My Shackles Will Not Break Me
My Shackles Will Not Break Me
Death by hanging?
I suppose it is what I deserve, for I understand that no one is above the law. I won't argue that it was not me who tried to kill Celestia, but I will defend to my last breath that she is the one truly responsible for what has transpired.
She calls herself the new "bearer" of the moon. Honestly now, I have seen foals who could excel far beyond her as far as that task is concerned. Her sister, Luna, was so precise, so punctual, and so careful with her nights that she made Celestia's seem like an utter hell for me, every single evening.
For the past thirteen years I have simply accepted defeat, knowing that my nights will never go back to the way they were.
She was so beautiful, standing on her balcony and basking in the light of her most treasured possession, the white heavenly body that hung low in the sky. A few years before the hag banished her, I had developed a case of chronic insomnia. I worked the castle grounds laggardly, late at night when no pony else would, just to catch a glimpse of her beauty.
I had sincerely hoped she took notice of me, but then again, I do not think she ever did. But, I was a cursed creature as well, not in the traditional sense, but in a way that let me stay awake and relish every second of the masterful canvas she painted before us. She was upset I could tell, as was I. What I would've given to say one word to her... before she was cast out of Equestria so recklessly.
Thock!
"Oof!!" The guard's left hoof digs into my sternum, but I somehow manage to stifle a louder cry of pain from escaping. His ghastly barrage has left my rib cage now somewhat dilapidated. The iron cuffs linking my legs to one another are bound together by weighty chains, hopelessly keeping me from going anywhere.
The force of his impact causes me to fall forward onto my face, while the smell of the damp stone floor peers its putrid head into my nostrils.
"Consider yourself fortunate that I missed your heart, scum. Otherwise you might have died right then." The guard growls at me.
I attempt to pick my head up, but I simply can not find the strength. "Gah... you are all fools... you actually accept the fact that I want to live?!" The words barely escape my mouth.
"Quiet, criminal." Says the armored guard behind him. "I would not worry if I were you. You have already been sentenced to death. The proceedings will begin in two days time."
I twist my head awkwardly and smile at him. "So, what is my sentence then? Will I be crushed by stone? Whipped until my heart gives out? Honestly, you simpletons have no idea how pointless this will all be. The 'queen' deserved what I so graciously offered her."
Thump!
Another hoof stomps down forcefully onto my skull. I feel my cheek dig into the stone's crevices, but I do not falter. Instead, I remain firm.
"QUIET!!!" I hear the guard above me shout.
One of my right molars cracks under the immense pressure, and the shards of my tooth penetrate the lining of my cheeks. With blood starting to trickle down my throat, I spit a projectile at the guard standing across from me. As the other guard pinning me down presses even more fervently, I feel circulation being cut off to my temples.
"Grahh..." I grunt faintly.
The queen's servant across from me approaches slowly. "That is what I expected out of a criminal like you. Your sentence, while we're on the subject, is in reality death... by hanging."
"Hmm..." I say through gritted teeth, "That's a most excellent one. Can we proceed today?"
"Afraid not, scum. The gallows have to be constructed before we commence. But do not worry, for you will be able to hear all of their progress right outside your cell's vent."
"Hear my death coming?" I announce. "It is not bad as having to endure thirteen years of pitiful night... after night... after night..."
Thock!!
Another heavy blow lands on my back, nearly fracturing my spine. My reflexes give in as my torso twists into an odd shape. A unicorn's body was not made to withstand this kind of treatment, but I will endure I suppose.
"Grrraahh..." I yelp.
One guard starts. "How many times do we have to order you to--"
"No." The other interrupts. "He will have his chance to see the Princess on the morrow. Let us leave him for now. Besides, he has an entire night of listening to the gallows to contend with."
"You still think that's the issue?!" I shout in retaliation. "Please. It is the moon which I find vexing. In actuality, it is the whole sky itself! The queen has no idea what a mockery she has been making of her sister for the past thirteen years."
The guards slowly back away from me in disgust and head for the heavily plated door. Using only their brute strength, they pry it open and exit, but the one who had delivered the glorious news to me stops... and turns.
We hold an irritating eye contact for a few fleeting moments, when he finally speaks.
"You are mad." He replies calmly. Next, he lets the heavy door close noisily behind him, leaving me to lay on the ground in unbearable pain.
Seconds go by, then seconds turn into lengthy minutes, and then yet still into longer hours. My head was still recuperating and I was no longer sure what to do. I begin to hear some loud banging from out side of my vent, just as the simpleton guard said would happen. But for some reason I may never quite know, I do not fear it.
Maybe it was true. Maybe I had gone mad... but it wasn't my fault. Celestia, in all her brutality, had sent the one thing I cared for most to spend an apparent eternity trapped within a heavenly body! She had to die!
And yet, here I find myself, staring at the stone walls of my cell with only my dreadful insomnia keeping me conscious. My thoughts begin to twist agonizingly around in my cranium and just when I think I can't stand anymore, I once again hear the hammering, the sound of the gallows being constructed... only for me.
I have no regrets however. She deserved it, and she knows it. If this is what my destiny has laid before me, then I shall gladly take it in graceful stride. If this is what I must go through to show my sweet Luna's agony... then so be it.