It was done. Smoke curled lazily from the barrel of his revolver. He looked around, at the blood spattered on the floor and the wall, at the bodies of his wife and her lover. They had robbed him of his life, so he had robbed them of theirs. He looked at Cadence, her lifeless eyes staring up at him, unseeing.
His alcohol-addled brain finally processed what had just happened. He began to shake.
'W-what have I done...?' he whispered to himself. Another cliched line from one of Twilight's romance novels, but I actually said it. Can you believe that?
He could hear the pounding of hoofbeats outside in the corridor as the guards came running, alerted by the gunshots. He shuddered, raised the revolver to his temple, and pulled the trigger.
The hammer clicked down on an empty chamber. He had already fired every round. The gun clattered to the floor as he staggered over to the table and slumped in a chair, helpless, unable to even face death on his own terms.
Two grey guardsponies appeared in the doorway, their rifles raised. He noticed their stunned expressions when they saw the bodies and blood.
'S-sir?' one of them asked. 'What...what happened?' The other one nodded at the still smoking gun on the floor.
'Sir...turn around and put your hooves behind your back.' His youthful partner looked quizzically at him. 'Do it now, sir.' Silently, without changing his expression, Shining stood up and turned around. The guard pulled out a pair of shackles and hoofcuffed him before turning to his partner.
'Go get help. I think this one is above our pay grade.'
He had been locked up in the castle jail overnight before being transferred to Canterlot prison. The night before the trial, he had but one visitor- Twilight.
At first she just stood there in the doorway of the cell for a while, her face pale and her lips quivering. He did not know what to say to her. She did not know what to say to him. Eventually, she asked the obvious question.
'Why? Why did you do it?' He swallowed hard, searching for the answer. He didn't know himself. He was drunk, yes, but that was no excuse. Neither was her infidelity. He had murdered two ponies; his wife and his trusted subordinate. He had shot them down in cold blood, because he was angry and drunk and alone.
'I don't know why,' he said quietly. 'I just...she was my world...without her, I'm nothing.' Twilight sobbed.
'They're going to...you know they will g-give you....give you the...death penalty...' Tears flowed freely as she spoke. He nodded and embraced her, holding her tightly.
'I'm sorry, Twiley,' he whispered. 'I...I guess I just wasn't strong enough.'
The jury took just fifteen minutes to decide on a verdict. The evidence was conclusive, not to mention that he had entered a guilty plea. The judge nodded sagely and removed his glasses.
'Shining Armour, you have been found guilty by a jury of your peers of the murders of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Chief Warrant Officer Flash Sentry. It is the judgement of this court that you be taken from this place and hanged by the neck until dead.'
He had expected nothing less. He looked down at the floor. Twilight had been in the audience, but he could not meet her gaze. He knew she could never forgive him for what he had done. Neither could he forgive himself, and he knew he must die for his crime.
The rain continued to fall outside his cell. His horn was covered with a magic damper, to prevent any escapes. Though there was no clock, he knew the appointed hour must be close at hand. He sighed heavily, his face slick with tears. His last meal had already come and gone. There was nothing to do but wait for the inevitable, and pray that it would be quick. It had been quick for his victims; surely the gods would grant him that small mercy?
Hoofsteps outside his cell stirred him from his retrospection. Keys jangled in the lock. It was time.
The door swung slowly open. Two guards and the prison warden were standing there. The warden nodded at him. He composed himself, stood, and followed them.
The courtyard was drenched. The dark sky above gave no indication of the rain abating any time soon. Within seconds he was soaked, his coat and mane slicked flat against his skin. There was a small crowd around the gallows, mostly guards and members of the prison staff, but he could see a few familiar figures. Princess Celestia towered above the rest, sheltering under a magical umbrella. She followed him with grim eyes as he made the longest walk of his life.
Twilight was there too, clad in a black waterproof coat. She stood in the rain to hide her tears. The guards led him up onto the platform. They slipped the noose around his neck, the coarse rope digging into his coat. The warden read the sentence.
They would bury Cadence tomorrow, but they were hanging him tonight.