• 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 52: Final Goodbyes

Elias stood silent and stoic next to the other generals on a tall stage. Before them was a massive crowd, separated into two sections. On one side stood gleaming, perfectly straight rows of armored ponies, organized into tightly packed columns by the color of their armor. On the other stood packed stands full of ponies, old and young alike. The early morning ceremony had been announced days prior, and as a result, as many ponies as possible were in attendance. Elias knew he had surprised Celestia by pushing hard on the advertisement of the ceremony, but he knew the real importance of it. It wasn’t some show about the growth of Equestria’s military, or the extension of the country's aid to the Saddle Arabians. No, it was the latter part of the ceremony that was so important, the farewell to the families.

Elias let himself blank out as Celestia continued to drone on about the march. With his injury, as well as Cadence’s new kingdom in the north, the ceremony showing off the shiny new legion, and the greater expansion of the other guard forces had been pushed off until the last possible minute. Luckily, Cadence had reported that she was fully able to restore her stores of magic using the Crystal Heart, and as such, they were able to leave on time. The alicorns had already spent nearly an hour calibrating the Canterlot side of the portal; a massive archway made of marble, cut through with twisting veins of silver. The science behind the magic was again lost on Elias, but he didn't much care. Just so long as the goal of the mission worked. Now all they had to do was finish the farewell ceremony, then the journey would begin.

Glancing to his left, Elias managed to catch a sorrowful glance Cadence was throwing his way. He knew why of course; the report he had received from Night Flash had been very clear, if not slightly obscured by furious passion. The pegasus had tore into the pink princess about her stance on his near-death experience, but in truth, Elias couldn’t find it within himself to care. Yes, she could have been solely responsible for his death, but that was more out of negligence than any malice. He held no more hate in his heart for her than he did Celestia. In truth, all the new knowledge had done for him was force him to keep an eye on yet another opponent. Her disdain, perhaps hatred, had been thrust into the limelight, just where he wanted it. The more enemies he could see, the better he could combat them. Even more fortunate was the fact that Cadence seemed to have second thoughts on her actions, making her a non-player in the game of his life for the moment.

Elias’ eyes flicked outward, slowly sweeping over the armored ponies. They numbered just over ten thousand, with three-fourths of the guard forces having spent some time under his training. After he had recovered enough to stand, Elias had thrown himself back into the swing of things, drilling his legion harder and harder. Several new areas of training had been added, further dividing the cohorts into specialized sections, each with their own unique job, and each kept in the utmost secrecy. He had already had a hard time justifying why he needed thirty barrels of blasting jelly, but with Anyon handling his under the table crafting needs, the matter was settled, and his legionaries were already prepared to lug the heavy barrels of explosives alongside the empty water barrels.

Nightshade had approached him within days of his escape from the infirmary, asking if he would be willing to include her guards on the legion’s afternoon marches. Elias wasn’t one to turn down additional, more realistic practice, so with a few instructional lectures, the Lunar Guards had begun marching alongside his legionaries. A few days after that, Midnight Chaser had asked the same, and Luna had volunteered herself to sit in a stand-in carriage that the black clad ponies were supposed to guard. Their marches suddenly garnered a great deal more attention, and though the first few marches were slow because of their new add-ons, the Lunar Guards and Royal Guards quickly adapted, adjusting to the rapid pace the legionaries set.

As they stood, most of the army was prepared for the long march. With the emotional issues finally separated from the military ones, Elias, Nightshade, and Midnight Chaser had once again coordinated, making arranges without the approval of the solar generals. Once their proposals had been finalized and looked over by Luna, they had put them forth at the weekly logistics meeting. It had brought a smile to Elias’ face when Lionheart was once again kicked to the bottom rung. No longer did Elias find himself late at meetings, and no longer was he kept out of the loop. Instead, with the backing of three-fourths of the guard forces, he found himself in a position to do a great deal of good. Instead of taking after Lionheart’s petty example, Elias had taken to his work with zeal, doing everything in his power to make sure even the slightest details had been taken care of. Supplies were bought and paid for, new armaments were commissioned and distributed, and every minute of the march had a plan, and a back up plan. Elias felt confident that they would be able to respond any threat, and that there was almost nothing left to do but leave. Almost.

The human glanced at Celestia as she continued her speech. The white alicorn had once again become outwardly neutral to his actions, always treating him with a minimum level of respect, but never attempting to undermine him, openly or in private. Whatever Luna had done to drag her older sister back in line, it had worked well, and Celestia once again found the value in his experienced counsel. There was only one matter she had left undecided; who would act as the sole diplomatic voice for the army. Technically speaking there were two matters, but nobody, save for Lionheart, doubted that Elias would be assigned as overall battle commander for the army. It was his force that was the most militaristic, and it was he would had the greatest degree of actual battle experience.

He couldn’t confirm whether it was rumor or not, but Elias had heard whispers that after the march the guard forces would return to being just that: guard forces. The Legio I Equus, however, was to be molded into Equestria’s official standing military. The justification he had heard was the rising number of world ending threats that the standard guards hadn’t been adept enough to even stall, let alone halt. With the increasing turmoil on the border of the Zebra lands, ponies wanted a more visible presence of Equestrian might, and his shining silver and red ponies more than met that want. By leading the army on the battlefield, Elias could prove once and for all that he was fit enough to manage an army on a grand scale. While the idea of managing a permanent army did rouse his age-old nerves, the idea did provide some hope in the human. He still hadn’t answered the question of what his purpose would be following the march, and while he had ideas for his relationships, he still lacked a greater goal for life. Maintaining peace and drilling ponies for a living wasn’t so terrible a fate.

Elias’ attention snapped to the present as Celestia looked back to the line of generals.

“It is these fine mares and gentlecolts who will lead our brave guards through this trying time, and it is they who I place my utter trust in. Generals, Equestria is ever in your debt.”

The pink maned alicorn offered a slight bow to their line, and Elias noted a few chests puffing out, but he showed nothing on his face, merely kept a slight frown across his lips. He didn’t care at all about the alicorn’s words, even if they weren’t wholly empty. Elias instead looked the alicorn up and down one more time, making note of all her new weaknesses.

As the weeks had passed, the results of their magical storage became more and more evident. Cadence was the least impacted, only losing an inch of her height. A haggard look sat on her face, but whether that was purely the result of the storage, or of guilt, Elias didn’t know.

Celestia was much shorter, now the height of her pink niece, and like her niece, her mane had turned a bright pink. Her hair no longer waved, and both her mane and her tail were tied into short buns. Even her horn had grown shorter, looking far more like the normal stub most unicorns sported.

Finally, was Luna. For some reason, she was shorter than both Cadence and Celestia, making her look positively adorable. Standing just above the height of a normal pony, her mane had also ceased flowing, and it had become a static blue, undecorated by stars. Unlike her sister however, her mane still hung down, and on more than one occasion she had to brush it from her face. Elias glanced in her direction just in time to catch her mane once more falling into her eyes. The blue alicorn’s muzzle scrunched up in barely concealed frustration and she wiped the hair away again, tucking it behind her ear.

“On that note,” Celestia said, bringing her speech to a close, “we had best conclude this ceremony so that you may say your goodbyes. No matter what happens on this journey, we will not be home for some time, and unfortunately there is no mail service in the minotaur lands.”

From her tone, it was clear that she meant the final statement as a joke, but few, if anyone laughed. Elias knew, as did many ponies, that the lack of news would be one of the worst things about their march. Any of the guards could die within the first few days of the march, but their families wouldn’t be informed until weeks later, when the march concluded. Since something like the march to Saddle Arabia hadn’t been attempted in Equestrian history, many ponies were going to spend the entire time worrying, and Elias couldn’t blame them.

Celestia gave a few final words, then she, Luna, and Cadence were escorted off the stage and into their magically enhanced carriage. Elias watched them go for a moment, noticing something he had picked up on before, but hadn’t quite confirmed until the ceremony had concluded. After nearly an hour standing in the sun on stage, all three alicorns looked exhausted, particularly Celestia. She leaned heavily against a pair of Royal Guards, practically being carried to the drab brown carriage they would ride in for the duration of the trip.

On the outside the carriage looked normal, if a bit dull for royal tastes. It was a plain brown color, with pale highlights. While they were still in Equestrian territory the top of the carriage would remain off. The effort was at Celestia’s instance, something about needing to inspire ponies of their cause. Elias had let her have the small concession, since his own regarding the carriage were met in full. The dull color was his choice, and allowed it to blend in when amongst trees instead of sticking out like a sore, brightly colored, thumb. Once the top was put on and sealed in place by Anyon, the carriage would be magically protected as well. Dozens of spells had been placed in the piece of wood and steel, and it would take a supreme to even open the door without one of the keys designed for such.

One such key sat on the chain Elias kept around his neck. It rested comfortably next to Luna’s feather, and the locket Night Flash had given him. Once the carriage door was locked, the alicorns likely wouldn’t leave it, not even while in camp. With the top on, the carriage’s interior magically extended to the size of a spacious bedroom that included beds for each alicorn, as well as a cabinet that was linked to Canterlot’s kitchens, providing the trio with their every meal. Unfortunately the magic required to power the cabinet didn’t accept living beings, and it didn’t allow for more than a certain poundage of food to be sent through in one day. He had drifted off during Luna’s lecture about the little magical reasons such magic wasn’t more widespread, and the only reason he hadn’t been smacked was that she got a free chance to cuddle his comatose form.

The only thing the carriage couldn’t provide was plumbing, and so the alicorns had been allowed one maid each to help handle bathroom trips, a staff Elias had been made familiar with when Luna had asked him to run them through rudimentary camp maintenance training. They had performed well enough for quick trainees, and for Celestia, Luna, and Cadence respectively there was Open Flame, Feather Duster, and Soft Touch, who Elias recognized from her legion application. When he had questioned her on it, she had informed him that she had actually been Cadence’s secret bodyguard since childhood, and had remained on the pink alicorn’s employ by first being a caretaker, then a maid. When he had asked why she hadn’t helped the pink princess in the Crystal Empire, she had merely smiled and winked, saying;

“Believe me General, if my Princess was ever in real danger, I would have been the first to intercept it.”

Elias noticed Soft Touch as she gently took Cadence’s wing and helped her into the carriage. The plum colored pegasus glanced his direction, showing no signs of recognition other than a split-second wink. The slight motion provoked him to look away, lest the alicorns think he was staring.

His eyes drifted out to the armored ponies, most of whom were already dispersing to intermingle with the tidal wave that was their families. The ponies in silver and red, however, remained still, watching him carefully as he made his way across, and then off the stage. Once he was on the ground, Elias began stalking through their lines, looking for any lingering signs of slacking discipline. It was the very last chance he had to weed out the weak, to potentially save lives by removing those who were just slightly out of line, by finding those who had the split second lack of attention to detail that would get them killed on a battlefield.

He found no such thing amongst his ponies, and though he felt a thrill of satisfaction in his mind, he didn’t show it. No longer could he offer praise, not when battle was so close. His night terrors had once again shifted, showing him a battlefield he had never seen before. The strangest part of the dreams was the lack of evidence of battle. There was no blood, no bodies, no shattered weapons. There was simply nothing but grass and trees, yet he knew there would be a battle. No matter what his scouts said about the cooling tempers of the minotaurs, no matter how much the other generals made assurances to the princesses, he just knew. He prayed to whoever was listening that his premonition didn’t come to pass.

“Listen up!” Elias bellowed. “You have twenty minutes! Make sure you say your goodbyes and leave whatever keepsakes out intend to behind. I have read through your wills, and I know that each and every one of you signed the box stating that you know this may be a one-way trip. Don’t waste this time with your families. It might be the last chance you get.”

Elias scanned the faces of the ponies before him, remaining silent for a moment. When it passed in relative silence, he gave a short nod.

“Dismissed.”

The silver clad ponies broke formation and scattered, loudly calling out for their loved ones. Within a few moments Elias was alone on the assembly fields, and he clasped his hands behind his back as he watched the ponies embrace their loved ones.

He was mildly surprised when two ponies came trotting up behind him, and he looked in question to Snowball. The loving grinned back.

“I already said my goodbyes to my hivemates in the castle,” the loveling said, answering the unasked question. “Besides, I’m always connected to everyling.”

He tapped his horn.

“The hivemind is great like that. I really don’t get how everyone else gets by without having everyone you love all cuddled up in each other’s brains.”

Elias resisted the urge to gag at the thought of such privacy violation, but luckily, Granite did it for him.

“You can’t tell me you enjoy having everyone buzzing around in your head,” the earth pony said in disbelief. “I would lose my mind if my family was anywhere near that close.”

Elias frowned slightly.

“So you do have family then.”

He could feel the earth pony wince, and when he didn’t reply, Elias glanced down at him.

“Well?”

Gray Granite refused to meet his eyes, instead opting to stare at the ground.

“I… do. Parents, two brothers, one sister.”

Elias looked to the crowds of ponies, looking for anyone still searching.

“Are they here?”

“I don’t have anything to say to them General,” Granite said. “They didn’t get why I joined up then, and they don’t get why I’m going into harm’s w-“

“That wasn’t my question Centurion,” Elias cut in. “I asked; are they here?”

The earth pony shrank slightly.

“Y-yes General. My sister is.”

“Then go talk to her,” Elias said. “Go say your goodbyes. You may be strong Centurion, but nobody is invincible. Say your goodbyes while your still alive, even if it makes you uncomfortable. You still love these ponies, right?”

“Well, yes, but-“

“But nothing. Git.”

Granite let out a sigh and he drooped.

“Okay General, I will.”

Elias grunted in surprise as a firm set of hooves wrapped around his chest, managing to squeeze him despite his steel cuirass.

“Goodbye Elias,” he whispered. “You’ve been the best friend I ever had, and no matter what happens, you always will be.”

Before Elias’ brain could fire enough to come up with a response, Granite was gone, trotting into the crowd without looking back. Elias stared after him blankly, while Snowball chuckled.

“While I can’t say I didn’t see that coming, I’m still surprised he went through with it.” He shook his head. “Just shows that you can’t predict ponies.”

Elias gave him an incredulous look.

“You knew he would do that? I…” he shook his head slowly. “I thought we were just barely friends. We’ve barely ever spoken to each other.”

Snowball snorted.

“He’s a quiet pony Elias. He isn’t Night Flash. Not every interaction is an excuse to cuddle.” The loveling gave a shrug. “Granite has always looked up to you, at least as much as I’ve seen. All the ponies in the legion idolize you to some extent, but Granite puts you above everyone. I’d almost go so far as to say he believes you infallible. He’s loyal to a fault.”

“Why?” Elias asked. “What have I done to earn that level of loyalty? Yes, I’ve taken measures to ensure that the legion follows my orders above all else, but that’s a command thing. It doesn’t extend outside of all this.” He motioned around them. “It certainly shouldn’t extend to a personal level. Not to this extent.”

Snowball shrugged again.

“I don’t have proof that you’re wrong, but if I had to guess, I would say that you were the first pony to offer him his own path. You heard what he said about his family not understanding this life, but you do. More than anypony, you do. Maybe it’s that. How did you two meet?”

“He was standing beside me during the RATE exam,” Elias said. “When we were going to the teleportation circle, he was tailing behind Book Binder, Scarlet, Night Flash and I, so I called him over to tag along with us. He was the newest Lunar Guard at that point. That was that. He just became our, or really my friend, after.”

Snowball smiled.

“That is such an Elias friendship story.”

When the human shot him a glare, the loveling raised a hoof.

“Not criticizing or making light, merely observing.” He straightened and his smile returned. “But I think that’s it. Loyalty doesn’t have to always be earned by great sweeping gestures. For some ponies, it’s the little things. You’ve just done a lot right for Granite, and he loves you for it.”

Snowball smacked his lips, and his eyes took on a sharp glow for a moment.

“And that hug wasn’t for show either. He loves you as much as Night Flash and Book Binder do.”

His muzzle curled and his tongue flicked out.

“Though his love does have a different taste to it. It’s a little dulled by all the official masking from being one of your officers, but it does have a distinct brotherly tinge.”

He shrugged and let out a small chirp, blushing slightly as he did so. Coughing into a hoof, Snowball looked toward the stage, pointedly avoiding Elias’ eyes.

“Nothing I’d be worried about for the moment General, and if you're concerned, I’d just talk to him after the march.”

“Going to be doing a lot of talking after the march,” Elias muttered.

He then straightened and began walking toward the storehouse where their gear was stowed.

“Either way, let’s get to work Adiutor. When twenty minutes are up I want everyone on the street in formation, in full gear. Ready the inventory lists.”

*****

The rest of the day was a simple blur of shouting, lines, and marching while ponies cheered and wept on the side of the road. For the march out of Canterlot and through Equestria, the column moved by the age of the force. The first established came first, and the crowds roared as the somewhat secretive Royal Guards led the parade. Formed from the original bodyguards of the princesses, the Royal Guards were the eldest guard force by thousands of years. Elias had never really made the connection, but when it had been pointed out to him, he realized that he had never actually seen Royal Guards in their own colors outside the castle. Typically, their units were sent as secret back up, using the enchantments in their armor to blend with whatever force they were supporting. Now, however, their black and red armor gleamed in the sunlight, and they marched in clear, disciplined lines.

Second came the Solar Guard, which had formed from the defunct Equestrian Army. Disbanded after the Nightmare War, the Solar Guard had become the first response group to smaller threats, like raids and border disputes. As the Royal Guards faded into the background, letting their quiet legend build, the Solar Guard became the public face of Equestria’s guards, and so came second in the parade. Nearly half a mile of street was filled with golden bodies, though Elias attributed that to the somewhat lax approach some of the Solar Guards took to their “march”. Many of them carried bags filled with sweets, and they raced about, making sure every foal in sight got swarmed with candy. The faces of the ponies were a direct match to their armor; shiny, eye catching, and oozing with cheer.

They were followed immediately by the royal chariot, decked out in both the lunar, and solar banners of Equestria, and filled with the three princesses and their caretakers. The alicorns were all smiles and waves as they passed the crowds of ponies, and as expected, their passing brought about near riot levels of cheering. Though it shouldn't have, it surprised Elias just how devoted ponies were to their princesses, and seeing the alicorns depowered and taking such risks on their behalf had only driven that devotion up further. The roads were lined with ponies carrying signs showing their support for the princesses, and though they hadn’t declared anything, the beginning of the march had become a de-facto holiday. Most of the businesses in Canterlot were closed, and those that weren’t were located along their exit route, profiting off of the hordes of ponies.

Directly behind the carriage came the Lunar Guards, and though they were similarly armed with bags of candy, the blue armored ponies didn't perform quiet as cheerily as their Solar Guard counterparts. Elias knew from his experience among them that most of the Lunar Guards liked the quiet of the nighttime. Most of the castle scribes were in the Lunar Guard, and as such liked cool nights spent reading in silence to sunny days filled with cheery ponies. Nightshade in particular looked uncomfortable, and she, as well as the other thestrals, was sporting a pair of sunglasses, keeping the yellow rays from her sensitive eyes. Still, the ponies lining the parade route gave the blue clad guards cheers that matched the intensity of the guards before them.

Their history was an interesting one, and Elias, having been a member for at least a few months, had put the most time into his knowledge of the Lunar Guard. Officially, the Lunar Guard was an entirely new force established upon Luna's return, with no history to speak of. Those within the group knew better of course, knew that the first set of armor commissioned for the Lunar Guard had been purple, before being replaced by modern blue. The purple armor had been from Luna's original guard force; the Midnight Raiders, a force that had completely turned traitor when she had become Nightmare Moon, and who had attempted an assassination attempt on Celestia after Nightmare Moon had been banished. In retaliation, Celestia had the group's surviving members hunted down, and those that hadn't fled to the mountain thestral cities were killed. The force had then been stricken from the record, a record Luna had mended on her return. The blue alicorn had seen wisdom in letting the name, and eventually the armor, be relegated to history, but the Lunar Guard's knew they had a storied past, even if it wasn't openly discussed. The thestrals in particular were proud of the Midnight Raiders, as the ancient force had almost exclusively been manned by their people. Elias smiled faintly at the memory of exchanging a cuddle with Nightshade in exchange for the full tale. It was one of the only times the thestral had given even the slightest care about her people's past, and though she had shut down any further talk, he had managed to glean that she had unresolved with her ancestral home. Elias left that tale for another day. He knew it would cost a great deal more than a snuggle.

Second to last in the column, tailed only by the lengthy baggage train, came the Legio I Equus. They had no history, but ultimately, it didn't matter. They would soon have one, and Elias knew that no matter the legion's fate, it would be a glorious history, if nothing else. Marching with their shields strapped to their packs and pila in their hooves, the legionaries moved on three legs in crisp, perfectly straight lines. It had been on Night Flash’s recommendation that the ponies march with one leg occupied, had justified it by talking about how impressive it was for the legion’s marching lines to be perfectly straight despite not having use of all four legs.

And ponies were impressed, Elias could see it in their eyes as he walked with the legion standards. Besides the temporary banners attached to the royal carriage, none of the guard forces had their own banners, save for his. The gleaming silver armor of his legionaries clashed with the brilliant red undershirts they wore, drawing eyes to the legion. The rearing pony that was the legion ‘aquila’ gleamed in the sun, showering golden beams of light onto the street. It was paired with the red-backed, golden eagle standard, and both standards were carried by the only two ponies with unique armor in the legion.

Elias wasn’t someone who often publicly admitted his mistakes, but it had been a carefully planned out ceremony when he had presented Star Orchid and Thunderstorm with their modified helmets. Throughout the final weeks of training, the pair had proven themselves as the best fighters in the legion outside of his officer core, and so he had offered both an apology for their near dismissal, as well as a promotion that they had both eagerly accepted. Accompanied with a title change, as well as a pay raise, was a unique set of weapons, as well as new helmets. Thunderstorm’s wings gleamed with enchanted wing blades, while on his head sat a helmet that had been outfitted with a manticore pelt by Anyon. He carried the aquila, bearing the golden pony with a calm, even gaze.

Star Orchid’s helmet sported a unique purple plume, the color jarring amongst the legion’s red. Her tunic matched the sharp purple of her plume, and had been modified to include heavy leather padding around her core areas. The tunic alone could turn aside arrows and spear jabs, but coupled with her heavy legionary armor, now enchanted to be more durable, nothing short of a full-sized dragon could hurt the mare.

It was easy to fall into his smile-less stature, but Elias felt close to beaming with pride as his legionaries drew eyes. The assignment of the formal standard bearers had been the final step on his miles-long checklist for legion preparedness, and save for actually leading the march, it signified that his job was largely complete. His ponies were as ready as he could make them, and though he fretted and worried in private, there wasn’t much more he could do but maintain their training.

The crowds along the parade path continued until they were well out of Canterlot, and even then, the break in the walls of cheering ponies wasn’t long. Over a mile before they reached Ponyville, ponies once again started lining the road, their cheers welcoming the army to it’s first stop.

Technically speaking, the Saddle Arabian march was to last four weeks, with the first full week taking place within Equestria’s borders. The army was to march slowly from town to town, with six stops before they picked up their supplies on Equestria’s westernmost border city; Bordertown. The whole manuever had been sold as a PR campaign, and whatever reason Celestia claimed it was for, Elias knew that it was yet another method to broadcast Equestria’s newfound power. He wasn’t prideful enough to think that he had taught them the lesson, but he knew that all three alicorns knew the power of scare tactics.

It was in Bordertown where the army would shed the additional passengers it had accompanying it through the easy portion of the march. Anyon was still working on some of the special weapons Elias’ had commissioned, with his marefriend hidden in one of the wagons, while Scalpel was simply additional medical support if anyone happened to get injured. As they had left Canterlot, a few families had also joined in the march, hopeful that a few family cuddles would ward away harm.

It was also in Bordertown that the army would pick up the remainder of its supplies. While Elias’ legion was already packing much of their gear and weaponry, they still had to pick up fresh food and water, while the other three guard forces had to pick up the full weight of their marching packs. The princesses had commissioned a massive storehouse for the army’s needs, and the other generals had used the storehouse to its fullest, commissioning Bordertown's smiths, carpenters, and seamstresses to outfit them, then store the gear to wait until their arrival. Since they weren’t packing nearly the same level of tools and equipment he was, Elias supposed it didn’t matter.

The first night in Ponyville was quiet, and while most of the guards were given shelter in town, Elias had all of his legionaries sleep outside under the stars. The weather ponies were supposed to keep things dry and relatively mild, and everyone needed to get used to sleeping where it was colder, himself included. On the first night, once all the tents had been set up in the proper arrangement, he had withdrawn to a quiet spot under a tree, and had merely laid out his sleeping bag, and slept in the open. The act reminded him of old times, and early in the morning, it reminded him far too much of old times. Nightmares after midnight drove him awake, and until dawn he had sat up, checking through his pack by the light of a small fire. Once the sun broke the horizon, and he had re-packed his ruck, then had woken up the camp, and within another hour the army was moving again.

The same thing happened each time they stopped. Each town offered to house the army in full, and Elias politely rejected their offers, opting to get his legion used to sleeping in colder climes. Each night he found somewhere alone to sleep, and each night he woke to a night terror, sometimes slowly, and sometimes suddenly, momentarily flying into a panic that it had all been a dream, that he was again trapped in a desolate wasteland. Luckily, lights from the guards watching over the legion standards always jarred him free, and he built a small fire to ward off the air’s chill.

On the final day, the march was far quieter, with fewer and fewer ponies appearing along the road. Those that did slowly became muted, and eventually, they regarded the marching ponies with a wide range of stares. Some were still happy of course, especially when they noticed the princesses, ever smiling in their open-top carriage, but others stared at the passing guardsponies with looks of fear, anger, or disgust. The loose formation of the Solar Guards quickly tightened up, and where there had been talking and occasionally singing, there was nothing but silence. The absence of sound was music to Elias’ ears, as was what it indicated. None of the ponies could feel ecstatic about marching into foreign territory, and even though it wasn’t the calm stoicism his legionaries projected, the other guards could at least hold some trace of nervousness. It would make them check over their shoulders more often, and with a greater sense of awareness of their surroundings came a reduced chance of ambush.

If nothing else, he was glad more ponies were becoming paranoid.

Unlike the other towns and villages in Equestria, Bordertown was not a leisurely farming sprawl. Instead, the town was built like a fortress, with soaring walls of stone that kept a tight ring of the town. What farms did exist outside the town were carefully fenced in, and Elias noticed guards of all species watching over the croplands. Gryphons sat in the thick canopies of oak trees, crossbows sitting idle in their talons. Overlooking some earth pony workers, a pair of minotaurs kept a careful eye on the army as it marched by, and Elias noticed steel warhammers glinting in the sun on their backs.

The grey walls of Bordertown were easily visible for miles, and by the time they came into view, what creatures were on the roads were rarely ponies. Instead, a mix of minotaurs, diamond dogs, and zebras plodded along, regarding the army with open suspicion. On more than occasion the Royal Guards broke formation to drive off some particularly prideful creatures who refused to move out of the way. None of them put up a real fight though, especially not once weapons were drawn.

They managed to make it to Bordertown’s gates without great issue, and they were met outside by a small group of grey armored ponies. Messengers sprinted through the army, and Elias, as well as the princesses and the other generals made their way to the front of the formation. Elias and Nightshade ended up arriving first, and watched as Midnight Chaser removed his helmet and trotted forward from the Royal Guard section.

A cobalt blue pegasus trotted forward from amongst the grey clad guards, meeting Chaser with a grin. At first glance, Elias noticed that the stallion was slightly bulkier, and almost a head taller than the grey general.

“Well I’ll be,” the blue pegasus said, “is that Little Chase I see before me?”

Chaser began to reach out for a hoof shake, but the larger pegasus reached out a foreleg and dragged him close, nuzzling Chaser’s head. Nightshade looked toward Elias with an aghast expression.

“Little Chase?” she whispered.

Elias shrugged and looked back to the pair of pegasi as Chaser pushed away from the hug, flushed red and brushing his mane back down. He coughed loudly and tried to avoid anyone’s eyes.

“Storm Chaser, it’s been awhile. I see you still haven’t stopped hugging as a greeting.”

Storm Chaser’s grin widened.

“And I see you still haven’t learned to take a friendly little hug. Other than that though, I have to say, you’ve changed quite a bit since I last saw you.” His muzzle curled slightly. “Though you still look too fluffy. Have you been spending any time in the clouds?”

Midnight Chaser flushed harder.

“Not all of us were able to juggle lightning bolts out of flight school Storm. Some of us actually specialized in combat.”

Storm Chaser’s grin didn’t diminish and he threw a hoof around Midnight Chaser’s withers, spinning the grey pegasus around. Storm Chaser winked at Nightshade.

“He just says that because he never was too good with storm clouds. A master with wingblades, but a rogue thunderhead?” He jostled the grey pegasus. “This one is about as useful as a unicorn.”

While the tall blue pegasus laughed, Nightshade stuck her nose in the air and moved forward, sticking herself between the pair. Using her wings, she pushed them apart, and tucked one of her wings over Midnight Chaser’s body.

“Well I for one like how fluffy he is,” she said. “It makes him an excellent cuddler.”

Elias’ mouth tightened into a thin line as he tried not to grin. Midnight Chaser turned a deeper shade of red, and he just slowly shook his head as he tried not to run away. Most of the Royal Guards were only just barely holding back open laughter at his expense, and he, as well as everyone around him, knew that he would be in for a relentless amount of teasing later. Elias was just glad he wasn't on the receiving end for once.

Luckily for General Chaser, the rest of the generals arrived with the princesses in tow. The alicorns moved slow, supported by their maids, but each stood up straight as they approached Storm Chaser. The blue pegasus’ smile finally disappeared and he trotted up to the princesses with a professional glare on his face. He saluted the alicorn's sharply.

“Royal Guard Captain Storm Chaser, Border Detachment 2, at your service princesses.”

Celestia inclined her head slightly, and Storm Chaser’s salute dropped.

“It is good to see you again Captain,” she said. “I trust Bordertown has been treating you well?”

The blue pegasus snorted.

“It’s still rife with crime and spies, but everyone pays their taxes and there aren’t many murders, so I can safely say that it’s better than it was when I arrived. I hope your not trying to stay the night in town though.”

Celestia chuckled.

“It has been many years since my last visit Captain, but I still know better than to try that. We will be sleeping in our camp tonight, and we will leave first thing in the morning.”

Storm Chaser smiled once again.

“Good, my guards will be ready by then. Who will be replacing us?”

Celestia looked to Nightshade, who let out a shrill whistle. Within a moments Captain Cinnamon Twirl came trotting forth with a mixed contingent of Lunar and Solar Guard forces. Nightshade then looked to Storm Chaser.

“Captain, these ponies will be watching over Bordertown while you’re gone.”

Storm Chaser frowned at the ponies as they fell into a loose block. His eyes took on an inspecting look, and the longer he stared, the more disappointed he looked.

“Well,” he started slowly, “we’re only supposed to be gone for three weeks anyway, and there are more of you than we normally have… I guess you’ll do. Follow Sergeant Horncutter over there. He’ll get you settled in the barracks and briefed up on your duties.”

A brown unicorn stepped away from the grey clad ponies, and he led Cinnamon Twirl and her guards into the city. Storm Chaser then looked to Midnight Chaser.

“I’m guessing your in charge of everything else then?”

Midnight Chaser’s eyes flicked toward Elias for a moment, before shifting over to the princesses.

“Actually, who holds full control of the army has yet to be decided. As of now each branch has been handling their own logistics and lodging.”

Storm Chaser shrugged.

“That’s a bit odd, but since everyone’s here…”

He flapped into the air and pointed to a barren field off to the side of the town, his voice loud as he called out to them.

“Out there’s the perfect spot for setting up camp. We’ve got the weather patrol keeping it upwind of the sewer outflow, so it shouldn’t stink, and with so many guards, nobody is going to mess with you. My guards will mingle with the replacements for the night, so don’t worry about posting watchponies. Just have a night on the town, don’t do anything stupid, then get a good night’s sleep. We’ll make sure nothing too bad happens.”

His wings closed to his barrel, and he plummeted to the ground, landing with an audible thud. The blue pegasus took the hard impact without issue however, and he offered a slight bow to Celestia.

“If you need any escorts feel free to let me know Princess. Bordertown may be rough, but everyone knows my rules, and one of them is respect the guards. Nobody will so much as look at you on our watch.”

Celestia smiled and glanced back to Luna and Cadence.

“I think I can speak for the three of us when I say that we shall pass on a formal visit for now. Perhaps once we have some measure of our power returned.”

She bowed her head slightly to Storm Chaser.

“No insult intended of course. I’m sure Bordertown is a fine place to visit.”

The blue pegasus laughed.

“Only if you like shady dealings and more illegal contraband than we can handle! No offense taken Princess, I wouldn’t visit our little town either.” He chuckled and looked back to the stone walls. “Although, I’m sure a few of our residents are glad for that very fact.”

He looked back to Celestia.

“Still, my guards will keep watch for trouble, so anyone who wants a little trip into trouble can take it. I promise they won’t get too roughed up.” His eyes flicked to Chaser. "Besides, now Little Chase and I can catch up!"

Elias glanced toward Midnight Chaser, who, while still flushed red, managed to maintain his composure. After a nod of permission, the human turned toward the still waiting column of ponies and let out a shrill whistle. Waving his hand in a circle to further grab eyes, he motioned to the spot Storm Chaser had indicated.

“Set up camp!” he bellowed. “Castra arrangement. The sooner you are finished, the sooner you get to have a night off!”

Inspired by the thought of having time to relax, the three guard forces broke formation in a rush, only showing hesitation when they had to wait for the legion engineers to show them where to play their tents. Without needing his direct orders, his legionaries moved forward in their normal formation and began ringing the field with their supply wagons.

Storm Chaser seemed to appear at his side as he let out a low whistle.

“Now that’s discipline,” he said as the rows of legionaries marched by. “I’ve gotten more than a few letters about this little guard force of yours, but Chase didn’t do it justice. I’ve never seen ponies resist the call of leave.”

Elias snorted.

“You’ve never seen ponies trained by me then.”

As the legion engineers marked off the boundaries of the castra, the legion quartermasters began passing out tents to the legionaries. Calls of confusion quickly began to ring out as blue and gold armored ponies mingled with the silver clad ones, and Elias frowned as what should have been the normal, orderly set up became muddled and slowed with too many bodies packed into a too small space.

He glanced over his shoulder to where the other generals were talking in a huddle. Storm Chaser followed his eyes, then looked back to the mass of ponies gathered around the legion supply wagons.

“Did they not bring tents?” he asked.

“Apparently not,” Elias said. “But I thought they were supposed to be waiting in some big storehouse here.”

Storm Chaser let out a small sigh of realization.

“That’s right, Chase mentioned something like that. I’ll send someone to start dragging those wagons out here in a minute.” Clearing his throat, the pegasus asked; “So General, I’ve heard a lot about you. Any intentions on going into the city?”

Elias let a small grin spread on his face.

“Go into a place where there’s no drinking age and plenty of booze? Please, not even the princesses could stop me. The castle blacksmith and I are going in once we’re done with set up.”

Storm Chaser grinned.

“My recommendation is the Festering Water Hole. Smells terrible, but they’ve got the strongest stuff in town. I’ll see if I can’t do a fly by so we can talk more.”

“About what?” Elias asked.

Storm Chaser shrugged.

“I don’t know. We’ll see. Any friend of Chase is a friend of mine, and I like getting to know all of my friends.”

He spread his wings in preparation of taking off, but he paused and grinned up at Elias.

“That, and Ice Blossom tells me that you got snagged by the Cuddle Master himself. We’ll see if I can get you drunk enough for a quick cuddle.”

Storm Chaser immediately took off, even as the last words were coming from his muzzle. Elias scowled after the pony as he landed amongst the generals, leading them toward the city gates.

“Like that will ever happen,” he growled.

He turned on his heel toward the supply wagons, where the quartermasters were a step away from starting a riot, shouting at legionaries, and guards alike.

Author's Note:

Storm Chaser brought to you by Apollyon602

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