Chapter 6: Reflections
Journal Entry
Day 1490
I am insane. I have to be. I saw this light floating by a few days ago, I ignored it, thought it was just my mind playing tricks because I was hungry, but two days ago I started seeing someone creeping around my house. Kept looking at the doors and the windows, like he was trying to get in. When I got outside, nothing. No trace, not even a dusty footprint. Maybe he left though, was just too curious for his own good. What keeps messing with me is that I swear I saw his face, just for a second, when he looked up.
He looked just like me.
There has to be a reason, right? I haven’t seen anyone in three weeks, and the first guy I see... It has to be my imagination, right? Right?
Elias stormed into the silence of the night, the slapping of his sandals the only source of noise. His mind was on fire. He wanted to scream. His frustrations, his anger. He wanted to yell into the empty black of the night sky, just to hear the sound. He wanted to thrash about, destroy something, slam his arms on something till they snapped, anything. He needed to feel something.
Elias did none of that, and instead grimaced in silence until he stumbled upon a marble railing overlooking a sheer cliff. He took a deep breath and leaned against the rail, his eyes staring into nothing as he tried to sort through his thoughts.
He growled and screwed his eyes shut. He tried to visualize his mind, to lock away the memories that had been dragged from the dark holes where he kept them. The more he tried control his thoughts, the more they got away from him. Past fears, and doubts slowly rose up, and Elias’ breath quickened. He gripped the rail with his good hand as he tried vainly to keep control.
In a wave, everything that had happened hit him like a ton of bricks, driving the air from his chest. Elias struggled to breathe as his thoughts began wreaking havoc in full force. The losses of the past few months, the injuries he had tried to shrug off, the absolute absurdity of the situation he found himself in. Talking, magical ponies. He had to have gone insane again. Last time was nowhere near as vivid, nor as outlandish, but it had to be his mind failing. He had no other way to rationalize what had happened over the past few days.
Just as Elias felt he was going to pitch over the edge, he heard footsteps behind him, and his mind cleared like a bucket of water had been tossed onto a campfire. Elias shook his head and tried to mentally prepare for what was coming.
“Oh, bravo Elias! Well done!”
Elias screwed his eyes shut.
“Shut up,” he growled.
A hand planted itself firmly on his back, shaking his shoulder.
“Why? You did great! An opportunity for a fresh start and you throw it away like you always have. Your determination to remain alone is truly commendable.”
Elias slapped the hand away and whirled around to face himself.
“Fuck off. You aren’t real, and even if you were, you have no idea what I have to live with, nobody does.”
Other-Elias clapped his hands and laughed.
“Ah, but see that’s just it! Nobody knows! And yet here you are, treating the people who took you in, free of charge I might add, like they are the enemy, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary.”
“What evidence?” Elias snapped. “Chasing me off a cliff? Nearly getting me killed?”
“First off, the guard told you that they just wanted to talk, and you attacked him,” Other-Elias said, counting the points on his fingers. “Second, you ran off that cliff because you weren’t paying attention.” He extended another finger, “And third, even after all that, they still kept you alive and patched you up. Does that really sound like they were honestly trying to kill you?”
Elias didn’t reply, simply spinning back around to stare out into the night. Other-Elias clapped and laughed again.
“Ha! You can’t even refute me! How low have you truly fallen?”
Elias spun around and tried to backhand Other-Elias, but his hand passed right through his grinning face.
“Very nice Elias. You already said I’m not real, and yet you’re going to try and hit me? You really are pathetic these days huh? Striking imaginary enemies, driving away potential allies for perceived slights, truly the epitome of modern man.”
“What would you have me do?” Elias shouted, throwing his arms out wide. “How else am I supposed to act? Why do I even keep going anymore? What is the point of all this?”
Other-Elias chuckled and shook his head.
“If you’re asking for the answers to the mysteries of life like why we’re here, you’re gonna need to look elsewhere bud. If you are genuinely asking for advice on how to un-fuck this situation however, that I can help with.”
Other-Elias paused, crossing his arms. Elias waited in silence for a second before crossing his own arms.
“Well? What “advice” do you have for me oh wise one?” he snapped sarcastically.
Other-Elias stared at Elias for a second, his face becoming serious.
“I think it’s very simple. Change.”
Elias stared at him in disbelief.
“That’s it? Change? Are you fucking kidding me? That’s your big premier advice?”
Other-Elias shook his head and sighed.
“You asked why you keep going, and honestly, there is no answer for that. You have no reason to keep breathing. We got our revenge months ago, we just kept attacking those raiders because it was something to do. Now, that’s gone. We have nothing.”
Other-Elias moved around Elias and leaned against the rail, his eyes staring up at the moon.
“All of that is the past though. We can’t go back, and even if we could we shouldn’t. There’s nothing for us but death back on Earth.”
Elias sighed and leaned on the rail next to him, his eyes staring at his hands.
“So, what do I do? You said change, but how? How do I go forward from where I am now when I lack purpose?”
“That’s what needs to change first," Other-Elias replied. "I have a good feeling that the ponies were going to offer… something. A job maybe, I don’t know. Whatever it is though, it is a chance. Right now, the only purpose we have is to find a purpose. Something worth fighting for.”
Elias smirked.
“And here I was thinking you were gonna tell me some BS about laying down the sword and becoming a farmer.”
Other-Elias gave him a deadpanned look.
“Us becoming a farmer is about as likely as us going to the moon.”
Elias sighed and rested his forehead on the railing.
“How do I fix what I’ve just broken? How am I going to go back in there and not look like a deranged, violent psychopath? How do I even go about convincing myself that I’m not out-of-my-mind crazy? I can’t keep control. I’ve tried with little success because I simply don’t know how to keep sane.”
Other-Elias laughed.
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure something out. We’re smart like that. You want my advice though? I would open your eyes and stop talking to yourself.”
Elias took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Other-Elias was gone, was never there in the first place. Elias didn’t bother looking around. He had spent weeks trying to find evidence that Other-Elias was something more substantive than his imagination, but had always come up short. The fact that he had somehow followed Elias through the anomaly confirmed the fact that the being didn’t exist outside of the boundaries of Elias’ mind.
Before he could think of a solution, Elias’ ears caught the subtle footfalls of somebody who was trying to sneak around, but was terrible at it. He didn’t even bother turning around; he had a sneaking suspicion who it was anyway.
“You can come out. You’re not fooling anyone Scalpel.”
The footsteps fell silent, as if Elias hadn’t already called the pony out. Then he heard a sigh and the unicorn walked carefully onto the stonework before the balcony. Scalpel walked to within a few steps of Elias before he stopped. Elias could imagine a few of the things running through the pony’s mind, none of them likely good. He braced himself, ready for the dismissal, the hostile words that were surely brewing. He’d been thrown out of much worse places for much less.
He was surprised when Scalpel asked;
“Are you alright?”
Elias smiled mentally, chuckling.
‘No,’ he thought.
“I’m fine,” he replied aloud; his expression blank.
Scalpel sighed, and trotted up beside Elias. He braced his forelegs against the rail, joining Elias in looking out over the dark landscape.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Scalpel asked.
Elias shook his head.
“I think I have shown everyone how I handle talking about it.”
Scalpel snorted and leaned his chin against the rail.
“I guess so, but I think Ms. Sparkle was way out of line. Anypony with eyes could have seen that it was a touchy subject. I should have stepped in, should have pushed the conversation somewhere else. For that I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Elias replied, side-eyeing the pony. “You owe me nothing. I am more than capable of looking after myself."
He exhaled deeply and looked out again. He could see lights dotting the landscape, clusters of brightness in an otherwise featureless landscape. Elias did his best to ignore the pony beside him, he had no interest in talking.
Scalpel looked at him.
“How long have you been alone Elias?”
Elias started at the sudden question. It was a deep one too. Scalpel seemed to notice the increase in tension, so he reached out with a hoof, gently touching Elias’ cast.
“You don’t have to answer if you feel uncomfortable,” Scalpel said softly. “I just want to help, and I believe that a bit of background information is important so that I don’t make things worse.”
Elias shrugged off the pony, turning his shoulder away to close himself off. Irritation flashed in his mind, and Elias considered telling the pony to leave him be. That small voice at the back of his head recommended a different method, so Elias settled for the middle ground.
“What am I doing here Scalpel?” he asked. “Why are you trying to help me? I’ve already done more than enough to be driven away, so why do you ponies seem to care so much?”
Scalpel smiled.
“Because that’s how ponies are Elias. It’s in our nature.”
Elias scoffed.
“I guess that’s where we differ. Humans aren’t kind. Humans don’t care. They’re vicious, nasty creatures whose sole goal in life seems to be to destroy.” He rubbed at the palm of his hand. “I am no different, so you’re much better just leaving me be.”
“I don’t believe that Elias. If that were true, you would not be haunted as you are,” Scalpel said. “If you truly only valued destruction, you wouldn’t study cultures, you wouldn’t tell stories about flying humans. We have not known each other for long Elias, but I have no doubt that you have much to share, and I have hunch that most of it isn’t destructive in anyway.”
Elias grunted in response, but remained otherwise silent. He wished he could find something to look at in the dark, but his eyes simply couldn’t see far enough. So, Elias looked up, trying to study the stars, trying to compare them to the stars he saw far too little of on Earth. Scalpel tapped him gently on his cast. Elias looked to the pony, most of his anger gone, replaced by a feeling of tired depression. The pony smiled though.
“If you don’t mind me asking, did you want to fly before the… “end”?” Scalpel asked.
Elias shook his head.
“No,” he said blankly, thinking to end any conversation before it started.
Scalpel looked at him curiously, evidently having other ideas.
“But what about all of that stuff about seeing the stars? You sounded absolutely fascinated by it.”
Elias shrugged.
“I’ve done a lot of reading. Nothing more. I used to be curious, but that is gone with everything else. Drop it.”
Scalpel frowned.
“Talking about your interests is a good way to cope and move past trauma. It is better to be open about yourself rather than to bottle it all up.”
Elias felt his eye twitch as his irritation changed to anger. He turned to the pony with a tight-lipped expression.
“You’re right, I should be more open.” Elias threw his arms wide. “What would you like to know? Favorite color? What I had for breakfast yesterday perhaps?” Elias winked and tapped his nose, giving the pony a false smile. “Oh, I know, how about all the ways I’ve killed people? Would you like to know the number? Perhaps you would like to know which ones deserved it and which ones didn’t?”
Scalpel took a step back, fear flashing briefly across his face. Elias snorted, letting the act drop.
“No,” he said flatly. “I don’t need to be more open. I think I need to stay as silent and isolated as I can. For the betterment of others,” he finished with a sneer.
Elias leaned against the rail again, looking out into the dark once more. He could see the lights of faraway towns and hamlets, wondered what they were like. His imagination was of no use, as ugly and bent as it was, so Elias dismissed the wishful thinking from his mind and sighed.
“Why are you out here Scalpel? It can’t be for my charming personality.”
The pony matched his sigh.
“No,” Scalpel agreed. “Princess Celestia sent me to see if you would come back inside. She has admonished her student and wishes to continue where we left off.”
Elias smirked.
“Where we left off was me shouting, having a small panic attack, and then storming out. Why you? Why not the guard? Surely an armed pony would have a better chance of bringing me back if I said no.”
Scalpel shrugged.
“Princess Celestia thought you might be more comfortable if a friend came to talk with you.”
Elias’ eyes narrowed.
“Then we’re back to square one, why did she send you?”
“W-well I thought…” Scalpel stammered.
Elias straightened and fixed the pony with a stare.
“You thought you were my friend?” he asked.
Scalpel nodded, and Elias noticed his tail wag slightly.
“You aren't,” Elias said with finality.
He felt a measure of satisfaction in watching the pony visibly droop. If he could be cruel enough, he would drive the good doctor away, ensuring his future safety. The small voice at the back of his mind tried to protest, but Elias shoved it away. It would be better for all.
“Listen closely Doctor Scalpel, we are not, and we will never be friends. I do not have friends because my friends end up in early graves.”
He took a step forward, and was pleased to see Scalpel take a step back.
“I have no friends; I have no family. I will never have either. That is better for me, and better for everyone else, because that means nobody gets hurt by my actions, but me.”
Elias snorted.
“Do the smart thing and stay as far away as possible. You’ll live longer.”
Then he turned away, not waiting to see the pony’s reaction. Elias leaned back against the rail, waiting to hear the retreat of footsteps. After waiting for nearly a minute, Elias looked to his side, and found that the unicorn was still standing there. He was watching Elias intently, as if studying him, working out the right thing to say. Elias grimaced; he didn’t need the pony getting ideas.
“Go back inside Scalpel,” Elias said with force. “I’ll go back when I’ve figured out what I’m going to do next.”
The pony remained in place. Elias growled.
“Go damnit!” he shouted, shocking Scalpel into motion.
He watched the pony bolt into the trees, his footsteps moving briskly away. Elias snorted and turned back to the open air once more. He counted to twenty before the second pony dropped from the branches of the trees.
“That wasn’t very nice of you Elias,” Nightshade said as she walked from the shadows.
“Yeah?” Elias said without turning around. “Good. Maybe he’ll take my advice and stay away from me. It’s better for his health.”
Nightshade snorted in reply.
“I’m sure you are the authority on what is healthy Mr. Gaping Chest Wound.”
Elias looked over his shoulder at the pony.
“Don’t act so flippant Captain. If my memory is correct, you were to one who wanted me to choke on my own blood yes?”
Nightshade frowned, giving Elias a reason to smile.
“That’s what I thought. Chin up though, you were absolutely right.” He faced forward. “You should have left me to die.”
The pony remained silent for a moment, before Elias heard chuckling behind him. He scowled and shoved off the rail, turning around to find Nightshade barely concealing her laughter behind an armored hoof. Elias tucked his thumbs into his sword belt.
“Something funny?” he asked flatly.
Nightshade nodded, pointing at Elias.
“Yeah,” she snickered, “I’m looking at a joke right now.”
Elias smirked.
“Cute. But unless I’m mistaken, one of us is a wastelander with enough blood on his hands to fill an ocean, while the other is a pony who looks like they have less fight in them than some of my meals. Spare me your contempt.”
Nightshade giggled.
“You really are sad. Believe me, you don’t have my contempt, just my pity.”
Elias frowned.
“Then spare me that as well. I no more need your pity than I need Scalpel’s “friendship”. I’ll find my own way, alone. Just like always.”
Nightshade shrugged, tilting her head slightly. Elias didn’t like the smirk still decorating her face.
“You could, but you are going to have a devil of a time convincing the princesses to let you go free. You’ve shown an unwillingness to be peaceful with their ponies, and I’m afraid that’s a big no no. Kindhearted we may be, but not so kind to let a threat walk away free of charge.”
Her smile widened slightly.
“Besides, alone? Really doesn’t seem to work out for you big guy. Especially not when you go running off cliffs without wings. I kind of figured a new species would be smarter than that.”
Elias shrugged, using the motion to disguise his hand moving toward the hilt of his gladius.
“Tends to happen when one is chased off a cliff. I wished to be left alone, but I was pursued. I did what I thought would aid my escape, and I’ll continue to do so now.”
Nightshade sighed and tossed her mane, showing Elias yet more arrogance. The sight infuriated him. It was a clear sigh than she didn't take him seriously.
“As much as I am loving this conversation, I have a job to do here. You are coming back inside, now. Princess Celestia is a big believer in second chances, so I suggest making a good impression this time. Now let’s go.”
Elias felt his thumb dance on the hilt of his gladius.
“No,” he replied simply.
Nightshade closed her eyes and sighed again, holding a hoof up to her face in exasperation.
“Please don’t make me beat you into the ground to get you back in. I really don’t want to do that paperwork again.”
Elias shrugged.
“I have made myself abundantly clear. My best-case scenario is wandering into a forest to live out as many days as I can bear before dying. Alone. I don’t need help from anyone, not from Scalpel, not from your princesses, and not from you. I don’t need your second chances.”
The small voice in the back of his head screamed at him to stop, but Elias didn’t listen. Why he had even considered Other-Elias’ advice was a mystery now. He felt his blood begin to boil as his body prepared for the fight he knew was coming.
Nightshade sighed for a third time before slamming her hoof down.
“Alright, I’ll tell you what Elias, if you can beat me in a duel, I’ll convince the princesses to let you walk into your stupid forest and wander like a fairy until you drop from another stab wound. Buck, I’ll pull the chariot to drop your ungrateful ass there.”
Elias smirked.
“Where’s the rest?” he asked, knowing that it didn’t matter. He’d been fighting hand-to-hand for years. While she had the advantage of wings and a smaller, likely faster, body, he knew he had the reach to swat her out of the air. A few well-placed hits would be enough to bring her down quickly.
Nightshade smiled broadly.
“If I win, you are going to come back inside with me. If I win in three hits, you have to accept whatever the princesses offer, and you have to play nice.”
“Really?” Elias said with a deadpan look. “Play nice? What am I, a child?”
“You certainly act like one,” Nightshade shot back.
Elias sighed and shook his head, waving his casted hand.
“What does playing nice entail?”
“Eager to lose?” Nightshade taunted.
Elias glared at the pony.
“A smart fighter knows the stakes before going into combat. It makes them fight harder. I wouldn’t expect a soft pony living in opulence to know anything about fighting though.”
Elias drew his gladius in one long motion, the steel glinting in the moonlight. Mirroring the motion he used with his shield, he balanced the blade on his cast. Nightshade flared her wings and bent low to the ground.
“I am going to enjoy putting you flat on your ass.”
“Bold talk, but I have yet to hear your little stakes if you take me down in three hits,” Elias replied evenly.
In truth he didn’t care, but mentally planning out his attack would be important if he wanted to get the drop on his undersized foe. The two began to circle each other.
“If I take you down in three hits, you have to apologize to Doctor Scalpel. You hurt him more than I think you intended; pushing him away was one thing, but I didn’t like the look in his eyes. He took it personally.”
Elias scoffed.
“That isn’t my issue. Next.”
Nightshade gritted her teeth.
“Next, you are going to answer Ms. Sparkle’s questions. I will be nearby to ensure she doesn’t overstep, but she won’t leave anyone be until she gets as much information out of you that she can. We’ll stick to human cultures.”
Elias clicked his tongue.
“Is that it? Apologize and act as a living textbook? It seems like a gross misuse of a wager.”
Nightshade shrugged.
“Those stakes are good enough for me. Besides, you have no idea what that purple terror can do. Besides the princesses, she is likely the only pony in Equestria I don’t want to pick a fight with. Standing between her and new information is a mistake nobody wants to make.”
Elias stopped, spreading his feet into a wide stance.
“Deal then. I am eager to be away from this place. It is far too nice and peaceful. I will be much happier when I am sure that nobody will get hurt on my account.”
“Besides yourself, right?” Nightshade asked, her hooves twitching as she made slight adjustments to her own fighting stance.
Elias nodded and let his face go blank. He made sure to watch her eyes as they both stood completely still, waiting for the other to make a move. The pony’s eyes seemed to flash in the low light. Elias took a deep breath before he rushed forward, leading with a hard slash at her face.
Nightshade dipped back, exactly like Elias intended. His cast punched out, acting as a makeshift mace as he tried to knock the pony over the head. As it approached contact, Nightshade seemed to disappear, vanishing from sight instantly. Elias let the swing follow through and used his overbalanced state to roll forward, sliding to his feet and back into a defensive stance, his gladius flat in front of his chest.
Their swords clashed together with a flash of sparks, allowing Elias to see a brief look of determination in Nightshade’s eyes as she gripped a short sword in her teeth. Elias drilled her in the throat with his knee, wincing slightly when it cut against the edge of her chest plate. The pony wove her way back, the sword sliding into an unseen sheathe as she coughed. She glared at Elias.
“That’s a dirty move,” she spat between coughs.
Elias reset his stance, once again balancing the blade on his cast. His knees bent as he waited for his opponent to strike back.
“There’s no such thing between combatants. To lose is to die, so all is fair for survival.”
Nightshade growled, falling back into the stance she used before. Her serious expression then turned into a smirk, and she disappeared once more. Elias narrowed his eyes as he looked for signs of movement. She wasn’t just fast; she was turning invisible. That made things more challenging. He held his breath, trying to listen for sounds of movement. All he could hear was his mild tinnitus.
Elias gasped in pain when he felt a blade run across his calves. He staggered forward, spinning in a circle as he swung his sword in all directions to ward off a second attack. He found his balance, resetting his stance as he slowly backed toward the rail. If he could cut off a direction of attack, he could better predict the strikes of his silent, invisible foe.
He felt his rump bump against the stone railing, and Elias scanned the balcony, waiting for a sign of an incoming strike.
“Two,” said a voice, only a whisper in his ear.
Elias whirled around, swinging at the air behind him. He heard a giggle, then felt a sharp sting in his good hand. Blood poured out of a long wound on his arm, making his grip on his gladius slick. Elias growled, mentally cursing himself. He had forgotten she could fly.
Nightshade chuckled as she gently set down on the ground, her wings quickly tucking against her sides.
“Give up yet?” she said mockingly.
“I’ll die first,” Elias snarled.
He rushed forward again. It had worked the first time, and she wouldn’t use the same strategy to dodge twice. If he took a swing to his left or right, he would have a fifty-fifty chance of hitting her. It wasn’t his best strategy, but he was beginning to realize he was out of his element in this fight. He wasn’t a duelist; he was a scrapper. He needed to get close and stay close. He relied heavily on his armor for protection, and without it or his shield, he was far too exposed.
As Elias prepared for the pony to move right or left, he was mildly surprised when she turned around. That surprise lasted until her hooves drilled into his chest, cracking at least two ribs as the force sent him flying backward, his sword flying from his grip. He felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder as he hit the rail, and knew instantly that he had dislocated it.
Elias tried to ignore the pain signals his body was sending him. He tried to push himself back to his feet, but he was far too slow. He felt the familiar prick of a blade at his throat, and he glared at Nightshade, who stared down at him smugly.
“And that's three. Looks like you are going to get a lot of practice playing nice.”
Elias smirked and pressed forward against the point of the sword drawing blood from his throat. Nightshade pulled back a step, removing the sharp object.
“Says who?” Elias said, a sadistic grin on his face. “Are you going to kill me if I refuse?”
He looked to the bloody tip of the sword, then back to Nightshade. She looked at the blade as well before sheathing it.
“No," she answered, "but you made a binding agreement with a member of the Lunar Guard. Such agreements can be enforced by any means, including magical compulsion.” She smiled widely. “Try to get out of this and the princesses can make you do anything and everything with the wave of a horn. You’ll be a little model citizen within a week, serving tea and doing the housework.”
She made the mistake of remaining too close, and Elias let his anger do his thinking as his hand shot out, grabbing her by the throat and yanking her in close.
“Threaten my mind again and you will learn intimately what I keep hidden away,” he growled, holding her eye contact by force.
He felt a pair of stabs this time, his eyes flickering down to a pair of extremely sharp knives digging into his throat, drawing yet more blood. He tightened his grip, pressing against her windpipe. She squeaked as her air was cut off, but she didn’t waver. As the pair of knives began to press in deeper, Nightshade was yanked from his grip, the blades vanishing as he too was swept into the air. The pair quickly found themselves before an angry looking Steel Scalpel, who looked between them with a glare on his face, his horn aglow.
“What the buck are you two thinking?” he said, his voice just below a yell, yet no less angry than if he had been shouting at the top of his lungs. “Dueling on castle grounds? What we’re you going to do? Fight till one of you died?”
He looked to Elias.
“I understand that you may not have had an easy life Elias, and I can understand anger and suspicion and a wish to remain isolated, especially in the face of an entirely new world, but I would think somebody of your intelligence would be able to tell when to pick your fights. We aren’t your enemies, so stop treating every action we do to help as an insult. It’s beneath you.”
His head flicked to Nightshade.
“As for you Captain, really? You had to pick a fight with someone who has only just gotten out of the medical ward? Has sparring with the other guards become too boring? You are making a fool of yourself out here and I have no idea how I am going to explain your injuries to the princesses.”
Scalpel straightened, his face becoming calm.
“This is what’s going to happen next. First, Captain Nightshade will apologize to Elias for challenging him to a duel when he expressed the wish to remain alone to think.” He shot a glare at the pony when she opened her mouth to protest. Her mouth clamped shut and she crossed her hooves, looking away in anger. Scalpel smiled slightly. “Then, Elias will apologize to Captain Nightshade for being a poor sport.”
“No, I won’t,” Elias said. “I am not beaten until I say I am. The only time I will admit defeat is when I die.”
Scalpel growled.
“Elias, don’t play games, I am no longer in the mood. We both know you lost. You will fulfill the agreement you foolishly made with Captain Nightshade because we both know it’s the right thing to do, and despite your anti-social nature, we both know you are a human of strong morals. You have not done anything wrong yet. Do not start now by breaking your word.”
Elias wanted to shoot back an angry retort, but he found that he had none. Scalpel was right. He had given his word, and had lost fair and square, as much as he hated to admit it. He could feel the streams of blood running down his neck, could feel his arm dangling from its socket. He sighed in defeat, staring at the ground.
“Fine, just let me down so we can get this over with.”
Scalpel nodded; his expression neutral as he gently lowered Elias to the ground.
'At least he’s kind enough not to gloat,' Elias thought.
Elias tried to remain standing when his feet hit the ground, but he only lasted long enough to settle on his backside, his calves screaming as the deep cuts made themselves known. Elias applied pressure with his right hand to the wounds on his neck, while he watched Nightshade remain in the air, still suspended in Scalpel’s aura. She shot him a glare as she flailed and flapped about.
“Let me down Doc! I already said I’d apologize!”
Scalpel shook her a little in his magical grip.
“I’m not done with you yet Captain,” he said. “Are you honestly telling me it was a smart decision to threaten another creature’s mind? Elias had every right to be angry about that, and I’m surprised he was restrained as he was! You should be ashamed of making a threat like that!”
Nightshade huffed.
“He doesn’t take us seriously Doc. I needed to get through that thick skull to make sure he knew we aren’t just something he can push around.”
“You did that when you bucked him into a stone railing Captain!” Scalpel shouted. “He was merely trying to salvage his pride, and you threaten his very being? What were you thinking?”
“I…” she drooped, and her ears flattened, “wasn’t. Sorry Doc, I guess I got carried away.”
She looked to Elias and sighed.
“And sorry to you too Elias. That was cruel of me. Nopony should or ever will mess with your mind in Equestria. I was just frustrated that you were challenging the agreement we made.”
Elias shrugged with his right shoulder.
“It doesn’t matter. I was an idiot for trying to go back on my word. I’m sorry for doing that.”
He left his apology there, had no other words to say that would make him look like less of an ass. Both Scalpel and Nightshade seemed to accept the apology, and Scalpel gently lifted the guard to the ground. Scalpel then trotted over to Elias, brushing his hand aside as he looked at the neck wounds. He tsked as he looked at the weeping cuts.
“I have no idea how I’m going to explain this,” he said, gently prodding the small holes with his hoof.
The unicorn sighed as he lifted a roll of bandages from his white coat, wrapping them firmly around Elias’ throat, moving on to his arm, then his legs. Every once in a while, he would shoot a glare at Nightshade, who was watching from a few feet away.
“Did you really have to cut his legs Nightshade?” Scalpel asked as he bit off the white bandages, already colored red with blood.
The pony shrugged, grinning at Elias.
“No, but he kicked me in the neck. As far as I’m concerned, we’re even.”
“You can hide bruises in your fur Captain. How am I going to hide bandages across three different limbs and his neck?”
Elias braced his left arm against the stone ground. He felt a jolt of pain shoot up it as he braced his shoulder with his right hand. Setting it was going to really hurt.
“You aren’t going to hide it,” he said as he mentally worked up the courage to go through with it.
“Then what are we going to tell the princesses?” Scalpel asked. “I don’t think you two would want the truth being told first, and while I’m not one to lie to the princesses…”
“So, don’t,” Elias said.
The anticipation was only making it worse. He just needed to do it in one motion, just like before. Except for the part where he did it wrong and nearly crippled his left arm. He would like to avoid that if all possible.
“I’ll do the talking," he continued, "and you two can just nod along with me. I am an excellent liar. They may suspect, but they won’t have evidence to the contrary unless one of you two says something.”
Elias took a deep breath and pressed his cast against the ground. Scalpel looked at him with concern.
“Elias, I can do that for you. I can even cast a pain reduction spell if you’d like.”
Elias met Scalpel’s eyes and shook his head.
“There’s no need for that,” he said simply, keeping his face even despite the immense pain he was in. “I got better at doing this a while ago. It doesn’t even hurt anymore.”
Scalpel looked at him with a mixture of doubt and belief, as if the two were trying to decide who was right.
“Really?” he asked hopefully.
Elias shook his head.
“Nope.”
And then he shoved down. A wave of pain rushed over Elias, and for a second, he was halfway between blacking out or throwing up. He briefly considered both. Then he let out a long breath and sat up, cradling his arm as the pain subsided to a dull roar. He swallowed roughly as he met Scalpel’s eyes once again. The pony had an expression of horror.
“Why would you do that?” he asked incredulously.
Elias shrugged, rolling his shoulder gently as he made sure it was properly in place again.
“To show you that as long as you play along, I can lie well enough. Just don’t chip in and we’ll be fine.”
Scalpel sighed.
“We are all going to be in so much trouble for this, but we’ll do it your way.”
He eyed Elias’ cradled arm.
“I don’t have a sling on hoof, but we can go to the medical ward once we are done speaking with the princesses. Would you like a painkiller spell?”
Elias shook his head and grunted as he tried to roll to his feet. He pretended not to notice the slight nudge that Scalpel gave him when his balance almost failed. Standing shakily on his re-injured legs, Elias scanned about for his fallen gladius. Nightshade poked his side with a hoof, the blade in her teeth; a peace offering. Elias sighed and took it gently, giving her a gruff ‘thank you’ before sliding the gladius back into its sheathe.
He paused in place for a moment, before he looked to Scalpel.
“Hey, uh, Doctor?”
Scalpel looked up at Elias expectantly.
“Yes Elias?”
Elias thumbed his cast as he looked away from the pony.
“Sorry. About earlier. I shouldn’t have driven you away like I did.”
Scalpel blinked in response.
“Apology accepted Elias. I can sense there is a 'but' coming however.”
Elias nodded in agreement, looking back to Scalpel as he exhaled deeply.
“The but is that the message still holds true. We are not friends. We can’t be, not if you wish to live a long, happy life.”
Scalpel sighed, then shook his head as he smiled.
“Alright Elias, I’ll keep that in mind. For now, I will agree with you. We aren’t friends, but I don’t think that will always be the case. This is not your wastelands, all of the rules that apply there do not apply here. Equestria is a peaceful nation. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and don’t drive away ponies who wish to be friends with you.”
Elias shrugged.
“I make no promises. But…” He paused then nodded in agreement. “I’ll try.”
Scalpel smiled.
“That’s all I ask.”
Elias looked away, back toward the trees and doors beyond that held his immediate fate. Part of his mind was trying to cook up a suitable lie that he could feed the princesses to explain his injuries, while another part was fighting with the small voice at the back of his skull that was trying to justify an emotional attachment to Steel Scalpel. Elias sighed, feeling a nasty itch appear under his cast.
“Let’s get this over with.”
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Something is up. That damn itch in the back of my brain won't stop. Something is going on and I just don't know what it is! GAH!
Still this is a very good tale so far, looking forward to more.
How did she turn invisible? Is she also an alicorn ? How does she use magic. I know this is supposed to be fair and all but it just makes me mad. He fights and kills whole raiders gangs but can’t fight against 1 soldier. The worst thing is that it makes sense he lost because he ‘s hurt and shit but then him accepting the match just sounds retarded. (Not your fault I’m just mad)
9853456
To answer the first question, as guard captain, Nightshade has special enchantments in her armor. One of which is the ability to temporarily turn invisible (at night or in dark/dim spaces).
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....
Pfft. He has the right of it...in a fight, I know I wouldn't stop until I physically was unable to continue. Word or not. I say he should have broken at least something on her.
How is turning invisible not playing dirty?
10028240
A fair point.
I had my doubts in the first chapter that this would be too edgy but so far it is actually really good. This is written very well and I am finding myself getting sucked into it. Nice!
Foreshadowing?
I don’t think that the count of hits really adds up.
In my opinion you have the following hits:
1. Blocked sword strike
2. Hit in calve
3. Strike to the hand
4. Buck to chest
So Elias has really lost in 4 hits or am I wrong?
10316778
Block doesn't count. It's not a hit
Wait, I thought the wager was that he was taken down in three hits. He didn’t look taken down to me.
Good chapter but a bit comtempt at the combat, makes sense he lost at combat because of injuries but I personally do not agree that the duel was concluded. I just think despite his injuries Elias would not have lost or yielded in just 3 hits and the interference at the end is hardly a fair conclusion.
Just my personal thoughts I hardly like it when humans get put down by ponies in fights especially those that fight for a living
I'd like to continue reading this to see where it goes, but everything with Nightshade is just so over-the-top ridiculous, I don't think I could continue if I saw anything else like that.
It's fine to have an edgy protagonist, it's fine to give him a horrifically tragic backstory to warrant that edginess, and it's fine to have a guard take offense at that edge and try to beat it out of him and make him act right.
But it shattered my suspension of disbelief to see the world this takes place in blatantly externally reinforce this edginess by having Nightshade, who is theoretically a competent non-treasonous guard, casually give the protagonist crippling, potentially life-threatening injuries over the course of a duel, right after Princess Celestia had just given him promises of safety and protection in her country. And then apparently be rewarded for it.
I'd really like to keep reading because this is a very long, ongoing story with a human protagonist, good fight scenes, and a very high like to dislike ratio, but that scene is a lot.
11277386
It honestly doesn't get a lot better (the way he lets ponies do stuff to him that is). It takes them way too long to figure out that he doesn't have magic (after he mentioned it several times), plus he was right about becoming weak underneath them, also being considered a child by a species that lives longer than you is stupid. The story is good but I'm just frustrated at how the ponies treat him sometimes.
It's like an elf look at an 80 year old man and going "Look at the little kid, I must adopt him to protect him from the world!"
Edit: Getting friends doesn't make the character weak. It's the fact that it could change the character morally, so much that it prevents him from coming home uninjured because he couldn't defend him/herself.