“But his name really means blockhead!” Is that guy serious? Does he truly wants me to break his face?
The field suddenly grew tighter, can't even wiggle free anymore, guess the captain was true to his words about using lethal force.
“Twinkle Toes, another outburst like that and you’ll be scrubbing the toilets for an year, is that understood?”
“But…” but before Twinkle Toes could defend himself a glare from the captain sent him shuddering.
“Is that understood?” Shining Armor repeated with all the authority that entails his position… I like.
“Understood, captain,” Twinkle Toes said with a salute.
“I’m impressed,” Shining Armor glares at me, “I am giving you a lot of leniency there Support Pillar, I truly hope you live up to them.”
Really? Does he take me for an idiot or something? “And pray tell, how exactly is any part of my treatment do you consider as lenient?”
“For starters, I allowed your healing, haven’t I?” Oh right, there is that. “I think you and I need to talk, is it alright for me to take him back to the dungeon doctor Loveheart?”
“Of course, as long as you keep him away from any medication I think he’ll be fine,” Now that I think about it, the doctor have the most suspicious behavior between all of them, “I’ll see you at the trial mister Pillar, please don’t disappoint,” See? That screams suspicion.
I simply nod, I most definitely need to keep an eye out on him now. But the sudden flying toward the door kept me from actually replying.
The captain of the guards walked through the stony hallway, trailing me behind, well above him, while being shadowed by the two guards that accompanied him.
Every guard, maid or normal horse that passed him saluted him, then eyed me with either suspicion, fear, or disgust. Whispers of hate filled the halls over my presence, I wonder why I can taste it?
“You seem to be gaining popularity already,” Shining Armor jested.
I scoffed, “More like gaining a witnesses over my execution.”
“You are too pessimistic about things Support Pillar, you are in a far better position than a lot of your brethren, if you can call them that.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Shining Armor turned toward one of the wooden doors, he opened the uncharacteristically large gate not by using his hoof, or his mouth, he simply swung his head and the door opened.
“Nice trick,” I called, “Hidden wires or magnetic traps?”
“You still don’t believe that I’m using magic?” He looked at me with disbelief.
“You will have to understand my skepticism toward the unknown… umpf,” okay being dropped on the ground like that hurts a ton.
“You do realize that you can cast the same if your horn wasn’t broken, right?”
Oh please, I am a man, well black war horse changeling thing, of Science; magic mumbo jumbo are wasted upon me.
Shining Armor then turned toward one of the winged guards that are flanking me from both sides, “Rotten Breath, if our guest tries to do anything funny, you know what to do.”
I look at the horse Shining was addressing and he smiled at me displaying his… Oh God, are those his teeth? Why are they purple? And is that a centipede running in there?
I am most definitely going to be an angel today, “So, would you be as kind as to explain what exactly I am doing here?”
“I’m afraid to say this Support, can I call you Support?” I shrugged, “But, your race invaded Canterlot during my wedding , Kidnapped my princess, and my baby sister, threw them both in the caves beneath the city then took over the entire city. They even brainwashed me into thinking that I loved your queen. Do you know how disgusting that is?”
“I can only imagine,” From the look on his face, I most definitely want to be the supportive type, unless I get the teeth, I mean whatever Rotten Breath knows what to do.
“So you can imagine my surprise when the moment an officer in your changeling army saw you, he immediately called you 'Nirvana’s spawn' and wanted to kill you.”
Oh great, so it’s not just the ponies who wanted to kill me, it’s my own race as well.
The captain continued, “That made us somewhat curious, so we started investigating your whereabouts during the invasion, and something truly surprising came up: no one ever remembered seeing you until the last moment when the spell struck you and planted you on the wall.”
Okay, that was a bust. It really looks like I came out of nowhere.
“So what are you saying? You aren’t going to trial me?” Happy day!
“Tartaros no, whatever made you think that?” Why did you have to bring my hopes up? “But it does mean that you are most likely to be the only one to walk out alive.”
I don’t buy that.
“Pardon my skepticism again, but I doubt if the court would let me free, the rest of the populace would be as forgiving.”
“Don’t worry, if the princesses find you not guilty, the rest of ponykind will be just as forgiving.”
“So you’re saying that as long as the monarchy says it’s okay the people will blindly follow without a single thought over the subject at hoof?”
“… When you put it like this, you make ponykind look like idiots. Which isn’t something that helps your overall survival tomorrow.”
…
The trial is tomorrow? But I am not prepared! Who will be my lawyer? Will I even have a lawyer? What will my opening statement be? Am I going to be executed in a public square or in a gas chamber?
What is that putrid smell?
“Okay Rotten Breath,” Okay, I’m going to gag now, “I’m… calm now. Please move away.”
With a single shoo from Shining Armor, Rotten Breath backed off.
“Should you need it, I will provide you with the Equestrian constitution for you to prepare for tomorrow.”
“Forget it!” I snapped, “Those trials are fixed, there is no way you can condemn an entire army to death otherwise.”
“I can assure you, those trials are not fixed,” Shining remained surprisingly calm, “There are an adequate number of witnesses who testified of the atrocities your race committed during the invasion. It was based on those trials that we based our verdicts, and you lack both witnesses and a reasonable cause for such harsh punishment,” is that suppose to put me at ease? "Besides, I am not about to kill an innocent creature if I can help it, regardless of which race he is from."
Okay, now that’s just not right, “I’m not buying it,” The captain is too nice to me, “Why do you, of all the horses in Canterlot, want to keep me alive.”
Shining looked at me a bit miffed for some reason, “First of all, call me a horse one more time and I’ll pluck your broken wings off your back and feed them to you on a silver platter,” Note to self: never call ponies horses. Ever, “And yes, I do have a reason why I want you alive Support. Of all the creatures alive, you are the first one to ever break my telekinetic field.”
Shining Armor stood up then closed in on me. “My field,” he affirmed, “The one hailed as the strongest of all the unicorns.”
“In my defense, I don’t think I can replicate that.”
“Do I look like I care?” Shining Armor then slumped back to his seat, “You are unique Support, and not just as a changeling; from the first day I laid my eyes on you and you are an enigma wrapped in mystery, and you need to understand, I really hate mysteries.”
I gulped, I don't know why but that sounded a lot more ominous than it out to be.
"You'll have to excuse us, but we are putting you with another changeling tonight," Shining Armor then suddenly announced while opening one of the cell doors, "We need to fix the bed in your original cell so... you know where I'm going with this right?"
"Is that a challenge for me to survive till tomorrow?" I simply voiced my inner dialogue.
"Absolutely!" Shining beamed at me as I was shoved into the cell, "Good night and good luck."
The cell door closed. I sat there, in the dark, trying to digest what just happened.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted movement. Must be the changeling Shining talked about, "If you want to kill me, skipper, you would loose your only chance of getting out of here alive."
The changeling walked into my line of sight, and like the doctor described; she was of black and blue color, she has Diptera type wings. Why did I thought of her as a she though?
"What's a skipper?" definitely a she then.
"Your nickname?" okay, what's with her?
"My name?" Now she's messing with me.
"If you want it to be?" Okay, this is officially the weirdest conversation I have had, ever.
"Skipper," she repeated almost mindlessly then smiled the most sincerer smile I have seen since I woke up in this place, before suddenly turning towards me, "You said that you are my chance of getting me out of here alive?"
Finally, some coherency, "Yes, I think I can."
With a single nod she returned to her corner of the cell, repeating her new name over and over again; okay what's with that?
I simply shake my head then walk toward the bed, another memory resurfacing.
"You know," I address the bully, "I was okay if you kept annoying me in school, but following me home is crossing the line," He gulp audibly, "Would you please never do that again?"
"Okay, okay, I'll never follow you home," He pleaded, "Now would you please put down the axe?"
Looks like, I'll be alright after all.