The scouts reported back a decent spot for a camp almost as soon as the caravan had started moving forward again. The news that the location was only two miles away even helped to brighten spirits somewhat, and a few dozen ponies tossed their gear on the wagons, replacing it with axes and shovels before racing ahead.
By the time the slow-moving caravan arrived at the spot, a rough outline of the camp had already been carved out, and the stockade walls were already beginning to rise. More ponies abandoned their gear and snatched up tents, moving quickly and quietly as officers gave orders for set up.
The first tent up was the medical tent, and as soon as the workers stepped away, the healers rushed the spot, filling it to the brim with the wounded and everything they needed to treat them.
The walk took more from Elias than he would have liked, but he remained on his feet, and though thoroughly exhausted, his chest felt a touch lighter. Unfortunately, his other injuries were not so kind, getting worse as Snowball helped him limp along. Despite voicing his ability to wait, Snowball pushed him to the front of the wounded line, getting him inside the healing tent just behind those worst injured.
Elias didn’t really see anything as he stumbled through the mass of weaving and dodging bodies, didn’t really process much but heat and an overwhelming amount of red as Snowball found him a chair and left him beside an already occupied bed. His bad eye twitched as he stared at a blood splattered floor. The magically created white tile was part of the tent’s magic interior expansion magic, something that helped it not only fit within the castra, but also let the tent serve functionally as a full hospital, with all the sterilization techniques that entailed.
Staring at the puddle of blood beneath his sandals, unaware and uncaring if it had come from him, Elias felt his stomach begin to turn. His eyes blurred, and his mouth filled with saliva.
“Wait! Don’t purge on the floor!”
He screwed his eyes shut for as long as possible, then heard a clang between his legs. Elias pitched forward and threw what remained in his belly up into a steel bucket. When he was able to breath again, he saw more than a little red in the bucket, but elected to ignore it. His head raised to thank whoever had dropped off the bucket, but they were already gone, lost in the fast-pacing shifting of healers and wounded ponies.
Elias sat back in his chair, his face twisting slightly in pain. He wiped the tears from his eyes and stared at the far cleaner ceiling, his mind in a haze. His thoughts wandered over the events of the previous hours, with each ache on his body making itself known as he tried to piece together all the events of the battle. He… He needed a headcount. Night Flash had taken an arrow to the neck, Midnight Chaser was dead…
Elias felt his bad eye twitch. What was he going to tell Nightshade? It was his job, or at least he believed it was… If the Royal Guard had died, how many more had…
“It actually makes me feel better to see I’m not the only one in a daze,” a familiar stallion rasped at his side.
Elias glanced over, then felt the blood leave his face. Scarlet smiled back, his face pale for a different reason. He was lying on his side, one wing splayed into the air, the primary bone bent at an awkward angle. Around his barrel was wrapped a thick lay of bandages, painted a deepening shade of red. The underbelly of the pegasus’ armor had been cut away, and the enchanted links were broken and stained with the same gore as the bandages.
Elias’ eyes flicked up from the wound, and Scarlet chuckled lightly as their eyes again met.
“I pushed Night Flash out of the way of a battle axe. It was so cool I didn’t even feel any pain until that cow broke my wing.”
His wing twitched at its mention, and the pony winced, pointedly keeping his eyes away from the injury.
“I…” Scarlet gulped and met Elias’ eyes, smiling awkwardly. “So, uh, how was it for you?”
Elias couldn’t help but snort, a red mist painting his grin with blood.
“I’ve survived worse,” he replied.
Three healers, led by Bloody Bandage, swarmed the pair, cutting off further conversation. Elias hissed one the unicorns forced his head up, agitating the wound on his ear. The pony clicked her tongue and dipped a rag into a bucket of water.
“I don’t think we need stitches… Healer Bandage, should we wrap this up or let it sit?”
“Is the rumor that we’re staying here for a few days true?” Bandage asked Elias, her eyes glancing away from Scarlet’s wing for only a moment.
“It is,” Elias said. “I’ll beat the other generals into agreement if I need to.”
Scarlet’s smile vanished and he wailed in pain as Bloody Bandage wrenched his wing back into place. Her horn sputtered for a moment, and she let out a growl.
“Bandages, and get somepony with a numbing spell. I’m already tapped.”
The third healer ran off. Scarlet squirmed on his bed, his eyes rolling as he tried to escape the new pains that were being inflicted upon him. Bloody Bandage gave him an apologetic look as she finished binding his wing to his side.
“Sorry Legionary, but I need to pluck the bad feathers or they might get infected while under wraps. This won’t feel good, but please be brave for me, okay?”
Without waiting for a reply, the mare leaned over and siezed a clump of feathers in her teeth before wrenching her head back. The sound was so tiny, but so loud in Elias’ ears, as was Scarlet’s second cry of pain. His stomach did another flip, and the mare cleaning off his wounds backed off.
“Not on the floor!” she cried, scooping up the bucket and shoving it into his hands.
Elias again vomited, this time filling the bucket with a mix of bright red, and dark red blood.
The mare took one look at the bucket and said; “That’s not good…” Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed to the tent floor.
Bloody Bandage spared the mare a momentary glance, then sighed as she grabbed another clump of feathers.
“Give me the bucket,” she mumbled through the feathers. “Better than dumping them on the bed.”
Elias gritted his teeth, then pushed himself to his feet. He set the bucket next to her and stumbled over the collapsed mare and away, unwilling to listen to Scarlet’s continued whimpering. He vaguely heard Bloody Bandage whispering to Scarlet about how strong he was being, but he managed to avoid the shrill cry of pain that followed. He made his way outside, shutting his eyes and ears to the repeated horrors of the healing tent. Exiting the tent, he felt his limbs weaken, and he staggered toward the nearby castra wall.
He didn’t lean so much as crash into the wall. Bracing himself with one arm so that his face wasn’t pressed against the freshly hewn wood, Elias tried to catch his breath. He succeeded for a moment, and, his eyes closed, he turned his head, resting it against the castra wall, letting the wood somewhat absorb his sweat.
Then his eyes opened, and a sickening chill flowed through his body. Beside the healing tent was a long row of bodies covered in white sheets. Few were still pristine, covered in some mixture of blood, mud, and gore. At the far end were ponies unloading wagons with fresh bodies, while a trio of unicorns went around, binding the sheets in preservation runes before other ponies loaded the bodies into emptied wagons.
Two legionaries carried a body from the healing tent, laying it with the rest. A gray wing flopped from beneath the sheet, allowing Elias enough of a peak to recognize the legionary armor. The legionaries didn’t recover the body, instead sprinting back into the tent, no doubt to retrieve another. Elias didn’t watch them leave, only vaguely processed that they had. His eyes stayed fixated on the feathers of the pegasus. Some were stained red, and he couldn’t help but imagine Scarlet was hidden beneath that sheet.
Elias couldn’t help it, and he emptied his guts onto the ground between his feet. The remaining strength in his legs failed, and he collapsed to his knees, panting hard as the pain in his chest made a sharp return. Tears filled his eyes, though what specifically from, he wasn’t sure. Grief? Maybe, but he wasn’t terribly close with Midnight Chaser, and his legionaries… he didn’t know how many were actually dead. How could he grieve what he didn’t know was lost? Anger? No, that wasn’t quite right. There was no burning, no drive to harm the thing that had so hurt the ponies. Not much of one anyway.
Frustrated. That’s what he felt in a succinct phrase. He was frustrated. So much had gone so right, but stupid, careless mistakes had exacted a price tall enough to hurt. And that was without the numerous injures decorating his body. The thought of mistakes, however…
His mind flicked back through the battle made something sound in his ear. The retreat… that had been the origin of the worst of the fighting. There would have been no breakthrough had the Solar Guard held firm, but that horn call… That was intentional. Had it been a clever ruse by the minotaurs? Or had it been something far worse? He didn’t know, couldn’t know, but for some reason that bright, brilliant sound was ringing in his ears...
“General?” a worried voice called behind him.
Elias barely heard it, his eyes clearing. The pain in his chest lessened as a strange, foreign sound touched his ears. A sound that definitely wasn’t a horn call. It was coming from nearby, yet far enough away to be muddled. Still, it sounded like…
“General?” the worried voice again called.
Elias shot a dangerous glare over his shoulder at Gray Granite.
“Shut up,” he hissed.
The earth pony’s jaw snapped shut, but the worried look didn’t leave his eyes. Elias didn’t care, instead focused on his hearing, trying to piece out the sound that was so opposite to the suffering all around him.
“What is that noise?” he asked aloud, still unable to parse out the sound.
Granite’s muzzle shifted to a frown, and he pointedly looked away from the center of the tent.
“I believe that’s laughter General. I heard it when I passed by the command tent earlier.”
Elias shot to his feet, spittle flying as he bellowed;
“Who has any reason to laugh?”
A cough tried to choke his words, but his frustration had crossed the threshold to pure rage, and fury driven strength filled his limbs. He stormed past the bloody mess that was the healing tent and marched further into the camp. The sound grew louder, and scowling ponies steadily moved away from the source; the command tent.
Celebration. Someone dared celebrate after the casualties they had taken? Someone dared to think of their victory as worth laughter? The happy sounds made his blood boil. A unicorn dressed in ill-fitting golden armor passed through the tent flap, a tray of wine bottles suspended in his magic. The unicorn held perfect posture for a moment, as if he was some grand butler in Canterlot, but that vanished the instant he spotted Elias’ fuming approach. Shrinking in fear, the unicorn darted away, but not before Elias noticed something hanging from his armor. A horn. A brass, calling horn.
It wasn’t possible. He hadn’t yet met ponies so unimaginably stupid, yet... Elias didn’t recognize the pony, but he knew, without a shred of evidence, that the pony was with Lionheart. Elias felt his bad eye twitch, and his lips curled into a crimson snarl.
“Pick a dozen ponies Centurion. Make sure they’re angry, uninjured, and as loyal as they come. I want no questions when I give orders.”
Granite nodded silently and darted away, calling names deeper into the camp.
Elias brushed aside the tent flap like it was made of clouds, and his furious gaze landed on the pony who was still laughing; Lionheart. The unicorn turned and raised a glass of wine in the air, the liquid sloshing about onto the floor.
“General!” the unicorn called drunkenly. “You’re just in time! We were-”
Elias closed the distance between them in a second. His palm firmly gripped the side of Lionheart’s head, then with as much force as he could muster, Elias slammed the unicorn’s head into the table, smashing his skull through the fine china set that was even still magically pouring more drinks. He ignored the startled gasps, and merely lifted Lionheart before slamming him back down again. Then again. Then again. Then-
“General?”
Elias opened his eyes, his daydream shattered. He uncrossed his arms, ignoring the shallow gouges his fingernails had left in his skin, while also shifting his feet to wipe away the small trench he had dug with his pacing. His eyes fell on Granite, who glanced back at a group of twelve legionaries, including Pyrelight.
“As ordered General. Twelve ponies; uninjured, and loyal.”
“We’ll see,” Elias said.
No, he needed proof. As enjoyable as throttling Lionheart would be, he couldn’t just cave the pony’s skull in without evidence. It would look bad, and his legion might lose faith in him. That wouldn’t do, especially since he had a feeling he would need their confidence more than ever. The battle had been a hardy test, but they had so far weathered it. Better to not shake their confidence.
“Ice Blossom, grab that unicorn with the horn on his side,” Elias said. “I have a suspicion that he caused the Solar Guard rout, and I need him interrogated. If that’s me or you, I don’t care. I want honest answers and I want them now.”
The pegasus nodded and darted off in the direction the unicorn had fled in.
“As for the rest of you,” Elias continued. “Stand at the ready. I do not know what will happen in the next few moments, but I hope to have your trust as I do what is necessary to see us into tomorrow.” He met each pony’s eyes. “Await my call. Non-lethal maneuvers only. If any blood is to be shed, I will be the one to shed it.”
He again fell silent, giving everyone another pass over before giving them a nod.
“Let’s shut them up, yeah?”
A round of nods came in answer, then Elias turned and drew aside the tent flap.
The mood of the tent was like a slap in the face. Bright candles filled every corner of the tent with cheery light, and light music emanated from a glowing ball, floating small circles around the tent ceiling. The princesses were all clean, and reclined as usual on their pillow throne, and Elias felt a twinge of disappointment when he found Luna pristine as the rest, a half-empty glass of wine resting beside her hoof. Their eyes met, and hers flicked down to the glass, then back up. Upon meeting the hardened glare of Elias’ mis-matched eyes and finding nothing but contempt, she drooped and looked away, hiding her gaze in the pillows.
“General!” Lionheart called drunkenly. “So glad you could join us!”
Elias’s eyes flicked to the unicorn, immediately noticing that he too was completely clean. His armor was shining, his fur fluffed and free of any sweat. It was as if he had spent the day in the cool corridors of Canterlot castle. The other two surviving generals; Shattered Shield and Dragon-Eye were in a similar state, though neither looked particularly happy to see Elias up and about. His bad eye twitched. No doubt they hoped he would be under a sheet.
“Come come,” Lionheart said, waving Elias toward the carefully prepared table of food.
He moved forward carefully, happy to notice curling muzzles as his bloody stench filled the air. He double checked the armor of the three generals before he began unbuckling his belt. Whatever happy sounds had been filling the tent came to a dead halt as he raised the belt above the table, then unceremoniously dropped it into the center, shattering several dishes and spoiling the food.
Elias then began meeting eyes, daring anyone to challenge him. Luna continued to stare into the pillows, her appetite fully and visibly soured by guilt. Celestia and Cadence’s eyes held a healthy mix of shock and anger, but he knew that the latter was soon to be re-directed. Shattered Shield and Dragon-Eye both looked terrified, and neither could help but glance toward Lionheart, who still smiled at the human, seeming to believe he was safe.
Elias set his hands on the table, focusing his gaze on the trio of ponies still wearing armor. He remained silent for a moment more, pondering his words. His eyes fixated on the cleanly state of their armor, and since he was in such contrast, he decided to start there.
“Does anyone want to tell me why you three are so clean?” he asked. “Because unless I’m mistaken, a battle was fought today, and seeing as I could kill all three of you in a fight, I find it hard to believe that not one of you suffered so much as nick.”
Shattered Shield straightened, holding his nose in the air.
“Not all of us are brutes with swords. Some of us use the fine art of spell craft.”
“Is that right,” Elias stated flatly. “Centurion Pyrelight!”
The unicorn charged into the tent, quickly falling in behind Elias and saluting.
“Here General.”
Elias glanced at the unicorn, then looked back to Shattered Shield.
“Tell me Centurion, what is that black material darkening the fur on your muzzle?”
Pyrelight shifted in place nervously, confused slightly at the odd question.
“It’s ash, General.”
Shattered Shield shrank slightly, and Elias felt his muscles tighten with satisfaction at knowing he had the cowardly stallion.
“And what caused that ash Centurion?”
“Some of the burning oil from our catapults, but mostly from firing fire spells,” Pyrelight replied.
“And do all spells create some kind of residue?” Elias asked.
“Sure,” Pyrelight said. “It varies depending on the spell, and how often they’re used, but magic always produces some side-effect. It’s usually sparks, or dust.”
“Sparks you say,” Elias pointed at Shattered Shield. “And tell me, does General Shattered Shield have any signs that his fur was charred from sparks?”
Pyrelight moved closer to the unicorn who shied away. Still, she gave him a good once over before stepping back and shaking her head.
“No, General. He seems unusually clean.”
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.” Elias drummed his fingers on the table. “I don’t appreciate being lied to Shattered Shield, and if you lie to me again, I will kill you.”
He snatched his sword belt from the table and drew his gladius. He plunged the tip into the table, letting it wobble in place as he dropped his belt.
“That is a sword that has seen action,” Elias spat. “You can tell because it is covered with blood, and gore, because unlike you, I spent the day doing my job and didn’t have time to clean it. So I again ask; why are you three so clean? Camp setup isn’t complete, there are still piles of bodies to sort through and preserve, and the amount of wounded that need treating is staggering so I find it hard to believe you’ve done anything useful when you’re in here playing tea party!”
Elias took a wheezing breath, finding a colder anger as he drew his tone back from the bellows it had grown into. As he calmed his breathing, Lionheart’s smile finally drew back to a mere grin. He wiped a spot of blood from his armor with a napkin.
“We led from the rear General Bright, is that what you wanted to hear? Clearly leading from the front was not so grand a strategy, as only one of the generals who did so survived the day.”
Only the timely intervention of Ice Blossom entering the tent saved Lionheart from choking on his own spine.
“We got him General.”
“And?”
Ice Blossom’s head turned and she glared at Lionheart.
“We got him.”
Elias let out a long breath, then stood up straight and clasped his hands behind his back.
“Good. Centurion?”
Gray Granite and his legionaries stormed the tent. Gladii and wingblades pointed at the trio of generals. When Shattered Shield opened his mouth to protest, Granite pounced him, wrestling him to the ground. A hoof pressed the unicorn’s head into the dirt, and he wisely remained silent, looking with huge pleading eyes to Elias.
“Guardsponies stand down!” Celestia shouted, her voice not holding the same roar as it usually did.
Elias glanced over his shoulder at the white alicorn as his legionaries refused to budge.
“Sit down. You’re going to thank me in a moment, so don’t start power playing. You’ll find that right now, you aren’t in control. I am.”
The alicorn tried to puff out her wings and glare at him, but Elias managed to notice the little twitches of nervousness her muzzle made. His eyes flicked to Luna, who watched him carefully, her eyes trusting, but still carrying that trace of nervousness.
‘Fair enough,’ he supposed.
Lionheart, for his part, kept his head high, his expression even and focused solely on Elias.
“This is treason,” he said.
“No,” Elias replied. “Treason is shirking your duty. Treason is leading from behind, then celebrating, clean and safe, on the bodies of your dead soldiers.” He snapped his fingers. “Treason is intentionally calling a retreat to get as many Generals of Equestria killed as you could.”
Ice Blossom shoved the unicorn who had run away into the tent. The pony fell, cowering on the ground as the pegasus towered over him.
“Say what you told me.”
The unicorn whimpered and covered his head.
“I can’t. I’ll be ruined.”
“You are currently cowering at the feet of the only four people in all of Equestria that can protect you,” Elias said. “Three of whom are princesses. Do you really think three coward nobles can find you if Princess Celestia or Princess Luna don’t wish it?”
The unicorn looked up from his cowering, his eyes shining with hope. He completely ignored Elias, instead darting around the human to grovel at the foot of the pillow throne.
“It’s all true!” the pony sobbed, his forehead hitting the ground again and again as he tried to bow as low as possible. “I did it, I’m guilty, but Duke Lionheart ordered me to do it! I shouldn’t have listened, but I selfishly saved my own skin instead of thinking of the greater good.”
He sobbed and crawled forward, his eyes teary as he begged up at Celestia.
“Please forgive me Princess. I can test your food for poison! I’ll be an on-call member of your staff, free of charge!”
Before he could continue to spout off his regrets, Celestia flared her wings slightly. The unicorn cowered back, but still held hope in his eyes as the white alicorn gave him a smile.
“It is alright little one,” she said softly. “Nopony is going to punish you right now, so there is no need for alarm. Please, rise and tell us your name, because I find myself unfamiliar with your face.”
The unicorn shot to his feet, then offered a low bow.
“Precise Detection, at your service Your Majesty. I am an elite poison detection pony, operating solely for Canterlot and her noble clientele. I-”
“Skip the resume and tell us what exactly Lionheart made you do,” Elias snapped.
Detection cringed away from the human, looking to Celestia for protection. The alicorn let out a small breath, her smile not dimming as she ignored Elias.
“While blunt, General Bright is correct; please speak about the crucial point at hoof.”
Detection nodded and glanced at Lionheart, who stared at him with narrowed eyes. The unicorn gulped and looked to Celestia.
“Duke Lionheart brought me along on this excursion because he was worried about spies poisoning his meals. I found this to be an excuse when he relayed that our meals would be magically conjured from Canterlot.” His nose raised and he huffed with disdain. “Duke Lionheart forced me to eat with the ruffians, disguised as one of their own.” He coughed and offered a false smile. “Though I did look quite dashing in Your Majesty’s royal gold.”
Elias heard Luna gag, and while a touch of his mind found the motion funny, the rest was becoming more and more blinded by rage. One of his hands curled into a tight fist as the unicorn continued.
“Today, I remained with Duke Lionheart and his two associates,” Detection noted toward the other two generals; “Dukes Shattered Shield and Dragon-Eye. They were, as Duke Lionheart said, “leading from the rear”. They did give orders, following the previously discussed fighting plan. That was until Duke Lionheart saw opportunity in the fighting.”
“He spoke of an opportunity to claim a greater stake of glory,” Detection said. “And he rejected Duke Shattered Shield’s suggestion to send fresh ponies forward to fight when a particularly nasty row of brutes charged down the hill. That is when he had me blow this;” Detection took the brass horn from side. “I didn’t really know what the calls meant, but the one he had me blow was for retreat.”
“So Lionheart intentionally caused a rout to claim victory for himself, if not more,” Celestia stated evenly. “And he spoke no more of this “opportunity” of his?”
Detection shook his head.
“No Princess, not in my presence.”
Elias felt eyes on his back.
“General, while there is some evidence-”
“There is enough for me to do what I intend to,” the human cut in, his eyes never breaking contact with Lionheart’s. “Legionaries, arrest Lionheart, Shattered Shield, and Dragon-Eye on the charge of treason.”
Shouts of protest immediately erupted from the trio of stallions, but with well-armed ponies quickly taking them to ground and binding their hooves, Elias found it easy to talk over them.
“You will be stripped of rank until the end of this military campaign. Your privileges will also be revoked, and from now on, you will do your fair share of the work, or I will let you starve. Centurion Granite and Centurion Ice Blossom will oversee you tonight as you help gather the camp’s water. We have bandages that need boiling, so you’re going to be at it for a while.”
“I will met out further punishment as needed,” Elias continued. “Proper behavior will be taken into account, and I will ensure that each of you is interrogated separately so that we know exactly what your “opportunity” entailed and how much each of you were involved.” He glanced toward Gray Granite. “Centurion, see that the prisoners are kept under watch in a standard issue tent. Have Adiutor Book Binder go through their belongings and distribute and destroy what we will no longer carry.”
“You can’t do that!” Shattered Shield cried. “I have some priceless family heirlooms with me. Hundreds of years of history, millions of bits in value…”
Elias fixed the stallion with a glare.
“You are in no position to make demands. Under Equestrian Military Code 4482, I am well within my rights to have you blinded and whipped until dead. Consider it an act of mercy that I am already tired of the smell of blood. Seeing you beaten bloody won’t help morale; seeing you whimper and cry as you perform back-breaking labor, however…”
Elias motioned to Granite with his hand, and the legionaries began dragging the trio from the tent.
“Regardless, Adiutor Book Binder is a Scribe by profession. She’ll determine what is of value, and will thus be kept. I wouldn’t worry about family heirlooms, and would worry more about earning your next meal.”
“Princess, you can’t let him do this!” Lionheart said, momentarily shoving away one of the legionaries. “He’s the one committing treason! He’s usurped your authority! His thugs only listen to him!”
Elias plucked his gladius from the center of the table and sheathed it, saying no more as Lionheart and his cronies were dragged away, their protests clear for all to hear. Pyrelight escorted Detection out after them, talking with him softly about deals he could make to ensure his protection. Faintly, Elias heard the stallion re-assure her of his full cooperation. Eventually, the noise fell to silence, leaving Elias alone with the three princesses. His chest wheezed slightly as his reserve of adrenaline wore off, and he futilely rubbed at his chest, trying to promote the muscles to loosen.
His right hand tapped the hilt of his gladius as he continued to stare silently at the gently swaying tent flaps. Despite doing what he knew was the right thing in not personally bludgeoning the three stallions to death, his rage felt un-satiated. All of those deaths caused so pointlessly, all for what were likely petty, jealous, stupid reasons. His hands burned with a need to feel something break beneath them, and he also knew that he couldn’t work if he was still so blindingly furious. If he couldn’t break Lionheart’s spine...
With a roar, his hands clamped onto the table, and he threw it as hard as he could. It slammed onto its face, shattering the glassware and scattering the remaining food in the dirt. Elias panted as he glared hate at the destruction, and while it wasn’t nearly enough, it would have to be. His adrenaline reserves were fast depleting, and there was still so much he needed to get done before he collapsed.
He coughed, quickly wiping away the bloody dribbles with his hand as he glanced back to the trio of alicorns. Celestia remained puffed up and defensive, while Cadance cowered behind her greater counterpart. Luna was still watching him carefully, with no small amount of concern written plainly in her eyes.
“I would say that I’m sorry,” Elias said, “but being honest, that was the best I could have done that. As stated, I am well within my rights to kill them, and since I am the only standing general, I am in control of this army. I don’t have to listen to you, I don’t have to keep you informed, I don’t even need to keep you happy. I just need to get you to the end of this march alive and able to perform.”
He spit to the side, his mouth filling with a red mix of blood and saliva. Yet somehow, his mouth felt so dry that he felt like his tongue would crack.
“Still, I seized this level of control not out of malice, or hunger for power, but because it needed done. Your choice in generals have mismanaged this campaign from the beginning, so now I’m stepping in so that countless more ponies don’t have to die.”
All three alicorns seemed to relax slightly, and Celestia was bold enough to clear her throat, stopping his speech.
“If you do not mind my askance; what will you do?”
Elias snorted and smiled.
“A little bit of everything I suppose. We will be staying here for the next few days while casualties are counted and treated. We need to clean up, to rest up, and to heal what we can before moving on. I know you lost your maids, and that the survivor,” he looked to Cadance, “Soft Touch, right?”
The pink alicorn nodded, and she relaxed further, seemingly calmed by the fact that he remembered the pony’s name.
“Yes,” she murmured. “She was taken to the healing tent as soon as we arrived.”
“And she’ll be staying there until I decide she’s free to move about,” Elias said. “She may stay at your side once her wounds are sealed up, but she will not perform any task for you. If she does, I’ll lock her in a wagon under watch until she’s safe to move about, am I clear?”
“But she can stay with us?” Cadance asked, her tone hopeful. “She is more than a mere bodyguard and servant. She has been my friend for years, and we would both be more comfortable if we stay together. That I am sure of.”
Elias gave her a slight nod, which earned him a soft smile.
“I’ll have Kind Heart give her a once over. Once she’s clear, she can rest with you.” He looked back to Celestia. “I will also assign a pair of lightly wounded legionaries to act as your replacement caretakers, as well as a full retinue of bodyguards. There will be no repeat breach of the carriage like there was today.”
“As far as administration,” he continued, “I will operate as we have been.” He nodded toward Luna. “Princess Luna has been watching over our planning sessions, and I’d recommend that strategy continue. Once I have a headcount, I will gather a council of subordinates and we will plan how the march will operate going forward.” He tilted his head. “That being said, I am in control. Totally. We march in step to my tune, and that means cutting out the little inefficiencies the other generals forced. I will give a detailed packet of the changes later, however. There is still much to do.”
He looked to the destroyed banquet.
“When your caretakers get here, I’ll make sure you have something fresh to eat. In the meantime-”
“We will gather our own meals, and we will be going outside to see our ponies,” Celestia and Luna said at the same time.
Elias blinked in silent surprise as the pair exchanged a quick, grinning, glance before looking to him again.
“The day has been hard, and while we will avoid the more… savaged areas, the ponies need their princesses,” Celestia said.
“And while we appreciate your concern for our well-being,” Luna continued. “We are not totally helpless. In fact, I would like to help prepare the army’s dinner before taking my own.”
“I can help in the healing tent!” Cadance offered. “I used to nurse for Doctor Steel Scalpel, and I still remember how to apply bandages by hoof.”
Elias winced at the mention of his former friend, but he ignored it.
Celestia smiled warmly as she gave a wing hug to the alicorns on either side of her.
“What excellent ideas. I think that I shall-”
“I need someone to stay here,” Elias cut in. “We should be receiving diplomatic hostages sometime this evening.”
Celestia’s fell into a slight pout.
“I could be of more use elsewhere until they arrive…”
Elias shrugged and smiled.
“Fine, but if you’re too busy when Elder Stone Hoof arrives, I’ll do the greeting.”
The white alicorn played right into his hand, shaking her head immediately.
“No, no.” She immediately became flustered, and sputtered out; “N-not that I don’t trust you General, but-” She took a breath and straightened, her expression calming to perfect neutrality. “You are right. I should remain here to greet our guest.”
Elias rolled his eyes and began to walk away from the three.
“I’ll send guards as soon as possible. Don’t leave until they get here.”
Bracing his side, he walked from the tent. Greeting him outside was a darkened sky, as well as a fresh dozen legionaries, most with fresh bandages spotted with crimson. Gray Granite offered Elias a salute.
“We await your orders General. All prisoners are secure, and their guard details for the next few days have been assigned. All legionaries of course.”
Elias offered the earth pony a smile.
“Good work Centurion. Take your pick of ponies, assign a full complement of guards to each princess. They want to help out, and I don’t disagree with a little morale boost. Just… keep them away from the nastiest stuff, and if you see anyone directing anger their way, deal with them. If we fill the stockade tonight, we fill it. If you have to, get the legionaries to spout the most patriotic nonsense in your head, then you spout it. Ponies will follow a positive chant, and opinions change with the mob. Is all of that clear?”
Granite nodded.
“Yes General. Make sure ponies are looking up at having won, rather than being down in the dirt about casualties. It won’t be easy, but we’ll manage.”
“I’ll address it with Adiutor Snowball and Adiutor Binder, but I also want everyone paying a visit to the river to clean up,” Elias said. “I want gear scrubbed, and once the wounded are all treated and the dead all preserved, I want the blood scrubbed from the castra grounds. Ponies will feel just a touch happier if they’re clean. I’ll see if I can’t get a barrel of cider cent from Canterlot or something. To give dinner a bit more warmth than simple soup.”
Elias fell silent for a second, then awkwardly reached out and patted Granite’s helmeted head. The earth pony blinked at him silently as he spoke.
“You’ve… uh... done and continue to do good work, Centurion,” Elias said. “Keep it up.”
For a brief moment, Elias wondered if he had made a mistake offering physical contact with a very clear and concise praise, not marred by any detraction or threats, but as Granite’s eyes widened with joy and as the pony’s tail flicked, he knew he had just made the stallion’s entire year.
Gray Granite stiffened and saluted as sharply as he could.
“Thank you General!” he shouted, before turning on his heel and bellowing; “Get moving ponies! I want six volunteers on princess duty, while the rest of you are going to escort ponies to the river!”
The ponies all saluted him before scattering. Tail flicks and ear flickers seemed to paint tell of an excited conversation, and more than a few glances were aimed happily at Elias as the ponies whispered amongst themselves. Granite turned around again, offering him a short bow before trotting away, his tail flicking happily.
Elias rolled his eyes and snorted softly, but smiled for a moment. Pain from his chest brought him back to reality, and he staggered forward. There was still so much to do.
He made his way back toward the healing tent, to personally check on the progress the healers were making. Nearing the tent, his eyes locked on a certain green mare weeping softly in the hooves of her husband. Night Flash was being as stoic as he could be, stroking Book Binder’s mane and staring blankly ahead. The ponies around them were in similar states, either sitting down in dirty, dejected clumps, or wandering back and forth aimlessly, their eyes flicking toward the healing tent, which, while quieter, still let loose the occasional scream of pain.
Elias steeled himself, cutting off his emotions as best he could. It was time to be a leader, and it wasn’t going to be pretty. Taking a deep breath, he moved forward. Night Flash looked up as he approached.
“Oh, hi Red.”
Elias stopped a few steps away from the pair, bracing his ribs with one hand while resting the other on his gladius.
“That’s, “good evening General”. Just because we won a battle doesn’t mean protocol flies out the window First Centurion.”
Night Flash blinked blankly at him. When no apology was forthcoming, Elias let out a slight sigh and let the slight pass.
“Are either of you seriously hurt?”
Conscious thought returned to Night Flash’s eyes, and he shook his head.
“Not badly. I just have the arrow wound from earlier and a few little cuts.”
“Where?” Book Binder cried out.
Her horn sputtered, but she didn’t seem to notice as she began shifting the pegasus’ armor to try and look at the dirty fur underneath. As she began to grow more frantic, Night Flash again wrapped his hooves around her and dragged her in close. He nuzzled her mane, whispering;
“Shh… I’m okay Bindey. I’m okay. I’m right here.”
The mare tried to squirm free to continue her search for a second, then stopped, again falling into quiet crying as she hugged him tight. Night Flash rested his chin in her mane and hummed softly, rocking her back and forth. His eyes met Elias’.
“We’re okay General.” A smile touched his muzzle, and he nuzzled Book Binder again. “Bindey didn’t even get scratched. Got through the whole battle with out ever getting touched.”
“If you’re both healthy then I need you on your feet,” Elias said. “Just because night is falling doesn’t mean the day is done. We’ve still got a lot to do.”
Night Flash again blinked blankly at him, and this time, Book Binder joined him. Her teary eyes blinked open, and she remained silent, processing his words. Her gaze cut like a knife at his heart as she stared at him in disbelief.
“Elias… I…. I don’t know what to say.”
“Yes General would probably be a good start,” Elias quipped. “We are all the army has right now, and I need all of my officers at my side, especially you Adiutor. We have orders to write, formations to rearrange-” he waved his hand “-the list goes on. So let’s go. Grief comes later.”
That phrase caused Book Binder’s muzzle to curl in anger.
“Grief comes later?” she spat. “How can you say something like that? So many ponies died, and-”
“And too fucking bad,” Elias cut in. “As a former guardspony and as a soldier, you should understand that duty continues even after the bodies start falling. We don’t stop until the job is done, but please,” Elias nodded toward Night Flash, “do waste time arguing with me and weeping. When your husband dies of an infection, I’m sure you’ll feel so much better.”
All the anger drained away from Book Binder’s expression, and she shrank back against Night Flash, again clinging to him tightly.
“W-what?”
“Infections Adiutor, do I need to explain basic hygiene?” He motioned all around them. “Look at this place! Everyone is filthy with sweat, mud, soot, and worst of all, blood. What happens when someone else’s blood gets in your wounds Adiutor? What happens when he-” Elias pointed a finger at Night Flash “-gets sick because we wasted time with pointless crying instead of cleaning out his injuries? Do we even know he’s telling the truth about his wounds? Do we even know if this camp is a safe place to rest for the night?”
“We have walls…” Book Binder noted meekly, her eyes already flicking to Night Flash’s matted fur.
“Walls nobody is guarding because my First Centurion is busy sitting on his ass instead of distributing orders,” Elias spat. “Walls that, even if guarded, are worthless, because nobody has put up enough lanterns within them to have clear sight-lines. How do you know the enemy hasn’t slipped into the camp, merely waiting for you to fall asleep before cutting your throat?”
Elias looked at all the ponies around them, their attention suddenly focused, and their energy rising with fear. Eyes looked into the shadows of what lights there were. The fear disgusted him, and his voice raised louder with anger.
“This is a perfect opportunity for this announcement; I have committed a coup d'état this evening! As far as things are concerned,” he slammed a fist into the non-hurting side of his chest, “I am in control. Lionheart, Shattered Shield, and Dragon-Eye have been arrested for treason, and with General Nightshade injured, there is no one else in command.”
Nervous whispers filled the air.
“Treason?”
“What about General Chaser?” one voice called.
“What about the princesses?” another shouted.
“Quiet!” Elias bellowed.
Silence consumed the air, but was quickly pierced by the sound of the human collapsing to his knees and coughing up fat globs of blood. He gasped and choked his way to stable breathing, then sat back on his heels, relishing the cold night air as it made its way into his lungs. Elias panted at the sky for a moment, then shakily got to his feet, wiping the blood from his chin.
“I… will make the full announcement tomorrow morning,” he said as loud as he could manage. “But know that I am in command now, and we will be doing things my way.”
He spit on the ground, then looked to Night Flash and Book Binder.
“We will start by organizing groups to go to the river to clean up. I want this camp set up properly, I want tent assignments fixed to make sure we don’t have half empty tents, and then I want everyone to start cleaning the blood out of the dirt. Haul back as much water as it takes, but we’re staying here for a few days to recover our strength.”
Both Book Binder and Night Flash seemed to recover touches of their professionalism. Book Binder wiped the tears from her eyes, while Night Flash sat a little taller, his ears trained and listening. Elias looked away from the pair, addressing the crowd of ponies at large.
“Spread the word, get cleaned up, and get your wounds treated. Work hard, because Princess Luna will be helping prepare dinner tonight. If you all get his camp in grade A condition, I’ll see about getting some cider to pass around. I know you just fought a battle and work is the last thing you want to do, but unless you want to lose more friends, I suggest you snap to it. Disease will kill far more of you if you don’t deal with it first.”
He coughed, swaying lightly in place. His vision was beginning to swim. That wasn’t good.
“That is all,” he said with finality. “Get working, make sure everyone is taken care. Tomorrow we’ll have plenty of time to work everything else out. Clean, eat, rest. Those are your orders. D- Dismissed.”
Elias staggered backwards, his energy spent. As he walked away, he heard Night Flash begin to give orders. It wasn’t quite the firm shouts he was used to, but at least some movement was beginning, especially when Book Binder’s voice joined in.
A shadow seemed to appear at Elias’ side, bracing him silently as the human withdrew… he didn’t know where. His pains were beginning to mount… but he had so much to get done. He… He just needed.
“General!”
Elias closed his eyes, not wanting to look at Book Binder again. He just knew she would be furious, and didn’t want to bear that along with everything else. He didn’t need his heart hurting too.
The mare slipped around Elias and his fuzzy little shadow, forcing the pair to stop. Forced to confront her head on, Elias sighed and opened his eyes. He found nothing but pure worry in her eyes, not tainted by anything else. The sight almost made him breakdown. The shadow at his side seemed to notice.
“Please be quick Adiutor Binder,” Snowball muttered. “It is not accident that I am in disguise supporting General Bright. He needs to appear strong.”
Book Binder didn’t look at the blackened loveling.
“Please Elias, let me help you. Night Flash is getting everypony organized for cleaning, guard duty, everything! Let me help you get cleaned up. I know you’re waiting to get medical treatment because there are worse cases, but I can still bandage some things. Please.”
Elias snorted, his mind chugging slowly in a haze.
“It’s within your job description to assist your general,” he said. “I suppose… this qualifies.”
He nodded toward the nearest castra exit, his chest already itching with the next bout of coughing.
“T-to the river,” he rasped. “Just… just get me to the river.”