• Published 15th Jul 2019
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The Centurion Project - TheEighthDayofNight



Elias "Rubrum Aquilae" Bright, the former leader of the Legio I Americana, on the run from his past, finds himself thrown into the conflicts of Equestria.

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Chapter 16: Family?

Therapy Diary: Day 423

I’m so cold. I don’t have any food. I don’t have any water. The snow keeps falling and I don’t think I’ll be able to go outside. I wish… I wish…

I wish I could go home. Nothing is right anymore. I thought things were bad after… it. But this is so much worse. I want my mom back. I want my dad back. I want my sisters, and my dog, and my house, and I just want something to eat. I’m sorry to anyone who reads this, but I’m so scared. I just want to go home.

Elias awoke with a yawn, holding his pillow to his face. The sun tore through the windows, stabbing him right in the eye, specifically aligned so he had to acknowledge its blazing presence. He groaned, and he tried to grab his pillow to block the light, only for it to giggle softly and squirm in his grasp. Elias opened his right eye, ignoring the glare of the sun as he stared into a wall of green fluff, all pressed against his face. He snorted softly, and his “pillow” giggled again.

Elias managed to pull his head back, and Book Binder grinned at him.

“Good morning to you too baby boy. Sleep well?”

Elias nodded, but his rising discomfort must have shown in his eye, because Book Binder’s smile disappeared. She tried to adjust so that his head once again rested in her fluff, but when Elias scooted away again, she stopped.

“What’s wrong Elias? Did I do something wrong?”

Elias sighed, trying to keep control of his mind as it went to war with itself once again. He was surprised at the quick venom, usually he had to wake up before he had a headache. The center voice was on a tirade about the dangers of getting too close to the ponies, while the voice at the back of his head was prodding him to just accept how things were. It kept whispering the word 'family' softly.

“It’s nothing Binder, I’m just… thinking.”

Book Binder rose and moved off of his pillow, watching him carefully.

“That’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one. It’s because of the momma stuff, isn’t it?”

Elias opened his mouth to deny it, but found that he didn’t want to. If nothing else, she was his friend, right? And just like that inane, childish book said, you shouldn’t lie to friends.

“Yes,” he admitted, looking away.

Book Binder let out a small sigh and settled at his side, resting her head on her hooves.

“I’m sorry Elias, I didn’t mean for this to happen this way.”

For some reason, that hurt more than he would have liked. Elias flinched at the words as he replied to her.

“Does that mean… it isn’t real? You don’t actually feel... like that toward me?”

Book Binder reached up and laid her hoof gently against his cheek.

“Elias, thought it may have happened far too quickly for either of our tastes, I absolutely want to dote on you like a proper mother should. If I had my way, Princess Luna would release you and I from the guard and I could become a librarian full time. Night Flash could come home every day and we would eat every meal together and we would talk for hours about how our days were. You would go to school, and I would help you with your homework, and everything would simply be amazing, but I know that won’t happen. You aren’t a darling little foal,” she giggled lightly, “even if I want you to be my little baby boy.”

She sighed again as she withdrew the hoof.

“But I know that might not happen either. You are grown Elias, and by your own admission, you are an adult. You can make your own adult decisions. I don’t want to force anything on you that you don’t want.” She smiled faintly. "Thought perhaps if I had realized these feelings in a better way, I could have tried something gradual, a hug here, a little kiss on the cheek there. Little things..."



She trailed off, staring wistfully at the bed. Elias’ mind felt locked in one place, doubt still weighing heavy on his thoughts.

“But the feelings are still real? They aren’t just because of the spell Princess Luna talked about?”

Book Binder's smile made a sweet return.

“Of course they're real Elias. I think that’s why I was so fast to be friends with you. Night Flash was there, and I think I could feel his feelings for me, and there you were, the loner you are, just waiting for someone to care for you. Then Night Flash began to court me, and then I heard your real age… It just brought everything to a boiling point. The rune was merely a catalyst. All of the feelings I have for you now, were there then. They’ve just been pushed to the surface.”

She paused, and then sighed for a third time.

“I hope knowing that helps Elias. I don’t want us to drift apart, no matter what. The three of us should stick together, things just came at us in a rush, and I’m sorry if you feel overwhelmed.”

Elias saw sorrow on the mare’s face, and he mentally smacked himself for causing that. The rear part of his mind rose up, screaming at him to just accept the modification to their relationship. It would make her happy, the voice whispered, its volume flipping to near silence as it tried different strategies to convince him. Maybe it was the zealousness of the voice, but it put him off the thought. The rear voice seemed to panic silently as he rejected its ideas, milling about in confusion as it tried to find a way to convince him. Elias, however, had a safe idea, satisfying the paranoid center, as well as the affectionate back. If he could express his feelings for once, maybe they could come up with a solution together.

“Book Binder I…” he stopped as he looked at her. He felt a tear in his eye, and tried to blink it away. “Please listen all the way through, because I don’t want to hurt you. You’re a good friend and I…”

His eye closed and he stopped as fear welled up in his mind. Should he be doing this? What had he done to deserve a potential family? Even worse, what if he pushed them away? He didn’t look forward to the idea of being alone again. He felt a light touch on his face, and his eye opened to find Book Binder much closer, her muzzle almost on top of his nose.

“Just talk Elias. No matter what you say, Flash and I aren’t going anywhere. We’re going to stick to you like glue.” She nudged Night Flash slightly, causing the pegasus to kick and grumble in his sleep. “Especially since Flash seems to enjoy sleeping on you. You’d think without the fur you wouldn’t be as comfortable to lay against as a pony, but you’re really warm. It’s very relaxing.”

Elias snorted softly.

“Thanks,” he said.

Book Binder settled again.

“Go ahead Elias, I’m all ears.”

Elias took a deep breath before he started.

“I… Book Binder, some part of me wants to say yes.” He clenched his hand into a tight fist. “My brain is on fire trying to figure out a way to say yes. It could be a new leave, a second try, whatever you want to call it. To have a family, to have something that special...”

He slumped slightly.

“But I can’t say yes. I don’t have the strength to.”

His eye flicked back to the mare.

“I don’t want to hurt you because of my personal failings. I don’t know about ponies, or pony culture. I don’t know how you express love and affection; I don’t know how I should act, and I don’t know how to avoid disappointing you. I am a nasty, vicious man, and I’m not entirely sure that someone like me should have a family.”

Elias sighed, looking away.

“I don’t know how to be a man worthy of having somebody who loves me.”

Book Binder touched his nose with her hoof, then, when he refused to look, she guided his chin so that they made eye contact. She smiled.

“Elias, you don’t have to be worthy of us. You just have to keep being you, and we’ll be proud of you. The rest doesn’t matter, because Flash and I know that you aren’t a pony. You show your affection and love in smaller ways. Given enough time, we’ll figure out each and every one of them. You just have to give us a chance.”

When Elias didn’t immediately respond, she sighed, but her smile didn’t falter.

“Elias, I think we’re both grown enough to know that there isn’t going to be some grand declaration of love. You aren’t going to scoop us up and crush us with a hug, crying your eyes out, begging to be adopted. It simply won’t happen.”

“Would you like me too?” Elias asked, trying to joke.

“Maybe in the future, but not now,” Book Binder replied. “I can tell that you are willfully trying to slow your life down. You are nineteen Elias, no matter what the human standard is, a year is a year. You are far too weathered and wise and experienced for someone your age. The things you must have lived through…” she shook her head, stopping herself. “I won’t ask, but I know your life has been a rush from one place to another, and now that you’re here, you want to slow down. I understand that, and I want to help you, so here is my solution to our shared problem.”

“Shared?” Elias asked, raising an eyebrow.

She bopped his nose again.

“Yes, shared,” she said, clicking her tongue. “I want a baby boy to spoil rotten, and you want a family but have a fear about it. I will not ask what, but I know that something about having a new family scares you, and I don’t want that. So, this is my solution, let’s take it slow, step by step and ease into it like we should have had from the beginning. First, we start with nicknames. I’ll leave it to your discretion which one’s stick, but baby boy will forever be on the table, and you will never escape it.”

Elias snorted softly. His fears slowly pealed away as the mare spoke of plans. He always could get behind plans, and her voice was so kind. Elias found that he just simply wanted to listen to her speak, without listening to the words. It was a strange, warm feeling that he couldn't quite put a name to. He faintly missed the feeling he had when she was petting him. Book Binder seemed to pick up on his thoughts, as she shifted, climbing around his head. Elias felt her press lightly against the back of his head as she began to stroke his hair with her hoof.

“Then we move on to light affectionate gestures. Like your rules for friendship, I shall warn you when I am about to do anything overtly motherly.”

“Such as?” Elias asked, feeling significantly more relaxed.

“Everypony has seen Night Flash and I hug you, so I was thinking… kisses?”

She seemed nervous about suggesting it, and Elias felt more than nervous about accepting it, but he just nodded slightly in reply. Book Binder relaxed as she continued.

“This is the first phase. It gets you used to being coddled, just a little, and it lets me know your limits. We can do this for a few months, even a year if you need the time.”

“You’re willing to wait that long for me?” Elias asked, turning to try and face her.

Normally it would work, but with the bandage covering his left eye, he couldn’t see her. He felt her hooves gently push his head to face forward. She then resumed stroking his hair.

“Elias, I am willing to wait a century for you. I waited all of this time for Night Flash to ask me out, I can wait out a human, no matter anti-social and distant he chooses to make himself.”

She stopped stroking his hair and laid her head on top of his sighing softly as she rubbed her cheek in his hair.

“The second phase is the more serious stuff. Moving in together would be one aspect. I don’t know how it would work, but maybe we could send you to school, you have some basic subjects that you aren’t up to date on yet. Another thing we could do is take a vacation together, just the three of us. Maybe you meet our parents. The kind of things a family does together.”

Elias liked how it sounded. No more castle, no more guard shifts. Sure, school would likely be a hassle and a half, and Elias would riot if he got stuck in a classroom with actual children, but the rest seemed… nice. He couldn’t ever remember meeting his grandparents. Maybe that little detail could change the outcomes. On the other hand, he’d lose his outlet for violence. A regular guy probably wasn’t allowed to carry a sword around, and he had no way to keep his combat skills up to protect his friends. The rush of thoughts, both positive and negative was nearly overwhelming.

“What comes after that?” Elias asked softly, his mind racing as he struggled to process.

Book Binder smiled as she nuzzled his head.

“Then we make it official Elias. If we can get through all of that, then we already are a family. It’s just putting it on paper at that point. Elias Bright, official adopted son of Night Flash and Book Binder.”

She sighed dreamily.

“And then it’s over and we’re a happy family. I can spoil you however I like, and we’ll live out the rest of our lives together. You’ll bring home some darling mare that I will be far too critical of until you tell us you’re getting married, then I’ll spoil her as well. It will be perfect.”

She sighed again, then shook herself from her daydream.

“If that’s what you want of course,” Book Binder added. “If you want nothing to do with us… I understand. We’ll still be friends, as best we can be. Either way, we aren’t going anywhere.”

She shuffled slightly, and the nervousness returned in her voice.

“So… what do you say? Do you want to at least try?” Book Binder asked tentatively.

Fear lanced through Elias’ mind again as the two voices rose to a fevered pitch. The center voice was trying to tear a hole in his skull as it thrashed madly to get him to say no. It threw up the horrifying images of his past, and Elias had to close his eyes to force them away. He had help though. Using all of its strength, the rear voice manifested, and Elias’ heard Other-Elias whispering softly in his ear.

“Do it Elias. What other purpose could we want? This is our endgame; this is where we need to end up. No more lone wolf. That just gets people hurt. We do this, and the cycle breaks, it has to. When did everything bad start happening? Where has the pain all come from? We both know the answer, and this is the way to end it. I beg you to say yes. It’s the only right decision we can make.”

Elias mentally nodded, and together they clamped down on the center voice, throwing it back in its cage. There was a time and place for suspicion, for paranoia, but the mare behind him and the stallion on his chest were beyond those base instincts. They were his friends, and if he accepted them fully, they would be family. Elias swallowed roughly, but he nodded physically this time.

“I think… yes. I would like to try.”

Unlike his expectation, Book Binder didn’t do anything overly emotive. He could feel her smile, and then she began stroking his hair again. She sighed happily.

“Thank you Elias. I promise you won’t regret it. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to give you a small kiss on the forehead.”

Elias tried to look up, but again found his view blocked by the bandage. He felt unnaturally nervous about the thought of the pony giving him a kiss, but he nodded anyway. Book Binder bent over and laid a gentle kiss on his forehead, the contact itself lasting less than a second. She then began to hum as she rested against his neck. Elias sat in silence as she drifted asleep once more. His mind was beginning to settle, and for once, the voice in the center and the voice the rear of his mind were silent. He was unused to having his head to himself. Elias found that he liked the feeling, and he silently thanked the two ponies on top of him for bringing him temporary peace.

*****

Elias looked up with a smile as Book Binder and Night Flash looked around in sleepy confusion from what should have been his bed. The human had a rag in his hand and was carefully scraping away the blood from his armor. A bucket full of red water sat at his feet, and so far, he had cleaned everything to pristine quality save for his chest piece, which say beside him, and his gladius, which was nowhere to be found. Elias smiled when both ponies finally locked onto him, scrubbing away.

“Red, you shouldn’t be up, you need rest,” Night Flash yawned.

Elias shrugged, ignoring a small twinge of pain from his gut.

“I’ve already rested enough. I’m ready to get going again,” Elias replied as he ran a finger over the hole in the stomach of his armor.

He frowned as he flipped the cuirass over and began to scrub at the interior, where the worst of the blood was. Book Binder sighed and rose from the bed, hopping down as she trotted over to Elias.

“Please don’t be stubborn Elias. You got stabbed yesterday. Unless you want your injuries to worsen, you need bed rest.”

She blinked some her tiredness away, then looked between Elias and the Night Flash occupied bed.

“Wait, how did you get out of bed without us noticing?” she asked in confusion.

Elias smiled slightly as he flipped his armor back over.

“Night Flash sleeps like a rock, and you like sleeping near Night Flash. Ignoring a few aches and pains, I feel just fine, so it was only a bit of wiggling and I got you around each other. Then I got to work.” He rubbed aggressively at a spot of red near the neck piece. “Scarlet did his best, but it takes an experienced hand to get rid of this much blood.”

Book Binder snorted.

“Only you would be concerned about your armor over your stab wounds. Utterly ridiculous.”

She didn’t press him further, choosing instead to simply sit beside him.

“You know Scalpel’s going to yell at you, right?”

Elias nodded.

“Yep, but he’s really going to yell when we go and get food.”

Book Binder tsked.

“Elias, that isn’t a good idea. You really shouldn’t be walking.”

“Should, shouldn’t. They’re both relative. I need to drop this armor off with Anyon anyway, and the cafeteria is just a few hallways down from that,” he paused in thought, then shook his head as he continued to scrub away. “I think I can make it. The only thing that really hurts still is my stomach. The rest feels just fine.”

Book Binder sighed heavily and shook her head.

“You are unbelievable. Fine, we’ll get food, but Night Flash and I are going to be at your side the entire way in case you stumble, and if you do, you’re coming right back here, no protests.”

“Deal,” Elias said as he gave his armor a last once-over.

Satisfied with its state of cleanliness, he moved to collect all of the pieces, only for Book Binder to steal them away from him. When he looked to her to protest, she shot him a glare.

“I’m already being far too lenient in not just strapping you to the bed. Night Flash and I will carry your armor, then we’ll go eat.”

Night Flash grinned at Elias as he hopped off the bed. He waited silently with that happy smile while Book Binder loaded him down with armor, then she took the chest piece in her magic. Elias grunted as he got to his feet, holding his stomach lightly as he took a few confident steps. Night Flash and Book Binder pinned themselves to his left and right respectively, and the two began to chatter about nothing as they walked.

They made it as far as Anyon’s smithy before Elias began to feel winded. His stomach lanced pain up his spine, and his steps were shaky at best. He waited outside while they dropped off the armor for repair, then the three of them began walking toward the cafeteria. Again, the pair of ponies glued themselves to his sides, but this time they were watching Elias, checking constantly if he was able to continue.

It took them longer than usual, but they did make it to the cafeteria doors without incident. After a short breather, Elias let them escort him inside, moving to the line as fast as he was able. As they waited, Elias realized that the cafeteria was silent. He tried to subtly look around, which was made more difficult by the fact that he still had a bandage covering his left eye. Lacking his normal depth perception, he felt like he wasn’t as adept at reading the expressions of the ponies around him. The general emotion he got was shock, but that was all he could glean.

Book Binder and Night Flash either didn’t notice, or chose not to care, because they chattered on, with Book Binder scooping up Elias’ food before he could lay hands on it. Night Flash remained at his side while Book Binder trotted ahead, setting the food down as she pulled out the bench so Elias didn’t have to swing his legs as wide as usual. He gave her a grunt of thanks as he plopped down, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. He looked down at his tunic to find it not only soaked with sweat, but with crusted blood as well. As he touched the hole above his stomach, he realized that he probably looked like a walking corpse, complete with bloody clothes. He looked up at Book Binder, who was waiting for him to start eating.

“I think I should have cleaned up a little before doing this,” he said.

She smiled and nodded.

“Probably, but I didn’t want to press you. I’ll drop by your room to get some clean clothes when we finish. Eat up, you look exhausted.”

Elias grunted in agreement and set about the eating the soup before him. As he began to eat, the cafeteria began to resume its normal, noisy state. Elias noticed more than a few looks at him, but he decided to only focus on the two ponies that were sitting with him. Night Flash sat at his side this time, chomping happily into a sandwich, while Book Binder sat across from the two of them, one-eye on her salad, while her other eye was on Elias, likely ensuring that he wasn't going to do anything to further hurt himself.

Evidently, she had a third eye as well, because she began to growl quietly. Elias looked at her, then around, having to spin his head around to get a full view of the room. It took him a few passes, but he found the reason for her sudden aggression. Captain Chaser was staring at him, as were a good portion of the Royal Guards. Again, due to his lack of depth perception, he couldn’t tell if they were glaring at him or not. Either way it didn’t matter, because Chaser rose from his seat and moved around their table, stiffly, Elias noted with a bit of pride.

He felt Night Flash press closer to his side, and while Book Binder stopped growling, she shot a withering glare at the guard captain. The pegasus seemed undeterred, and Elias did his best to watch him evenly with his one eye. He held no anger toward the pony, nor was he afraid of him. Elias knew better; a sound beating was one way to solve a whole lot of issues, though if he wanted to play twice, Elias would find a way to stand long enough to land a few blows. He doubted that was the reason that Chaser was coming over, however.

Elias winced as he turned, adjusting his body so that he didn’t have to turn his neck at an awkward angle to see the pony. Though Scalpel had sealed it up fairly well, the bandage pulled on his neck wound when he kept it turned for too long. Chaser stopped by the table, and while he received glares from the two ponies, he and Elias simply stared at one another. Elias waited silently for the pony to speak, and when Chaser continued to just stare, he cleared his throat loudly.

“Something I can do for you Captain?” Elias asked.

Chaser blinked as the words shook him from his stupor. The stallion looked away for a moment before looking back to Elias.

“I… wanted to see how you were doing. That seems like an awful lot of bandages.”

Elias shrugged.

“Scalpel will probably find me and try to tear my head off, but I’ve survived worse.” Elias nodded toward Chaser’s wing. “Is that getting better?”

Chaser followed his eye to the bandage on his wing joint.

“Yeah, it’ll heal back to normal by the end of the week. I should be flying at full strength after that.”

He looked at Elias’ stomach and flinched.

“How’s the stab wound?”

Elias snorted.

“I don’t think you hit anything too important. Armor caught the worst of it anyway. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Chaser nodded awkwardly.

“Good. Good.”

He seemed to shuffle in place for a moment, looking around the cafeteria. Elias waited in silence for the pony to speak again. Chaser rubbed the back of his head with a hoof, looked at Elias, then looked away again. Taking a breath, he sighed, and straightened.

“Guardsman Bright, I want to formally say that I’m-“

“That sentence better end with “a pony” because if it’s an apology, save it,” Elias said. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

Chaser blinked again, this time in surprise.

“What?” he asked in disbelief.

Elias grinned.

“What do you have to apologize for?” Elias asked him. “Winning? I could have still walked away, besides, the fight was fun, we both came out relatively intact.” He shrugged. “As far as I see it, we’re even.”

Chaser looked at him in stunned silence, and a glance at Book Binder found the same expression, except tinged with more anger.

“What?” Elias asked her.

“What?” Book Binder shrieked back. “You nearly die, and that’s considered fun for you? Did you get hit on the head?”

Elias touched a hand to his chest.

“And here I thought you liked the results of all of this,” he said mockingly. “Already tired of me are you?”

She waved her fork at him.

“Don’t you start with me young man. I’ll have Flash pin you down right here and then I’ll confess my love for my,” she leaned in and whispered, “baby boy,” she leaned back out, “for everypony to see. I will make sure everypony in the world knows, and your big tough guy reputation will vanish.”

“Until I pick a fight with someone else,” Elias shot back. “I believe Captain Armor is next on the list.”

“If you’re going to fight Shining Armor you need to stay close. He’s really good at making shields and striking from a distance,” Chaser said, looking a bit dazed as he spoke.

Book Binder growled softly.

“Respectfully Captain, don’t encourage him. I’ll be very unhappy with you if you do.”

Elias was surprised of the relative openness of the vague threat. Chaser took it with stride, however.

“Noted Guardspony Binder.” He looked to Elias. “Are you sure though? Princess Luna said you asked her not to punish me, but I didn’t really believe her. You just seem like the kind of pony that would…”

“Hold a grudge?” Elias asked with a smile. He rubbed his nose. “You would be right, for serious things. This wasn’t that serious. Just two guys,” he scratched his head as he tried to come up with a suitable word. Elias snapped his fingers as he thought of something that fit. “Sparring! That’s it. We were just sparring; it got a little too serious. Nothing more.”

Chaser blinked at Elias again.

“If you say so.”

The pegasus seemed to rock in place, and Elias had no doubt that his mind was still trying to process that Elias wasn’t angry, or actively seeking vengeance. Elias sighed and rubbed at his eye. The bridge of his nose, while no longer broken, was still a bit tender.

“Captain, if I may, what punishment did Princess Luna give you?”

“When I learned of your age, I attempted to submit my resignation, but she declined it. She then ordered me to participate in Ice Blossom’s training sessions with Scarlet Shield. They start tomorrow,” the pony replied.

Chaser looked at his hooves.

“She said you had a reason for not giving me something harsh, but I still feel like I should be punished in some way. The training session won’t be anything terrible, and in truth Blossom will probably just use me to demonstrate moves for Scarlet Shield, but that isn’t that bad. A bit shameful, but not punishing.”

He frowned and seemed to wither.

“No matter how you look, or talk,” Chaser glanced at his wing and chuckled weakly, “or fight, you’re still a kid Bright. I’m a Royal Guard Captain, and I picked a fight with a nineteen-year-old kid. That deserves punishing, even if you don’t agree.”

Elias closed his eyes in thought as he scratched at his facial hair. The problem wouldn’t go away if the pony kept knocking himself over it. He groaned internally as he tried to think of a solution. Nightshade had responded exactly like a human would, forgiving, forgetting, and moving on. Now she just yelled at him every other day. Chaser was different though, and he was clearly harboring severe guilt. The issue still remained that if he was severely punished, certain members of the Royal Guard would come for blood. Elias had no interest in more blood feuds. He had won the last one by tracking down and killing everyone who had learned the name he had been using at the time. It was a nasty affair he didn’t care to repeat.

Elias scratched the back of his head as he looked at Chase with one eye.

“Captain, tell you what, will you consider this done if you do a favor for me?”

Chaser nodded immediately; his mouth set in a tight line.

“Absolutely. I need to pay in some capacity for hurting you this badly. It never should have happened and even though you don’t want it, I apologize for what happened.”

Elias rolled his shoulder.

“I want a rematch then,” Elias smiled, gesturing at his injuries. “Not now of course, but when we’re both in fit, fighting shape, you and me are going to go toe to toe again, and this time I’m going to have everything.”

Chaser looked at him in disbelief.

“You weren’t fighting me fully? Why would you hold back?”

Elias laughed, and shook his head, waving his hands.

“No no no, that’s not what I meant. I was fighting like a dog to keep up with you.” He chuckled. “No, I mean no broken nose beforehand, and I’ll have my shield. I have tangled with two guard captains, and in neither case have I been using my scutum.”

He clenched his left hand.

“I need that thing to control a fight. Without it, I’m just a really big, slow target.”

Elias caught Chaser’s eyes.

“Would that suffice for a punishment? Having to fight a lowly nineteen-year-old Lunar Guard, again?” Elias snorted. “Then you could show me up by beating me into a hospital bed a second time. That’d be pretty funny.”

A glance at Book Binder told him that she disagreed. Heavily. Elias wisely kept his eye on Chaser, who was looking at him as if he had sprouted a second head. Elias smiled widely, glad that he could stump the pony with something other than aggression. He extended his right hand, flinching as the motion stretched a cut on his arm.

“What do you say?” Elias asked, keeping the grin on his face.

Chaser blinked, then slowly accepted the offered hand, still staring at Elias with visible confusion.

“That could work. We’ll make sure to do it right though. I really don’t want to see you bleeding like that again. It was…” he shivered. “horrifying. It’s different than fighting a manticore or any other monster. That much blood shouldn’t come from a pony. Ever.”

“Still, will that do? I really don’t want this blowing out of proportion.”

Chaser gave him a funny look again.

“I guess so, yeah. You’re a strange pony, Bright, you know that?”

Elias snorted.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Let’s talk more about it later. I’m still a bit frail right now, and I think it’s about time to start crawling back toward the infirmary so Scalpel doesn’t lose it.”

Chaser smiled for a second before his Royal Guard demeanor took over. He gave Elias a single, silent nod before turning away. Before Elias could begin to eat again, the pegasus stopped and turned back around.

“I almost forgot,” Chaser said. “Congratulations Guardsman Bright, you usurped my record as youngest guard official guard member.” He sighed deeply. “I don’t think anypony will ever be able to beat yours though. Legally speaking, I was the youngest allowed at twenty-four.”

Elias smiled.

“If we want to be technical, you are still the youngest volunteer member of the guard. I was pressed into service.” He chuckled. “All to see if I wouldn’t be aggressive around ponies. I think we can both appreciate the irony of that.”

“That we can Guardsman. We shall speak again at another time.” Chaser looked at something near the cafeteria doors. “But I believe you have an appointment with somepony else.”

Elias looked to his right and found a very angry unicorn staring back. Even across the cafeteria, he could feel the heat coming off of Scalpel’s glare. Elias looked to Chaser to change his favor, only to find the guard captain already gone, trotting off to his table. Elias could feel the first step Scalpel took toward him. He took a deep breath and tried to stand up, only to find his butt glued to the seat. Thinking it was merely muscle fatigue, Elias tried to push up from the table, only to find his hands glued to the tabletop. He looked up and found Book Binder smiling at him, her horn aglow.

“Sorry baby boy, you’re not getting out of this,” she leaned closer, “especially since you just asked for a bucking rematch with Captain Chaser.”

Elias saw anger flash across her eyes, quickly replaced by amusement as she sat back down.

“What comes next is a mother teaching her wayward son a lesson about learning from his mistakes.”

Elias tugged gently at his hands. His eye looked back to Scalpel, who was slowly growing closer. Elias was fairly sure he could actually see flames in the pony’s eyes. How that was possible, he had no idea, but he attributed it to magic. Elias looked to Book Binder.

“You know, I have never actually seen him this angry. I think he might kill me to prove a point.”

Book Binder scoffed.

“I highly doubt that will happen.”

Scalpel seemed to lose his restraint in that instant.

ELIAS!” he bellowed.

Elias felt his hair blow back at the force of the shout. He looked around the cafeteria and found that the guards were acting like nothing was happening. He saw more than a few ponies simply chatting away, eating their food like Steel Scalpel didn’t look like he was going to explode into a ball of fire. Book Binder cringed, however.

“Alright, you might have a point,” she whispered.

Night Flash scrambled under Elias’ stuck arms and sat in his lap; a smile wide on his face.

“Don’t worry Red!” he said cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the approaching maelstrom. “I’ll protect you! He can’t be mad at all of us.”

“Can’t I?” Scalpel said, suddenly right next to Elias.

The human would have jumped if he wasn’t literally glued to his seat. To say that Scalpel was angry was an understatement. Elias could feel heat radiating off of the pony as Scalpel glared intensely at him.

“I’ll make you a very simple deal Elias. We are going back to the infirmary right now, and I will be carrying you. Otherwise, I am knocking you out, then carrying you anyways.”

Elias grinned at him.

“Sorry Scalpel, I can’t go anywhere.” He looked pointedly at Book Binder. “Someone glued me to the table.”

“You glued him down?” Scalpel asked Binder, grinding his teeth.

The mare chuckled weakly.

“Didn’t want him running away like last time. That’s a good thing, right?” she squeaked.

“Unglue him,” Scalpel hissed.

His tail flicked back and forth as he glared at Book Binder. She smiled meekly as she cast a quick spell. Elias had just enough time to pull his hands free before he was lifted into the air. Night Flash cried out as he slipped from Elias’ lap. Elias hung upside down in front of Scalpel.

“Not a word until we get back to the infirmary, am I clear?” the unicorn growled.

Elias made a point of not responding. When Scalpel began to quiver with anger, Elias smiled and shrugged.

“What? You said not a word. An answer would be a word.”

The fire flashed in Scalpel’s eyes, and as his magic flared, Elias distinctly heard the sound of somebody’s hoof hitting their face. A rather nasty looking ball of light formed right in front of Elias’ face, and he had only a second before Scalpel sent it forward and Elias blacked out.

Author's Note:

EDIT 2022: Here is the sixteenth chapter in the official Centurion Project reading

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