• Published 15th Jul 2019
  • 15,647 Views, 1,587 Comments

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.

  • ...
51
 1,587
 15,647

PreviousChapters Next
Chapter 44: The End of the Recruits

Elias kept an even pace as he led the half dozen ponies down the castle halls to the training grounds. It had been a few more grueling days of training, and he had drank himself through a sleepless night or two to finish combing through applications for the scouts, but he had gotten it all done. The ponies behind him was a mixture of his new scout recruits, his usual subordinates, and Everfree and Chaser. The pair of stallions had shadowed three days’ worth of training, and though he could clearly see that they would go soft on his recruits, Elias could tell that they wouldn’t be too soft. For their different reasons, both stallions were strict teachers, and while they didn’t reward failure with a beating, they still gave punishment, with Chaser momentarily forgetting his place and threatening to run the recruits until the sun rose if they didn’t get their formations right. Elias let it slide, and when he received questioning glances from the recruits, he had backed up Chaser’s threat. It took them two more tries to get their testudo right.

Although he believed they still needed more work, the first phase of training was over. They had gone over a week without any further rings from the bell, and if the ponies were in their proper inspection formation, they would notice the lack of the bell; replaced by a sculpture made of the helmets of the failures. Energy already charged the air, and he wasn’t even at the training grounds yet. Anyon had been flapping about in excitement when he stopped by the smithy, and for once, the gryphon wasn’t the only one in the workshop. A dozen ponies were working like mad to assemble the massive stack of crates the gryphon needed, and each breath of air brought another string of curses as Anyon went wild, making sure everything was ready. The old buzzard was as excited about what the day would bring as Elias was.

Still, nobody but Anyon knew what was about to happen; Elias had even managed to keep it hidden from Book Binder, a process that had involved sealing his invoices to the blacksmith, while also not-so-threatening the unicorn with changing his mind about her wedding day if she violated his trust. Though he knew it would be an exciting occasion, he made it seem like something deadly serious had occurred. The recruits had been roused from their slumber three hours after they had gone to bed, and they were thrown into formation. He had threatened both of his centurions with punishment if he found so much as a scuff on their armor. His acting made the rest fall into place. His commands had gotten harsher as the previous evening progressed, and as he stalked down the hall, he had his face in a stern scowl. His helmet was under his arm, and his shield sat on his back. He was ready.

Elias hit the doors to the training grounds with enough force to make them slam into the wall. He had to hide a small grin as he saw a pony hop in place, and for a moment, he was fairly sure it was Granite. The earth pony disguised his surprise well though, and he saluted Elias sharply as the human came stalking up.

“The recruits are in order and top form this morning General,” Granite said. “I’ve checked personally, their uniforms are in perfect shape.”

Elias scowled at the earth pony.

“Well then Centurion, I guess you can accept the whippings for every mistake I find, since you checked it so personally.”

Granite blinked in shock at Elias' sharp tone, but his hoof dropped, and he stood stock still as Elias continued on his fake warpath. Oh, it was going to be a beautiful day. None of the recruits dared meet his eyes as Elias prowled along their line, looking for signs of weakness. Though they were tense at his aggressiveness against them, and no doubt because they had been standing in formation for hours, they were still strong. They stood at ready, and though they feared punishment for some minor transgression, they weren’t truly afraid. They didn’t want to be punished, sure, but they weren’t really scared of it. More often than not, he found confusion in the eyes of the ponies as he walked past. They had no idea why he had suddenly become stricter, angrier with his subordinates. More than a few look concerned. Elias found that a bit odd, but he supposed the time for the acting was done. Mostly.

Elias scowled as he made his way back toward the stage.

“First Centurion Flash, Centurion’s Ice Blossom and Gray Granite, front and center,” he barked, his voice ringing through the training grounds. “Now!”

The trio of ponies quickly formed a line before him, and Elias glared hard at them all.

“Are you trying to make me look like an idiot?” Elias asked quietly, keeping his voice just loud enough for it to still carry.

Night Flash frowned and glanced toward Elias with an inquisitive look, but Granite was the one who spoke first.

“Of course not General, we followed your orders to the letter.”

Elias stepped to the right so that he was directly in front of the earth pony.

“Oh, so it’s my fault that MY ENTIRE LEGION IS OUT OF UNIFORM!”

Granite winced at Elias’ spike in volume. The human stood up straight and ran a hand through his hair, faking a deep sigh as he began to pace.

“I cannot believe the sheer lack of discipline here today. I specifically asked in my letter that my legionaries be at formation in fully polished armor, and yet all I see here today is a bunch of fucking recruits!”

Elias took a breath to continue, but in the space of his inhale, Anyon’s rough voice carried across the training grounds.

“Hurry up ya rat-eating bastards! Ya missed our cue!”

Elias couldn’t keep his false anger going any longer as the gryphon strutted into view with a puffed-out chest and a wide grin. Elias shook his head and smiled as a large team of ponies yanked a tall stack of crates forward, grunting and groaning as the heavy boxes weighed down their carts so much that the wheels struggled to turn. Still, the collection of mares and stallions Anyon had drafted into assisting him quickly rolled out the massive stock of equipment, and Anyon led the charge, smiling brightly as he stood before Elias.

“Here’s yer gear General! Got it all ready, jus’ to yer specifications!”

Elias chuckled and shook his head.

“Anyon… your cue was when I began commenting on how low quality the recruit armor looked, and how it made them look shameful. You came out early.”

Anyon’s one eye drifted down, then to the recruits. It then shifted back to the tired and angry looking workers, before finally settling back on a grinning Elias. The gryphon drooped slightly.

“Ah shit.”

Elias laughed aloud and looked back to his centurions.

“Fall back in, my little prank is over. You can thank Anyon that it didn’t go on longer.”

The gryphon muttered something under his breath and kicked at the dirt as Elias turned to address his extremely confused legion of recruits.

“Recruits!” Elias called out, “Today is a good day, a proud day. You may have noticed that the bell is no longer here for your use, and has instead been replaced with a statue.”

Elias motioned to the horse shaped statue of helmets. It had taken him a bit of searching, but the pony he had commissioned it for had been grateful to work with the odd specifications had set before her. It had taken her a few hours, but he thought the statue looked good. It certainly gleamed in the morning light.

“This is a symbol of failure, and I want each and every one of you to burn an image of this statue into your mind, because you can now congratulate yourselves, because you are not failures. Not anymore.”

“No,” Elias continued, bracing one hand on his gladius hilt. Damn, the air was so crisp, so clean. It put additional energy into his bones, made his blood run just a tad faster. “Today each and every one of you have earned the right to call yourselves something more than recruits. You have earned the right to call yourselves legionaries.”

A host of whispers immediately rose, something Elias silenced with a raise of his hand.

“Now, I must offer one thing before we begin distributing your official legion armor. You have done a great thing by surviving through training thus far, but in truth, that was your tryout. What follows in these next few months will be grueling, and back breaking, but I promise by the end that nobody, not in Equestria, nor outside its borders will be able to stop you.”

Elias bowed his head slightly.

“But I can understand those who feel tired, who are exhausted at this point and who feel the need to end their time with us. I cannot fault you that, this has been an exhausting experience. So I offer this one final chance to you;”

Elias motioned to the statue.

“You have shown everyone here that you are not quitters, are not failures, but should you feel in your heart that this is the end of your journey in my legion, please step forward and place your helmet at the base of the statue of failures. Walk free of this place with your head held high, and with pride in your step as you walk out with the knowledge that you made it this far.”

“There is no shame in leaving now,” Elias said. “But, if you choose to leave after you receive your legionnaire armor, you will not be able to walk away.”

Elias reached behind his back and withdrew a small scroll. He held it high in the air.

“This, is signed permission from Princess Luna to hold, try, and punish any deserters from my command. Know that if you take your legion armor and then try to walk away later, I will find you, and imprison you until the end of the march, after which you will be tried for cowardice.”

Elias looked out over the recruits, looking for fear. He found none.

“I don’t think I need to remind anyone here that my punishment for cowardice; is death.”

Still nothing. The ponies under his command stood firm, though Elias did notice a frown on Chaser’s face. Elias continued anyway.

“Now is the time to make your choice recruits; if you leave, you do so with no shame, but you will receive no glory. If you stay, you stay until the end, whether it comes at the end of the enemy’s sword, or mine.”

He motioned to the statue again.

“So, here is your chance. Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

The training grounds were dead silent. For once, Elias felt slightly intimidated by the mass of ponies before him. His eyes searched for that one spot of meekness or nerves that would indicate doubt, but for once, he could find nothing. He began moving forward, and as he searched different sections of the legion, he found that nothing changed. Their eyes all held the same expression, and they watched him with cool confidence. Had they not been a rainbow of colors, he would have believed he was looking at clones of a single, determined pony. It was terrifying. It made Elias smile. He made his way to the front of the formation, waiting silently for anyone to stand out from the mass of ponies. He made it to the front before somebody stepped out of formation, and a small gasp went up from the recruits as the purple thestral saluted. Elias stopped his pacing to stare at her with a small frown.

She faced him, standing at a rigid attention.

“Permission to speak General?”

Elias nodded.

“Granted Recruit.”

The thestral’s fangs glistened as she grinned.

“I don’t think I’m the only one here who knows they’re in it for the long haul. We haven’t quit yet, and we aren’t quitting now. Sorry to say General, but you are stuck with us.”

Elias snorted, then smiled.

“Well said, Legionary Steel Heart” he said loudly.

His eyes flicked away from the thestral as she stepped back into formation. To the recruits he said;

“Adiutor Book Binder has your new positions sorted out, line up by cohort to begin distribution of your equipment. I will speak to you again when you look like legionaries.”

*****

Elias felt his heart swell as the ponies fell back into place. The sun was just beginning to rise, and as its golden light spilled into the training grounds, it sparkled off of the shining silver of his legion. As they fell in, Elias looked over them in detail. He had inspected samples from Anyon, but he wanted to see the uniformity of the uniforms over the three thousand strong mass of ponies. The legionary armor looked exactly like those his officers wore, save for the fact that their helmets lacked the distinct plume that all guard ponies had. Elias had been adamant about his break from pony tradition, and his former recruits didn’t seem to mind much. They had been taught why they lacked plumes, spotting officers in a sea of plumes was difficult after all, but still, the traditional roman legionary helmet looked perfect on the heads of the ponies, and they knew it. Anyon had brought tall mirrors with him, and the legionaries ooed and awed at themselves, showing their equipment off to their fellows. They also knew that they were distinct from the other guards, and soon the world would be able to tell the difference from a legionary, and a guard.

The auxiliaries were every bit as enthusiastic, despite the lack of flash in their equipment. The helmet was the only thing that they shared with their legionary comrades. Their armor was primarily made of dragon leather, colored brown and then overlaid with silver chainmail, primarily around their core areas and their joints. Elias had made sure to keep the armor lighter so that they could be more maneuverable, and so that they could carry more ammunition. Enchanted sheathes lined their bodies, designed to allow them to easily balance massive loads of pilla and arrows, as well as medical supplies for the healers scattered among the auxiliary core.

The third group to receive armor were his freshest recruits, but with the rush to fill in scouting roles, Elias had to also rush the scouting armor. It was modified auxiliary armor, unfortunately made with a weaker material; wild cow hide. Elias had made Anyon compensate by enchanting the leather with additional speed and armor spells, but only so much could be done to strengthen the softer material, and Elias knew that his scouts would be particularly vulnerable, especially given that they wouldn’t receive helmets. The pegasi had agreed as a group that wearing anything on their heads would impede their ability to spot and move about quickly, so Elias had agreed to waive helmets. He just hoped being high in the sky would prevent them from getting killed. With as short notice as he had received, Elias had to cut corners as he developed training regimens for the ponies, so all of them were pegasi. That had come with a healthy mix of benefits and drawbacks. A benefit had been that he had talked with Luna to bring in some pegasus specific trainers, a group of whom were supposed to arrive within hours to drill the scouts and bring them up to their peak physical capacity. A drawback had been that Lionheart had immediately gotten word of Elias’ exclusive scouting detachment and had cried foul to Celestia about discrimination. Elias had responded by pointing out the unicorn’s refusal to include him on scouting reports, and after a heated “debate” in which Elias had almost thrown the pony out a window, the charges had been dropped on Celestia's order.

Overall, however, all of the groups of the legion held one thing in common; the red of their underclothes. The cloth was heavy, bolstered with a bit of padded armor as an extra measure of protection, but more importantly, it made them look like real legionaries. No longer would they have to wear their armor constantly. Instead, they would wear the simple red tunic, using it as a clear label that they were in Legio I Equus. It would be yet another note of pride for the ponies, and it threatened to put a wide smile on Elias’ face. It hadn’t been easy to establish the myriad of legion traditions from nothing, and it especially hadn’t been easy to get the ponies to adopt them all, but he was getting there, slowly. The armor was another step, and from the looks of things, it had been a successful step forward.

Elias took a deep breath to settle his chest. With all of the excited energy in the air, he couldn’t help but get caught up in it, and his face broke out in a smile as the last few ponies collected their gear and rushed back into formation so that their fellows could help them put it on. It was a good day that was only going to get better, and Elias was in a bad spot. Things were going well, the ponies looked genuinely happy and proud in their armor, and that just made him overwhelmingly happy. So happy, in fact, that he couldn’t put on his usual frown, and he was forced to stay away in case anyone noticed. He couldn’t help it though; it was just like when he had seen Night Flash in his armor for the first time. It just made Elias so incredibly happy to see things coming to life again, but this time the right way.

Elias rubbed at his face to try and hide his smile as Book Binder trotted up the stage to stand beside him.

“It’s something else, huh General?” she asked.

Elias nodded.

“That it is Adiutor. I’m concerned that I won’t be able to hold it together when I make them tour their new bunks, and this afternoon’s march?” he scoffed. “I’m going to be a damned mess.”

Book Binder gave him a look of fake shock.

“General Bright genuinely happy? The stars will plummet, and the world will end! Woe is me; I can’t believe my eyes!”

Elias managed to find his scowl as the unicorn nudged his leg and grinned.

“I can have you court martialed, you know that right?” he grumbled.

Book Binder chuckled and looked back to the legionaries.

“You could, but I don’t think you will. I’ve made myself too valuable to your operation. It would take a dozen ponies to replace me.”

“Nobody could replace you,” Elias mumbled as he looked away.

Book Binder’s ears flicked, but she seemed to pretend not to hear him. Instead, they both watched silently as the last few ponies fell into formation, turning the training grounds into a sea of glistening sea of silver. The sight brought up a lot of things in Elias; memories, both good and bad. His bad eye twitched slightly as he stared at the legion, formed up in shining silver. An image of his human legion coated in blood flashed by momentarily, but with a blink the sight was gone. It had already turned his stomach however, and it helped bring Elias down from his excited high.

He rolled his shoulders slowly as he tried to find his calm place. Taking a step forward, Elias clasped his hands behind his back and cleared his throat, trying his best to erase all signs of nerves.

“Congratulations! You are no longer recruits, but legionaries! I expect you to act like it. Review your legion manuals if you believe you might be doing something stupid, but for now…” Elias couldn’t help himself as he gave out another compliment. “You all look good; almost like real soldiers. Form up in your sections and clear out the bunkhouses. Gather all of your belongings, because you will not be returning. It’s about time to show you to your real quarters.”

*****

To say the legionaries were excited about the drastic upgrade to their living spaces was an understatement. As soon as they had cleared out all of their belongings, Elias had ordered the old barracks demolished to make room for additional drill space; then he had led the legion through the garden “wall” of the training yard to their new bunkhouses. The new bunkhouses blended in smoothly with the greenery, and despite their attempts at discipline, the ponies squealed as they saw the elegant buildings. The sound threatened to bring another smile to Elias’ face, and why shouldn’t it? The buildings had been expensive, and difficult to design. Elias hoped it would be a suitable reward for the hell he had put the ponies through, as well as for what they had yet to endure.

The outside of the new buildings was done up in stone, unlike the thin wooden walls of the previous barracks. A small waist-high wall surrounded each building, with wrought-iron gates allowing for access to the barracks. The pillars on either side of the gates held copies of the legion standard, along with cohort designations. It took no prodding for the ponies to separate into their sections, and though Elias warned them about moving too quickly, he began hearing shrieks of excitement as the ponies bolted into their new quarters. He sighed and shook his head in exasperation, then gave the order for the ponies to go wild. In an instant the outside was empty, and the barracks were filled to the brim with ponies, all of whom were admiring and celebrating their superior quarters.

Elias didn’t follow them inside, had in fact already done several inspections to ensure that his troops weren’t being cheated. It wasn’t too lavish, but it was designed with the intention to be practical, as to suit all their training needs, as well as comfortable, to help them relax after. Each bunkhouse was outfitted with small smithies for armor repair, expansive bathroom facilities, as well as a laundry facility for those who didn’t want to deal with the castle’s inane cleaning staff. The maid staff were asinine, and had he not been working with General Lionheart, they would have been his single greatest source of complaints. Another addition to the bunkhouses was superior beds with actual bedding, rather than the cheap stuff Elias had stocked the recruit houses with. Finally, he had several magical storage areas installed so that the ponies wouldn’t be crowded by the gear they had yet to receive.

Book Binder danced on her hooftips as she looked back and forth between Elias, and the entrance to the nearest bunkhouse, that of the 2nd Cohort Auxiliaries. Night Flash also looked mildly curious, but for once, Book Binder was the more excitable of the pair. A small whine escaped the mare’s mouth as some legionary within the bunkhouse began shrieking about how soft the carpets were, so Elias decided to throw the dedicated mare beside him a bone.

“Adiutor, would you like to see the interior of the legion bunkhouse?”

The unicorn looked up at him with her massive pleading puppy dog eyes.

“Please General, not knowing will be the death of me. Night Flash and I go home every night, if we don’t go in now, when will we?”

Elias rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” he said as he motioned toward the open door. “But make it fast, and make sure they’re getting settled in there. We still have training to do.”

Elias had no idea why he bothered to finish the sentence. Book Binder had bolted through the door as soon as he said “fine”. Night Flash chuckled and shook his head.

“Sorry about that General, but Book Binder loves looking at home interiors. She’s the one who found and bought the home we’ll be moving into after our wedding.”

Elias glanced down at the pegasus.

“And are you excited about that? Getting your own place?”

Night Flash looked up and nodded.

“Yes General, I am. It’s got a lot of space for our expanding family, and we can finally feel like we’re not just hanging on her parents. We’ve been staying in their house for a little over a year now, and they say we’re fine, but…”

“You still feel like a burden,” Elias finished. He looked back to the barracks, noticing a flash of mint green as Book Binder bolted by a window. “Now you know how I feel most of the time.”

Night Flash shrugged.

“Maybe a little, but I think what you experience is different, probably a bit more serious. Either way, you can ease that feeling of burden with every day of training.”

“And why’s that?” Elias asked as he saw a flash of green magic levitating what looked to be one of the entryway rugs.

Night Flash gestured around them.

“All of this? Frankly General, you’re earning everything you’ve got coming to you. Not counting what you’re earning while a general, your retirement package will be substantial, so much so that you could live comfortably off of it for the rest of your days.”

“Ignoring the fact that I’m already an independently wealthy individual,” Elias commented as he saw a red-violet tail whip by. A cry of joy pierced the air, followed quickly by over a dozen. The noise disconcerted him.

Night Flash nodded in agreement with his words.

“But that’s just the money side. Imagine General, you have so much you can do after the march! Whether you want it or not, you’re going to earn prestige, so keeping your current job would be no trouble. If you decided to quit though, there are still so many avenues open! You could write training manuals, act as an instructor, do foreign mercenary work, anything military related really.”

Night Flash smiled as the red-violet tail flashed through the windows, followed swiftly by a dozen flashes of silver.

“But say you didn’t want to do something related to war; you could write books on human cultures and other stuff, teach classes maybe. You always seem interested about history, and if you’re bored of your cultures, you could study any number of Equestrian cultures. It’s all in the air, and no matter what, you’re going to have friends at your back to support you.”

Night Flash caught Elias’ eye and smiled.

“Your future is bright General.”

Elias sighed and rolled his eyes.

“I do hope that pun was intentional First Centurion. As for my future, I’m surprised you didn’t say my “family” and friends will be at my back.”

Night Flash shrugged again.

“You know me General; I love you to death. If I get to call you son, Elias, or General, I’m just happy to be by your side. Everypony seems to be making plans for you, but for me? I want you to make your plan; just so long as I get to join you for the ride, I'm happy with whatever it is.”

That hit Elias hard. He had no words to describe how absolutely grateful he was to hear such words, and it took everything in him to not scoop up the pegasus beside him and crush him in a hug. He did need to get rid of the pony so that he could collect himself, however.

“First Centurion,” Elias said softly, trying to hide the stutter in his voice, “please go retrieve Adiutor Binder before she explodes.”

Night Flash grinned and saluted.

“Right away General.”

The pegasus was off like a shot, and Elias quickly heard the sound of shrieks rise in the barracks. A flash of red violet was pursued hotly by a flash of dark blue as the pair ran amok in the bunkhouse. The sight put a small smile on Elias’ face, and he crossed his arms, letting happy tears stream down his face as his parents made fools of themselves before the legionaries.

*****

“Oh, but the carpets were just so soft and pretty!” Book Binder gushed as they marched down the road to Ponyville. “And the color schemes! General, you are a visual genius, who cares about the guard, you should be an interior designer! The crystal chandeliers were so beautiful, and so bright! They lit up the room perfectly, and then the bunks were perfectly spaced out for ponies, and then the sheets matched the carpets, oh it was just so wonderful!”

Elias didn’t have it within his heart to stop the unicorn from blabbering on as she talked his and Night Flash’s ears off. The only reason everything within the bunkhouses matched was because Elias had ensure that they were the same red as the rest of the uniform, meaning that everything matched perfectly. The grey stone of the building worked well with the brilliant red, and the rest was simply tailored to match. Book Binder couldn’t have gotten enough it, however, and she had begun talking about his “brilliant interior designing skills” since Night Flash had dragged her from the building by her tail. The auxiliaries had followed the pair out, smiling widely. Elias would have punished them for laughing at a superior’s expense, but since they were already in their marching packs, he let it slide, especially when Book Binder saddled up to him and began singing his praises.

Elias tuned out her compliments as he focused on the tasks ahead. For the short term; they were supposed to begin training on the quick construction of the castra they would be using. Despite the protests he had received, Elias had managed to get Celestia on his side for once, and the march would use the fortified camp he and Scarlet had designed. While the rest of the army wouldn’t be informed of their jobs for another month or two, Elias needed to ensure that his legionaries would be able to do their part. Since he could trust them to do what he said, Elias had taken the hardest job; that of gathering materials and constructing the castra walls. The job was made easier with things like magic, but the ponies in his command still needed to be able to properly gauge what was appropriate and what wasn’t. If the wall had even a single weak spot and they came under attack, they would be in a bad spot.

As for the long term; there was still so much to do. The castra was only a part of it. The legionaries still needed to be taught their advanced formations, still needed further combat training, and needed to get used to their full rucks. Elias still hadn’t give the ponies their full ammunition loads, let alone their tents, food, and water for the trek. Despite the fact that they were taking supply wagons, Elias intended for each member of his legion to carry at least two days of food and water on their backs in case of an emergency. If his estimates were right, each pony would be carrying their body weight between their armor and their rucks. It was going to be brutal going, but Elias had an instinct that they would need every bit of their equipment.

None of that compared to what he still had to get done. Elias knew there would be many more coordination meetings with his fellow generals in the future, and while the fact irritated him to no end, he knew it was necessary. They still needed to decide on the appropriate amount of supplies, the marching order, battle formations, the stopping points along their route, everything. Even the small details weren’t allowed to escape him, and Elias imagined that his stress-induced migraines would only grow worse as the march grew closer. The only comfort he gave himself was that each and every moment of pain he suffered made the army as a whole better prepared, so he pushed on.

The formation in front of Elias ground to a halt, and before Elias could open his mouth, a bright blue pony with a green and white mane landed in front of him. The pegasus mare saluted sharply. Elias scowled at her in return.

“Report; why have we stopped?”

The pony dropped her hoof.

“Obstruction in the road General; a broken-down wagon. It’s smack in the middle, so we’re going to need to either move it, or march around it.”

Elias nodded silently.

“Lead me to it then. First Centurion keep everyone on their feet. We don’t rest until we’re done. Adiutor, follow me.”

Elias set off at a trot, moving easily in his heavy armor. Unlike the enchanted versions the ponies wore, his armor was as heavy as ever. It was a silly thing, but it made him feel safer, more protected. From what, he didn’t know, but when he slid into the silvery steel of his cuirass, everything was just a bit better.

As he trotted past his rows of stopped legionaries, the edge of a shouting match began to reach his ears. The scout cast a nervous glance back at Elias, but she continued moving forward, leading him toward the pair of arguing ponies in the middle of the road.

“Mac, ah’m tellin’ you, we gotta get the axle fixed! I know we’re holdin’ up these ponies, but if we put the cart in that there ditch it ain’t never comin’ out!”

The yelling pony was an orange mare wearing some kind of cowboy hat. She was dwarfed by a stallion that was only a few inches shorter than Elias was, and he was fairly sure he had undergone another growth spurt recently. His alicorn reference for height had changed, and he was closer in height to Celestia now. Yet, the red stallion with the green apple stood tall against the smaller mare. He chewed a piece of hay in his teeth as he spoke; slow and low.

“Applejack, ain’t nothin’ we can do ta fix it here. Ah realize it ain’t the best, but we’re holdin’ up ponies. It ain’t right.”

The orange mare, Applejack, stomped her hoof.

“Dangit Bic Mac! Yer not even trying to be reasonable with me!”

Bic Mac shook his head and looked toward Elias as the human slowed his jog to a walk.

“Nope. Ah’m right. Now ya gotta talk to ‘im.”

Applejack whirled with her jaw set in hard line. For some reason however, her eyes seemed to skip past Elias, and instead focused on Book Binder.

“Listen here missy, ah know ya’ll got places to be, but so do I! We’ve been tryin’ to get into town all day, but this darn cart ain’t what she used to be. Now unless yer fixin’ to help, I’m gonna need ya’ll to just wait while I run back to the farm to get the spare axle.”

Elias tuned out her words as Book Binder tried to act as a mediator. Instead, he looked toward the cart itself. At a glance he could tell that the cart was loaded far past its capacity. Apples were stacked tall upon it, and he could see the entire thing sagging in the dirt. His eyes flicked down to the rear axle to find it snapped cleanly in two. It was all wood, and while it had likely been excellent craftsmanship once upon a time, that time was far past. Book Binder tried to speak, only for Applejack to begin arguing with her instead of Bic Mac. Elias let his unicorn assistant distract the mare as a long-forgotten hobby rose in his mind. He had tried his hand at woodworking, and though he had never been particularly good at it, he was more than sure he could figure out a way to mend the axel with a pilum shaft. It would certainly be faster than trying to calm down the orange farm pony that was agitating his assistant.

He pulled his helmet off as Book Binder got in Applejack’s face, and a second loud voice began tearing through the air. Elias shrugged his ruck off and set it on the side of the wagon, then laid down and slid underneath the cart. He realized instantly that if the cart so much as slipped to the side, he would die from its weight. He looked to the front row of legionaries, who were watching Book Binder and Applejack go at it. Elias whistled, grabbing their attention away from the catfight.

“Come earn your paychecks and brace this damn thing. I will not have “crushed by an apple cart” on my tombstone.”

The legionaries smiled faintly, and three passed of their equipment to brace the wagon. Confident that it wouldn’t move while he worked, Elias scooted himself forward so that the broken axle sat inches from his face. Elias frowned, eyeballing the diameter of the shaft, then reached a handout.

“Pilum.”

One of the legionaries passed him their javelin, and Elias held it up beside the axle shaft. They were just about the same, but he would need help to properly attach the spear in place of the axle. He laid his head back and stared at Book Binder upside down until she stopped yelling at Applejack long enough to meet his gaze.

“Yes General?” she asked with a huff, shooting a glare at the orange farm pony that told him that she wasn’t finished arguing.

“We have a carpenter, yes?” Elias asked. “A… Wood Shop I believe? 3rd Cohort?”

Book Binder reached into her saddlebags and withdrew her troop list. She flipped through the pages for a moment, then nodded slowly.

“Yes, Legionnaire Wood Chop. We’ve been considering her for an additional centurion position.”

Elias pointed to the scout.

“Go fetch her. Tell her to move fast; I want us moving in the next ten minutes.”

The mare nodded and took off, quickly spiraling back along the line of ponies. With a helper near at hand Elias set to work removing the heads from both ends of the pilum shaft. He stopped after a moment when he realized that all was quiet. Elias’ eyes flicked back toward Book Binder to find Applejack staring at him.

“What?” he asked.

The farm pony winced, and after another silent blink, Elias realized what was likely keeping the pony quiet. After so many mornings waking up to see the black mar on his face, he had just gotten used to it.

“Relax, I got it killing changelings. Do you really think the princesses would make me a general if I was fighting for the bad guys?”

Elias didn’t wait for an answer, and instead focused on the pilum in his hands. Anyon had done a thorough job in putting the screws on, and despite his dexterous fingers and his experience removing spear heads, he had a devil of a time getting the primary javelin head off. Wood Chop came trotting up just as he got the secondary head off, sliding it in the dirt to one of the legionaries. He looked to the brown earth pony.

“You’re Wood Chop?”

The pony nodded.

“Yes General. Legionnaire Wood Chop, reporting for duty.”

Her hoof snapped up to her forehead, causing Elias to scowl.

“Quit saluting me and get down here. I need to make sure I’m doing this right.”

The earth pony blinked at him stupidly for a moment, then shrugged off her gear and wiggled her way under the cart, turning over so that her head rested right next to Elias’. He held up the pilum shaft where the axle was supposed to go.

“What do you think?” he asked. “I’m thinking it will at least do to get this cart moving out of the way.”

Applejack seemed to find her voice again.

“I ain’t pushin’ mah cart into no ditch!” she barked.

“Applejack hush!” Big Mac snapped, stepping up to the orange mare. “The strange looking pony is tryin’ ta help! Ah thought you and yer friends solved this stubbornness of yours!”

Elias tuned them out again as the pair began to squabble. He didn’t know why he had the effect of making so many ponies angry at him, but in truth, he once again didn’t care. He had all the ponies he needed, who cared if some apple farmer didn’t like him? Wood Chop frowned at the pilum shaft in his hands.

“I… think it’ll work,” she said slowly. “But hoof it here. The pilum is a bit shorter than the other axle, and lucky for us, I can fix that.”

Elias passed the earth pony the pilum, and she curled her hooves around it, whispering softly into the wood. Elias watched as slowly but surely; the wood lengthened. Wood Chop motioned with a free hoof toward the broken axle.

“We need to have these removed before we can replace them with the pilum shaft.”

Elias nodded, and he motioned for the legionaries to lift the cart. A trio of ponies pealed off from the formation, and with a pair bracing one end, the rest lifted the wooden cart into the air. Elias sat up, and scooted out from beneath the cart. He pulled one wheel free, while Ice Blossom went to the other. Out of the corner of his eye, Elias noticed Granite inching toward the pair of arguing of apple farmers, clearly waiting to see if the argument would get uglier.

Elias braced the inside of the wheel shaft and pulled the piece of axle free. Ice Blossom quickly did the same, then the pair re-aligned the wheels to their wells and held them steady as Wood Chop slid the pilum shaft into place. It slid easily into the center of the wheel, and Elias again watched as the wood grew and expanded to fit perfectly within the wheel. A cap even formed, making sure that the new axle stayed perfectly in place. He looked to Wood Chop, who smiled at her work.

“And that’s that General. Should work good as new now. With the way Anyon’s been making these pilum shafts, it should be good to run for years.”

“Good,” Elias replied. “Get out from under there so we can get going again.”

Wood Chop nodded, and she rolled over, then crawled out from underneath the wagon. On a three count, the rest of the ponies set the wagon back down, then moved quickly to fall back into their positions. Elias dusted himself off as best he could, then scooped up his helmet and ruck, sliding them both on quickly.

Geared up once again, Elias looked toward Big Mac and Applejack. The stallion looked rather happy, and he stepped forward quickly, with his low southern drawl leading the way.

“Ah thank ya. This wagon has been a bother for years now. Ah’ll move as fast as ah can to get out of your way.”

Elias gave him a small nod.

“Excellent. It may have been a minor delay, but as long as we get under way quickly, I’m sure we can make up lost time.”

Elias glanced to Ice Blossom, who nodded and turned on the legionaries.

“You hear that? We’re double timing it to Ponyville! No more breaks for you lot!”

Elias adjusted his ruck straps, then paused as he felt his bad eye twitch. His eyes flicked up to Applejack, who was fixing him with a mean glare. Far more alarming was the massive spike of waves around her head. Elias frowned and met the mare’s eyes.

“Something wrong miss?”

Applejack growled.

“Ah didn’t ask for your help! Didn’t need it neither! Mac and I coulda takin’ care of the cart all on our own!”

Big Mac scowled at his sister

“Applejack, that is enough! We weren’t movin’ for nothin’. Leave the stallion be and let’s get movin’.”

Applejack shook her head, and she kneaded at the ground with a foreleg.

“No! Ah heard of this feller before, this is the one that near attacked Fluttershy! Ain’t nopony that can get away with attacking mah friends!”

Book Binder placed herself between Elias and Applejack.

“Ms. Applejack, I suggest you step away,” the unicorn said with a snarl. “You must have misheard things, because your friend decided to harass our march! General Bright merely stopped her and made sure her little “protest” didn’t impact our training.”

Elias ignored the pair of mares as they set to arguing again. His eyes were much more focused on the waves. He could see a faint hint of a line trailing away from Applejack and into the formation of legionaries. Elias’ eyes narrowed as he tried to pick out where the waves were originating from, and what it could mean. He had an idea, but he needed to be sure before he acted.

Night Flash appeared at his side and tapped his leg gently.

“General, what should we do? Adiutor Binder is about to rip the Element of Honesty in half.”

Elias blinked and returned to the real world to find Book Binder and Applejack at each other’s throats. Bic Mac was trying to pull his sister back by her tail, but the mare was planted like a tree. Elias frowned. He had let the farce go on for far too long.

“Adiutor!” he shouted, “that’s enough! Return to your position in formation.”

Book Binder stopped growling at Applejack to stare at him in mild disbelief.

“General, you can’t be taking her side! She’s insulting you!”

Elias walked forward so that his shadow fell over both mares.

“That may be Adiutor, but if I am so weak as to be taken down by insults, I shouldn’t have become a soldier. Back to your position. I won’t tell you again.”

Book Binder stared for a moment more, then huffed and turned away, growling dark words under her breath as she trotted toward the center of the column. Elias took comfort in the fact that she wasn’t glaring at him, but instead at Applejack.

A small realization popped into his mind. Anger. Each encounter they had with an Element bearer made his soldiers angry at them. They were forming resentment toward their nation’s heroes. That was one of the ways the spy was starting to divide the ponies. Spreading anger and resentment. Elias’ eyes flicked out among the legionaries again, but the waves were beginning to die down, and the line he had seen vanished. Applejack, while still angry, seemed mildly confused as Elias looked toward her.

“As for you, Ms. Applejack, I suggest you move along. I didn’t have to help you, and I could have just as well ordered your wagon upturned and your apples stomped into the dirt. Why don’t you take after your sensible brother and get going?”

She glared at him for a moment, but the unnatural source of her anger toward him was gone, and Bic Mac had more than enough strength to drag her toward the wagon. He tossed the orange mare into the back of the apple cart, gave Elias a silent nod of thanks, then strapped himself in and took off at a brisk pace. Elias watched them go for a ten-count, then looked toward his legionaries. One of them, if not more, was a spy. A changeling spy if his guess was right. He’d have to take measures to weed the rat out and eliminate them. For now, however, he just had to get the legion done with the days training.

“Alright!” Elias called out. “Enough resting! Let’s get moving and get to Ponyville! We need as much time as possible practicing fast tent set up! Step lively!”

PreviousChapters Next