• 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 21: Epicinium

The air was charged with excitement as Elias felt another pair of hooves pat him on the back. Everything around him was loud, and he almost wished that he could take his meal and find some place quiet to relax alone.

After their match, two other classes of guards had fought, with one victory going to the Lunar Guards, while the other went to the Solar Guards. As the sun began to set, the princesses had decided to call the rest of the exercise off for the day, to be resumed at dawn. As a result, the two guard forces began to celebrate as they poured back into the castle cafeteria. The chefs had to work overtime to feed everyone as they came rushing in. More than one pony got chased off with a stirring spoon as they tried to get seconds, or in some cases, thirds.

And as almost every single one came out of that lunch line, they found their way to the table where Elias was seated with Scarlet Shield, Book Binder, Night Flash, Steel Scalpel, and the new pony to their group, Gray Granite. Word had spread quickly about his decisive, game winning planning, and according to just about everyone who came to give him a pat on the back, he also had set a record for the highest single number of downed opponents in an exercise. The official counters credited him with thirty-nine confirmed “kills”, though Elias could only remember twenty-eight of those. He wasn’t going to dampen anyone’s spirits however, so he just went with the thirty-nine figure as more and more ponies came by to congratulate him.

Elias was surprised when members of all three guard branches did the congratulating. He was even more surprised when several Royal Guard members, that he was fairly sure hated him for his scrap with Chaser, asked him if he would be applying for their branch. While he gave them the same answer he had given Scalpel, Book Binder looked pleased as peaches as she watched the affair from across the table. She remained silent, beaming as she leaned against Night Flash, tearing through her salad as she watched pony after pony come up to visit the suddenly popular human.

As the entirety of all three guard forces finished getting their food, things began to calm down. The background talk and banter were still loud, but Elias felt like he was less on edge. He had an idea why his blood was up, but he was doing his best to finish out the day. Once he got back to his room, he could just sleep everything away and start fresh after another round of night terrors. He knew that the dreams would be particularly nasty this time; he had tapped into some long unused emotions to pull out that victory, especially at the beginning of that last fight. That screech was beginning to ring in his ears, and it made Elias’ temper short as it gripped his chest in a vise.

Elias tried to focus on the large meal he had been given, with Scalpel poking him in the side occasionally to eat. After finding some clothes, as well as getting another round of healing for his chest wound, Elias had been shoved to the front of the mess line by the unicorn. Most ponies wanted him to go first anyway, and those who looked like they wanted to protest were met by a growling Scalpel. Being the castle’s chief physician, as well as one of the few ponies who was actively responsible for healing injuries, nobody decided to argue. The injury itself was still clearly visible, and Scalpel had told him the scarring would be permanent, not that Elias particularly cared. He was already a patchwork of old wounds, what was one more?

Elias didn’t even taste the sizable piece of steak as he chewed, his mind slowly declining the more he sat still. He tried to not let it show, but he had let the ponies get too close, and they noticed quickly. Scalpel inched closer, pressing against his side as Book Binder and Night Flash looked at him with visible concern.

“Red? Is something wrong?” Night Flash asked.

Elias shook his head silently as he rubbed at his eyes. He felt exhausted as his body and mind slowly crashed. As he took a deep breath, Elias felt a hoof against his arm. He cracked his hands open to see Book Binder reaching out, looking at him as he imagined a mother would. Her eyes were soft, and caring, ready to make all of his hurts go away. Unfortunately for her, there was nothing she could do for him. Elias sighed, and stared at his half-eaten meal.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry. I just… it’s just the aftermath of fighting like that. Real fighting. It always hits hard.”

Elias scratched the back of his head as he looked to Scalpel.

“Do you have any issues with drug addicts? Addictions of any kind?”

Scalpel shook his head.

“No, most ponies use magical numbing spells because they’re safer. Drugs are only used sparingly on the most serious cases when we have no other options, and we use de-tox spells to purge any symptoms of addiction that might occur.”

“But you do know the symptoms of addiction?” Elias asked.

The unicorn nodded silently.

“Good, then the metaphor will work,” Elias said. “Because this is all like a big addiction.” He put his hand high in the air. “During the fight, no matter what hits I took, this is how I felt. Whole, high on life, I felt good with myself and the world, everything was great.”

He sighed, and slowly began to lower his hand.

“But now I’m beginning to crash. Like a drug fiend with no fix, I’ll go down and down till I hit the bottom.”

Elias picked up his fork and began to pick at his food.

“Nothing to stop it, nothing to blunt it. I just need to sleep it off. I’ll be fine in a few days.”

Elias felt a brief sensation pass over his body, but it felt like nothing more than a warm breeze that disappeared in a second. He looked over to Scalpel, who was frowning, his horn alight.

“What are you doing?” Elias asked the pony.

“You said it was like an addiction, so I attempted to treat it as such. Since you don’t have magic on your world, it was worth a shot to see if magical de-tox would work.”

Elias shrugged.

“I guess. Don’t think about it too hard, it’s nothing. It will pass.”

Scalpel snorted.

“You mean like you said your night terrors would?”

The pony immediately blanched and looked at Elias with wide eyes.

“Elias, I didn’t mean to say it like that, I…”

Elias waved him away.

“Don’t worry about it Doc. I can take a low blow or two. I’m just surprised you had it in you.”

Their table fell silent, and Elias stared at his plate with dead eyes. Book Binder and Night Flash glared heavily at Scalpel, and the unicorn nudged Elias with his hoof, trying to ignore their angry eyes.

“You said this has happened before, right? How did you deal with it then?”

“Drank until I blacked out in a ditch. When I woke up, I had a migraine that would last a week. After that it was simply managing the pain and it distracted me from the feeling of hopelessness.” Elias thumbed his plate idly. “After the headache vanished, the post-battle depression was usually gone, and I got back up and pushed on.” He snorted. “Guess I can’t do that anymore. I only have half a bottle’s worth of whiskey in my room, and I’m five years from the legal minimum to buy more.”

Book Binder’s glare at Scalpel intensified.

“I will need to ask where that whiskey is baby boy. You can get in big trouble if somepony finds it.”

Elias felt a ghost of a smile touch his face for a moment.

“Nobody will ever find it. It’s the best hidden thing in that room. I’m saving it for a special occasion.”

Book Binder’s eyes drifted to him, the anger softening.

“Elias, please. I don’t want you getting hurt, and you are still too young to be drinking. It isn’t healthy.”

Elias snorted again.

“If I’m too young to be drinking, then why does everything seem to hurt so much these days? I almost feel like I should drink more often.”

Elias tried to smile, to pass off his words as a joke, but the words but a bit too deep, and the looks he was receiving from his friends made it hurt just a little more. He sighed and rubbed at his face again, pushing the plate away.

“I think I’m going to go get some air,” Elias said. When Book Binder pushed back from the table, he held up a hand. “Alone please.”

Elias saw a flash of hurt in her eyes, and that cut at his heart further. He couldn’t dwell on it yet, he needed to be away right now. From everything.

Before he could push away from the table, his least favorite pony decided to rear his ugly head behind Night Flash and Book Binder, appearing from the crowd of Solar Guards like a chameleon. White Shine sneered at Elias, and the human found that the unicorn’s stooges were trying to mirror the expression.

“So, the cheater has to run away before his dirty little secrets get out? I’m not surprised, how else would you get this rag tag group of freaks around you?”

Elias rubbed at his temple as he tried to dismiss the anger he could already feel rising.

“White Shine, I’m not in the mood for your petty bullshit today. You lost, be a man and take it on the chin. Now fuck off and leave us be before I get angry.”

The unicorn scoffed.

“You can’t give me orders Bright, I don’t care what anypony says about you, you’re a fraud, and even if you weren’t, you’re a filthy, worthless no good monkey.”

Elias glared at the pony, throwing up his hands.

“You know what, fine White Shine, I’m a dirty monkey. Congratulations. Now will you leave me the fuck be?”

“No, because I want the rest. Admit you’re a no-good cheater, right here, in front of everypony. I won’t rest until everypony sees you the way you are.”

Elias snorted.

“Then you’re going to get awfully tired, because with me, what you see is what you get. I’m not that complex.”

“That’s a funny way to say that you’re simple minded Bright,” White Shine sneered. “So tell me, was it one of your worthless friends that actually made those plans? Or did you have somepony outside who was feeding you information?” The unicorn scoffed again. “You know what? I don’t need an answer to that, because I know that none of your worthless friends could ever be smart enough to come up with any of that on their own.”

Elias felt a deep rage building in his chest, stabbing back the hopeless post-battle feeling. His right hand subconsciously drifted under the table, finding the hilt of Feather as he glared daggers at the unicorn.

“I’m only going to give you one more warning White Shine. You’re going to leave, now, or I’m going to cut you in half where you stand. There’s no safety spell for you here, you self-righteous prick, so leave or die. I’m done playing this game.”

White Shine sneered at him again.

“Then do something Bright. I know you won’t. You’re just a weak little monkey who hides behind even weaker ponies. I dare you to attack me, because you’ll regret it coward.”

Elias tried to push to his feet, his hand firmly clamped on the hilt of his gladius, but he found that he couldn’t move. A pair of lit horns showed him why, and he glared at Scalpel as the unicorn took Elias’ sword belt. In the same moment, Night Flash jumped from his seat, getting into White Shine’s face as he began to tear into the unicorn, quickly drawing the attention of the entire cafeteria.

“Why can’t you just leave us alone White Shine?” Night Flash shouted. “We don’t like you, and let’s be honest, nopony does! So why do you come back to us every time? We’ve literally done nothing to you, except for Red, who just happened to be a better planner than you. What’s wrong with that?” He pointed at Elias’ chest. “Red has had a rough life, and he has done it all at a younger age than anypony in history! He’s nineteen for buck’s sake! Let him have his small wins and friendships so that he can get better! Is that so much to ask?”

Elias felt many eyes on his back at the public revelation of his age. He tried to feel angry about it, but looking at Night Flash standing up for him made him forget. He couldn’t tell if he felt pride, or… safety because of the pegasus. A small smile quirked across his face as he watched White Shine’s shocked face. That smile began to disappear as he saw rage filter through the unicorn’s eyes, and he seemed to tower over Night Flash.

“How dare you speak to me in that tone you low born rat?” White Shine growled.

Elias felt his eye twitch as Night Flash flinched back.

“You are nothing more than common gutter trash,” White Shine continued. “Your family is as worthless as you are, and after today, they will be even lower than that.” Night Flash flinched back again, while Elias slowly pushed his chair back. “I will have them ruined, and then evicted into Canterlot’s streets. Your name will be dragged through the mud so thoroughly that even the diamond dogs will spit on you. You think you can stand up to me? With who at your back, your equally worthless friends? The braindead monkey? You are a joke.”

“D-don’t talk about Red like that,” Night Flash protested.

Elias growled as White Shine jabbed him with a hoof.

“I’ll talk about that stupid monkey however I please Flash,” he said with a sneer, “because there isn’t a thing that you, or your worthless marefriend, or any of your other worthless friends can do to me.” He rose to his full height, the sneer still on his face. “And I’ll prove it Flash.”

He then dumped the tray of food he was carrying over the pegasus, the tray dropping like a stone on Flash’s head as his mouth opened to laugh as he pointed at Night Flash. He never got the chance.

Elias’ fist broke White Shine’s jaw before he even remembered rising from the table. Elias could hear screaming in his ears as he felt blood flow freely over his knuckles. Only when he felt the burning in his throat did he realize that he was the source of the noise. Elias found that he didn’t care, he had a singular purpose now. Cause pain.

His left hand grabbed White Shine by the throat, and he whirled around, slamming the pony down on the table. Food flew away as Elias kept his grip, his right-hand pumping back and forth as blow after blow landed on the pony’s shattered jaw. Maybe it was because it was happening so fast, or maybe it was because he had already gone into shock, but White Shine didn’t so much as move as Elias pummeled him. He merely gurgled through the blood that poured over his face as teeth fell loose.

Elias felt someone tug on his arm, and a quick glance found one of White Shine’s stooges, trying to pull him away as the other one charged a spell. Elias dropped White Shine, latching onto the first pony’s head with his entire palm. Elias then slammed the pony’s head into the corner of the table, feeling the crunch of the pony’s skull deep in his fingertips. The pony’s legs flailed wildly as his brain tried to re-establish motor function, but he ultimately failed as he fell to the ground with a weak moan. Elias’ eyes flicked to the second pony. The unicorn looked at Elias with horror, the spell sitting half charged on his horn. Elias unclenched his fist as he prepared to eliminate this threat as well, but the pony quickly moved back, dragged by his tail into the waiting hooves of half a dozen Solar Guards. They merely gave Elias a look and a nod, which he returned as he cracked his neck, returning to the source of his rage; returning to his sole purpose.

White Shine had moved little. He had rolled over, and had tried to grasp the edges of the table to crawl away. He whimpered as Elias clamped a hand on his shoulder and flipped him over, a punch quickly snapping across his chin. Elias looked at his knuckles, taking the time to carefully remove a tooth before he looked back to the pony, his rage clear and pure across his set jawline. Elias climbed up on the table, straddling the pony so that he wouldn’t move as the beating progressed. He slugged White Shine in the gut with his left hand, and as the unicorn let out a groan of air, Elias’ right hand cut across his brow. Satisfied with the result, Elias did it again, feeling a rib crack under one fist as White Shine’s eyebrow split open under the force of the other.

As Elias continued pounding the pony, he found that he wasn’t satisfied. A simple beating wouldn’t be enough, not for this. The unicorn had to know why he was being beaten; had to know why he would wake up in a cold sweat thinking of this day. Elias had to make White Shine understand, and the beating was only a third of that. He needed to get to work on the other two thirds. First, the reason why.

Elias paused, grabbing White Shine by his chest plate, pulling him up so that they were nose to nose.

“I know you can hear my voice Shine, but I want to make sure, because it has been a bit of time since I’ve had to do one of these. Tap your hoof twice on the table if you can hear me.”

When the unicorn only groaned in response, Elias slapped him. He barely noticed as several locks of his hair fell into his face, likely coming untied with the bursts of motion. Elias didn’t care, he had eyes only for the pony before him.

“That wasn’t the right answer you slimy piece of shit, two taps or I’m skipping the nice guy act you’re receiving right now, and I’m skipping straight to the mean stuff. Now tap. The fucking. TABLE!” Elias screamed into his face.

Elias waited three seconds, going so far as to rear his hand back to begin the beating anew, when he heard two taps on the table. Elias’ eye flicked down to White Shine’s hoof to ensure it wasn’t a fluke.

“Again.”

The hoof tapped twice, faster than before. White Shine was conscious and clearly terrified now, that much was clear. Elias stared at the beaten face before him. The pony hadn’t seen a thing yet.

“Good, so now there are no excuses, because this is the absolute last time you are receiving a warning from me. If I so much as see your sorry ass again, I will not hesitate to kill you. There is no force, on my earth or yours, that will save you from me, is that clear?”

The hoof tapped twice.

“Good. Now, do I need to go over where you absolutely fucked up, or do you think you can figure out why you are going to have the worst day of your life today?”

White Shine whimpered, and his hoof began rapidly tapping on the table. Elias growled in frustration, mostly because he shouldn’t have broken the pony’s mouth first. Elias grabbed the hoof roughly, silencing it.

“One for no, two for yes, do you understand the mistake you made?”

Two taps.

“Do you need more motivation to never do it again?”

One tap. Elias snorted.

“I don’t believe you. I strangled you, I shamed you, and even now that I’ve beaten your face in, I don’t think it’s enough. I still don’t think you’ve learned your lesson.”

His grip on the pony’s throat tightened, and the unicorn let out a squeak. Elias regarded him with disgust, thinking how best to cause the unicorn more pain. His mind was unfortunately blank, and Elias knew why. The ponies had gotten to him, and the knowledge that they were even now watching made him weak. He didn’t have what it took to truly break the pony in his grip. Elias sighed internally. An uninspired torture popped into his head, and he decided to go with it. It should send a message anyway.

Elias slammed White Shine back against the table, then punched him in the mouth again.

“Remember this pain White Shine. Remember the sound of my voice, remember the feeling of my fist as it shatters your bones. Know that if you fuck with me again, I will skin you alive and then pin your skinless corpse to the castle walls by your tail. The entire time you will be alive, and awake, and I will ensure that only when you have experienced the true meaning of pain that you will die. I promise you this. I don’t want to see you again, ever.”

Elias sighed as he took a step back from the pony.

“But I’m not the man I used to be. Thank the “worthless” ponies for that, because if it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t be breathing. I would have beaten you to death weeks ago.”

Elias rubbed at the blood on his knuckles, wincing as he felt the skin part under his thumb. He had split every knuckle open and then some. The pain brought out enough anger to finish his work. Elias glared at White Shine’s shivering body. The pony was attempting to curl up into a ball, but he couldn’t because of his pain. The sight was pathetic. Elias advanced on the pony, gripping his neck again as he slapped him across the face.

“Wake back up White Shine, I’m not done with you yet. I already told you that I don’t believe a single filthy word you say, and so I’m going to give you something that will make you remember me when the bruises heal, and the nightmares fade. I want the sight of me to make you die a little inside, but I am a merciful man now, so I’ll let you choose, is it going to be a scar, or permanent disfigurement?” Elias grabbed the pony’s cheeks, squeezing them tightly in his fingers. “And do note, if I find that the scar is removed, I’ll come and give you another. If healing magic is really all it’s cut out to be, that disfigurement will have to be fairly nasty.” Elias flicked the unicorn’s horn. “I’m thinking you lose this. It’s at least a hand’s worth of damage, no?”

Elias backhanded the pony across the face, then picked him up to slam him back against the table. When the pony only groaned, Elias punched him in the throat, then backhanded him again. Elias flinched as a speck of blood spattered over his eye. A part of him wanted to curl up and die at the sensation of the warm liquid drifting slowly down his face. Elias did his best to ignore it as he threatened the unicorn before him.

“Pick now Shine, one tap for a scar, two for the horn. Choose quickly, or I do both.”

White Shine’s hoof dropped before he finished speaking. The sound was clear, a single tap. Elias searched briefly for something to cut the pony with, his eyes quickly locking on the steak knife he had been eating with. Elias reached out for the knife, taking the blade carefully in his hand as he tightened his grip on his target. Elias then eyed White Shine like an artist would a canvas.

The longer he looked at the unicorn however, the less will he had to go through with it. His hand; a hand that had spilled oceans of blood without falter, a hand that had crafted tortures that shouldn’t be spoken of, quivered. It shook violently as he clenched the knife. Elias tried to squash the doubt that rose, tried to drive away the voices that raged in his head. They weren’t the same as usual; in fact all but one weren’t even human. The voices of his friends, and even ponies that he had only barely met rang in his ears. Nightshade, Chaser, Ice Blossom, Bloody Bandage, and those so much closer to his heart, Scarlet Shield, Steel Scalpel, Night Flash and Book Binder. All of them didn’t attempt to dissuade him, not directly. Instead they laughed, and cried, and talked, to each other and to him. They didn’t need to say words, they just had to be. The effect was overwhelming, and Elias felt his resolve crumble.

Elias’ eyes opened and he realized that everything was silent. The only noise in the cafeteria was his own heaving chest. Elias looked down at the bloodied form of White Shine. He tried to drive the rage up, the brutal anger that he always kept just below the surface. He couldn’t find it. Instead, Elias simply felt hollow, like he was standing on the edge, teetering as he threatened to pitch over the side. Elias growled as he raised the knife in the air. His arm tensed, and it hung dangerously in the air, but… it didn’t descend. He couldn’t do it. Things had changed, or at least he had. He had changed.

As the truth flew through his mind, Elias slowly let his arm fall to his side. He tossed the knife on the table, shaking his head as he took a step back. He smirked, though it dropped quickly.

“You’re lucky Shine,” he said, his voice far too loud in his ears. “Those “worthless” ponies you so thoroughly hate got to me, far more than even I knew. I can’t do it. I’m done. Know that if you cross me or my friends again, I won’t find such difficulties.”

Elias then turned away, stumbling slightly as exhaustion swept over his body. He tried to brush the hair from his eyes, but Elias found that it stuck to his face, pinned there by the blood of his victim. Though he wanted to do nothing more than run away, he faced the aftermath of his actions directly. His friends were staring at him. In horror, in shock, with sadness, sympathy, pride, understanding, every expression was accounted for on each face, save for one. Flash was softly whimpering, his face buried under the pile of goop that had been White Shine’s food. Elias sighed deeply as he crouched down next to the crying pony, wiping away the worst of it with his bloodied hands. Night Flash recoiled slightly as Elias’ hands worked softly over his head to remove the foodstuffs, but Elias didn’t stop until he was largely clean. He sighed deeply as he looked at his friend; fear touched his mind, but that would be for later. He reached out a hand to pet Night Flash’s mane in an effort to comfort the pony. It only took a touch, and then Night Flash’s hooves were wrapped firmly around his body, the pegasus crying loudly as he clung to Elias’ tunic. Elias hesitated for only a second before he gave the pony a hug in return, lifting the pegasus as he stood to his full height.

Elias felt a drop of blood trail down his face, knew that undoubtedly his entire face was painted with splatters of red. He looked around the cafeteria, found a range of emotions around him. He did his best to wet his bone-dry tongue before he spoke.

“When someone comes looking for me, I’ll be getting cleaned up in my room. I won’t leave it anytime soon.”

He then carried Night Flash toward the cafeteria entrance, cradling the pegasus’ head as he whispered soft words of comfort in the pony’s ear. He didn’t quite make the doors before Book Binder caught up, trotting silently beside him as they walked toward his room. Elias didn’t look down to her, but they seemed to understand one another completely as they walked, unopposed. It didn’t take them long to reach his bedroom, and even though he was still crying, Night Flash was slightly calmer than he had been before. Book Binder looked between the two, as if debating who to help first, but Elias had waved her toward the bathroom with Flash.

“Go Book Binder,” Elias said softly, rubbing at his split knuckles. “I’ll be fine.”

The unicorn gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, then she and Night Flash closed the bathroom door behind them. Elias listened to the sound of armor being removed, followed by the sound of his shower running as he stared blankly at the floor. He had no idea what to think, wasn’t even sure if he remembered how to. He couldn’t tell if he should be happy with himself that he hadn’t finished with White Shine, or if he was angry at himself for becoming so weak. Elias had no idea who he was, and so when the knock came at his front door, he almost welcomed it. Almost.

Elias rose from the bed stiffly as he shuffled to the door, opening it slowly. Outside stood Nightshade and Scarlet, likely both chosen because he knew them well and wouldn’t lay a finger on either. Scarlet wouldn’t meet his eyes, while Nightshade’s floppy thestral ears pinned themselves to the sides of her helmet.

“Hey Guardsman,” she said softly.

“Hello Captain,” Elias replied, his voice equally as soft.

She sighed and looked at the ground.

“You know why I’m here?”

Elias nodded.

“That I do Captain.”

The thestral sighed again, a trace of a whimper filtering into her voice as she spoke.

“Guardspony Shield, the cuffs please.”

Scarlet didn’t move. He stared at Elias, finally meeting his eyes. Elias saw anger there, but he could tell it wasn’t directed at him. Nightshade looked at the pegasus.

“Guardspony, the shackles, please.”

“Captain, this is bucking stupid,” Scarlet replied.

“I know that Shield,” Nightshade growled, “but we have to do this.”

The pegasus looked at her with a glare.

“This isn’t fair Captain! He didn’t do anything wrong!”

Nightshade looked like she was about to shout in Scarlet’s face, but Elias interrupted her, laying one of his bloodied hands on Scarlet’s shoulder softly.

“Scarlet… it’s fine,” Elias said gently. “get the cuffs like Captain Nightshade asked.”

The pegasus looked at him with tears in his eyes, then he looked at the floor.

“This isn’t fair Elias. We won. You helped us win. Today was supposed to be a good day.” He whimpered softly and his ears drooped. “This isn’t fair.”

Elias smiled slightly.

“Life never is Scarlet, I learned that a long time ago. But there’s been enough pain today, let’s just do this right and get it done.”

The pony swallowed roughly, wiping his muzzle as he did his best to straighten. He pulled a pair of what Elias imagined were custom shackles, made specifically for his skinny wrists. As they clamped around his forearms, Elias noticed a thin chain that kept them close to each other, giving him no opportunity to move his arms independently. The cuffs ended just above his knuckles, rubbing painfully against the split skin, while also serving to crunch his fingers together. Elias looked to Nightshade, who had a sad, desperate look in her eyes as she stared back. She bit her lip as she attached the chain lead to the back of her armor.

“C’mon Elias. Let’s go,” she said, gently tugging on the chain.

Elias needed no prodding. He walked forward, following the pony into the hallway. Four Royal Guards were waiting, decked out fully in their black armor. Even the enchantments were activated, disguising each pony under the magical illusion that made them identical in all but gender. Even with the magic hiding their appearances, Elias knew who each one was. The pair in front were Lucky Swing and Ice Blossom, while the pair that fell in behind him were Chaser and Bandage. He could tell by how they were watching him. None of them held malice, and if anything, Ice Blossom looked at him with gratefulness. As Nightshade started forward, Elias tugged gently on the chain, stopping her as he looked at his still open door.

“Can you leave someone behind to tell Binder and Flash? They deserve to know where I am.”

Nightshade nodded.

“Scarlet, escort them both to Princess Luna when they’re ready. Not before, got it?”

Scarlet nodded silently, looking desperately to Elias. The human gave him a small smile, and the pegasus drooped further as he dragged himself into the room, shutting the door behind him. Elias looked to Nightshade, who was watching him with those large, sad eyes.

“Ready when you are Captain,” Elias said, trying to put something, anything reassuring back into his voice.

He failed miserably, and Nightshade merely nodded as she began to walk forward. They formed a tight group as they walked through the castle, going in a direction that was familiar to Elias. Even having only visited the dungeon once, he already knew the way. As they walked, the serving staff looked at him with curiosity, and then upon seeing the literal blood on his hands, fear. They moved away quickly, and any who didn’t were moved by the Royal Guards around him. Elias made note that the hallway, usually lined carefully with either golden or blue armor was covered completely with black. Each guard they passed wore that distinctive red and black, and each one watched him carefully as they walked past.

The dungeon was as cold as he remembered it, and Nightshade paused before a familiar wooden door, that would lead to a familiar set of boring, blank cells. She looked back at Chaser.

“I think I can handle Elias from here Captain Chaser.”

“We both know that I can’t allow that Captain Nightshade. We don’t leave until the…” Chaser paused, and Elias could hear from his tone that the words didn’t feel right on his tongue. “until the threat is contained,” he finished. “Now continue in your duties Captain.”

Nightshade withered under him, throwing another apologetic look toward Elias as she opened the door, walking through, tugging Elias along with her. She unlocked the same cell he had spent that night with Luna in, and then she looked at his hands, the key dangling in her mouth. Her eyes flickered over to Chaser again.

“Do we really need to keep the cuffs on? He came quietly and has made no attempts to harm anypony else.”

Chaser sighed.

“Captain Nightshade, please don’t make this harder than it needs to be. You received your orders at the same time as I did, and you full well know that Bright will remain in those cuffs until the princesses say otherwise. Now put him in the cell.”

Nightshade stomped her hoof.

“It’s an alicorn proof cell for buck’s sake! There’s no way he can get out!”

Weapons were drawn as the Royal Guard all stood off against Nightshade.

“He goes in the cell now Captain, or you both do,” Chaser said, his voice still calm.

For a second, Nightshade looked like she would press the issue, but Elias, his cuffed hands in the air, bent low before her. She looked at him, her lip quivering. Elias smiled, booping her on the nose with his exposed fingers. She snorted softly, the sadness temporarily retreating from her eyes.

“Come on Captain, don’t put yourself at risk for the stinky human you yell at every day. What, are you going to miss your six-foot-tall punching bag?”

She sniffled as she looked at him.

“Elias I…” she looked down, dejected. “This isn’t right. Everypony watched what happened. Maybe we wouldn’t have responded the exact same way, but anypony in your place would have attacked White Shine. He got what was coming to him.”

Elias kept the smile on his face as he reached under helmet, scratching softly at the base of her ear. It wasn’t as easy as scratching a pony with his free hands, but she cooed softly regardless, lifting slightly as she pressed against his hand. Exactly what he needed. Elias pushed her, just enough to cause her to stumble back into Chaser’s waiting hooves. The Royal Guard Captain grabbed her as Elias stood and wrapped his fingers around the cell door, walking into the cell as he pulled the door closed behind him. The door shut with a loud clang, and he heard the deadbolt secure itself firmly in place as he flopped onto his rump, leaning against the wall for balance as he sank down. Elias half-closed his eyes as he leaned back against the cold stone surface. All of guards took their helmets off, the illusions dispelling before his eyes. They all stared at him, each with sympathy. Nightshade whimpered and fled the cellblock, and at a nudge from Chaser, the other three ponies chased after her. Elias heard the wooden door slam shut behind them, then he focused his gaze squarely on Chaser.

“So, Captain, what am I looking at here?” Elias asked.

Chaser sighed, running his hoof through his mane.

“In terms of charges? Two counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault on a guard, thirty-seven counts of brutality, as well as half a dozen disturbing harmony charges. You scared some ponies today Elias. I can’t say I blame your actions, but… it was a sight to be sure.”

Elias nodded in agreement.

“Say I get found guilty of all of that, what next? The chopping block?”

Chaser flinched.

“Maybe. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a “dangerous criminal” such as yourself. While not nearly as widespread in your impact, you’re being treated up there with the worst of them. Banishment is one potential punishment, as is encasement in stone. There has also been talk of a mindwipe and reset to make you “more harmonious”.”

Elias’ eyes flew open at that. He stared at Chaser.

“You promise me that the last one won’t come to pass Captain. You can’t let it. I’ll do anything else, but not that. Never that.”

Chaser flinched away from his stare.

“It’s out of my hooves Elias. What the princesses decide, they decide. I have no say.”

Elias got to his feet, approaching the bars slowly with murderous intent. His face twitched with barely concealed rage.

“Chaser, I swear to everything that you, and the princesses hold dear, that if they even consider touching my mind, I will show them that what I did to White Shine was just a fun party trick. It will be a cold day in hell before I let anyone try to remake my mind.” He slammed his manacled hands against the bars, provoking a jump from the pony. “You tell them that. They can kill me, imprison me, banish me, I don’t care, but that will never happen. I’ll see cities burn before I let anyone near my head. You tell them that.”

Chaser nodded, regaining his calm demeanor.

“And if nothing happens? What promises do you have for the princesses that this incident won’t happen again?”

Elias felt his anger flee in an instant, and he looked with dead eyes at his feet. He walked back to the wall, sliding down it once more as he stared at Chaser.

“I don’t know Captain. I simply don’t know.”

He scratched at the back of his head. He let his hands fall into his lap as his vision began to blur as the aftermath of the day’s events began to catch up. The voices rose, filled with hate and spite for one another, as well as himself.

“Maybe it doesn’t matter what they decide.”

Elias snorted, glaring at the grey stone floors. He should have been able to take comfort in the feeling of nothingness he felt, but this time it didn’t help. He couldn’t stop picturing White Shine’s beaten in face. The colors occasionally flickered in his minds eye, and Elias hated himself just a little more when the unicorn became a blue pegasus, just for a second. Elias looked up to Chaser as the first tear crawled down his cheek.

“Maybe I’m right where I belong already.”

Author's Note:

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
G.K. Chesterton

Thank you all for your comments. There is a healthy amount of discussion, which I always enjoy seeing. If nothing else, it makes me think about the little things in the story and how to properly write the characters. A suggestion I would like to make though, always keep a suspicious mind. Nothing in this story happens without intention, and nothing is as it seems at face value. I am playing some long games (as are some of the characters cough cough celestia cough) with some plot points, and with some characters. Nobody is safe, no relationship is certain, and people change. The world is fluid, and I hope I can continue to impress with it!

Here is the twenty-first chapter in the official Centurion Project reading

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