Quashed

The night came and went, with Celestia still unmoving in her refusal to aid, as well as her refusal to eat. The two stallion guards had also refused food, though that was more for the fact that fear had turned their stomachs and stolen their appetites. None of them had slept well, either. The ropes wrapped around them didn't help with that, nor did the loud snoring of their minotaur captors. When it came time to awaken, they were more exhausted than when they'd been put to bed.

The minotaurs set about their camp maintenance, making sure they had enough food and water to make it through another day. They did, but they were running low on firewood. Ironblood, their axe wielder, was still injured, so Steelhorn was reluctant to send him out. Boneshatter volunteered to take his place, a notion that Steelhorn was not against at all.

As Boneshatter was on his way out, Arrow called out to stop him. "Wait! Hold on a minute, please." Boneshatter stopped, and all eyes fell on Arrow. He took a deep breath. "I want to help you gather firewood."

Steelhorn strode over and kneeled down next to Arrow. "Do you really? Or do you just want us to untie you so you can escape?"

Arrow shook his head. "I couldn't sleep last night. Your words were echoing in my head, and they reminded me of the oath I swore when I joined the royal guard. I promised to protect Equestria from outside forces. I had always thought that an obvious statement with the only meaning being face value, but now I see a way to protect Equestria in an unconventional manner. I would be honoured if you would accept my help in defending your lands."

"What brought this on?" asked Steelhorn. "After all, you told me last night that there's no one waiting for you back home."

Arrow nodded at the other soldier. "Somepony is waiting for him."

Steelhorn frowned. "That's a reason for him to help us, not for you."

Arrow shook his head. "I've never felt the love of another pony before. Not the way he has, not the way a parent cares for their child, not the way that a sibling cares for their brother. And if you destroy Equestria..." He took a deep breath and glared right into Steelhorn's eyes. "I will never experience that feeling. My only chance is with you."

The camp was silent, save for the crackling of the fire and the ambient sounds of the wind in the trees and the birds in the branches. Arrow and Steelhorn did not break their gaze. Suddenly, Steelhorn burst out laughing. He reached forward and untied Arrow's bonds. "Take a few minutes to stretch out the tension from being bound. You can accompany Boneshatter in his task." The smile drained from his face. "Know this, though. If you try to run off, he will not hesitate to stop you."

Arrow shivered and swallowed hard, but nodded in agreement. Steelhorn stood and walked back over to Hardtusk and Scrimshaw to discuss what tasks they would be doing that day. After fifteen minutes of stretching and contorting, Arrow approached Boneshatter, who had been silently watching him. "I'm ready."

Boneshatter stood up. Of all the minotaurs, he was by far the largest, with dark auburn fur and dark brown, almost black eyes. From his belt, he pulled out what Arrow would have called a large woodcutting axe. Boneshatter wielded it as if it were a hand axe. Were they enemies, Arrow would have found this sight terrifying, but he reasoned that being an asset to them meant that their immense strength would protect him. He hoped, at any rate.

The two walked into the woods together. Arrow was nervous, something that did not go unnoticed by Boneshatter. "Are you frightened, little pony?"

Arrow nodded. "If I'm not useful to you, I fear that I might be disposed of. What's more, by lending my aid to you, I think I just committed treason. If your plan doesn't work out, or even works out wrong, I'll be a stallion without a country, best case scenario." He shivered. "Dear Celestia, what have I done?"

Boneshatter gave his best reassuring shoulder pat. "If the plan works out in the wrong way, if you've proven the strength of your conviction and defended Equestria as best you could, then you needn't worry about that. Steelhorn will see your worth, and you will be granted a place to live among us in the Hornburg."

Arrow looked up at Boneshatter. "Really?"

Boneshatter smiled and nodded. "We are brave warriors who fight for our honour. If you are much the same, you will be welcomed with open arms."

"But what if your plan fails, and the Hornburg falls?"

Boneshatter stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath. "If the Hornburg falls, I will either be dead or exiled. Should death take me, I shall accompany you in spirit. If exile should befall me, you are welcome to travel with me in search of a new home."

Arrow had no response to that. These minotaurs were quite different than the ponies he'd known throughout the years. It was quite inspiring. He stood a bit taller and nodded, now certain that he'd made the right choice.

They found a few dead trees, and either cut or pulled them down. Between the two of them, in half an hour, they'd gathered more than enough wood. While Boneshatter was certainly capable of dragging these trees back to camp, he wanted to see how far Arrow was willing to go to support them. This was a common test among the younger Hornburgers. Several trees were cut down and bound together. The number was dependent on how many would come together, and their relative strength. They would need to lift together, place the logs on their shoulders, and carry it a fair distance. If one of them failed, it would make it more difficult for all of them. Those who worked together were rewarded with longer breaks, as they finished quickly. Those who failed on purpose were made to restart from the beginning.

Boneshatter remembered back to when he had to go through this trial, with Steelhorn and another minotaur. The other minotaur had dropped the logs countless times. The trio hadn't eaten or slept for over thirty-six hours because of it. When the other minotaur threw them off for the hundredth time, Steelhorn had bashed their skulls together, knocking the other minotaur out and breaking his nose. Now a duo, their task was much harder, but they managed it. Even when Boneshatter had almost lost his grip, Steelhorn had kept the logs aloft. He tore a muscle in his leg doing so, but he hadn't let Boneshatter fail again. When they made it to their destination, Boneshatter knew that he could always count on his younger brother to watch out for him.

"Pick up that side, Arrow. We're carrying this wood back to camp."

Arrow nodded and tried to lift his end of the tree trunks. It took a lot of effort, but he eventually managed. Boneshatter was a bit wary, not knowing the average strength of ponies, but was a bit disappointed. Arrow was struggling to lift three trees, whereas Boneshatter and Steelhorn's trial had been five strong. Still, he had to remember that Arrow was no minotaur, and it was clear that he was putting in the effort. With some encouragement and training, he believed that Arrow could be quite valuable.

Their trek back to camp was slow going, as Arrow wasn't used to this amount of weight. They had spent all of fifteen minutes going out, but just shy of an hour coming back. When they did return, Only Hardtusk and Ironblood were around to see Arrow struggling to carry the logs. Hardtusk stood up to assist, but with a wave from Boneshatter, he sat back down, understanding the meaning behind the task.

When Arrow was finally allowed to set the logs down, he collapsed. He was red in the face, and covered in sweat. He fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Ironblood cheered and clapped, while Hardtusk rushed over with a bucket of cool water and a ladle. Propping Arrow up, he washed his face and offered him some cold water to drink.

"Well done, Arrow," congratulated Boneshatter. "You've taken your first step toward our goal. Keep this up, and you can bet that you'll be counted among us as kin."