//------------------------------// // Chapter 46: Infiltrators // Story: The Centurion Project // by TheEighthDayofNight //------------------------------// Elias sighed and held his forehead. It had been a normal morning so far, just another run and the beginnings of drill. He had scheduled for his unicorn auxiliaries to begin practicing formation drills while casting spells, but he had just one small problem. “Auxiliary Centurion Pyrelight,” Elias said slowly as he tried to ward away a migraine, “do you care to explain to me why your troops are unable to throw spells?” The orange mare frowned as she stared at the block of ponies. After a moment of silence, she sighed and glanced to Elias. “I… can’t tell you General. We’ve been doing fine with pilla, but now…” Elias looked at each and every one of the unicorns before him, then looked back to Pyrelight. “Are you sure you can’t figure this out Centurion? You can’t find anything at all wrong with them?” Pyrelight searched desperately through her section, but she bit her lip and shook her head as she cringed back from Elias. “N-no General.” “THEY’RE ALL WEARING INHIBITOR RINGS!” Elias bellowed. “OF COURSE THEY CAN’T USE FUCKING MAGIC!” Pyrelight blinked at him stupidly, causing Elias to groan and facepalm. “Centurion, I gave you this promotion because I thought you would be more attentive. Not every pony has the capacity to level a city,” He took a long breath and shook his head. “Make them take the rings off and run firepower training. If this happens again, I’m giving you fifty lashes and demoting you. Go.” Pyrelight gave him a short salute, then began barking orders to her section. Elias let out another long sigh as he made his way back toward the edge of the training grounds. Scarlet Shield continued writing in his strategy notebook as he approached. Elias stood beside the pegasus and crossed his arms as he watched the lines form up again. “Did I make a mistake in keeping her?” Elias asked. “I mean come on, how does a unicorn not notice that they can’t feel their magic? I imagined it would feel like losing a hand.” Scarlet shrugged and squinted as he watched the formation advance across the training grounds. “I think it’s because we’ve been using the rings so much in training. Everypony just kind of got used to the restrictions. If you’ve noticed, us pegasi have been walking a lot more as well.” Elias sighed and nodded. “Make another note for Book Binder. Put down that I want all restrictions removed before we enter August. They won’t be wearing this stuff when we march, and they need to get re-used to casually using their magic.” Scarlet pulled out a separate, smaller notebook and quickly scribbled down Elias’ note. The pegasus had been acting as his stand-in assistant while Book Binder and Night Flash were preparing for their wedding. Elias had let them take the entire week, and considering they had helped him deal with a portion of their spy issue, he saw the small break as a fair reward. It unfortunately left him without his number one subordinate, and Elias largely had to make do alone. Neither Ice Blossom, nor Gray Granite had the stomach for paperwork, so Scarlet was the logical choice. The problem was, alone time between Elias and Scarlet usually devolved into the two acting like a pair of kids, talking about all of their favorite historical facts and occurrences. While their conversations did wonders for reducing his stress in the short term, Elias quickly found out that they got nothing done, and so he sent the red pegasus to sleep with the rest of the legion. It had taken him less than a day to find himself alone. That meant Elias spent most of the night chipping away at a never ending stack of paperwork, and he was even more exhausted and stressed than usual. The fact that some of his legionaries had started putting on their idiot hats made an already bad situation worse. Elias sighed as the auxiliaries reformed to run their drill again. The only reason Elias hadn’t blown up completely was the promise of lunch with Luna. He just had to make it a few more hours, and then he could sit across from his alicorn crush. Maybe he could let himself be weak for a few minutes, and they could snuggle, just for a few minutes. He needed something to go right. Elias rubbed his forehead again and raised his other hand. “Enough,” he called. “Switch to formation two. Make sure you are watching the other line carefully! If the box doesn’t close all the way, the enemy can turn the trap on its head. Get to it.” Scarlet slid away his smaller notebook and went back to writing in his normal one. He stuck his tongue out, and Elias caught a grin as he watched the auxiliaries form up. “General,” the pegasus started. “I just wanted to say…” Scarlet paused, then frowned slightly. “Well spit it out Tactician Shield,” Elias said as he crossed his arms and continued watching the ponies before him. They began a quick march while Scarlet bit his lip, but the pegasus spoke up again before the auxiliaries could fall fully into position. “I wanted to say thank you. I don’t know if anypony else feels this way, but there is nowhere else in Equestria I’d rather be.” The stallion smiled again as the lines formed up, then charged toward one another, quickly meeting to turn and form a coherent wall of shields and javelins. “I mean, just the sheer amount of stuff I’m learning about warfare, it’s amazing!” Scarlet got to his hooves and flipped his notebook to show Elias. “Look at all of this! Equestria has been militarily stagnant for hundreds of years, but you’ve shaken up everything in less than one!” The pegasus sat back down in a quick move and set to writing. “I mean, when I was starting out as a guard, everypony trained as a group, always. The only time it was different was if you needed specific help, like I did, or once you actually graduated.” Scarlet gestured around the training grounds. “But look at all of this! We have four separate training exercises going on, all teaching different things! Camp set up, formations, the whole nine yards! You made all of this possible!” Scarlet grinned again as he doodled out what looked like a rough version of the formation the auxiliaries were practicing. “And don’t get me started on the strategies again. I know you say you’re just copying what you’ve read about, but General, you’re a genius to me. It’s all just so… wonderful.” Scarlet pointed at his chest. “And I’m a part of it all. I know I probably shouldn’t be, especially given what you’ve warned us about, but I’m just so excited to see how it works for real.” The momentary uplift the pegasus’ words had caused plummeted, and Elias scowled at Scarlet. “I suggest you stop speaking Strategist. I can understand enthusiasm for history, and even training, but never tell me you’re excited for combat again, am I clear?” Scarlet flinched away from Elias’ harsh tone, and his hoof stopped moving as he looked up with nervous eyes. “I-I’m sorry General, I just thought….” “No,” Elias snapped. “You didn’t think. I clearly haven’t been drilling it into your skull hard enough, so take another note. I will begin issuing weekly lectures about the horrors of battle, because I can promise you that there is nothing exciting about going into war, especially not when your friends’ lives are on the line.” Scarlet whimpered slightly, and the noise brought Elias back through the haze of red that had come from nowhere. While he had spoken, he had gotten closer to the pony, so much so that spit was beginning to land in Scarlet’s fur. The auxiliaries had stopped practicing, no doubt to watch Elias’ anger toward the red pegasus. Elias closed his eyes and straightened. He took a deep breath and clasped his arms behind his back. “Make sure the lectures are focused toward maintaining battlefield cohesion in the face of blood. I want some of the healers involved as well, so that we can teach everyone basic battlefield medicine, as well as triage.” Elias’ eyes flicked down to the pony. “Did you get all of that?” Scarlet sniffled and nodded. “Yes General,” he replied softly. Elias looked back to the formation, and he let his guilt at crushing Scarlet’s enthusiasm turn into anger. “What the fuck are you looking at?” Elias shouted. “Unless you intended for the minotaurs to sweep around your flank and kill half your section, I suggest you form up and run it again!” Pyrelight called out commands as the auxiliaries scrambled to do their jobs right. Elias watched them with an angry eye for a moment, but the heat quickly faded as he heard Scarlet sniffle again. The man sighed and glanced down at the teary eyed pegasus. “Scarlet… you need to know better. I know that sounds harsh, but this isn’t something played out on paper, it’s real. You weren’t there for the invasion,” Scarlet flinched, so Elias quickly added; “through no fault of your own, but you simply didn’t see the things that happened. Things went really well, and ponies still died. Just because it wasn’t anybody we knew, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.” Elias looked back to the auxiliaries as they charged toward one another again. “We won’t be so lucky again, and even more ponies are going to die. I’d rather you understood that now, rather then when they begin to fall. I’m trying to get you ready, to make sure you know what all of these plans and formations are for. I apologize if I haven’t been properly conveying the risk we’re all taking, but I’ll change that in whatever way I can.” “It’s because I care so much,” Elias said softly. “The last thing I want for you Scarlet, is for you to become another me. I was right where you are at some point, and it may be horrible to say it, but I’d rather you died in the first wave than live through the things I’ve seen.” He could tell he was making a bastardization of what was supposed to be an uplifting speech, but Elias couldn’t help himself. He was having one of his melancholic spells, and all he could think about was if it was all enough or not. He glanced down to see Scarlet watching him carefully with tear filled eyes. Elias sighed again and shook his head. “It’s going to be rough Scarlet. I’ll talk with you about ancient cultures and battle strategy until the sun dies, but never say you’re excited about seeing combat. It’s not right, and you’ll regret your words for the rest of your life. That I can promise.” Scarlet remained silent for a moment, then slowly sat up, staring at the formation as they formed into their box. “You’ve said that before, haven’t you Elias?” he asked softly. Elias crossed his arms, then nodded slowly. “Just days before I lost everything. In my perfect world, I’d never see battle again. It’s much better relegated to history.” He shrugged and tilted his head. “And yet some part of me can’t wait to kill again. I’m sure I’ll sprint head long toward death once I get the opportunity, but that’s a fate for killers like me,” Elias glanced back at Scarlet. “Not for good ponies like you.” Elias’ eyes flicked back up, and the pair sat in silence. They listened as steel shifted and commands were shouted. Scarlet sniffled one final time before he began writing in his notebook again. “For what it’s worth General, I’m sorry.” “For what?” Elias replied. Scarlet shrugged, his eyes never moving from his book. “Everything I guess. I… I’m just sorry. You're a good pony, no matter what you think about yourself." He rubbed at his nose. "I wish things worked out better sometimes.” Elias shrugged again. “Wishing has never done me any good, work has. Make sure you take the note about the lecture, I want to start those by the end of next week.” Elias rolled his shoulders. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go show these idiots what a box looks like.” ***** Elias sprinted headlong toward the royal dining room. He was more than four hours late for he and Luna’s lunch, and he had been a complete idiot and had forgotten to send a messenger. A bad rainstorm had been scheduled for Ponyville, and the roads had turned to mud before they had even begun their afternoon march. Had he known, Elias would have postponed their trial run with the legion baggage train, but he hadn’t, and he had pushed his ponies through the quagmire of mud. The result had been a disaster. Most of the wagons, leaden with stones to simulate weight, sank in the thick mud, and it had taken them hours to get them free. Book Binder usually kept his dragonfire candle, so he couldn’t send a letter ahead to Luna, and his scouts were needed to ensure that nobody got struck by lightning. The steel armor of the legion acted as perfect lightning rods in the empty fields outside Ponyville, and there were far too many close calls before they got properly moving again. A second storm had then blown in from the Everfree on the return trip, and it had chased them all the way back to Canterlot. Pouring rain, loud thunder, and lightning strikes had been rampant, and only once they reached the limits of the Canterlot weather patrol did they find relief as the pegasi chased away the black storm clouds. The end result was three thousand exhausted, mud covered ponies, completely off of their schedule. Elias could see that they were far too tired to even consider trying to play catch up, so he had given them the night off to rest and scrub their gear clean, then had rushed off to try and save his friendship with Luna. His armor was covered in thick, black mud, and his sandals left a trail through the castle hallways, but he moved as fast as he could, ignoring the angry mutters of the maid staff. Elias entered the final corridor to find the dining room doors unguarded. A bad sign. He increased his pace and shoved the tall doors open, quickly finding the room dark. The only sound in the long room was the sound of his panting, and Elias felt keenly aware how absolutely quiet it was. He blinked for a moment, and he closed his good eye, letting the bad one do all of his seeing. It was much better at picking up low light, and the moon filtering in through the windows at the rear of the dining room was more than enough to see by. Elias could see two places set, each with a covered tray. A solitary candle sat unlit between them. Elias winced. He couldn’t tell if he felt bad about missing what was clearly supposed to be a very personal dinner, or if he was nervous about what that implied. He hadn’t exactly been subtle when it came to his feelings about Luna, but he hadn’t thought he was throwing everything in the open. After further reflection, her line about close friends in the tailor shop had made him think that she was playing along the same lines he was; stay beneath the radar with any romantic gestures until they were both at a better point in their lives. Elias decided on the former as he stalked forward and felt the food in front of Luna’s dining spot. It was cold. She had clearly put in some effort to make the dinner nice, a large steak with a side of garlic bread sat under his tray. The steak was normal for his meals, but the garlic bread was something he had only told her about in passing. It was a childhood favorite of his, one of the few good things he could remember about the time. His mother was the best at making the stuff, and every time he so much as smelled garlic, he thought back to the hot loaves of happiness that came from the oven. It was the smell of a better time, and it was here, cold as it was. It was also a sign that he had royally fucked up. Elias’ eyes flicked up, and he began scanning, much more carefully this time. Something wasn’t right. His bad eye twitched, and a small migraine began forming in the front of Elias’ mind. Luna would have waited him out to make a point and to make him feel guilty, as was her right. She wouldn’t have left everything as it was. The lack of guards was also an issue. He had never received word that the spy issue was fixed, and the hallways should have been lined with guards, princess or no. He moved to the window, looking for someone, anyone moving around. Thousands of ponies didn’t just vanish. A glint of torchlight caught his eye, but the source was covered by a large tree that covered the lower half of the window. Elias looked down onto the castle gardens, then worked backward to the torches, using the context to figure out where the light was coming from. It took him a few moment of staring, but Elias could tell that the torches were on the standard guard training grounds. He moved at a jog, keeping an eye out for any ponies. He only saw the occasional maid, but even they began to vanish, no doubt going home for the night. Elias tried to think back to his time on the night shift, but for some reason the memories seemed a bit hazy. He growled and pushed on toward the training grounds. If he could find someone who knew what had happened in his absence, he could figure out everything else. Elias pushed open the doors to the training grounds, looking hard for ponies. He was rewarded in spades, and his suspicious mood vanished as he groaned at the sight before him. A ring of Royal Guards ponies had been set up, with Celestia and Luna sitting on makeshift thrones halfway around the circle. Opposite of Elias, Lionheart paced back and forth, a look of murder in his eyes. He was decked out in more armor than Elias had ever seen the prissy stallion wear, and while he wore a pair of swords on his flanks, Lionheart also swung a long spear back and forth as he paced. Elias looked to Luna to find the alicorn staring straight ahead, her mouth tied shut and her eyes hazy. Elias blinked in surprise at that, and he opened his mouth to ask her what was going on with the incredibly wrong situation before him, but Celestia cut in. “It is about time you arrived Bright. Are you always so flagrant with your disobedience with my sister?” Elias’ eyes flicked to her, and he tilted his head. “No, but then again, I’ve never tied Luna’s mouth shut. What the hell happened here?” Celestia snorted. “Of course you have no idea. You blatantly disregard our traditions, abuse any power given to you, and you refuse to learn or change. You are an ignorant savage.” She shook her head in disgust. “Not that I expected any less from a mangled beast like you.” Elias bit his tongue to prevent himself from verbally tearing the white alicorn a new one. He took a deep breath and spoke in a calm voice. “You didn’t answer my question Princess. Why is Luna’s mouth tied shut, and what the hell is this?” He motioned toward Lionheart. “You can’t honestly expect this tool to fight me. You and I both know he’ll die if that ever happens.” Celestia growled and stomped her hoof. “You know nothing Bright, you merely stamp through life like any beast, but because I am a more civilized creature, I shall inform you of your plight anyway.” Elias scowled at the alicorn. She was unnaturally hostile. Somebody had to be pulling her strings. He was fairly positive she disliked him, but not this much. This was new, stronger. Celestia’s eyes flashed with an emotion Elias recognized; hate. She hated him, but it was… off. Amplified perhaps. Elias continued watching her eyes as she spoke, looking for a flash of green that told him of a changeling's magical touch. “You struck my sister Bright,” Celestia spat. “An executable offense on a good day. Had it not been for General Lionheart, I would have never found out of your grievous offense against my kingdom. He does not have such a colored past as yours.” Elias stared at her in disbelief, and it felt like the rational center of his brain flicked off. Anger flashed in his mind, and he motioned toward the unicorn as he spoke. “Are you fucking kidding me? You believe this pompous dickhead over your own sister? Are you brain dead?” Elias motioned toward Luna. “Maybe if she wasn’t tied up and…” He stared at the blue alicorn for a moment. He hadn’t noticed it initially, but she seemed to sway slightly in her seat, and her eyes held no sign of awareness. Elias recoiled in disgust. “D-did you drug her?” “Of course not!” Celestia snapped. “She is in a witness trance. Her opinion regarding these proceedings is biased, and as any pony would know, that means she cannot voice her opinion.” Celestia stomped a hoof. “She can not be allowed to color justice, and her fondness for your “friendship” is well known.” Celestia snorted in disgust. “Friendship,” she looked to Lionheart. “The more I see of this human, the more I believe you General. He no doubt held a knife to my kind sister’s throat just to make her seem happy.” Her eyes flicked back to Elias. “But I have had enough. You have hurt far too many, and I have been a fool and given you the freedom to hurt too many more. It ends, tonight. This is an honor duel, as Lionheart demanded. It will be to the…” “Are you an idiot?” Elias snapped, interrupting her. “Because you have to be to not see the damn writing on the wall.” Elias motioned toward Lionheart. “This moron is a liar, and shouldn’t hold the title of dishwasher, let alone General. All that talk about “hurting ponies” is going to look pretty damn stupid when I beat his worthless ass to a pulp.” Celestia growled and rose from her throne. “Be quiet Bright. You are not as strong as your bloated ego tells you. Lionheart is a capable fighter, and I will quite enjoy watching him cut you down to size.” She snorted. “I have let Luna intervene on your behalf far too many times. She has become enraptured with your insanity, and once Lionheart has disposed justice, I shall purge you from her mind. It is a corruption I have let fester for too long.” Elias’ good eye twitched. He had felt anger many a time, it was one of his biggest constants, but now he was seeing red. How dare she disrespect Luna like that. How dare she threaten to pull them apart. She had no right, and it put a new definition on furious in his eyes. Elias imagined if he wasn’t surrounded by Royal Guards, he would have already thrown himself at the weakened alicorn. He knew exactly where to cut to stain her pretty white coat a lovely shade of crimson. Elias blinked, and the spell seemed to snap around him. His anger vanished into thin air, and his sense seemed to fully return. He saw massive waves in the air, particularly around Celestia’s head, but in truth, they were around everyone. The guards, while not nearly as openly hateful as Celestia, were glaring at him as waves spun around their heads. He imagined that he would see them around his own head if he could look. Elias looked around the ring, looking for un-familiar ponies. There had to be another infiltrator. He had trusted Luna when she had said the Royal Guard was handling it, but they had clearly missed something. They were close, they were trying to start a fight, not between him and Lionheart, but him and Celestia. The changeling no doubt knew of the alicorn’s weakened state, and with his history of combat… she wouldn’t stand a chance. It would only take a swing. He had no doubt that with her magic slowly being stored away, her mental defenses weren’t particularly up to snuff either. She was as influenceable as anyone, and that was dangerous. Elias couldn’t find the damn bug. The waves gave no path to trace. Whoever the spy way, they were good at covering their tracks. He needed the changeling to play further into their hand, to expose themselves. He knew of no better way to force that than to play along with the creature’s stupid game. He sneered at Celestia, trying his best to sound genuine to fool the changeling into believing he was still under their spell. It wasn’t too difficult. “Fine then Princess, I’ll play this idiotic little game of yours. Don’t blame me when Lionheart is lying in a pile of his teeth.” Elias’ eyes flicked to the unicorn in question, who straightened and snorted dismissively. It didn’t really surprise Elias to find only a small number of waves around the unicorn’s head. Lionheart his head back and forth and kneaded the ground with a foreleg. “I do not fear you human, and unlike you, I have a sense of honor. Prepare yourself properly for battle. I shall wait so that I may defeat you properly.” Elias rolled his eyes and then rolled his shoulders. “Save the theatrics. I can beat you with nothing, but to make you feel better,” Elias drew his gladius, then flipped the blade into an underhanded grip in his left hand. “There, at least you can say I was armed when I kicked your ass.” Lionheart growled, then looked to Celestia. The alicorn shot another glare at Elias, but his eyes were elsewhere. The waves weren’t slowing down. The changeling was actively influencing everyone, but where? They were clearly close, they had to be if they were affecting the alicorn so strongly. Elias’ eyes narrowed as one of the guards close to Celestia lit their horn. “This is an honor duel,” the alicorn said. “The combatants shall fight on the terms of surrender; do both parties agree?” Lionheart saluted with his spear. “Of course Princess! I fight for the good of Equestria!” Celestia’ looked to Elias, who ignored her completely as he scanned the guards making up the circle. He needed a few more seconds, the waves had to be originating from one of the Royal Guards. He heard another derisive snort from Celestia as she spoke. “Begin then, and may the more honorable be victorious.” Elias’ looked toward Lionheart as the guard near Celestia shot a flare into the air. The unicorn’s horn lit up, and surprisingly, he didn’t start with the usual unicorn strategy of levitation. Instead, he leapt forward with a war cry, swinging hard for Elias’ head. There was clearly some effort behind the blow, but it was still far too slow and weak. Elias turned and caught the spear shaft, then ripped it from Lionheart’s magical grasp. With a quick spin to build force, Elias shattered it against the pony’s head, sending Lionheart to the ground with a cry of pain. Elias shook his head and looked to the pair of alicorns. Luna’s eyes held a trace of awareness, and she looked unsurprised at the result of the “fight”, but Celestia looked less irritated than she had been when they were speaking. He sighed in exasperation as Lionheart struggled to get back on his feet. Elias dropped the shattered spear to continue his search. The waves were lessening, probably because Celestia’ didn’t need to be agitated to watch a fight. Elias decided to fix that. He walked calmly toward Lionheart. The unicorn managed to draw a single sword before Elias backhanded him. It wasn’t that hard of a hit, but with the way Lionheart collapsed, one would think that Elias had the strength to level mountains. The pony cried out as he collapsed, and for a moment, Elias desperately wished that the unicorn was the changeling. Fate was not that kind however. The unicorn was just a prideful idiot. No more waves circled his head after being driven to the ground, but in truth, it didn’t matter. Elias intended to kick his ass anyway. Celestia stood up and shouted at Elias as he grabbed the unicorn’s armor and punched him in the jaw, snapping his head back. “Bright, that is enough! The duel is over!” Her voice sounded more confused than angry. Though he didn’t like her, Elias mentally cheered for the alicorn, praying that she would break free of the changeling’s influence. She still needed more pushing however, so Elias shook his head and sheathed his gladius as he straddled Lionheart. “Nope. Lionrat has to surrender first. It goes until he stops fighting me.” Elias slapped the pony again, then a third time. Though he made it seem like he was staring down at Lionheart, his eyes were up, searching for the waves. They spiked high around Celestia, and for once, Elias could see a trail spiraling lazily in the air, leading him slowly back to their source. He squinted hard as he tracked the near see-through glow through the air. “I said enough!” Celestia bellowed. “Unhand that pony at once before I order your execution!” Most of the guards tensed, and Elias saw weapons slide out of sheathes, but one of Royal Guards was staring hard at the princess, and Elias caught the slightest trace of green in her eyes as her non-existent horn flared with magic. The waves in the air reached a peak as Elias grinned at Celestia. “Come now Princess, you know I wouldn’t attack someone unless I had an agenda. There’s another rat here that needs punishing.” He sighed and looked down at the cowering Lionheart. “And unfortunately, this idiot isn’t it.” Elias lurched to his feet, and he grabbed Lionheart by the collar, throwing him at the disguised changeling. The bug shrieked as the unicorn missile slammed into her. Elias quickly followed with his sword drawn, and as she pushed Lionheart away and got to her feet, he was on her. With her visible wings as a factor, Elias decided to try wrestling the pony to the ground. He tackled her, grabbing her in a bear hug before slamming her to the ground. The changeling shrieked and squirmed as Elias solidified his pin with his knees. He heard a few shouts and saw a multitude of black and red moving in his peripherals. He needed to finish her fast. Unfortunately for everyone around him, that meant he would be messy. Elias slammed a fist into the changeling’s jaw, and her head snapped back, exposing her neck. Elias didn’t think, he just attacked. His gladius rose and fell, biting deep into the meat of her exposed throat. A spray of green answered the blade’s call, and the changeling’s disguise flickered. It was almost unnoticeable in the dim torchlight, and Elias knew that he had been the only one to see it. He swung again, then again. He hacked and cut away with fast, brutal strikes, mangling whatever functioned as the bug’s spine. As the first guards began to attack his exposed back, Elias ripped the changeling’s head free of her body and stood, holding it out like a shield. The ponies recoiled in disgust, and only after staring at the gore-stained head did they realize the purpose of his actions. The waves vanished all at once as the changeling’s brain died, and anybody who had gotten close enough to attack him staggered away, more than surprised by the side of the dismembered head before them. Combined with the absence of outside influence, most of the Royal Guards reeled, ambling about aimlessly. Elias’ chest heaved and he panted hard. It had been mere seconds, but he had easily burned through all of his energy to destroy the spy. His throat burned with dryness as he stood fully, then began stalking forward, the head still outstretched. Celestia seemed to rock back and forth in a daze, and only as he walked into the center of the conjured torchlight did she understand what Elias was holding out. She recoiled in fear and disgust, and it took Elias a moment to realize what he looked like. Green merged with mud from his afternoon march, mixing together and painting the silver of his armor like a grotesque canvas. He could feel warm goo streaming down his face, could even taste it on his lips. His gladius was still in his hand, dripping even more gore onto the flagstones. With how heavy his breathing was, Elias imagined his eyes were wide with apparent madness and anger. While the former was untrue, the latter definitely wasn’t. Elias was enraged, and as Luna shook herself from her trance, she could tell. She slipped the string off of her muzzle and walked down from her makeshift throne, trotting up to him slowly. “Elias…” she said softly, making sure to catch his eyes with her own. “Please. It’s alright. Everything is fine now. We have a lot to talk about, and so much to apologize for, but please, let’s be calm about this. Let’s get you cleaned up before anything. It will be best to make sure everyone is prepared to address this… mess.” Elias stared at her for a moment, then nodded slowly after seeing genuine concern in her eyes. She moved quickly as his energy fled. His post-battle depression was swift and vengeful, and his sleepless nights caught up to him as he wavered on his feet. Pain filtered into his brain from his arms, and Elias blinked, noticing a series of bites the changeling had no doubt gotten in during their struggle. His arm holding the head dropped to his side, and he began to lose his balance. Luna was at his side in an instant, and with a gentle nudge, she braced him fully. Elias was in little state to protest as Luna began guiding him toward the doors to the training yard, but after a moment of dazed thinking, Elias stopped and looked toward Celestia. He tossed the changeling head toward the foot of her throne. It splattered to a stop right at the base of the throne, with its odd, green eyes staring up. “Maybe next time you think with your head instead of your human hating heart, huh?” She stared at him, and for a moment, Elias thought he saw genuine regret and sorrow in her eyes. Then her face fell into her normal princess mask and she stared into the air before her. “Perhaps you are correct General. Please, rest and clean up. We shall have plenty of time to discuss the repercussions of this evening when you are well rested.” Elias snorted dismissively, then looked away, letting Luna escort him back to his room. ***** Scalpel clicked his tongue as he wrapped Elias’ arms in bandages. “One of these days Elias, you’re going to need to find out how to be the big hero without getting yourself beat up.” Elias grunted in response, still feeling a bit dazed. Luna had confirmed that it was an after effect of the emotional manipulation the changeling had enacted on them all, and that it would pass with a good night’s sleep. Something Elias wasn’t likely to get. Training started up again in only nine hours, and Elias needed to stay awake for all of them. The initial reports from the Royal Guards were coming in, and they were incredibly alarming. The changeling was unique, and though they didn’t know much about it, they did know that the bug was particularly strong in the areas of mind and emotional manipulation. It was how she had slipped by the illusion screenings, and it was how she had gotten so very close to turning Elias and Celestia against one another. Elias stared at his hands. It had been far too easy for the creature to get in his head, and he hadn’t even been aware of it. There was no way of telling how many more changelings existed like the one he had killed, and there was no way of flushing them out. Not without risking another brawl between him and Celestia at least. Elias flexed his right hand. He curled and uncurled his fingers, staring at each and every callus. His physical strength had served him well over the years, and his mind had always been sharp enough to stay a step ahead, most of the time at least. How could he fight an enemy that he couldn’t always see? He had gotten used to the almost black and white morality of the world. On earth, it was the strong and the weak, and in Equestria it was the good and the bad. It was almost comical how obvious the difference between right and wrong was, but it was beginning to gray, and evil people were getting smarter. Was that his fault? Elias couldn’t help but think back to the loveling’s words about how much of a threat he was. Elias had instituted many reforms to the Equestrian military, and though the guard at large hadn’t taken to many of them, they would fall in line when they saw how his strategies worked. A nation with a capable war machine was a threat that needed addressing, no matter how well respected and peaceable its leaders were. The changelings especially were poking and prodding, searching for more weaknesses. They were adapting as fast as Elias was, but they had a magical edge that he couldn’t match. Not by himself at least. Elias’ eyes flicked to the door of his room as an idea came to mind. Luna came trotting out of his bathroom with a bucket in her teeth, but she quickly set it down when she saw the intensity of his gaze. “What is it Elias?” she asked quietly. She had been speaking quietly, and moving slowly ever since Elias had destroyed the changeling. He could tell that she was doing it in an effort to make him feel calmer and more relaxed as she helped get him clean, but it was starting to grind on him. She wasn’t his enemy, so why the hell would he snap at her? She was at no more risk than anyone else, and the fact that Elias kept getting treated like some sort of raging animal irritated him further. Elias took a deep breath to cool his mind. The real issue was that she was right to try and keep him calm. The fact that he had been so easily manipulated agitated him to no end, and his anger was on a hair trigger. He needed something to do, and as Scalpel finished bandaging his arms, Elias pushed to his feet. He heard Luna sigh as he snagged his sword belt from his bed, quickly putting it on. “Elias, where are you going?” she asked. “It is late, and you need rest, especially after the night you’ve had.” Elias sat back down to slide on his sandals. “You want to come get something to eat with me?” he replied. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I found our dinner in the dining room.” Luna blinked at him, then smiled. “Well… if you wish for me to join you, I certainly won’t say no.” Elias stood and walked toward the door. “Great,” he said shortly. “We need to make one stop on the way. I have another spy to deal with.” He heard a squeak of protest from Luna, but she didn’t voice it any further as they began making their way toward the dungeon. ***** Elias shoved the dungeon door opened, and slammed into the wall, jolting Snowball awake. The cell looked a lot nicer than when he had been staying in it. Snowball had a comfortable looking bed, a sink, a nightstand with a lamp and what looked to be his choice of novels. Elias spotted a Daring Doo in there, and his mind briefly flashed back to images of being snuggled against Book Binder as she read to him. He missed those days. They were… easier. Elias’ mouth curled into a snarl as he drove the memories from his brain. Now wasn’t the time. He crouched in front of the cell bars, waiting silently as Snowball rubbed his eyes and sat up, pulling his covers back. The loveling blinked at Elias for a moment, then looked past him to where Luna waited silently near the door. His purple eyes flickered back to Elias, and he turned his hooves out of bed, facing Elias fully. “Good evening General, I must express my surprise. What brings you to my humble cell?” Elias ran his tongue across his teeth as he thought long and hard about what he was about to do. He needed a spy catcher, but he couldn’t altogether trust the creature before him. He hadn’t had time to do any research into lovelings, so he had no idea if he should be expecting treachery, or if Snowball could be trusted. He exhaled through his nose. He had made deals with the devil before, this was no different. “I have an offer to make you, and your queen, should she be interested,” Elias started slowly. “I realize you’ll need to come out of that cell to communicate with her, but you’re going to hear out my offer first, and make your personal decision regarding it, before you ever speak a word of it to her, is that clear?” Snowball nodded. “May I ask why?” “Your loyalty, and your life,” Elias said, “belong to me. I have decided to keep the promise I gave to you, but I will not have a traitor standing beside me. You’re either my soldier, or you’re your queens’ soldier. You cannot be both.” Snowball frowned. “That… General, I have to communicate with my hive and my queen. I will still need to act as an informant for her. It is the job I was assigned, and even if it wasn’t, I can’t just cut them all off.” He shuddered. “Even with the cell muting them, I still get whispers. It’s a loveling’s worst nightmare to be without his hive. I can’t understand how ponies, and gryphons, and all the rest live alone in their heads. It’s so quiet.” Elias snorted. “I wish,” he muttered. He looked back to Snowball. “But, it doesn’t matter. I’m not asking you to cut yourself off, and I’m not saying that you can’t tell your queen what happens in my legion. What I will not tolerate is questioning of my orders or interference when things get... darker. You can talk to her all you like, but you will have a job to do, and I expect you to carry it out without hesitation.” Elias noticed a glimmer of hope in the loveling’s eyes, and the bug pony shifted slightly closer to the cell bars. “I… am interested,” Snowball said slowly, “but I’d need to know what my job is to be before I make a decision.” Elias nodded. “Fair enough. Tonight, a changeling spy got close enough to Celestia to manipulate her, and she tried to have me killed via General Lionheart.” Elias snorted and glanced back Luna. “Though I am very curious as to why that was her first idea. She knows how capable I am in a fight, anyone short of Chaser would have a hard time, but really? Lionheart?” Luna shrugged. “You may not believe it, but he has gotten to his position by more than his noble title. His father was a respected guard captain, and he trained his son well.” She tilted her head. “That being said, Lionheart is as pompus and arrogant as they come, and I truly wish ‘Tia would replace him, but even with tonight’s events that is unlikely.” Elias sighed and looked back to Snowball. “It would make my life too easy if I didn’t have some idiotic adversity I suppose.” He focused on the loveling as he continued. “Your job however, is this; I need a spy catcher, one who can sniff out other shapeshifters.” He tapped the scar below his bad eye. “This helps me see when ponies are being influenced, but I can’t rely on it. Sometimes its hazy, and other times I get false flags, particularly around my old friend group. I need something or someone I can count on to find changelings, and I believe that’s you.” Snowball cocked his head at Elias words, then hopped off his bed. He motioned to Elias’ bad eye. “If you don’t mind General, I could take a look at it. Changeling biology is nearly identical to loveling biology, and I have a bit of a hobby studying how our magic impacts other creatures.” He gave Elias a fanged grin. “And you, General, you’re a special study. I mean, you are just filled to the bursting with love, but I can’t detect any magic on you! It’s so exciting!” Elias snorted. “If you agree to the terms I set out, I’ll make sure you have time to take a crack at it. Agreed?” The loveling nodded. “Good,” Elias said. “Starting tomorrow, you will serve at my side as my second Adiutor, beneath Book Binder, is that clear?” Snowball frowned. “But wouldn’t it be better if I stayed among the normal legionaries? How am I going to sniff out more infiltrators if I’m above everypony?” “Because being my assistant is a front,” Elias responded. “Snowball the Loveling will be like a legion mascot, out and about in bright white and silver for all to see, while Snowball the spy goes sniffing around while I send him on “errands”.” Snowball flinched. “Y-you mean everypony is going to know what I am? I won’t wear a disguise?” “Not when you’re in your legion armor, no,” Elias replied. “But until we actually begin the march, you will be spending very little time in the legion silver and red. Instead, you will be infiltrating each and every guard force you can, starting with the Lunar and Royal Guards.” “And how do you expect General Chaser and General Nightshade to react?” Luna asked. “I can’t imagine they will put any trust in Snowball here. An ally his queen may be, but she still sent a spy into our kingdom. ‘Tia and I have yet to come up with an appropriate response to his transgression.” Elias shrugged, not looking back. “They’ll do whatever you tell them, but in honesty, I’m hoping to not be caught. It’s why I said “infiltrate”.” Snowball winced. “I… the Royal Guards are really good though! The Lunar guard I might be able to pull off, even after getting caught, but the Royal Guards? That’s a death wish.” “It’s the way you’re getting out of that cell alive,” Elias replied calmly. “I still have the authority to execute you, no questions asked, and after what I just dealt with tonight, I am more than justified.” Snowball frowned at him, and his ears twitched lightly as he looked past Elias to Luna. “Princess, will you allow this? I am… seriously considering General Bright’s offer, but I cannot well infiltrate a guard service if a princess of Equestria is against me.” Elias glanced back as well, watching her carefully. He could tell from the flickering of her eyes that she was thinking at a mile a minute. From her body language, he believed she would back him, though she would no doubt question him relentlessly about his intentions. It irritated him that he would have to lie to her, but he needed an agent. He would brief Snowball about his secondary purpose when they were alone, and only when they were truly alone. A loveling spy would be a good boost to his tiny, but efficient spy network, and since he could detect changelings, he was invaluable. Luna sighed and shook her head, glancing at Elias for a moment before looking to Snowball. “I cannot say I completely approve of his methods, but I will always hold trust for General Bright. He has proven time and time again that his actions are all done with purpose, and even this has good reason no doubt.” She bowed her head slightly. “I will not hamper your efforts, but I will not aid them either. I must apologize Elias, but if Snowball is caught and traced to you, you must deal with the consequences alone. Even a princess has her limits in the law, and this constitutes high treason.” Elias nodded toward the door. “I understand Princess. I recommend you leave before you become an accomplice.” Luna sighed, but nodded in agreement. “Very well. I shall see you Friday for breakfast?” Elias winked and let a small grin peak out. “Wouldn’t miss it.” Luna’s wings fluttered lightly, but her face remained impassive as she opened the dungeon door and exited. Elias counted to a hundred before he looked back to Snowball. The loveling was watching him with wide eyes, and Elias had no doubt it was related to his ability to detect emotion. Elias caught his eyes, carefully drawing them down to the knife that he drew from behind his back. “Speak a word of what happens here, and you won’t need to worry about being hanged as a traitor, I’ll kill you myself, clear?” Snowball gulped, but he nodded. Elias stared him down for a moment more before he spoke again. “What Princess Luna doesn’t know is that you’re going to be doing more than searching for changelings,” Elias said. “I need up to date information on everyone. Nightshade and Chaser are just a courtesy to make sure they aren’t lying, but Lionheart, Shattered Shield and Dragon-Eye have been stonewalling me from the beginning. I want to know everything they know, and I want it to surprise them how much I really know.” Snowball sat in silent thought for a moment, then looked up to Elias again. “What can I tell my queen about? I am technically still a spy, so this… modification to my job isn’t too bad, if I can keep her informed.” Elias tapped his fingers on his knee, staring hard at the loveling. “Tell her nothing about the Lunar, or Royal Guard,” he replied. “Infiltrating them is just in case, and I’d rather not be responsible for Equestria’s downfall.” Snowball’s face curled in disgust. “I would never reveal the information I learn. Not even if I was tortured.” Elias smirked. “You have no idea how many people have said that to me and then talked anyway.” He reached his hand through the cell bars. “Do we have a deal?” Snowball stared at his hand for a moment, then nodded and shook it. “We do. Thank you General. You don’t know how happy it makes me to still be a part of the legion.” Elias stood and grabbed the keys from the wall. He flicked through the keys until he found the right one, then stuck it in the lock and turned it. “Don’t get too comfortable,” Elias said as he pulled open the cell door. “If you make one slip up-“ Snowball slammed into his ribs, and it took a moment for Elias to realize that the loving wasn’t trying to drag him to the ground, he was just giving him a bone crushing hug. The loveling nuzzled his stomach. “Thank you General. You’re the best.” Elias stood awkwardly as the bug continued nuzzling his stomach, then it was like a switch was turned off. He blinked in surprise, then looked up to who he was hugging. Elias heard a low whimper escape Snowball’s mouth, so he decided to show a hint of compassion. Hopefully it would help his spy stay loyal. Elias lightly scratched the bug-pony between his ears, and Snowball relaxed, sighing softly as he leaned against Elias’ chest fully. Elias continued scratching as he whispered to the loveling. “A word of this to anyone, and I’ll kill you so quickly, your queen won’t notice you’re gone. Don’t expect it again either.” Snowball burped softly. “N-no need General. I’m gonna be fed for a month just on the love in the air.” The loveling smiled up at him. “Don’t worry, I know who you feel that way for, but I won’t tell. Not even my queen.” He burped again, and Elias noticed his purple eyes beginning to slip closed. He sighed and scooped the bug-pony up. Snowball cooed and curled into a fuzzy ball as Elias hugged him close, walking from the dungeon. Elias glanced down at the loveling as the gears in his head started turning. “On second though, I might have another job for you,” Elias said softly. “One that will be mutually beneficial to us.”