//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 // Story: Finding My Place // by Firestar463 //------------------------------// It was shocking how calm everything was The sun was beginning to peak over the eastern horizon, though it was partially concealed behind the castle. The sky was a mixture of oranges and reds, with the few isolated clouds being bathed in a blood red hue. We’d all gathered on what seemed to be the back lawn of the castle. Me, as well as what must have been every Minotaur in the castle. They were all standing around, talking between each other. There was a light-heartedness in the air - not festive, but calm and collected. Occasionally, one of the Minotaurs would glance in my direction, and once or twice a Minotaur approached me to ask me a few questions. I answered as quickly as I could while scanning the crowd, looking for familiar faces. Thunderhoof was there, of course - he’d led me down, and stayed by my side with every step I took. I saw Steelskin, talking to a large group of Minotaurs with a grin on his face: from what I could tell, he was talking about the construction of the guns, and enjoying every minute of it. There was Dusthorn, standing off on his own with a goblet in his hand, observing the gathering from a respectable distance. There were dozens more that I’d seen around the castle as guards but never gotten the names of, and more still that I’d never seen before in my life. And yet, the one Minotaur I was desperately searching for was notably absent. As the third Minotaur walked away from my brief replies to their questions, I felt something nudge me. I glanced over as Thunderhoof stared down at me, an unusual expression upon his face. I couldn’t quite place the emotion behind it. Concern, maybe? Or was it amusement? I found my musing cut off as he made a series of hand gestures. “I’m alright,” I replied, taking a guess at what he was asking. “Just… ready for this to be over. I’m ready to go home.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. The doors leading back into the castle were flung open, and the gathered crowd almost instantly fell silent. My head whipped towards the door as a single Minotaur stepped forward from inside the castle. Not Adamant Will, I noted with no small amount of frustration. Instead, it seemed to simply be a herald. “Bulls and Cows!” he announced. “The time has come! King Adamant Will and the prisoners await us on the front steps!” Almost before the herald had finished speaking, the crowd began surging forward towards the castle. All pretense of calmness was out the window. I had to hold back from the crowd to avoid being trampled as the herd of Minotaurs stormed the door, all jockeying to get through the door first to claim the best views of the execution. As the last of the group began piling through the door, Thunderhoof and I took our place at the back of the crowd and followed the group. It wasn’t a long trip, Only a handful of turns later, and we found ourselves in the entrance hall. Just as with the first time that I’d entered the palace, I couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer scale. Longer than a football field, a ceiling at least three stories high, marbled floors and pure-white pillars, red velvet carpets leading to and up the staircase… it was a clear display of the wealth and power that Equestria had apparently had. And the twin banners of Minos that hung above the stairs showed how far it had fallen. Pushing through the front doors of the castle, I had an opportunity to view Everfree as I hadn’t had before. From the top of the hill that the castle was situated upon, it was an incredible sight to behold. Rows upon rows buildings, street upon cobblestone street. I could even see the stone walls that surrounded  the city, barely rising upon in the distance from in front of the buildings that stood in front of them. Of course, this was all in the distance. Between the castle and the rest of the city lay a vast field of grass, trees, and shrubbery. And what looked like every Pony in the city. They were all standing there in a massive herd on the palace lawn. All staring up at the group that was taking its place in front of the castle. There was no talking. Not even the rustle of hushed whispers. Dead silence, broken only by the sound of a child crying somewhere out in the crowd. Not even the sound of birds broke the silence. Between the Minotaurs and the Ponies, a large structure had been erected, seemingly overnight. A wooden platform,with a wooden beam held horizontal over the platform by two wooden supports. Four nooses of rope dangled down from the beam, only a few inches above the heads of four Unicorns. Solaris. Serenity. Luna and Celestia. They had their horns locked up by rings, and their arms were bound behind their backs. And only a dozen feet away, standing at the top of the stairs that rose up to the platform, was Adamant Will. “Are we all gathered?” I heard him ask one of the guards near the bottom of the stairs. So absolute was the silence that I could hear him even from this distance, on the other side of the throng of Minotaurs. He was not alone on top of the platform - the two Minotaurs in robes were up there as well. His Minotaur mages. The guard Adamant Will was talking to must have nodded, for Adamant Will stepped away from the stairs, towards the center of the platform. “Solaris,” Adamant Will began, his lips curled upwards. “You and your family stand here today…” The rest of Adamant Will’s speech was lost on me. I wasn’t interested in what he had to say. Instead, I gazed out into the crowd of Ponies that had been gathered to witness the execution. I felt my heart skip a beat as I saw a few Ponies staring back. Ponies that I recognized. Firefly. Caligari. Blossom. Sombra. They were all near the front of the crowd. They’d survived. And they were staring right at me. My pulse quickened as I realized that silence had fallen again. Adamant Will had placed four stools in front of the royal family, and was now standing next to a lever - a lever for a trapdoor to drop the Ponies to their death, no doubt. Of course he’d want to pull the lever himself. The Ponies slowly stepped up onto the stools, and their heads were forced down to fit the ropes around their necks. “Be brave, Luna,” I heard Serenity whisper. My fingers would not stay still. They wriggled back and forth. I had to make my move now. I took a step forward, but felt a firm hand fall upon my shoulder. I looked upwards to see that it was Longhorn. His eyes were not upon the platform, as everyone else’s were. Instead, they were locked on me. His expression was mixed - anticipation, nervousness, and a hint of warning. My heart leapt into my throat as I realized what was happening. He knew. He knew what I was planning. He knew I wanted to save Serenity and the others. I began to panic as more questions popped into my head. Did Adamant Will know? How could he not? Longhorn surely would have told him of his suspicions! And with Longhorn holding me in place, ready to stop me… And once Adamant Will was done with Serenity and the others... “And now…” I heard Adamant Will’s silence pierce through the silence like a gunshot. “You die.” There was no time left. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. My left hand flicked. The scroll that had been stowed there flashed into my hands. My thumb found the seal. I pressed down hard. The scroll dissolved into ash. And suddenly, everything was clear. I could see Longhorn's face taking on an expression of shock, anger even…. But far slower than would be considered normal. I was easily able to slide out from under his grasp. I glanced over my shoulder. Adamant Will was reaching for the lever… but in slow motion. Bullet-Time, even. The world had slowed around me, almost to the point of screeching to a stop. And then, there was the burning in my chest. A warmth unlike anything I’d felt before. As if someone had lit a fire on top of me. Burning, yet not painful. Energy flowed through me. Energy, and resolve. No one could stop me. I was free. It seemed as though light itself was on my side. I saw a path through the crowd of Minotaurs, and it seemed as though the world beyond that path faded away into the background. The route was clear as day, with everything else taking on a more subdued tone. I knew what I had to do. I knew what my only option at this point was. So I ran. I was Forrest Gump as I took off at a sprint away from Longhorn. I slid between the Minotaurs with ease. It was like pushing through a crowd of statues. I zigged and zagged through the crowd, using my hands as often as my feet. It didn’t take long to make my way to the front of the crowd. My eyes locked on to the two mages that stood at attention behind royal family, next to the edge of the platform closest to me. I felt the warmth in my chest fade slightly as images of the guard I had killed flowed through my mind. The feeling of stickiness, of his red blood on my hands. For a brief moment, I slowed down. Almost stopped. But just as quickly, the fire returned, and my eyes narrowed. No. No more fear. No more doubt, no more regrets. Too many innocents had already died by my inaction. I reached behind me and drew my bow, as well as two arrows. I slid to a stop and drew my bow back, aiming the first arrow at the mage nearest me. I released, and the arrow surged forward - in bullet-time, yes, but on target to pierce his heart. I took another step closer to the stairs and took aim again, this time at the second mage. Once again, my arrow flew true, and I knew that the two mages’ fates had been sealed. My bow slid back into my quiver as I rushed towards the stairs. By now, I could feel time beginning to warp back to normal. The power of the spell, and its time-diluting effects, was almost expended. I powered up the stairs, three steps at a time. I spun on the ball of my foot at the top and surged towards Adamant Will, my knife flying unconsciously into my hands. I saw his eyes glowing red, and they lit up with shock. My body slammed into his. We both fell to the wooden platform with a mighty thump. My knife-hand flew backwards. And the knife came down upon his throat. Red blood splattered upwards as time returned to normal. There was a shocked gasp from both sides of the platform. The sticky liquid flowed over my hands, and nausea welled up within me once more. In front of me, I heard two howls of pain as the arrows I had fired before found their mark. The two mages both tried to maintain their balance, but they both fell backwards off of the platform towards the Minotaurs. Their lifeless corpses landed with a pair of echoing thuds. “Traitor...” Adamant Will gurgled out. His head inched forward, and he looked upwards at me. The red glow had faded from his eyes, but hatred still burned like a flame. “You… could have had... everything...” “I could have,” I agreed, fighting back against the urge to be sick. “But at what cost?” There was no reply. His head fell backwards, and his final breath left his body. Adamant Will, King of the Minotaurs, Conqueror of Equestria, was dead. Three seconds. There was a stunned silence as my knife was ripped from Adamant Will’s throat. I flicked my wrist, and the blade severed the cord that had held the amulet around his neck. I pushed myself to my feet and stood at my full height, holding the amulet aloft. I felt all eyes - Minotaur and Pony - upon me. “Adamant Will is dead!” I yelled, brandishing the amulet for all to see. “Equestria is free!” Almost before I had finished speaking, four arrows whistled out of the crowd of Ponies - arrows fired from bows summoned by Unicorns, no doubt. The arrows flew true, and each one severed a rope that had been wrapped around the royal family’s necks. And all hell broke loose. Minotaurs and Ponies surged forward. I saw Unicorn horns light up, and all manner of weapons flashed into existence. Bows, swords, knifes, hammers, axes… whether teleported from some other location or conjured out of thin air, I didn’t know. All I knew was that, in return, the Minotaurs drew their own weapons and charged. A trio of the Minotaurs attempted to clamber up the stairs towards me, but I was ready. As the first one reached the top of the stairs, I already had an arrow notched and drawn back in my bow. It flew forward, and the howl of pain told me I had hit my mark. The Minotaur stumbled backwards off of the platform to the ground below. The second Minotaur was faster. I knew before he reached the top that I wouldn’t have time to draw another arrow before he got to me. Instead, my hand slithered into my pocket, and my thumb brushed one of the scrolls that I had stored there. As the scroll dissolved into ash, the Minotaur drew back his hammer and rose upwards towards my chin. Rather than knocking my head off, however, the blow merely lifted me off of my feet. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. By some miracle of fortune, I’d activated the protection scroll. The blow was still strong enough to lift me skywards, however, and I flew several feet into the air. Out of instinct, my arm hand grasped for the beam that had held the nooses, and I somehow managed to scramble to the top. I took a knee and drew two more arrows, launching each one at the Minotaur that had taken a swing at me. The first one bit deep into the Minotaur’s shoulder - a bit off-target, but still enough to draw a roar of pain. The second one would have been even further off-target, had the Minotaur not turned and lowered his head. Instead, the head of the arrow went straight through the Minotaur’s eye. I flinched away as the Minotaur screamed and dropped to the ground. The third and final Minotaur was already there, leaping over his fallen companion. His eyes were not aimed upwards at me, however, but instead on the far side of the platform. I glanced towards his target and saw the royal family, huddled together. Though free, they were still weak, and their magic still suppressed by the rings locked around their horns. The burning fire in my chest roared to life once more, and I leaped down to land in front of the Minotaur. My hand snaked into my pocket again, and another scroll was activated. I saw a brilliant flash of light, and the Minotaur skidded to a stop with a howl.. His axe fell to the ground as his hands rubbed at his eyes furiously. I felt a grim smile of satisfaction. I’d activated the blinding scroll, it seemed. And it had worked. My bow fell from my hands as I charged forward. My knife was ripped from its sheathe as I ducked behind the Minotaur, and it bit deep into the back of the Minotaur’s knee. The leg buckled, and the Minotaur fell to the ground. A quick stab to the heart later, and the third and final Minotaur that had charged up to the platform was dead. My knife was re-sheathed, and I retrieved my bow from where it had fallen as I ran over to the royal family. “Chris!” I heard Luna exclaim as I dropped to one knee next to them. “But… we thought you were dead!” “Not yet,” I replied. I stuck my bow back into my quiver and drew my knife. The blade bit into the rope wrapped around their hands, and one by one their were released from their bonds. I could feel Solaris' gaze upon me the entire time, and I could understand his suspicion. The only time that he'd seen me before was in the company of Adamant Will, down in the dungeons. But I wasn't concerned about his feelings towards me at the time. “How the hell do I get these things off of you?” I asked as I gestured towards the ring locked around Celestia's horn. “Removing the magic-suppression rings requires a magical touch,” Serenity explained. “It will have to wait until the battle is over.” “Then I guess I’m staying up here,” I grinned. Down below us, the battle had turned into little more than a rout. Few of the non-guard Minotaurs had been prepared for battle, and even those Minotaurs who did have weapons found themselves hopelessly outnumbered. Further, without Adamant Will’s talisman protecting them, the Minotaurs withered under the firepower of the spells directed at them from the gathered Unicorns. Within a few Minutes, the Minotaurs had retreated entirely into the palace. A shadowy shape vaulted up from below us and landed next to Serenity. “Chris,” the figure nodded, and I smiled as I recognized the figure. “Sombra,” I replied. Sombra’s expression was neutral as he knelt down next to the royal family. His horn lit up with a grey aura, and he touched each of the rings locked around their horns. As he touched each one in turn, the ring snapped open and fell away, and the cap on top of the horns was easily lifted away. Each Unicorn let out a soft sigh of relief as their horns were freed, and they rose to their hooves. The gathered Ponies seemed to have abandoned their pursuit of the fleeing Minotaurs, and now turned to look at the royal family “The day is won,” Serenity finally announced. “The Minotaurs have nowhere to run. They are surrounded on all sides.” The roar of the crowd was deafening “There will be no prisoners,” Solaris added with a snarl. “We will show them the same ‘mercy’ that they showed us.” If anything, the roar became louder. The Ponies surged forward into the palace, brandishing their weapons. “Chris,” Serenity continued as she turned towards me. “You’ve done it. You succeeded where we could not. You killed Adamant Will. You removed their protection from our magic.” “Thank you, Chris Powell. You have saved Equestria.”