The Centurion Project

by TheEighthDayofNight


Chapter 30: Acta Non Verba

Journal Entry

Day 1200

Fucking cowards, stabbed in the back, literall-

Journal Entry

Day 1440

Those sons of bitches, I’ll kill them, kill them a-

Journal Entry

Day 2450

They’re gone… I’ll kill him for this. Tristan, your head is going to be on a fucking pike for th-

Elias shouted with frustration as he threw his journals against the wall. The useless bricks of paper gave him no insight, no method to protect himself against a betrayal of the heart. The lies he had been told… What should he do? He had been betrayed before, for many reasons, but this? This wasn’t about food, or safety, or too much aggression, this was something else. The ponies had fed him the belief that not only could he be like them, but that he already was. He made friends, he had a family, he was a citizen of Equestria. All a lie, a web of falsehoods to make him a killing machine under a different ruler. It could be considered a joke if it didn’t hurt so damn much.

“Red?”

That voice, one of three that could destroy him with a breath. That damned pony. Elias didn’t dare look toward the doorway where Night Flash was standing, likely looking at the devastated room with concern. He just stared at the wall, his face twisted with a hundred different emotions as they ran through his devastated mind. He didn’t want to confront this so soon. He wasn’t ready. He’d never be ready. He couldn’t do this.

But he had to as Night Flash cautiously walked forward. Though his steps were soft on the carpet, Elias felt each one as the pony moved closer. It took him three steps for Elias to work up the courage to spin around, using his anger like a hammer to batter his emotions into place. He almost broke down anyway when he saw Night Flash’s eyes, so bright and happy, but so filled with concern. Elias raised a fist in anger to drive away the pony any way he could, but as the pegasus watched him, completely open and trusting, he couldn’t do it. The princesses were at fault, probably Nightshade and Chaser as well, but not Flash. He couldn’t admit that to himself. Elias fell to his knees and covered his face with his hands as he sobbed.

He couldn’t do this. It was so much worse than before. Every old wound, ripped open along with a host of new ones. It was the death of his soul by a thousand cuts, and Elias felt every second of it. The agony was overwhelming, and Elias couldn’t find a single part of his mind that could process the pain.

*****

Night Flash could only watch with a pained heart as his friend, his son, dropped to his knees and cried. Even in the seconds that Night Flash had seen Red’s face, he could tell that something bad had happened, something that broke Red’s already fragile heart. The man put on a brave face, one that even Book Binder sometimes had difficulty seeing through, but Night Flash always saw the pain. Today had been a low, and Night Flash imagined that if he and Book Binder hadn’t come home, the human would have been in a bad place. Apparently even that wasn’t enough, because pain had found him anyway, and now Night Flash had to step in to fix his poor little human.

It took him seconds to wrap his hooves and wings around the sobbing human, pulling him close as the man cried into his chest fur. Night Flash didn’t say anything, didn’t even try to coddle Elias like Book Binder usually did. Instead he just waited, petting Red’s back softly with a hoof while he held him in place, sheltering the shattered man from the world that always seemed to hurt him. It didn't take him long to work up the anger to attempt to drive Night Flash away, and Red pushed hard to try to make Night Flash let go.

“Go away Night Flash,” Red cried, doing his best to sound angry, but sounding sad instead. “The game is over. I know that it’s all a lie. You don’t need to pretend anymore.”

Red managed to pull away just enough for Night Flash to smack him upside the head, then the pegasus roughly hugged him down once more.

“I don’t know what’s happened Red, but nothing about our relationship is pretend,” Night Flash snarled. “Don’t you dare let Book Binder catch you saying something like that, and in fact, I don’t want to hear that sort of talk either, am I understood?”

Night Flash had to suppress a giggle as Red snorted into his ticklish fluff, so he let the human get a bit of breathing room. He looked shamed, but better. The tears were beginning to dry as he stared at the floor, so Night Flash flipped over, sliding under Red’s eyes as he smiled brightly, sticking his tongue out at the human. It brought out the tiniest smile that Flash had ever seen, but it was enough. Red sighed and scooped Night Flash up, hugging him tightly.

“I’m sorry Flash, I just… I’m sorry.”

Night Flash rubbed his cheek against Red’s neck.

“It’s fine Red, I don’t need to know what happened to get you like this, not yet at least.”

Red sighed and shook his head.

“No. That could have gone badly if you were any less of a great pony, and you deserve an explanation.”

Night Flash nuzzled the man’s cheek.

“Mhm, tomorrow Red. It’s going to hurt you too much to stew on it now.” He sighed and looked up at Elias’ mismatched eyes. “I know you said you didn’t want to, but could you please come to our little party? It’s just family, and I don’t want to leave you here alone. Please?”

For a moment, Night Flash thought that Red might still say no, but then a sad glint passed over his human’s eyes, and the man nodded.

“Okay Flash, just… can you stay close? I need someone by my side right now.”

Night Flash nodded once and rolled over, rubbing against Red’s hip as the man got to his feet. The man looked around the torn apart room and sighed. That wouldn’t do. He needed to keep Red distracted, at least until he got Book Binder to start helping out. Together, they could help the human through whatever was plaguing him. Night Flash used his wing to scoot Red toward the open door, and when the human tried to protest, Night Flash pushed him harder.

It took him a bit of effort, but Night Flash not only got Red in the hallway, but he managed to close the broken door behind him as well. Red didn’t have his sword belt, something that looked odd for the human, but without it, he had no keys, so he had kicked the door in. Night Flash did his best to draw Red’s eyes away from the broken door jamb, and when the physical effort wasn’t enough to distract the human, Night Flash turned to one of the few subject matters that he had absolute expertise on. The Wonderbolts!

*****

Every step was agony for Elias as they moved through the Canterlot streets. A minuscule part of his mind had taken solace in Night Flash’s stern comforting, but doubt reigned supreme, and Elias couldn’t help but feel every single stare at his bad eye. Whispers that should have meant nothing to him cut like daggers, and he couldn’t drive them away. His normal defenses had been torn apart, and he felt exposed, especially without a single means to defend himself. Without his sword belt, Elias felt completely vulnerable. For the first time in years he felt helpless, dependent on somebody else, somebody who happened to be a fluffy blue pegasus who was all smiles as he chattered away happily. Elias could tell that the loud, happy energy was only for his sake, so he did his best to listen and stay involved with Night Flash, but happy words could only do so much, and Elias kept falling into awkward silences as they walked.

Luckily for them, the townhouse wasn’t too far from the castle, and it only took them a few minutes to walk there. As Night Flash approached the door, Elias instantly realized that he would only barely fit. It was clearly built with normal ponies in mind, and the doorway was shorter than the alicorn designed castle doorways. Elias slouched to avoid smacking his head on the frame. Then, he was forced to squeeze past Night Flash as the pegasus pushed the door closed. The entryway could probably fit two to three slimmer ponies in it comfortably, but with his relatively wide shoulders, Elias made it a tight fit. He didn’t complain however; it kept Night Flash good and close, and right now, Elias needed the physical contact he was coming to rely heavily on.

“Bindey! We’re here!” Night Flash called as the door slipped shut with a click.

“We’re in the kitchen!” Book Binder called in return. “Give me just a second, and I’ll be right out!”

Elias heard a series of hushed whispers, and his paranoia flared high. His bad eye twitched with nervousness, and his body grew instantly tense. Flash noticed and rubbed against his side, making no attempt to push past.

“Don’t worry Red,” he said quietly. “I’ve got your back, no matter what.”

Elias nodded numbly and took comfort in scratching Night Flash’s ears. The pony smiled and pressed closer. Book Binder’s head poked around the corner to the kitchen, and her already bright smile widened when she spotted Elias. She quickly sped into the entryway, wrapping Elias in a firm hug as she squealed with joy. Elias couldn’t help but flinch at the sudden contact as his mind tried to make sense of the information it was taking in in comparison to the revelations in the throne room. Book Binder noticed immediately, and she looked at him with concerned eyes.

“Elias? What’s wrong baby?” she asked quietly. “Do you not want to be here? I won’t hold it against you if you need to leave.”

Elias felt a flash of panic, and his arms quickly wrapped around the pony and dragged her closer.

“No! No.” He pressed his chin into her mane. “I just got some very bad news is all. I’m fine. I just… I don’t want to intrude.”

Book Binder scoffed.

“Nonsense, even if you weren’t my baby boy, you are the best friend I have that isn’t my fiancé.” She nuzzled his neck, her horn poking him in the beard. “Besides, technically speaking, you are the only reason Night Flash and I are getting married, so I dare anypony to say you don’t belong here.”

Book Binder pulled back from the hug, her smile cautious.

“Are you sure you want to be here though Elias? You look… rattled. It must have been some very bad news.”

Elias swallowed roughly and nodded.

“It was, is.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “But it doesn’t matter right now, and we’ll talk about it later. You two… I have both of you at my side, and right now, that’s all I need.”

He awkwardly ran a hand through his hair.

“If you’ll have me of course.”

Book Binder rolled her eyes, lighting up her horn. Unlike the castle however, the townhouse was cramped, so when Elias floated up, his head slammed into the ceiling, drawing a grunt from the man. Book Binder gasped, and her magic cut out, dropping Elias right on top of Night Flash. The two quickly became a tangled mess, with each trying to stand to get out of the other’s way. They accidentally headbutted each other, and as they grunted and clutched at their aching foreheads, they made eye contact. They grinned at each other, then laughed. Book Binder flushed red as they both playfully mocked her.

“That’s all yours Flash,” Elias said with a grin as he unwrapped his leg from one of Night Flash’s wings. “You’re going to have to watch the kids in case she starts trying to juggle them.”

Night Flash stuck his tongue out at Elias as he got the other wing free and got to his feet.

“You’re one of those kids she’s trying to juggle Elias. Maybe you should try not to make her worry so much.”

“No promises,” Elias snorted in reply.

Book Binder rolled up a pair of newspapers with her magic and began swatting at the two, who continued laughing at her expense. She was smiling widely however, and as each hit connected, Elias couldn’t feel any real force behind the swings, just enough to make the presence of the newspapers known. Night Flash winked at Elias, then he dove underneath one of the swipes aimed for his head. The pegasus quickly pounced on Book Binder, pinning the unicorn down to deliver a smattering of kisses along her muzzle. As she giggled and squealed happily, Elias couldn’t help but feel the need to look away, slightly embarrassed by the very public display of romantic affection. Still, the sound of Book Binder happily reprimanding Night Flash for jumping on her made him smile and helped to keep the rest of the world at bay as he settled into a calming rut. Everything else was terrible, and Elias found himself surrounded by manipulative liars, but not these two. They were innocent, and they genuinely wanted him for him, and nothing else. It was enough for the moment. It had to be.

The sound of the laughter, coupled with Book Binder’s loud scolding’s drew attention, and a purple unicorn mare poked her head around the corner, curiosity written on her face. She smiled lightly when she saw Book Binder flip Night Flash over, ticking the pegasus’ belly, and causing him to giggle. Her eyes then drifted past the pair to where Elias was waiting silently. She gasped softly, and disappeared back into the kitchen, where hushed whispering quickly began to flow forth once more. The sound made Elias nervous, and he instinctively moved backward, his left hand reaching for the doorknob.

Night Flash was at his side in an instant, hugging Elias tightly as he looked up with pleading eyes.

“Please Red, don’t go yet. Give our parents a chance.”

“Book Binder,” a voice, distinctively female, called from the kitchen, “could you please come here for a moment?”

The green unicorn looked like she desperately wanted to make sure Elias wouldn’t bolt, but Night Flash shooed her on as he gently pulled Elias by the hand toward a living room. The pegasus didn’t say anything as he sat them down on a small, yet plush couch. To calm himself down, Elias investigated his surroundings, his thumb subconsciously rubbing the callouses on his hands. The walls were painted a very pale blue, and were covered in an assortment of family pictures, as well as a few paintings. On the far wall was a large, white marble fireplace, in which crackled a small fire. On either side of it was a pair of bookcases, filled to the bursting with tomes and novels.

What drew Elias’ eye the most was the large family portrait above the fireplace. He gave Night Flash a quick scratch behind the ears before he stood, walking slowly over to the picture so that he could get a better look at it. It surprised him that both of Night Flash’s and Book Binder’s families were in the detailed painting. The pegasus sat with his wings around an abashed pair of younger siblings. The pegasus looked exactly like Night Flash, though he wore his hair slightly different. The unicorn seemed almost out of place, and if her eyes hadn’t been the same as her brothers and father, Elias would have thought she was adopted. Her coat was a snow white, and she was clearly the youngest of the three, coming to only halfway up Night Flash’s puffed out chest. Behind the trio stood who Elias assumed were mom and dad, a unicorn and pegasus respectively, both beaming with pride as they stood tall behind their children. Next to them, almost pressed together was Book Binder’s much smaller family. She was clearly an only child, but she looked no less happy as she sat, prim and pristine with her mother and father, a pair of unicorns, at her back. They seemed as ecstatic as she was, likely even more so when the painting was made. It probably functioned to cement the future of the two families.

“Like it?” Night Flash asked, standing at Elias’ side as he stared up at the painting.

“It’s very detailed,” Elias replied with a nod, crossing his arms over his chest.

He leaned closer, squinting as he looked at the level of detail the painter had accomplished. He had to say, he was impressed. It was almost like a photograph.

“He got the fur right and everything, I can’t imagine how much this cost.”

Night Flash snorted and waved a hoof.

“It was worth it. Mrs. Breeze and Mr. Shard took care of the cost. I was just surprised that I could get Shooting Star to sit still. That pony has a lot of energy.”

Elias pointed at the slightly smaller pegasus wrapped in Night Flash’s wings.

“I’m assuming that’s him?”

Night Flash smiled brightly at Elias.

“Yep! My little bro. I’ve taught him everything he knows about flying!”

“And about fighting!” a second Night Flash said.

Elias half-turned in time to see Night Flash’s nearly identical brother crash into him, sending the older pegasus sprawling. It quickly turned into a scuffle as Elias watched Night Flash hold back, doing his best only to pin his younger brother, rather than strike him. It took a few minutes of flapping, mock growling, and more than one pegasus hitting the chairs and couches scattered about the room, but Night Flash eventually pinned his younger brother with a grin, plucking out a feather to begin tickling the pony’s belly. Shooting Star gasped and tried to squirm away.

“Come on Flash,” he begged as the feather slowly lowered. “I don’t want to look like a wimp in front of your cool guard friend!”

Night Flash glanced at Elias, the feather dangling from his teeth. In his moment of distraction, Shooting Star wiggled free by slapping Flash in the face with his wings. As Night Flash reared away from the sudden attack, the younger pegasus rolled to his feet and stuck his tongue out.

“Ha! Now I can reveal all of your dorky secrets!” Shooting Star exclaimed.

Night Flash growled and pounced, attempting to grab the pegasus again. Shooting Star shot out of the way however, bouncing onto the couch as he smiled widely at Elias.

“He has the whole Wonderbolts card collection you know,” Shooting Star said as his eyes darted between Elias and his brother.

Night Flash pounced again, this time only a hair away from grabbing Shooting Star as the pegasus flapped across the room, landing in an armchair.

“Autographed too!” Shooting Star wiggled his butt and flapped out of the way of Night Flash, landing back on the floor. “He’s very proud, and he shows everypony who comes by!”

Shooting Star made to leap away again, but his hooves were quickly glued to the carpet by a familiar green aura. He let out a yelp of panic as Night Flash bowled him over, feather still in his teeth. The younger pegasus began to beg for mercy again, but this time Night Flash didn’t listen, instead skipping straight to rendering his younger brother in a laughing mess. Elias glanced over to Book Binder, who was smiling warmly at him. Elias couldn’t help but take comfort in that smile, so kind and caring, especially for somebody who didn’t deserve it.

Whatever tension he had managed to release by watching the brothers squabble immediately reoccupied his body as his eyes drifted to the floor at the nasty thought. Book Binder let out a gentle sigh, and she walked around the two wrestling balls of fluff on the floor, gently grabbing Elias’ hand with her magic.

“Come on Elias, I know that look, and I know just the pony you need to meet to make it go away.”

She didn’t give him the opportunity to protest as she dragged him out of the living room and into the kitchen, where five ponies were waiting. Elias felt his left eye twitch when all of their eyes fell on him as Book Binder led him in. As if taken directly from the painting, Book Binder and Night Flash’s parents stared at him with mixed emotions. Elias could easily identify who was who. Night Flash’s parents looked like separated out versions of their son. Flash’s mom matched his fur color perfectly, and she was giving Elias the nastiest glare. Next to her was a grey pegasus that looked just like Night Flash in every way save for his coloration. Even the eyes matched, which was downright fascinating. He too was glaring at Elias, his muzzle set in a hard frown. In his lap sat a small white unicorn, who stared at Elias’ bad eye with fear, shivering and cuddling tight against her father’s chest.

Book Binder’s parents were a completely different story. Book Binder’s mom, a light purple unicorn, was staring at Elias in what could only be described as awe. A familiar twinkle sat in the mare’s eyes, and if Elias didn’t know better, he would think that the pony was about to try to pounce on him. Her father, a remarkably familiar pony, had the same look, his rump wiggling ever so slightly in his chair.

“Is this him?” Book Binder’s mom asked softly.

Book Binder’s dad nodded once.

“Yup, it sure is.”

The light purple unicorn nodded slowly, then looked at Book Binder, who dipped around Elias to stand next to her parents, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

“Book Binder, is this the guard you told us so much about?” her mom asked sweetly.

Book Binder smiled at Elias and nodded once like her father.

“Yup, he sure is.”

The light purple unicorn smiled widely.

“Have you already shown him how we introduce ourselves in this family?”

Book Binder clicked her tongue and nodded again.

“Of course I did. In fact, Elias loves it so much that we do it every day.”

Her mother’s pupils dilated, and she tensed up, wiggling her rump aggressively in the air.

“Excellent.”

As a unit, all three ponies leaped at Elias, driving him to the ground in a perfectly coordinated ball of fluff as all three began aggressively snuggling his face. Learning from the lessons of his past, Elias wisely kept his mouth shut to avoid inhaling the copious amounts of fluff that covered the trio. He waited patiently for the ponies to get it out of their system, but when the affectionate creatures didn’t stop after a hundred count, Elias set to work removing them. Their numbers worked in their favor unfortunately. Still, he wouldn’t go down without a fight, and he managed to get his right arm free, curling it around the bright blue unicorn hugging his chest tightly. A few scratches later and the pony’s grip loosened as the stallion purred like a cat, leaning into Elias’ hand. Elias was smart enough to keep the scratching fingers always just out of reach, drawing the pony away as he kept trying to lean into the scratches.

With the breathing room afforded him by the departure of one of the ponies, Elias was able to wriggle his left hand free. The limb set about the same plan as his right one had, and he drew Book Binder’s mother away with the promises of ear scratches. That left one, and she was staring at him with an arrogant grin.

“You may have defeated my parent’s snuggles Elias,” Book Binder said with a smile, “but I am wise to your ways, and while I enjoy them, your ear scratches will not be enough.”

Elias smiled right back.

“Maybe, but you seem to forget that we have an audience. Night Flash stopped wrestling his brother less than a minute ago, and he never misses out on snuggling.”

Book Binder looked up in confusion, then her eyes widened as she beheld a quivering Night Flash, his tail lashing back and forth as he eyed the two cooing ponies to Elias’ left and right. Book Binder held up her hooves in mock defense.

“Now Flashy, think about this, we can snuggle him together! Isn’t that better for everypon-…”

She didn’t get to finish as Night Flash let loose all of his energy, too much in fact, which was precisely what Elias was counting on. The force of his loving tackle drove Book Binder off of Elias’ chest, and the human grinned in satisfaction as he ceased his scratching distractions and got to his feet. He immediately heard protests from Book Binder’s parents, but Elias ignored them as he brushed himself off, looking with a smile at the flailing Book Binder, who was being aggressively snuggled by a very happy Night Flash. The pegasus rubbed himself on every part of her body before settling on top of her, laying his muzzle in her mane. The unicorn managed to throw a glare at Elias, who crossed his arms and grinned.

“Not so nice on the receiving end, is it?”

Book Binder scoffed at him and wrapped her hooves around Night Flash, hugging him tightly.

“It is absolutely wonderful Elias, and don’t pretend for a second that you don’t like snuggles. They made you smile, didn’t they?”

Elias sighed, but nodded in agreement. Her noticing his smile seemed to drive it away, though Elias did his best to force a grin. Nobody else noticed save for Book Binder, who gently tapped Night Flash. The pegasus gave her one more last squeeze before climbing off, helping her to her feet. Standing side by side, she smiled brightly, then looked around the kitchen.

“This is everypony, so let’s do introductions!”

Book Binder pointed first to her parents.

“Those two fuzzy ponies are my parents, Velvet Breeze, and Ice Shard, who apparently you’ve already met.”

Elias nodded and looked at the bright blue unicorn.

“We did, not under the best circumstances though.”

Elias scratched his nose.

“I don’t mean to seem rude, but I kind of figured you might have been somewhat angry with me for leaving you in a room full of changelings.”

Ice Shard scoffed and waved his hoof.

“Nonsense, I saw how you were fighting! You were quite literally thrown out the window. Heck, if you hadn’t been, I would imagine you would have stayed up there while Princess Luna and the rest of our little group got away.”

The unicorn looked to his wife.

“Velvet you should have seen it! Night Flash and I were fighting a hallway packed full of changelings, and this fine young guard comes barreling in, telling us to save the princess while he fought them all by himself! There must have been over fifty of the nasty little creatures!”

Book Binder gritted her teeth in a forced smile and glared at Elias.

“Really?” she asked, her tone clearly angry. “I had no idea that ever happened.”

Elias chuckled. He was already going to be in a hole with the mare, what was digging a little deeper?

“It was much worse when we got to Princess Luna’s escape route. I locked her and Night Flash inside and faced off a changeling captain and his little attack force with a broken leg and more than a few stab wounds. It’s how I got this lovely thing,” he said, tapping his scar.

Elias watched Book Binder twitch with furious energy, but Shooting Star leaped in front of her, flapping in front of Elias’ eyes as he gushed.

“That’s so cool!” he crowed. “Did you win? What did the changeling captain look like? Was he just like the rest of them? Can you read minds? Does your eye hurt?”

The pegasus yelped as he was yanked backward cruelly by his tail. His mother wrapped her hooves around him and immediately began brushing his mane, causing the young stallion to squirm.

“Mom! You’re embarrassing me!” Shooting Star complained loudly.

“Hush,” his mother replied. “I already warned you once today about flapping in the house, and I don’t think you want me to notice that you and Night Flash were wrestling again, now do you?”

Shooting Star’s mouth clamped closed and he crossed his hooves irritably as he let his mother brush his hair. The unicorn looked at Elias cautiously.

“I’m Moonlit Night. You’ve already met Shooting Star of course.” She looked to her right. “This is my husband, Night Twister, and our daughter Sunny Fields.”

Night Twister’s eyes seemed to bore into Elias’ skull as the grey pegasus stared at the human. The little white unicorn in his lap was staring at Elias with curiosity now, rather than fear. Elias tried to avoid staring back at the pony, and instead met Moonlit Night’s eyes, extending his right hand slowly.

“I’m Elias,” he said.

The unicorn looked at his hand with obvious disgust, but she accepted it, giving it a few quick shakes before letting the limb fall way. She looked to Night Flash with a frown clear across her face.

“I thought you said your friend’s name was Red, not Elis.”

Night Flash smiled, but as his eyes flicked from Elias to his mother, Elias could tell that that smile was strained.

“Mom, I already told you all about this,” he said slowly. “I call him Red, but everypony else calls him Elias. Legally, that is his name and Red is my nickname for him.”

Elias opened his mouth to surprise Night Flash with some news that would make the pony happy, but Moonlit Night cut him off by scoffing and turning her nose.

“Well I think it’s a silly name. What does it even mean? It’s not a sensible name, like Book Binder, or Shooting Star. Now those names have meaning!”

Elias scratched his nose with his thumb and looked to the floor.

“Elias actually comes from the Greek translation of Elijah, or prophet, in the bible. That’s just the literal translation though, and most of the time Elias is used as a name for someone who is very kind, and outgoing. Somebody who cares about everyone and everything, can always be trusted to be honest, and loyal.” Elias smiled widely and chuckled. “It’s really ironic all things considered, but hey, nobody knew what the world was going to be like when they named me, so…”

Elias closed his eyes and took a moment to breathe. The flash of panic that rose in his mind was his own fault this time, but that didn’t make it any easier to drive the horrible images away. These were less gory than usual, but no less painful. The fact that it was such a simple beating made it all the harder to dispose of, and Elias couldn’t help but flinch when he felt a hoof on his arm.

“Are you alright Elias?” Book Binder asked softly.

“I’m fine Book Binder,” Elias replied. “I just… Needed a second. I don’t know why I said anything.”

He took another breath and opened his eyes. Book Binder smiled, but unlike usual, she didn’t make a motherly move, she instead just gave him a quick hug, before turning around to motion at the dining room.

“If everypony will take a seat, Mom and I will have food out in a minute!”

She somehow got behind Elias and nudged him forward, where Night Flash slipped under his arm, forcing the human to scratch his ears while he picked up his Wonderbolts talk from earlier, chattering away loudly and brightly as he walked Elias to the table. Behind his back, Book Binder not-so-subtly motioned for Ice Shard to join the two.

“So anyway, I thought that this year Fleetfoot was going to get a good shot to open the first race, but it was Captain Spitfire again! I mean, I’m as a big a fan of hers as the next pegasus, but come on! You’ve got to let a newer pony take the lead some time!”

Night Flash led Elias to a chair on the end of the table, sitting him down quickly as he darted from the room in a flurry of feathers. Ice Shard blinked as the pegasus leaped around him, then he looked to Elias with a smile.

“He’ll be back in a second I’m sure.”

Ice Shard took the seat to Elias’ right. The human tapped the table with his fingers, biting his lip as he stared at the unicorn. He needed to ask, the question drilling a hole in his mind.

“Are you sure you aren’t angry with me for leaving you, accidental it might have been?”

Ice Shard smiled and shook his head.

“Of course I’m not angry with you, who could be? You fought like a demon, and besides, I spent maybe an hour inside of one of their nasty little pods. They didn’t have time to drag me off to wherever they were storing ponies, so the way I see it, you made my day a whole lot easier. I’m grateful if nothing else.”

It unnerved the human with how much the pony was smiling, but he couldn’t see any malice, nor dishonesty in the gesture, so he just accepted it at face value.

That thought made Elias blink, and he quickly did a search of his mind. Why did he accept it at face value? Had he not gotten himself into a deep hole by taking things at face value? He took the princesses both at face value, had believed the steady stream of lies they had fed him. Why should he trust these ponies? Just because they were family to his closest friends, that didn’t mean they didn’t have ulterior motives. Already he could see the pieces falling into place. They were trying to make him softer, to make him feel like his service was a good thing. That’s what Ice Shard was trying to do at least. They were trying to make him feel wanted, valued as a brutal warrior. A killer for the right team.

‘What was wrong with that?’ the voice in the back of his head asked.

Elias couldn’t find a part of his mind that could answer the question in a way that mattered. His skill set was in that of a warrior. He was a killer, a fighter who knew what it took to destroy one’s enemies, so why was he resisting what the ponies were trying to tell him? They weren’t trying neuter the warrior, only to steer him in the right direction. His devastation of the changeling’s demonstrated that Elias was no softer on his enemies than before, even if he did spare one of them. That was an old tactic as well; to give the enemy fear by letting one tell horrifying stories. Had they changed him? Did it matter if they did? Hadn’t he been happier before today? Elias frowned as he tried to remember if he knew what happiness felt like. Quick flashes popped up, and Elias was more than a little surprised at how many happy memories there were of the ponies who had wronged him. Even in the times where he should have been miserable, Elias could only remember the events fondly. Getting locked in a cell with Luna, his many trips to the infirmary; especially the one where he had attempted escape to avoid that foul medication. Hearth’s Warming morning rose quickly in his mind, and Elias couldn’t help but feel happy as he remembered waking up next to Luna. She had woven that day carefully, and though it had started out horribly, she had helped mend his relationship with Book Binder. That certainly wasn’t a malicious action.

Elias squashed all of the happy thoughts brutally, recognizing the voice in the back of his head as he smacked it around, driving it back into its cage. He would not forgive and forget. The ponies had lied to him. Luna had lied to him. She didn’t deserve his help, and she certainly didn’t deserve his forgiveness. He tried to raise a wall of bitterness and hatred to block off the happy memories, but it functioned more like a net, letting many of the smaller moments slip through. A dark joke from Luna while on a throne room shift, a small hug when Nightshade thought nobody was looking. The effort just dug the hole of his anger and confusion deeper, and only when he felt a hoof on his arm did Elias manage to pull himself back to reality.

“Red? Are you okay?” Night Flash said quietly.

Elias blinked and met the pegasus’ eyes. It was still just the three of them in the dining room, and Elias could hear the occasional chatter coming from the kitchen, so that meant he hadn’t zoned out for long. Ice Shard was giving him a curious look while taking notes on a pad of lined paper, while Night Flash adjusted his head so that they were staring into each other’s eyes. Concern oozed from the pony, but Elias couldn’t help but notice the massive book that was sitting on the table next to him. Elias tilted his head and motioned to it.

“What’s that?”

Night Flash frowned at the obvious attempt at diverting the conversation.

“It’s a binder from my Wonderbolts card collection, are you sure you’re alright Red? You seem really off.”

Elias dodged the question by pointedly staring at the thick binder of cards. When Night Flash didn’t move to grab it, Elias motioned toward the book.

“Are you going to show me your cards or what? How am I supposed to find my interest in the Wonderbolts if nobody shows me anything about them?”

Night Flash looked torn. Elias could tell that the pony wanted to press on and help him with his internal issues, but he could also tell that Night Flash really wanted to further his education about the Wonderbolts. Over the winter they had usually been too tired to mention the flying team, then followed the wedding, and the subsequent changeling hunt. This was the first day that they had the time to sit down and talk, and Elias knew which option would win out. Night Flash didn’t disappoint as he snatched up the binder. He hopped into Elias’ lap, leaning back against the human as he cracked it open, revealing a very detailed list of the different sections the collection was separated into.

“We’re going to snuggle and talk later Red, you tricky human, but we have so much to cover!”

He stared at the table of contents for a moment, tapping his chin, then he gasped softly and began rapidly flipping through the pages, each packed full of cards.

‘And this is just the first book?’ Elias thought with horror.

Night Flash didn’t seem to notice at all as he stopped on a page filled with glowing and shifting cards. He giggled softly in excitement, then looked to Elias.

“Tell me Red, what do you know about collector’s editions?”