Off-Key
Sam stares at the cobblestone floor, awaiting his fate.
He didn't even know what he did wrong! All he did was sing, and apparently he's really bad, because his friends looked at him with... terrified expressions.
Seconds later, Princess Celestia herself burst through the door, and magicked him to Canterlot. He went through such an unfair trial. Celestia accused him of being a vile monster that must be put to death, and, since she's the ruler of this land, the ponies agreed, and he was sentenced to death, at the hooves of Celestia herself.
Now, he sits on a bench, pondering his life up to this point. Nopony ever mentioned that it was illegal to be a bad singer. In fact, everypony he's met is a fantastic singer, to some degree.
Sam isn't too bad at it himself, at least he thinks so, anyway. His mother would always complement his on how angelic his voice sounded when he was a child.
Sam felt a stinging pain in his heart. He would never see his mother, or any of his family and friends, again. He would die here, in this world of magical, talking ponies.
He felt the tears run down his face. He never thought it would end like this, being executed, his only crime being an out of tune note in a song. He's never stolen! He's never committed a single crime in his entire life, and yet, and can't help but feel that he.... deserves this.
He knows it's probably magic that's making him think this, but it's hard to ignore such a painful sense of guilt. He didn't want to feel it, to fall under the influence of such twisted acts, be he couldn't fight. He was too weak.
He feels guilt that isn't his, memories that he never made flooding into his system. He sees images, flashes of faces. They were terrified. He saw things that made his heart stop.
In visions, almost like he was watching a film, he saw himself reach forward towards a terrified pony, and strangled them. He watched as the pony stared at him with pleading eyes, begging for mercy. But, in the vision, he showed none, and he squeezed harder. He saw the life slowly leave the mare's eyes as they glazed over. He saw himself drop the body, and crouch down to the mare's lever, and start clawing at her, trying to rip her open.
Sam closed his eyes, trying to force the sight from his mind, his eyes leaking. His mind shows similar atrocities, but in varies ways. Stomping, beating, stabbing, mauling, all were shown to him, and he could do nothing but watch helplessly as he sobbed quietly to himself, laying on the ground in the fetal position.
And then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. He opened his eyes. He sat up, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. His eyes felt oddly dry, like he had been crying for hours.
Then, the door opened, revealing and gold gaurdsmare.
"Ah, on the floor, I see." Said the guard, looking at him with disgust. "Weeping for own sorrow, eh? Pathetic.. GET UP!"
Sam quickly stood, wobbling as his leg was half-asleep.
"Follow me, monkey." The mare spat.
Sam trudged slowly behind the guard, following her to the end of his days.
They walked through many halls, past other guards. This apparently hasn't happened in centuries, so it's rather big news. He followed the mare past nobles, guards, and commerce, all watching with the same disgusted expression.
This is not the Equestria he arrived in.
After what seemed like hours, they reached a very old looking part of the castle. They stopped in front of an old, wooden set of double doors. The mare stepped aside, and looked at Sam expectantly.
"Well?" The mare said, "Go inside!"
Sam opened the door, seeing no point in arguing. The door locked behind him. He looked around the room, and his heart dropped to his feet;
There were various tools strewn about, wooden and metal, on a large table, sorted by size. The smallest? A set of small wooden nails. The Largest? A giant rusty saw. This was mere feet away from another table, with leather straps attached to it. He didn't need to be expert on tables to know what that was for.
"Human." A voice said from the darkness to his left. It was calm, soothing, almost motherly. He knew who it was immediately; Celestia. "I know you are scared, and confused, but do not worry. I will explain everything... but first, I need you to lie down on that table."
For some reason, Sam's body moved on it's own. He couldn't command it to stop. He stopped in front of the table, and lied down on it. It was very uncomfortable.
Immediately, the leather straps snapped onto his wrists and ankles. He had control of his body again, and he began to look around helplessly.
After a few seconds of very terrifying silence, Celestia appeared, her face a blank, unreadable expression. She stared at him, her eyes boring into his soul. It was oddly soothing, despite the situation.
"I see the spell worked on you." She stated.
"Huh?" Sam managed.
"The spell." She said simply. "The one that gave you those visions."
"W-what? That was you?" Sam asked, confused.
"Yes." Celestia replied blankly. "I couldn't do this to you without you being guilty of something."
"W-what?"
"You were given false memories and scenarios." Celestia explained monotonously. "Equestrian law forbids me to execute one that is not guilty."
"But, I'm not guilty!" Sam exclaimed.
"Or..."Celestia suddenly gained a sadistic grin. It terrified Sam. "...are you? You see, the way the spell works, it makes the mind believe that it has done something it hasn't. In this case, you're trying to convince yourself that you didn't commit such atrocities, while your mind believes you did. And, how else would one explain the disappearances of those poor ponies?"
"What?" Sam reminded himself of a broken record, repeating the same question.
"The ponies you were shown in those visions - or memories, more appropriately - have gone missing in the time being of you being here. I know it wasn't you, but how else am I supposed to rid this land of disgusting creatures such as you?" Celestia spat at him, her grin turning to a scowl.
"So, I'm only here because I'm a human?" Sam asked, getting angry.
"Oh, yes..." Celestia's expression once again switched to a grim stare. "I've seen the horrors of your species once before, human. You took my little ponies, stole them from their homes, and experimented. Trying to figure out how magic works, trying to gain the power for your own. That was centuries ago, but I remember. You humans are nothing but power-hungry psychopaths, and I aim to protect my ponies."
Sam's mind completely shut down. What? Humans have been here before? They harmed such a beautiful, and innocent species? He thought about it. Humans are like that. They seek to be the top creatures, without even realizing it.
"Now..." Celestia muttered, turning to the other table, the one filled with old instruments. "... it's your turn to see what being the subject to experimentation is like, human."
She levitated an old, rusted scalpel. "You see this?" She asks, Showing it to Sam. "This was made by you humans, to cut into innocent creatures, and now...." She magicked Sam's shirt off, and aimed it at his chest. "... You're going to see how it feels." She then plunged it into his chest.
Celesita sits on her throne, the noble in front of her droning on about something that doesn't really matter. She doesn't seem to be listening, judging by the look on her face.
The noble finishes. "... and I hope you agree, your majesty."
"Yes, I do." Celestia says automatically, putting on a fake smile.
"Wonderful!" The noble says, turning around and exiting, signalling the end of Day Court.
Princess Luna enters the throne room to prepare for Moon Court.
"Sister, " She says, taking her place next to Celestia, in her own throne. "thou seems rather... dazed. Is thou alright?"
Celestia chuckles warmly, and turned to face her. "Yes Luna. I was just remembering an old.. friend is all."
"Very well."
Celestia exits the throne room, heading to her personal chambers. When she does, she enters, magically locking the door behind her.
"Good evening, Sam." She gestures to a peculiar looking skull on her side table. She stares at it for a few seconds, as if expecting it to say something. "Giving me the silent treatment, as always." She chuckles to herself, realizing how ridiculous it seemed to expect it to say anything, he's been dead for five-hundred years! Still, she found it quite amusing to acknowledge his presence whenever she enters her chambers.
She walks over to a large, golden, ornate mirror, and begins to remove her makeup, regalia, getting ready for bed.
Once she finishes, she heads over to a pair of glass doors, which led to her personal balcony, and opened them.
She stood upon it, breathing in the warm air, and began to lower the Sun. It was always an easy process, but a process nonetheless.
Once she finished, the moon hanging high in the sky, she turned to her bed.
She wrapped her self in her large blanket, and rested her head on her pillow.
Before she fell asleep she took one last look at the old skull... "Goodnight, Sam." ... and closed her eyes, peacefully falling asleep.