Finding My Place

by Firestar463

Chapter 14

The dozen or so guards and Pony servants remained at attention as I moved past them, down the long banquet table towards my seat, at the end of the table next to the King. Adamant Will’s eyes never left me as I pulled out my chair and took my seat. I did my best to appear calm and relaxed.

Beneath the surface, however, I could feel my stomach tying itself up in knots. All of my doubts and fears from before were coming back in full force. Why did Adamant Will want to have dinner with me? Why now? What did he know? What didn’t he know? Did he suspect something? Did he want something? What was this all about?

Did I smell bacon?

As if knowing my thoughts, I saw the corners of Adamant Will’s lips curve upwards ever so slightly. He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers loudly. The Ponies that had been lined up along the wall stepped forward and reached over the table, removing the lids from the numerous silver trays.

As I glanced over the feast that had been laid out, I felt my stomach growl. It looked almost like a thanksgiving dinner back home… if dinner had been made to serve fifty people. Ears of corn, piles of broccoli, bowls of sliced carrots, mounds of rolls, scalloped potatoes, deviled eggs… and the meat! There was indeed a plate of bacon, as my nose had informed me, but that wasn’t all. I saw a spiral-cut ham, fish, some kind of steak, either a chicken or turkey (I couldn’t tell which) and even a plate of crab legs, complete with butter dipping sauce.

As the Pony servants stepped backwards with the lids, I saw Adamant Will make a quick gesture with one of his hands. “Guards, servers. Leave us,” he commanded. “I would speak with our guest alone.” Almost before he had finished speaking, the Minotaurs and Ponies had begun moving towards the exit at the far end of the room. A minute later, and the door was closed behind them, leaving me alone with Adamant Will.

The King began to load his plate with food, and I quickly followed suit. I only grabbed a small piece of fish (I’d had enough of that during my time at the camp to last a lifetime), but loaded my plate with the vegetables - I’d never have thought I’d miss vegetables, but damn if those carrots didn’t look good! I also grabbed a few strips of bacon, a few eggs, and a steak.

As we gathered our food in silence, I had a few moments to gather my thoughts. Adamant Will was gathering from the same plates as I, so it was very unlikely the food was poisoned. We were also alone. I had my knife, sheathed at my side as always - I’d been told to keep it on me at all times in case of an attempted attack. Could this be my chance to strike? I quickly dismissed the thought. A head-on attack at Adamant Will would be suicide, and with the table between us my element of surprise would be lost before I could land a blow. Plus, even if I did manage to bring him down, escaping with my life would be an entirely different story. But most of all, I couldn’t bring myself to make another kill. I nearly shuddered as week-old memories of me killing the guard were dragged back to the surface.

We ate in silence for a short time. I noted that all of the food had been cooked excellently - the steak was perhaps a bit more well done than I would have liked, but I chalked that up to a difference in pallets - and there was certainly plenty of it. The carrots and broccoli were a refreshing change of pace from my meat-and-bread diet that I’d been living off of every since I came to this world, and even the eggs, though not as good as mom’s, were pretty good.

As I took another bite of ham, I heard Adamant Will speak up. “I hope everything is to your liking.”

I nodded as I finished swallowing. “It’s all excellent,” I replied. “Thank you.”

“Glad to hear it.” There was another brief silence as Adamant Will took a gulp from his glass of water. “Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked you to come here.”

“I’m a little curious, yes.”

“The first order of business is my own personal curiosity.” Another pause as Adamant Will took a large bite from his steak. “You’ve been living and working with us for a week now, and yet we still know very little about you and your people. Your kingdom. I have… a number of questions.”

“I’ll do my best to answer them.”

“I’m curious about your homeland,” the king began. “This… America. What is it like? Describe it to me.”

I slowly finished my bite as I tried to come up with the proper words. “America… is as diverse a place as you are likely to ever find,” I finally replied. “It is a Kingdom divided into many different states, separate and yet unified. Trying to describe it is… nearly impossible. Our diversity, I suppose, is what defines us. If you were to ask any ten Humans what America is like, you would receive twelve different answers because two of us would change our minds before you finished asking the rest.”

“Well let’s be a little more specific.” Adamant Will placed his fork down and folded his hands underneath his chin. “Tell me about the people. What are they like?”

““People from all walks of life call America home,” I explained. “We all share common memories and experiences, of course, but we also all have different experiences. You cannot pin down American culture, really. We borrow from all walks of life and blend it into a giant melting pot. Our differences are what make us unique. We are defined by diversity.”

Though he was trying to hide it, I could tell Adamant Will was already beginning to lose patience. His brow had furrowed ever so slightly, and his slight smile had dipped. “And the climate?” He asked. “Is it just as diverse?”

“So he’s trying to figure out how to get there,” I mused silently. By narrowing down the climate, he was hoping to figure out how far north or south America was from the kingdoms he knew of. That was the first thing that popped into my mind, anyway.

Shame he’d never find it on Gaia.

“Absolutely,” I nodded. “From the frozen arctic of northern Alaska to the scorching deserts of Arizona, from the Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming to the plains of Kansas and Oklahoma. Again, diversity is what America is defined by.”

“It must be a large Kingdom, then…” Adamant Will mused. “To be so diverse, to be defined by your differences…” He fell silent, instead choosing to cut and eat another bite of his steak. I took advantage of the lull as well to have another bite and a few more sips of water. I stole as many glances in his direction as I could, and noted at one point that he was shaking his head.

Finally, Adamant Will sighed and looked back towards me. “America… it is not a kingdom on Gaia, is it?” he asked bluntly.

Had I had a bite of food in my mouth at the time, I likely would have started choking. As it was, I nearly dropped the glass of water that I had been about to drink from. “What… what would make you say that?” I asked, trying to regain my composition.

But he’d figured it out, and he knew it. The small smirk on his lips made that plainly clear. “Besides the fact that you nearly jumped out of your seat when I said that?” he asked. “Because the kingdoms of Gaia have documented the vast majority of our world’s surface. The few areas that have not been mapped out accurately are far too small to host the variety of climates that you have described. This means that either you are lying to me about your kingdom, or else it is not on Gaia. You and your people seem to have a solid civilization going, if your manner of speech and knowledge technologies we have yet to discover are anything to judge by, which makes me doubt that you are lying about the existence of your kingdom. I find it highly unlikely that such a civilization could have developed without any of the other races of Gaia noticing you. So that leads me to only one logical conclusion - that you are not from Gaia.”

Well, I guess I should have figured that I’d get found out eventually. There was no point in trying to cover it up anymore, so I simply sighed and nodded. “You’re correct,” I replied.

“So you are from another world…” Adamant Will rubbed his chin, his eyes never leaving me. “I can understand you wanting to keep such information hidden, but I must ask that you refrain from doing so in the future if we’re going to continue working together. So, moving on...”

“Wait… so, you’re cool with this?” I interrupted. “Like, you’re fine with the fact that I’m an alien?”

This merely earned me a shrug from Adamant Will. “I had my suspicions already,” he replied. “You’ve merely confirmed them. Your service to Minos has been fruitful, regardless of your origins, and I assure you that you will be rewarded for your efforts. I only have a two questions for you for now.”

“Go ahead.”

“You say that you travelled far to arrive here,” Adamant Will began. “Tell me, how exactly did you end up arriving here on Gaia? And how long ago?”

“I… don’t exactly know how I got here,” I admitted. “I was hiking with a few friends of mine through the mountains back home. It was muddy and slippery, and I ended up falling off of a cliff into a pool. I blacked out, and when I woke up I was in a pool underground, in the caverns beneath Everfree and the forest. I’m not sure how it worked, but that’s what happened. That would have been… what, three or four weeks ago now? It’s hard to say really. The days before I came to Everfree kind of… blur together, out there in the wilderness.”

“I see…” Adamant Will rubbed his chin before shrugging. "Very well. I would love to hear more about your world and your people - I’ve no doubt that what you’ve said so far has barely scratched the surface - but I’m afraid we’ll have to put that on hold for a bit. We have a matter of business to discuss.” Adamant Will reached for his water and took a few long gulps. “The resistance. My trackers have been busy searching the forest for them, and I believe we’ve finally discovered their hideout. I have no doubt that eliminating them will be simple enough as is, but such a stage would also be the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our new weapon. Tell me, how far along are you all to completing the guns?”

“We are… close,” I hesitated for a brief moment. “We have a good reserve of gunpowder ready, so that’s no issue. Steelskin was working on the latest gun design when I left to prepare for dinner - if it holds up to the explosive pressure, I believe this design will be sufficiently ready for use as a prototype on the battlefield.”

I made sure my expression and tone remained even and calm as I spoke, but it was a considerable effort to not show my panic. Sombra had said that the Minotaurs were closing in, but I hadn’t thought that they’d actually been able to narrow it down that much. If they were already preparing for an attack…

“Good. Good…” Adamant Will nodded with a smile, his voice cutting into my thoughts. “I’ll let Steelskin know that I want a half dozen ready by tomorrow night. More, if possible.”

“I’m… not sure it will be possible,” I said slowly. “Each gun has to be tested to make sure it doesn’t malfunction or misfire or burst or -”

“I will send more workers to help tomorrow, don’t you worry about that,” Adamant Will interrupted. “All I need you and Steelskin to do tomorrow is to produce the guns. We’ll have the others take care of the testing. My army marches tomorrow night, and I want those guns ready for them. Understood?”

“...Understood.”

“Good.”

The next few minutes passed in silence, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I barely even tasted the food anymore as I ate. I had to warn Sombra about the upcoming attack. The Ponies had to get out of that camp by any means necessary, before the full might of Adamant Will’s army could encircle the camp and fully starve them out. Tonight might be the last chance for them to escape.

I finished eating a few minutes before Adamant Will did, but it wasn’t long before he too set his knife and fork down for the final time. “An excellent meal,” he said, to no one in particular. “Now, Chris,” he continued, looking at me. “There is another reason i have asked you to come here tonight.”

“Oh?” A small warning bell in the back of my head began to go off.

“Indeed.” He glanced down towards my plate, which had been empty of anything save for bones for a while, and pushed himself to his hooves. “If you’re finished, there is something I would like to show you.”

I rose to follow Adamant Will, and the two of us walked down the length of the table towards the door and stepped through. Two guards were waiting on the other side, and they fell into step between me and the king as we continued down the hall. Though they remained silent, I caught them glancing in my direction every now and then, especially when turning a corner. Whenever I caught them, there would always be an expression of barely-masked apprehension on their faces. There was also a new tension in their movements, a heightened level of stiffness and tightened grips on their weapons as they glanced at me. It would seem that the guards were prone to eavesdropping, and were decidedly less comfortable about my origins than their king.

As usual, I did my best to keep track of the route we were taking. It might have just been me, but our route through the castle seemed far less meandering than previous trips - it was only four turns down long hallways before we reached a spiral staircase and began to descend. I knew that we had started on the ground floor, so we were descending below ground. What our final destination was, I couldn’t say for certain, but I had a few ideas.

None of them were pleasant.

Sure enough, we emerged from the spiral staircase into a dark, underground tunnel. The only light down here came from a series of flickering torches that burned in their wall-mounted holders every few dozen feet. The tunnel seemed to have been carved directly from the stone, if the walls and floor were anything to judge by. There were no distinguishing features nearby, but I could see a few tunnels branching off from the main corridor further down the hall. A nearby barrel held a number of unlit torches, and both guards took a torch each, lighting them from one of the wall-mounted torches before we set off down the tunnel.

As the guards took turns glancing in my direction, I discreetly loosened the tie around my pouch full of scrolls, and even managed to stow a flashbang scroll in my pocket as we turned a corner. The two possible destinations I could see us going to were either a dungeon cell or some form of torture chamber, or both. I was determined to be ready in the event of some kind of betrayal.

But nothing happened. Though there were plenty of guards standing watch, none of them joined us as we walked through the subterranean corridors. It was indeed a dungeon - those alcoves sectioned off by iron bars and a gate made that instantly clear. I noted with curiosity, however, the distinct lack of prisoners. This seemed all the more unusual given the recent takeover and suppression of any resistance. Indeed, the dungeon seemed almost unused. It was well-maintained - no smell of filth or pools of water that seem to pop up so often in the dungeons you’d see in a movie. The only sound besides our feet and hooves and the occasional clink of armor as a guard snapped to attention was the crackle of the flames from the torches.

We wandered through the dungeons for a few moments before finally coming to stop next to an iron door. The cell on the other side was completely obstructed from view. The only way to see inside - a small viewport high up on the door - was covered by a sliding metal plate, and firmly locked into place. Security outside this room was far higher than the rest of the dungeon - no less than half a dozen guards stood in the immediate vicinity, with easily a dozen more in sight. Adamant Will nodded towards the two closest to the door, and they saluted before moving away down the corridor. Instinctively, my hand moved closer to my pocket and the flashbang scroll contained within.

“We’ve arrived,” Adamant Will announced, producing a key held on a chain around his neck. “Guards, unlock the door. I will speak with the prisoner.” I felt myself relaxing a bit as one of the guards took the key and unlocked the door. If there was a prisoner already inside, then it was unlikely that this was intended to be my cell. On the other hand, who was the prisoner? And why was I being brought here? These questions buzzed through my mind as Adamant Will ducked under the door and I stepped through, with the two guards following behind us and closing the door.

The cell beyond was more spacious than the outside had led me to believe. A chamber pot lay in the far left corner, with single bed with simple sheets was pushed into the far right corner being the only other piece of furniture in the cell.

And upon that bed was a lone figure. A pony. A unicorn, I noticed, with his horn capped by a dull metal tip and encircled by a ring attached to the tip by three thin metal bars. This pony was shirtless, revealing his torso - dirty white fur, with a form that indicated he had been in good shape before his imprisonment. He was thin - not emaciated, by any means, but he certainly had not eaten well in some time. His hair was fiery red, and shimmered in a manner very similar to Serenity’s. His eyes were a striking lightning blue, and despite his obvious weakness they still burned with such anger that even the guards seemed hesitant to approach him. The only other distinguishing feature was a tattoo on his upper right arm - a fiery sun rising from behind a black landscape.

King Solaris.

There was no doubt in my mind who this was. I’d heard he’d been captured during the conquest of Everfree, but It hadn’t occurred to me that he was still being kept prisoner. Though he had remained lying down on the bed when the door had opened, he rose to sit as the guards stepped through. His fiery glare shifted between the four of us, lingering on me for the longest. “Found a new monster to play with, Addy?” he spat. “Where’d you dig this one up?”

“He came to us,” Adamant Will replied evenly. “Even an outsider can see that your rule is over. Chris Powell, I present to you Solaris, fallen king of the former Kingdom of Equestria. And Solaris, I present to you the agent of your kingdom’s final fall.”

“You have not broken me,” Solaris hissed. “Do you believe your latest pet will break my kingdom?”

“Perhaps he will not by force of strength,” Adamant Will began. I could hear the smirk playing on his lips. “But by strength of mind he shall. With the new knowledge and technology he has brought us, Minos will rule over not only Equestria, but all of Gaia.”

Solaris’ scowl did not falter. “You’ve claimed the same the last six times you decided to grace me with your presence,” he shot back. “And yet the resistance continues. And it will continue forever, until you and your kind are kicked out of Equestria like the dogs you are.”

“Bold words from a prisoner. Perhaps it is true. Perhaps you cannot be broken.” Adamant Will raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. The guard closest to the door gave two sharp raps in quick succession, and the door was pushed open once more. “But not all of your former subjects are as strong as you, Solaris.”

Two more guards marched through the door, dragging another Pony behind them. This Pony, another Unicorn, was in considerably worse shape than Solaris. If anything, he was even thinner, and his light-orange coat was coated with dirt and mud and what looked suspiciously like blood. His clothes were tattered and torn, and his right eye was circled with a large, black bruise. The two guards released their grips on the unicorn, and he collapsed to the ground at Adamant Will’s feet.

Solaris moved to rise from the bed, but the two guards that had originally joined us drew their swords and pointed them at the fallen king, keeping him back on the bed. Adamant Will, meanwhile, knelt down next to the new prisoner, who was struggling to push himself onto all fours. “Now,” Adamant Will began, his voice deadly quiet. “Tell us all what you told my guards when they found you.”

The prisoner hesitated, his eyes flicking between Adamant Will and Solaris, with the occasional glance in my direction. It seemed Adamant Will wasn’t in the mood for playing games, for his brow furrowed and his lips drew upwards in a snarl. “Well?!” he demanded.

“I… The… The resistance is done for…” The Unicorn squeaked out, his voice barely a whisper. “They’re… we’re dying. No food… water…”

“And we told you that you will get food and water,” Adamant Will replied, his voice suddenly much softer. He placed both hands on the Unicorn’s shoulders, and the Unicorn flinched backwards from the contact. Adamant Will seemed undeterred. “I am a merciful king to those who submit. All you need to do is tell us where the resistance camp is, and give us the means to get in.”

“DON’T TELL HIM ANYTHING!” Solaris roared. He tried to spring from his bed, but his obvious weakness made him slow. One of the guards slugged him hard in the chest, and Solaris was sent tumbling back onto the bed and into the corner.

I watched all of this unfold before me with a mixture of shock and horror. I had backed myself into the corner unoccupied by either the bed, the chamber pot, or the door, trying to take wind of the situation. I forced myself to calm down as much as I could and took a deep breath. So… on one hand, this Pony was about to reveal to Adamant Will the camp’s exact location, and how to break through. If Adamant Will gained that knowledge, all of my efforts would have been for naught - Equestria would fall, and my mission would have failed. There had to be something I could do.

On the other hand… I was alone. My only allies present were a half-starved, magic-less Unicorn who was currently recovering from having the wind knocked out of him, and an even more starved, magic-less Unicorn on the verge of mental collapse - and neither of them saw me as a friend. I had my spells, yes. But using them would only get me so far. As with my situation in the dining hall, even if I DID manage to kill Adamant Will in here, his guards would simply kill me in retaliation, and likely Solaris as well. Even if I managed to escape them, There had to be at least six dozen guards down in these dungeons. And none of them were going to let me just stroll out of here without Adamant Will escorting me.

Despite the spells, despite my knife, despite my close proximity to a distracted Adamant Will… I couldn’t kill him. I couldn't do it. I wasn't ready. If I tried anything, I was going to die. And the actual act... Memories of the guard's death at my hands flowed back, unbidden. My hands began to tremble. I backed myself deeper into the corner. I was a coward. A bloody coward.

So all I could do was watch as the Unicorn finally looked up at Adamant Will. “I… will show you how to get there,” he finally conceded.

“And how to enter?” Adamant Will asked, ignoring the hacking protests coming from behind him from Solaris.

“A… spellscroll.” The Unicorn’s gaze fell to the floor. “To break the wards. I will make one.”

“There you go.” Adamant Will smiled and patted the Unicorn on the shoulder. “Tonight, you will feast as you have not feasted in a long, long time. Guards, take him back to his cell and provide him with whatever food and drink he desires. But only after he provides us with the map and the scroll,” he added. "Provide him whatever materials he requires to produce these items.”

“So you see Solaris,” Adamant Will grinned as the two guards picked up the Unicorn and dragged him out of the cell, “Your resistance is over. Your own subjects have abandoned you.” Adamant Will turned towards Solaris and folded his hands behind his back. “The kingdom of Equestria is gone. There is only Minos”

“So long as Ponies have the will to fight, they will fight you,” Solaris spat.

“Then perhaps we had best find a way to break that will.” Adamant Will turned and moved towards the door. “We’re done here. Guards, I want the shift down here doubled tonight and tomorrow night. The last thing we want is for some would-be rescue team trying to free their king.” With that Adamant Will knocked twice on the door and pulled the door open. The guards gestured for me to follow suit and I shakily made my way past them and out the door. I watched as they trained their weapons towards Solaris and did not sheathe them until the cell door was closed and securely locked once more.

I paid no mind to the guards that watched me was I moved past them. Instead, I walked over to the far wall and leaned against it for support. My mind was reeling. Adamant Will was going to learn where the camp was. He was going to obtain the means to break the wards and enter. And he as going to have the prototype guns to demonstrate and test against the Ponies within.

The guns that I had helped to develop...

“Consider this the first part of your reward for your aid, Chris,” Adamant Will’s words broke me out of my stupor. I looked up to see him staring at me, a small smile playing across his face. “You will bear witness to the final dissolution of Equestria, and the destruction of the resistance. And your name will be remembered by my people as one of the factors that set in motion a chain of events that would lead to our conquest of all of Gaia.”

“Now, I’d suggest you head to your room and get some rest. You’ve got a busy day ahead of you tomorrow.”

Comments

[Tephera]

Buck.

[Cracked Egg]

Welp.

[Lazy Coyote]

He's going to snap and go into a rage we humans are known for... almost every story forgets that before we were smart or had technology, we were STILL apex predators... every human, no matter how docile or smart has their breaking point... he's right on the edge of his.

[Clicker]

I wonder if he's just gonna let Adamant Will kill/capture them, I would.
I doubt he will though.

[Gizmo Gear]

7627765 Agreed!! I think it should happen!!!

[Queuefka Palazzo]

7627765 Do you know why we were apex predators in our primal days? It's not because we fell into fits of rage, I'll tell you that. There is no advantage primal man would have that the minotaurs here could not match save perhaps our ability to flee.

[The Spirits Demise]

7851990 I like your profile picture, no idea where hes from but the arts nice

[Truthseeker]

Don't fall for it, Chris. This is a test to see if you are a saboteur.