shouldn’t exist, and stands as a fact against nature.” She sat before Elias, examining him up and down. “And yet he is wholly and unequivocally possible. He is every bit a living, breathing, feeling creature, and yet distinctly lacks the very thing that makes living creatures alive. It is most interesting.” “It is not interesting Luna,” Celestia said angrily. “It is dangerous.” Elias saw fear in her eyes now. He wanted to laugh. He had thought this was going to be about his attack on White Shine, but the evidence that he lacked magic seemed to take center stage instantly. He changed from a deranged human to a monster in Celestia’s eyes in an instant. If she only knew what a real monster looked like. “Could this be the work of Discord?” Celestia asked. “He would benefit from such a subtle method by which to spread strife and chaos. It is more violent than his usual means, but it has been effective in disturbing our ponies.” “Nay sister, Discord’s magic would show in my young guardsman if that were the case.” Luna motioned for Elias to sit as she carefully poked and prodded at him. “Regardless, Discord is currently being reformed by Lady Fluttershy, and if we believe that Guardsman Bright is a product of his magic, then we have a much bigger problem on our hooves than the actions of my wayward guard.” Luna scoffed as she lifted his chained hands in the air. “Elias, I wish to remove these infernal chains and run tests on your person. Can you promise that you will not seek to harm anyone while I do so?” Elias shrugged. “As long as White Shine isn’t waiting in the wings, absolutely. I hurt who I needed to, and hopefully I won’t have to do it again if he learned his lesson.” “Luna, what are you doing?” Celestia asked, her voice tinged with paranoia. “Move away from the creature, I do not wish for it to harm you.” Luna glanced over her shoulder. “Do you have so little faith in me ‘Tia? I am more than capable with dealing with Guardsman Bright, especially given his current state.” She turned to look at him. “Besides, I don’t think the Guardsman will hurt me. You seem to fear that he is any less the person he was a few days ago, while I on the other hoof have already experienced Bright at some of his lows, and can safely tell you that he is a caring creature who acts only in accordance with his own morals.” She tilted her head, her gleaming eyes making their best effort to pierce his very soul. “You attacked White Shine because he struck Night Flash, did you not? You reacted to a friend in need in the way you knew best, by eliminating the threat, permanently.” Elias nodded slowly and looked down, his voice becoming low. “I warned him Princess. I warned him what would happen, but he didn’t listen. Now nobody will second guess my word again, and if he’s smart, White Shine will stay far away from me and my friends.” Luna smiled. “Indeed, he will. We shall discuss that in a moment however.” She turned to look over her shoulder. “Twilight Sparkle, I request your assistance. I need somepony to record our findings while maintaining a detection spell.” The purple unicorn squealed with her usual excitement and bounced down the throne, plopping to a seat beside Luna. Her nose wrinkled as she got close to Elias, but she didn’t shy away. Her horn charged to a brilliant purple, and Elias felt another sensation pass over his body. Unlike the slightly hostile energy her mentor gave off, and unlike Luna's slow spreading kindness, Twilight's magic seemed determined to make his heart explode. Her energy was as giddy as she was, and it raced through his body, putting his hair on end. Once it had combed through him once, it parked itself in his chest, and Elias struggled not to scratch at it. Twilight oo’ed softly as her quill began to write. She looked to Luna, a bright smile on her face. “Assistant Twilight Sparkle, ready when you are Princess!” she said with a giggle. Elias eyed the unicorn carefully. “Is it too late to go back in the cell and starve to death? I don’t like that look in her eye.” Luna scoffed as she gently grabbed Elias’ hands. “Nonsense Guardsman, young Twilight is merely excited about the prospect of a new avenue of study. She is of no danger to you.” Twilight, seemingly oblivious to the two people talking about her, giggled again, twitching in excitement. “There’s so much we can learn! My first experiment with Princess Luna and we are performing such groundbreaking work!” She straightened, her nose sticking in the air as she stared at Elias with as even a gaze as she could manage. Twilight cleared her throat loudly as her quill began to speed across the page. “Test log 1: Subject is a pale-skinned human male. See notes on human physical features and cultures. Subject is 19 years old, an adolescent by Equestrian standards, but an adult by his own standards. Subject shows signs of heavy scarring, both emotional and physical, and is currently in a state of dehydration and minor starvation. Assistant would recommend immediate medical attention, after tests have been concluded.” Luna nodded. “We concur. I shall send a message to Doctor Scalpel to have a meal prepared. If nothing else, it should keep him and Guardsman Bright’s friends busy. Continue Twilight.” “On the note Princess Luna left off, Subject has successfully made friends!” she said cheerfully, grinning at Elias. “Despite anti-social tendencies, Subject has a minimum of four close friends, with several more potential friends speaking positively of the subject’s character! See witness notes. This leads us to our first test.” She looked to Luna as she spoke. “Subject claims that he lacks magic of any kind, and initial scans by three ponies with advanced level magical expertise confirms it. Subject is magic free in his natural state. This leads to many interesting questions, such as; if the soul is based in magic, can a living creature without magic have one? Subject claims that ambient magics have no effect on him, yet has daily nightmares. This introduces the question of how a dream manifests, and if the subject is having true dreams at all? We shall determine these answers in further experimentation, but for now…” Twilight looked to Luna. “I’m ready for the first test Princess!” she chirped happily. Luna nodded, and looked to Elias. “First, we shall be testing your body’s reaction to magic. We know you can be affected by it, but I wish to know on a magical level how your body distributes magic. Twilight, orate what you feel through your detection spell.” The purple unicorn nodded as Luna’s horn lit up. A blue aura settled over Elias’ hands, and he watched as the wounds began to seal up painlessly. The quill flashed across the scroll as Twilight spoke. “Subject is currently having his hands healed by Princess Luna. The magic distribution is… strange really. It seems to concentrate long enough over his injuries to mend them slightly, but then it slides away, as if his body is seeking to draw in the magic. It is poorly regulated, and it is distributing the magic unevenly. Subject should be showing signs of overload but,” she looked Elias up and down, “Subject does not seem bothered by magical clogs at his focal points.” Luna gradually cut off her magic, and Elias was free to flex his healed hands. They were still bloody, and they had heavy, tooth shaped scars on the knuckles, but ultimately, they felt good as new. Twilight grabbed one of his hands, looking it over with a magnifying glass. “Despite the power of the healing spell, Subject still scarred.” She looked to Luna. “Do you think it has to do with the magic being siphoned away?” Luna nodded. “Indeed it does, but I am curious, where has the magic been siphoned to?” Twilight hummed quietly as she closed her eyes. “Looking at his aura, or at least where his aura should be, it appears as if your magic has filled the gap Princess, though it is important to note that it is slipping away quickly. The ambient magic in the room is absorbing it back.” She opened her eyes and tilted her head as she looked at Elias. “Weird. It’s like you have the potential to have magic, but no way to create or sustain any magic put into you. Your body matches the signature, but otherwise… nothing. Princess Celestia was right, you’re impossible and shouldn’t exist.” Twilight clapped her hooves together and cheered. “It’s so great! And I get to help study it!” Elias snorted and looked at Luna. “At least somebody is having a good day.” The alicorn smiled at him. “Your luck shall change soon Guardsman. Trust is in the power of friendship.” Elias looked at her with mock disgust. “Ugh, don’t say that. You’re liable to give me a stroke.” Luna chuckled. “Perhaps, but would you rather hear it from one of your friends? Book Binder and Night Flash are most excited to speak with you, and I’m sure that Book Binder especially can’t wait to give you a good cuddle.” Elias realized that it was meant to be playful banter, but the words brought out a real concern within him. He looked at the floor. “How are they?” he asked softly. Luna noticed his abrupt change in mood, and she sighed, laying a hoof on his shoulder. “They miss you Elias, and they are worried sick for you. It has been as long a two days for them as I imagine it was for you.” “They’re not… scared of me?” Elias asked. Luna sighed. “That will be for them to tell you. I imagine not however, it was for Night Flash’s sake that you attacked White Shine, was it not?” Elias nodded. “I warned him Princess,” Elias said softly. “He wouldn’t listen, and I…” He felt anger build in his chest, almost as if his mind was trying to throw up one more barricade, but Elias couldn’t find it within himself to utilize that anger. Sadness welled up next, threatening to overwhelm him as his breath became shaky, but that too slipped away, disappearing into a numb void that swallowed his chest. “I just saw that look on Night Flash’s face. He looked so hurt, and scared, and in that moment, I knew why, and I knew I had to fix it.” He shrugged. “So I removed the why. No more threat, no more hurt. If White Shine is smart, it won’t happen again, and if it does… he’ll regret it for the rest of his short life.” Luna sighed. “So it is safe to say that you do not regret your actions?” Elias shrugged. “My only regret is that it happened when and where it did. I wish Binder and Flash never had to see that side of me. It was only a matter of time I suppose.” He sighed deeply. The sadness returned, though this time it stuck slightly in his mind as the paranoid center voice whispered dark words in his ear. “They’re going to hate me for this, aren’t they?” Elias asked Luna softly. “Book Binder and Night Flash I mean. They’ll try to hide it, but they’re going to hate me. I’m going to be alone again.” Elias remained silent for a moment before he snorted and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m done. You have your guilty confession, if that’s what you were after with this little exercise.” He mustered the energy to push himself to his feet. Elias met Celestia’s eyes as he rolled his shoulders, feeling the muscle pull as he did so. “I’m prepared for whatever punishment you give me. I'm no expert, but I read enough about Equestrian law to know that I have no rights, as I don't qualify as a citizen of any recognizable nation. Punish me however you will, I just ask that I get to see Book Binder and Night Flash once beforehand. I don’t want their last thought of me being… like that.” Celestia looked him up and down. Elias briefly noticed that the unnatural light in the room dimmed slightly, allowing him to properly look at the alicorn without squinting. She was clearly studying him intently, and he could tell from the look in her eyes that her feelings about him were mixed at best. How she flipped back and forth from thinking him a monster or a monstrous human was almost amusing to watch, and it told Elias that she had paranoia to rival his own, though hers was likely kept in much better check. Something won out however, and her face resumed its unreadable status as she straightened in her throne. “Elias, before I tell you your punishment, I must tell you why you waited in isolation. Your actions have created quite the stir in the castle, and in Canterlot as a whole. Entire sections of the guards, Royal, Solar, and Lunar have rallied to your cause even if you did not ask them to. I feared that you were controlling their minds, but the stories they told me were of a man in pain. Some of them have not met you, yet they know your name and know your actions.” She rose from her throne and walked down. Luna gave Elias a small smile before she ushered Twilight to the side, gently pushing the purple unicorn with a wing. Celestia continued speaking as she approached the human. “For two days I have had pony after pony come to this room, under a truth spell no less, and beg me for your release. Several of whom blame themselves for what happened. I feared that you had wormed your way into my kingdom to tear it apart from the inside, and that I had foolishly let it happen.” Celestia snorted as she cast a glance toward Luna. “I had even thought you had brainwashed my sister if you’d imagine that.” Her smile quickly dropped. “And for two days I was utterly convinced that you had managed to usurp my kingdom and my people, had taken my sister away from me when I only had her back for three years, and then you snapped, ready to make use of this new power.” She sighed, and Elias noticed tears in her eyes. “Yet here you stand before me, ready to face my wrath, knowing that you may be executed or worse, and your only wish was that you see you friends again.” She snorted and shook her head. “I am a fool. A delusional fool to think so little of you. I hope you can find it within your heart to find forgiveness for this old m-…” Elias silenced her by putting his hand over her mouth. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t a smart thing to do, and his hand likely smelled horrible, but in his slightly delirious state, he couldn’t find it within himself to care. Besides, it had the effect he wanted, and he was quick to drop it once he realized she wouldn’t continue. Elias blinked at the alicorn as she stared silently at him. “There’s nothing to forgive Princess,” Elias said simply after a long moment of silence. “You did what you thought was right with the information you had, and I can’t blame you for that, as nobody should.” He thumbed his nose as he tried to itch his facial hair. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve stayed in much worse conditions for much longer. You just spoiled me and got me used to things like regular meals, and running water, so if anything, I should be thanking you, and begging you for forgiveness.” Celestia smiled at him. “Kind words my little human. Regardless, I offer my sincerest apologies for how you have been treated these past few days, and if there is anything you need, anything at all, then please ask.” She sighed and straightened. “But first, we must address your punishment.” Elias nodded, looking nervously to Luna, who gave him a playful grin. He felt that it didn’t make it better. His eyes drifted back to Celestia as she spoke. “Elias, as punishment for defending Guardspony Night Flash, as well as for escorting him to safety after the incident, you shall have two guards placed at your side, to watch your every movement, day and night. These guards will have full discretion to better your physical and mental health.” Elias noticed a small grin tugging on the corners of her mouth. “In addition, Doctor Scalpel, with the assistance of Princess Luna, shall determine a full regimen to aid in your rehabilitation.” Luna raised her nose in the air. “In fact, I have already begun to prepare the first portion of your recovery, and your guards have already been alerted.” Elias really didn’t like the sound of that. Celestia let her grin out as she continued. “Next, you shall be attending weekly lectures meant to improve your skills as a guard, and Captain Chaser will have an application on his desk by the end of January. You have turned some heads Elias, and I expect you to fulfill your true potential, just as I expect of all of my subjects. Which brings me to the final portion of my punishment.” She turned to Twilight. “Twilight, you are usually prepared, do you have a citizenship form on you by chance?” The purple unicorn nodded. “Of course, Princess! It was on my checklist of potential outcomes!” A pair saddlebags appeared from nowhere, bulging with excess papers, and what Elias could only assume were books, though from the way they were bulging, he imagined that they could function as explosives. From the unmanageable mess of papers floated a single, crisp looking sheet. It floated over to Celestia, who looked it over, filling in a few spaces with a conjured quill as she read through it. The sheet then floated over to Luna, who repeated the process. The blue alicorn gave a wink to Elias as she passed the paper back to Celestia, who nodded in approval before giving it to the swaying human. Elias had no idea what they had done with all of their writing, and it took him a second to realize that they were screwing with him. The paper was simple, not dissimilar to a birth certificate. On it sat a space for his name, which had been filled in, with both middle names too. Both princesses had already signed the certificate as well, and both were looking at him eagerly. It only took a whisper of suspicion, but it put enough doubt in his mind to make him ask; “Princess, I know there’s a saying about gift horses and where you shouldn’t look at them, but… why?” he asked, looking from the paper to Celestia. “Why am I not facing a more severe punishment?” Celestia smiled warmly at him. “Disregarding your repeated displays that you are an honorable, caring man who only does what he believes is right?” She sighed. “White Shine’s parents actually came to visit with us during the second night of deliberation. What truly surprised me was when they asked to see you so that they could give you their thanks.” “Their thanks?” Elias asked, stupefied. “I beat their son, not as badly as I could have, but badly enough.” Celestia sighed. “Indeed, but I thank you for showing restraint. It is one of the contributing factors to your light punishment. Regardless, it appears there were a multitude of complaints levied against the unicorn that were withheld under the threat of disgrace from the guard. I have had to apologize to many of my guards for letting this slip my notice, but I have made sure that nopony can wield their family’s status like a weapon now. Still,” she continued, “White Shine’s parents are fine ponies, and upon hearing of their son’s behavior, they wished for your immediate release, even going so far to offer the payment for a defense attorney should you have needed it. Nobody is pressing charges however, so this matter was safe to resolve internally.” She sighed again as her eyes found Elias’. “And so, we have. Make no mistake, we shall be watching you closely to ensure this was a one-time occurrence, but to pretend that there weren’t many factors that brought this to a head would be foolish. You have made such progress since your arrival here, and you have found a series of beautiful relationships that I hope will continue to flourish. This is a way to bring you closer to our ponies as it were.” She snorted. “Though I would be amused in seeing how you would function as a full-blooded pony, I believe this will more than make you one of us if the rumors I have heard are any indication.” Elias looked over the paper once more before he sighed and motioned for someone to give him a pen. A quill quickly floated into his grasp. He hesitated for a moment, then made a slight edit to his name before he signed it. If Night Flash ever saw it, he imagined the pony would like it. As soon as he was finished signing the certificate, both it and the quill disappeared. Celestia smiled brightly. “Excellent, it shall be added to the vault of records this very day, and you shall receive your copy by the end of the week. Now, Luna, I believe you are responsible for punishing Elias?” Luna grinned, and Elias found that he couldn’t decide if he hated that grin or not. While it contained a hint of malevolent intent, Elias also saw understanding in it. He imagined they would be talking in private later. He didn’t believe for a second that his beating of White Shine would be erased so quickly. But that was for later. “Indeed I am Sister, and I believe it is high time that Guardsman Bright be taught his place on the pecking order.” She looked over her shoulder and called out loudly. “Guard Specialist Binder! Guard Specialist Flash! See to your charge immediately!” The throne room doors slammed open with extreme force. Elias momentarily blinked as he tried to remember if there were any guards on either side of those doors. If there were… they likely weren’t breathing now, much like Elias found himself. Compared to Elias, ponies were rather light, especially the pegasi, whose bones were lighter to help them fly. This did not stop a certain blue pegasus from crushing Elias’ ribs in a mighty hug as the pony rubbed himself up and down Elias’ body. It took seconds, but Elias was sure that every part of his body was covered by Night Flash as the pony bounced around in excitement. Elias tried to defend himself from the onslaught, but this time the pony never slowed down, and Elias couldn’t grab him. Only an outside intervention saved Elias, and that intervention was in the form of a smiling Book Binder, decked fully in her Lunar Guard armor. Night Flash flailed in the air as she lifted the pegasus away, giggling softly. “Bindey let me down! Red needs our love!” She stuck her tongue out at the pegasus. “Indeed he does lover, but I get first dibs on our little human.” Elias groaned and didn’t bother to rise off the ground. “I’d officially like to request different personal guards.” “Denied,” Luna replied smoothly. “There aren’t two ponies I trust more to oversee you Elias, and besides, do you really want somepony you don’t know sharing a room with you?” Elias stopped fake pouting and actually sat up. “Sharing a room? Princess I don’t think that’s a good idea. I still have daily issues with my night terrors. I don’t want to disturb them.” Elias felt a harsh slap on the back of his head, and as he rubbed at it, he glared at Book Binder, who stuck her tongue out him. “Young man, stop trying to get rid of us. We’re sticking by you like glue, and that’s final. Besides, Princess Luna has observed that you don’t have your night terrors when we sleep with you, and it is part of her mandatory experiments that we test this theory.” Elias must have had a fearful expression on his face because Book Binder smiled sweetly at him. “I know this is a big step Elias, but we just want to make sure that you’re actually getting better. We have already put extra beds in the room if it doesn’t work out, and Flash and I have ear plugs if we need them, but I don’t think we will. We’re not going anywhere, alright?” Elias nodded, then scratched the back of his head. His mind was alight with possible outcomes his “punishment” could have. The voice at the back of his head whispered a dangerous idea, but if Flash and Binder were putting on a brave front, then it would expose them. If not… At least Book Binder would be happy. He looked at some random point on the wall. “Hey Binder… I know it’s kind of poor timing and all given recent events but… could we move on to phase two? I-if you want that is.” Elias winced as Night Flash hit the floor with a yelp as Book Binder’s magic sputtered out. The unicorn was quite literally vibrating with energy as she stared at him. Luna chuckled loudly. “My Sister, it seems our attempts at punishment pale in comparison with Guardsman Bright’s methods of punishing himself. We shall have to put greater thought into our efforts in the future.” Elias felt himself lift into the air as Book Binder saluted smartly at Luna. “Princess, permission to take the next few days to get better acquainted with my new charge?” Luna looked at Elias, who desperately shook his head no. She smiled and nodded. “Of course Guardspony Binder. Guardspony Flash may have the time off as well. We wouldn’t want any discontentment in our ranks, now would we? Take good care of Bright, Guardspony.” She paused as she turned away, but then Luna stopped and looked back with a mischievous grin. “Oh, and Guardspony? Elias smells, I suggest he have a nice bath to clean up. Oversee that personally, would you?” Elias decidedly did not like the way that sounded, but Book Binder apparently did. She gasped in soft joy for a moment. While she stood still, Night Flash flapped his way up to Elias, wrapping his hooves around Elias’ neck as he smiled brightly. “You ready to learn how to fly Red? I know you don’t have wings, but Bindey’s going to take us for a ride anyway!” Elias looked over his shoulder at the pony. “Why is Book Binder so stuck on the word bath? She acts like taking a shower is some big thing.” Night Flash grinned. “You’ll see Red. It’s just a little piece of pony culture we’re going to get to share with you!” Before Elias could fully process that statement, they were off like a shot, with Book Binder cheering loudly as they raced through the castle halls. ***** “Are you sure about this Luna?” Celestia asked as the trio disappeared, with Book Binder’s calls of joy following them. “I do not think Elias is inherently evil, but there is still something dark lurking in his mind.” Luna nodded. “Indeed there is ‘Tia, I have seen it. I have also seen that he is doing his best to contain it, and he is making a real effort to open himself up. We will only learn in time what scars him so, but I believe with those two watching him, nothing bad will happen. Guardsman Bright is right about one thing; nopony will disturb him or his friends again. That should be enough to keep him contained. We shall soon learn how isolated this incident was.” Celestia sighed and nodded. “Yes, we shall.” She smiled as she looked at Luna. “If you don’t mind me prying, what are some of your tactics to care for our little human?” Luna tsked. “Now Sister, that would ruin the fun!” she giggled softly as she pranced away. Celestia maintained her smile until the doors closed behind her sister, then her face fell into a frown. Though she had been telling the truth about no longer fearing Elias or his intentions, she had thought the human was more mentally stable than he was. It concerned her that the careful pieces she had put in place were falling apart before her eyes with all of the moving factors surrounding the man. Celestia snorted and brushed away her doubts. Considering the loyalty he had already built amongst her ponies, and the abundance of time they had left before preparations began, she was sure that Elias would be in a much better place to suit their needs. The RAT exam had only confirmed what she already knew; they needed him to lead. Nopony had held a candle to his combat prowess, and if he was put in full command, rather than acting as a simple strategist, he would be the perfect instrument they needed to cross the Long Forest to Saddle Arabia. The minotaur lands were dangerous, wild, and ripe for war, something her ponies were not able to handle alone. The human, however, he knew what war was, and if all things went to plan, he could wage it effortlessly on their behalf. Celestia wouldn't let Luna know of her intentions quite yet, and despite a pony or two, nobody knew of her intentions, nor her efforts to make the human a loyal, willing warrior. He was a capable fighter, there was little doubt about that, but she still needed more time to observe the human, adjusting his progress as needed to ensure that he would meet their needs, just like she had when she had quietly encouraged several of the ponies in Elias' life to grow closer to him; without their knowledge of course. Whispered words did much to make ponies curious, and the recommendation she had received from her proposed generals to prod Night Flash's curiosity toward the human had paid off in spades and then some. White Shine's foolish actions more than proved that. It also showed that Elias had not lost his brutal edge, which was a serious concern Celestia had when she had offered the human the opportunity to join the guard. The pony in her said that she should prioritize ensuring that he would be a safe, functional member of society, but the ruler knew that his aggression was a desperately needed tool. Her ponies were kind creatures, and she had been like a mother to them, far too much. Celestia knew she wouldn't stop; she enjoyed keeping them safe as much as they enjoyed their peaceful lives. Still, she needed someone with a warrior's instinct. Celestia's frown deepened as she continued thinking. Had she become too manipulative? Tampering with Elias' life, it caused a bit of minor discomfort in her head the more she thought about the small details. She had done similar things in the past, and to great results. The Elements of Harmony were rediscovered, had suitable bearers, and she got her sister back all in one fell swoop. It was a brilliant move that brought about a so far unprecedented scale of harmony across Equestria, and Celestia knew that with gentle nudges in the right places, a new alicorn would soon earn the title of Princess; in a few years of course. Moving too fast would only disturb and over-pressure her student. They were similar in that regard, Elias and Twilight. Volatile, obsessed, though the Keepers only knew why. Each could be set off by the smallest event, and Celestia wondered briefly which would be worse if they finally lost control. Twilight was clearly more individually powerful of the two, and her strength increased with each day. It was only blunted by years of careful tutoring, as well as the safety net established with her friend group. As a unicorn though, Twilight had unmatched power and skill with magic, so much so that she was nearly a rival to Celestia. It was only because her utter devotion to her teacher that Twilight would never rise as a threat; that, and she was simply too good of a pony. It took others to bring it out, but the unicorn was incredibly kind-hearted, and Celestia had no doubts that they would be friends for centuries to come. Elias on the other-hoof was different. Given enough time, she suspected that Elias would be able to raise an army of ponies loyal to his name. It would be simple to put a rebellion down, but it would be costly in terms of lives, and that was something she definitely did not want. She cared deeply for her ponies, and Celestia would make the human disappear quietly should anything of that nature come to pass. Unfortunately, she could find no blunting force to such a terrible outcome other than the human's immense self-control. None of the guards had even attempted to stop him when he had begun pummeling White Shine, and according to the reports, it was only by his own will that the human stopped before the unicorn died. Celestia sighed as she thought about the foolish unicorn. It had enraged her when she had heard about what White Shine had been threatening her guards with. To think that something so serious was happening right under her nose was infuriating, and Celestia had made it very clear that such behavior would not be tolerated and anypony who was caught continuing it would be severely punished. She only wished she had been able to catch the incident before it came to a head. Her focus had been elsewhere however, the upcoming wedding, and the mountain of planning and coordination that would follow. It was a failure of hers, but not one that she thought would matter in the long term. Unless it happened again. Celestia sighed and rubbed the base of her horn. “Raven, could you please do something for me?” The white unicorn popped out from her disguised workroom behind the throne, blinking rapidly with her bleary eyes as she adjusted her glasses. “Yes Princess?” she asked. “Do ensure that former Guardspony White Shine never comes within a thousand feet of the castle. In fact, put a restraining order on him to avoid any contact with Night Flash, Book Binder, and Elias Bright.” The unicorn nodded, her horn alight as the door to her work area closed. Assured that the incident wouldn’t be able to repeat itself any time soon, Celestia returned to thinking, combing through her plans for any flaws that could lead to catastrophe.