Sleep did not come easily that night
There had been no conversation on the way back to my room. Thunderhoof was absent - where he had gone off to, I didn’t know - and the guard that escorted me was no more vocal. Not that I was complaining. I didn’t feel like talking anyway.
It was like someone had punched me in the gut, and every time I replayed the events in the cell was another blow. The situation in the resistance camp was so bad, so desperate, that Ponies were fleeing and willing to betray their king for even a chance of escape. Adamant Will would soon have not only a map to the resistance camp, but a spell to break through its defences - possibly within the night. Thanks to my help, he would have a set of prototype guns to test and demonstrate during his assault on the camp.
The only redeeming thought in my mind was that it might not be too late. Sombra had shown up every night without fail, as he said he would. I had a chance to warn him. It might risk me getting revealed as a traitor to the Minotaurs, especially given how few members of Adamant Will’s circle seemed to know about the assault, but it was something. Something I could do to help. And so I sat on my bed that evening. Unable to sleep. Watching. Waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
At some point I plugged my phone into the battery charger and began to recharge it. I had a feeling that, one way or another, both my phone and charging battery running out of power would become irrelevant within a couple of days, and there was the chance that my phone could become useful. So I sat on the bed with my phone next to me and allowed the battery to charge as I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
I checked my phone. The time, according to the digital clock on the lock screen, was 2:27 AM. I couldn’t say exactly how long it had been since I’d come back from the dungeons, but it had certainly been hours. I pushed myself to my feet and strolled over to the window. It was a clear, cloudless night. The moon - barely more than a half-moon - was unobstructed, and more than halfway through its arc across the night sky.
And yet Sombra still had not arrived.
I frowned and glanced towards the darkest corner of my room, as if expecting Sombra to emerge from the shadows. But nothing happened. Of course nothing happened, I hissed internally. The door hadn’t opened, nor had the window. My frown deepened, and I walked back towards the bed, shivering slightly along the way. The nights had already proven to be cooler than what i was used to back on Terra, and this one was even colder than normal
So it was that I finally crawled under the covers of the bed in an effort to stay warm. I kept my eyes trained on the window. Watching for any trace of movement. Looking for any hint of Sombra’s arrival. Waiting for him to reveal himself to me.
Waiting…
And waiting…
---
“Oi!”
I jolted back to full alertness as I felt something impact with my right shoulder - not enough to knock me over, but certainly enough to snap my eyes back open. “Wussat?” I half-slurred, looking around.
“C’mon lad, yer not fallin’ asleep on me again, are ye?” I heard a familiar voice ask from behind me. Sure enough, I spun around and came face to face with Steelskin’s large form towering over me. He was staring down at me with a strange frown upon his face - half concerned, half annoyed.
“Sorry,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes in yet another futile attempt to wake up. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Ye look like ye didn’t sleep at all.”
His words were pretty much right on the mark. Despite the exhaustion that eventually descended upon me, despite the warm embrace of the sheets, despite the knowledge that today was going to be a day of hard work, I didn’t sleep. I was up all night, waiting. Waiting for Sombra to appear, waiting to give him the news and the warning, waiting to hear some sort of confirmation that the camp would be abandoned before Asdamant Will and his army marched upon it.
But it never happened.
Sombra didn’t show up. For the first time in over a week, the grey-furred Unicorn had not appeared. I recalled swearing violently as I saw the first traces of the sunrise peaking over the horizon, and Sombra still hadn’t shown up. The one night where he had to show up, the one where I needed to deliver the most important bit of information yet....
And he hadn’t arrived.
Of course, I couldn’t tell Steelskin all that. I couldn’t tell him why I had laid awake all night, resisting the urge to drift off to sleep. So I merely shook my head. “Not really, no.”
His hand reached out to pat my shoulder. “I get it,” he soothed. “I’m just as excited as you are to see this bloody war finally come to an end. I’ll admit I had trouble sleepin’ last night too, I was so excited. But we still gotta get those guns ready before sunset. So, ye with me lad?”
I shook my head to clear it, but just as quickly bobbed it up and down. “Yeah, let’s… let’s do this… thing.”
Steelskin raised an eyebrow, but nodded nonetheless. “Good enough,” he said as he turned his back and strolled back over towards the anvil, where the barrel for our third gun of the day lay half-complete. “Now, give those bellows a few good pumps and let’s get this thing done!”
The rest of the day passed in a blur. I don’t remember too many specifics about what happened. I remember pumping bellows, of course. And I remember more Minotaurs. Plenty of them. There were two or three additional Minotaurs working in the forge with Steelskin and I, all of them hammering away at anvils. I also remember the occasional crack and boom as the latest gun was put to the test, firing practice rounds at a thick wooden wall that had been brought into the room. By the end of the day, I had stopped even looking up as the sound of gunfire pierced through the room.
I remember thinking about sabotage. I don’t know how I would have pulled it off - maybe by pumping the bellows slower so the furnace wouldn’t remain as hot- but the thought ran through my mind multiple times that day. But even in my sleep-deprived state, I knew it would be a bad idea. If the guns weren’t all ready by that evening, it would only anger Adamant Will, and the assault would likely commence even without their new weapons. Besides which, there were far more Minotaurs in the room today, most of whom didn’t know me and were clearly wary of me. Trying any sort of subterfuge with them watching me was risky at best.
Steelskin wasn’t at the forge himself. Instead, he had taken a seat at one of the tables, surrounded by bits of metal and wood and powder and bags. Since my job was a simple, repetitive motion, I was able to watch him assemble the guns out of the variety of pieces he had laid out in front of him. He was also measuring gunpowder and rolling it up into small paper tubes, along with a shot.
And so I spent my day pumping away at the bellows, taking the occasional break for water and rest. With all the iron flowing through the forge that day, the furnace needed to be kept hot. Even when I was resting my arms, another Minotaur would simply come along and pump the bellows again.
The beginnings of the mass-production of guns on Gaia had begun. And I’d set it in motion.
I was in the middle of pumping the bellows when I felt a firm hand come to rest upon my shoulder. “That’ll do, lad,” I heard Steelskin say from behind me. “Let the forge cool. We’re done here.”
I let go of my grip on the bellows and stepped back, rolling my arms around in their sockets. The repetitive motion had certainly gotten to my arms that day - my shoulder and wrists were aching, as was my head. “They’re all done?” I half-yawned.
“Aye. We did it. All built, all tested, and all ready to be used.” I heard the doors at the far end of the hall being thrown open, and Steelskin and I both turned our heads towards the noise. “And not a moment too soon, it would seem,” Steelskin added as Adamant Will strolled through the door, flanked by a dozen Minotaurs. The two of us walked towards the end of the table and waited for him as the group moved towards us.
“Steelskin. Chris,” Adamant Will nodded in each of our directions as we inclined our heads. “Are we ready?”
“Yes, your highness.” Steelskin reached over and picked up one of the guns. It was a solid construction - all metal, save for a polished wooden stock - Walnut, Steelskin had told me. The iron barrel and powder-tray had been polished to a brilliant shine, as had the lock and striking steel-head. “Twelve guns, using a… flintlock design?” I nodded in confirmation. “Aye, Flintlock. All ready to be used.”
“These bulls are going to be wielding these weapons.” Adamant Will gestured towards the Minotaurs behind him. “Chris, explain to them how to use this weapon.”
“Alright, it’s pretty simple.” I took the gun from Adamant Will, noting the feel in my arms. It had certainly been designed with a Minotaur in mind, for it was larger than any gun I had held back home, but I would still be able to demonstrate pretty well. “First, you cock the lock back,” I began, demonstrating by pulling the flint-tipped lock back and locking it into place. “Next, take one of these cartridges,” I continued, picking up one of the rolls of shot and powder. “Tear it open, and put a small amount of the powder in the pan. Load the rest in through the muzzle - that’s the open end of the barrel.” I demonstrated this step as well, pouring a bit of the black powder into the tray and the rest into the gun itself. “Stand back,” I warned as I moved towards the wooden wall. “Next, simply take aim, and pull the trigger. It’ll create a bunch of sparks that will ignite the powder and set of a small explosion, firing the shot at your… target…”
I paused as the gears in my head began to turn. I had a gun in my hands. Fully loaded. The element of surprise. Adamant Will was right there! This was likely my last chance to stop the destruction of the resistance. It would be simple. All I had to do was turn, aim, and pull the trigger. I’d probably even have the chance to grab a scroll and get out of there before the Minotaurs would be able to react.
My grip tightened.
“But are you willing to take that step?”
I froze. That voice…
“Are you willing to risk it all? To throw away everything you have here?”
It was back.
“You’re in. Let Adamant Will live, and your passage home will be secured. Kill him… and needlessly risk that chance.”
“I don’t… It’s now or never…” I whispered, so quietly that even I barely heard it.
“Then never,” The voice hissed back. “You would risk everything by betraying Adamant Will. You can only lose by doing it.”
I felt my hands begin to shake. I wanted to turn and shoot him. Even the spilling of blood - a thought which still revolted me after the killing of the guard - would not have deterred me. It was impersonal - a bullet from a range, rather than a knife in my hands. It would secure the freedom of Equestria. It would bring about the end of the war. It would overthrow a tyrant.
And it would risk everything I had done to ensure my return home.
“Chris?”
I blinked. “Sorry…” I muttered. “Just… lost in the moment. It’s been a while… quite a while since I’ve used one of these…” My grip tightened again, and a raised the gun to eye level to look down the barrel. Even so, I closed my eyes in preparation for what was to come.
Now or never.
I pulled the trigger. Boom!
There was a collective gasp. I opened my eyes.
The gun had blasted a hole straight through the chunk of wood.
I let out a breath i hadn’t realized I’d been holding and lowered the gun, smoke still drifting from its barrel. “So you… you can see the power this thing has,” I continued, fighting against the lump that had formed in my throat. “Be careful when firing. You saw the sparks that came out of both the barrel and from the right side of the gun. Try not… try not to hit your allies when firing. And be careful… be careful about any embers that might still be smoldering in the gun when reloading. It can ignite the powder before you’re ready…”
I turned and handed the gun back towards Adamant Will. He handed the weapon towards the Minotaur closest to him and gestured towards the other guns. The remaining Minotaurs stepped forward towards the table, each claiming one for themselves, as well as a pouch each of the rolls of powder.
Meanwhile, I had stepped backwards and leaned against the wooden board. My knees were giving way, and I slid down the board to a sitting position. I heard Adamant Will speaking, but his words were lost on me.
I’d failed. Serenity, Celestia, Luna, Blossom, Orchard, Sombra… they’d all been relying on me. I’d had my chances to kill Adamant Will, to take the talisman, to remove the magical protection surrounding his forces.. I’d had plenty of opportunities. And yet I hadn’t been able to do it. I couldn’t bring myself to kill again. My entire body started shaking. More than ever before, I saw what I really was.
A coward.
“Lad?”
I felt two firm hands rest on my shoulder and give me a gentle shake. I looked up to see Steelskin knelt down in front of me, looking directly at me. Concern was clearly visible on his face. “Ye feelin’ alright?”
I opened my mouth to speak. But no words escaped past the lump that had formed in my throat. Instead, I nodded slowly, trying to deny what he clearly saw.
It didn’t work. “Ye look like ye’ve seen a ghost. Yer pale as one, too. C’mon.” He placed one hand under my arm and helped me shakily rise to my feet. “Yer highness.” Steelskin turned his head towards Adamant Will, who was still watching the bulls getting acquainted with their new weapons. “Chris ain’t feelin’ well. Lad’s worked himself half to death today, and said he didn’t sleep a wink last night.”
“I see,” Adamant Will replied, his gaze not moving from his troops. “Help him up to his room then. Hopefully after a good night’s rest, he’ll be feeling well enough tomorrow to revel with us in our victory.”
As Steelskin helped me towards the end of the room, I glanced over my shoulder back towards the group of Minotaurs crowded around the table. The troops with the guns were handling them with increasing confidence, talking amongst each other loudly. But Adamant Will stood apart from them. He was silent, simply watching his troops get acquainted with their new weapons. It could have just been my mind playing games on me, but it seemed as though the amulet gleamed brightly, and his eyes glowed red for the briefest of moments.
And in those eyes, I saw hunger. A hunger that I knew, then and there, that would not be satiated by merely conquering Equestria.