Honor For All

Shining Armour screamed as the scorching poker was pushed into his flesh once again. The large brown pony administering the torture was hidden under an executioners mask, hiding his face. Regent Luna, however, was content to stand out in the open, staring directly at Shining Armour. In addition to the eyes, Luna’s coat had grown darker over the last six months, almost black as the night sky now. “Has our guest decided to speak yet?” Luna asked. The torturer shook his head. “Apply it once more, then leave me to him.” Luna instructed, speaking with the casual nonchalant tone of one who had been through a routine like this many times. The fire-poker was taken out of the nearby brazier where it had been cooking, and stabbed into Shining Armour’s side. He once again screamed in pain, despite himself. He wanted to keep quiet, to not give either of the two ponies in the room the satisfaction of his pain – but he had almost been broken over the last six months. Half a year in captivity. Half a year to do nothing but think to himself about what he’d let happen, about how best to extract revenge on those who conspired against him and the empress. Half a year of nothing but Hell; his body was broken, his tolerance for pain had given out, and his mind was corrupted by rage when in company, but sadness and regret when alone.

The poker was removed from Shining Armour’s body. The wound was cauterized naturally by keeping the poker in fire when unused; this was a both a blessing and a curse. Though cauterizing any wounds wouldn’t allow the plague to infect Shining Armour, keeping him alive (though he daren’t imagine what for) but causing him excruciating pain on top of the surge he felt every time his flesh was pierced by steel. The torturer put his weapon of choice back in the brazier, the only source of light in the room. Regent Luna walked toward Shining Armour, casting an eerie shadow across the room as she approached. “I’m not fazed…” Shining Armour wheezed, his voice rasp and his throat sore. “My intention is not to intimidate you – do not think I would be so foalish as to think you would be swayed by mind games,” Luna responded.

She started walking around the Lord Protector, knowing he was unable to strike her with anything except a forked tongue from the chair to which he was bound. Luna’s hooves made echoes as she walked on the concrete floor, each step being the only sound that could be heard when she was not speaking. Shining Armour had grown accustomed to this sound; but that made it no more pleasant. “Do not mistake my mistreatment of you for a lack of respect,” Luna continued. “I simply wish for you to confess – it makes both our lives easier.”“I’m… not going to… because I didn’t,” Shining Armour sputtered out, fighting desperately the desire to cough and injure his burnt throat even more.

Luna sighed, and sped her pacing a little to face Shining Armour once again. “But if you say you killed the Empress, everything works out better. I get to take my position as ruler, you can finally have the sweet embrace of death by hanging – I’ll even tip the hangman. You can have your neck snapped, instantaneous death.”

Shining Armour did not respond, instead electing to keep silent for the time being. Luna stepped closer, practically touching his face with her own. “And the young Twilight will be spared…” Luna added. Shining Armour had to crane his neck to stare her in the face, but he made the effort. No amount of towering over him would stop him from facing her like an equal.

“Leave. Her. Out of this.” He demanded, his voice hushed but forceful.

Luna suppressed a smile. Within her own mind, she had already one this argument. “Well, then I suppose you’d better save her then. As you were unable to do with Lady Cadence,”

If Shining Armour was a lesser stallion, he would have spat in her face. Not that he could have anyway, the moisture he could produce was reserved for coating his throat and getting the stale, sickly food he was served into his system. He need not waste it on the Alicorn before him – he had more honor than to resort to petty shows of disapproval.

“I’ll give you some time to think about it,” Luna said, tilting her head slightly but keeping her eyes locked on him, before turning and walking into the darkness that shrouded most of the room from sight.

As she left, Shining Armour’s vision was taken by a sack being stuffed over his head. His body was lifted of weight as two Pegasi picked him up carried his body off the floor, away to his cell.

The relief of carrying his own weight was something Shining Armour was quietly thankful for – it didn’t give him an opportunity to run, but it gave him a few moments of relief.

*         *        *

The sounds of the ocean could be heard through the small window. “Window” was a strong word – it was more of a hole covered by bars that somepony had forgotten to repair. The thing wasn’t big enough to even get a hoof out of, but it was plenty big enough to give a taste of the sound and sight of unattainable freedom.

Shining Armour led on the stone slab extending from the wall that passed for a bed. It was adorned with no sheets or blankets; the only thing keeping Shining Armour warm was his own will power. The winter months were still a season away, and if Shining Armour wasn’t executed by that time, he knew he’d likely freeze to death overnight.

It felt odd to him to think about his own demise. Most would count down the number of days until their death. Shining Armour had learned a few things from his time with the Military before becoming Lord Protector – instead of counting down the days until he passed, he counted up the days. Not of time he had spent, but of the days he had resisted. Every single carving on the wall, to him, was another point to him; another day that he had survived despite them. Despite her.

The tally Shining Armour kept occupied over half the wall facing him, and was nearly ready to turn the corner and begin on the back wall facing the door. Since there was nothing in the cell except rocks and, on occasion, rats, carving a line into the wall took the better part of a few hours; constantly beating into the wall with a stone. There was nothing else much to do though, and the repetitive motion kept Shining Armour’s mind straight and his magic honed. He had been told off older stories when Unicorns possessed magic that could do more than just hold things – the ability to do short range teleportation, create tangible objects, even if only for a short time, even create small presentations. Stories of The Old World even told of rulers powerful enough to raise the sun at consistent times. But these times were long gone – not since the rise of a technological surge and the consolidation of power into New Equestria – though the ‘new’ had been lost from its name. It was no longer new; the country was present, and the Old Kingdom was now the one to adorn a title.

Shining Armour liked to think of the Old World from time to time. Even if it was just the pony-tales told to foals. Stories of Celestia, the noble ruler; her battle with Discord, the embodiment of Chaos; the schism created with her sister, Nightmare Moon. There were old folk tales of Celestia using her power to ascend those worthy to Alicorn hood – even down to Cadence. Shining Armour considered this fodder, but the thinking time he had had allowed him to form theories from what was known.

Not that it mattered. Stories of times long gone were of no matter – whatever the “Elements of Harmony” were, they had been used to give rise to the technology now occupying and controlling most lives. They didn’t exist anymore.

There was a clanging on the jail door, shattering Shining Armour’s images of what the Old World had looked like and taking him back to the dampness of the air he lived in.

“Eat up Armour, this is from a friend. Better than the usual grub,” An armored Mare told Shining Armour, sliding a tray with some fresh bread on it through a near the bottom of the door.

Shining Armour nodded in thanks and got up from the bed. The Guard was indiscriminate with its hiring – mares and stallions alike were assigned to do basic jobs. The larger part of the actual military was made up almost entirely from Stallions, but the home guard was a little looser when it came to regulation. The only rule was that Pegasi wishing to join the guard be reassigned to the domestic military – their flight was invaluable, to the overseas efforts if push came to shove with foreign affairs.

Still, it was because of this loose formation of ‘The Watch’, as they had become known, that Shining Armour was able to hold a conversation with some of the prison guards – they needn’t be loyal to whoever was in power. Some of them believed that he had been framed, and a couple even talked to him. They never discussed anything important, but it was nice to hear about what was happening outside the four walls – even if it was talking to Moonshine about how her filly was doing in school.

Shining Armour knelt down to examine the food he had been given. The bread was fresh and golden – half a loaf. Shining Armour couldn’t help but grin for half a second – given that most of the food here was served with maggots inside it, this was probably smuggled by somepony. When he had joked that he could do with smuggled goods, he didn’t actually mean it! Still, better not to look a gift pony in the mouth.

The unicorn wrapped a magical aura around his meal, and lifted it to his mouth. Indeed, this was fresh food. He gratefully swallowed his first easily edible food in weeks, then looked down to examine the tray for anything else. There was the usual cup of water – though even the cup looked cleaner! – and… a note?

Shining Armour frowned. A note was an odd thing indeed – prisoners didn’t receive any mail. Perhaps it was from one of the more sympathetic guards? Pushing any preconceptions from his mind, the Lord Protector levitated the note up to eye height and began to read.

"Armour,

Forget who we are. Just know that we are friends. Look to your bread to find a chance to leave - I'm sure you'll figure out some way to get out. If you need a helping hoof, one of the guards will leave you a weapon.

Once you're out, make to the river and go through the sewers. We've left something else and further instructions in a special place; you'll know it when you see it.

Good luck!"

Shining Armour folded the note and put it into an inside pocket of his coat. He hadn't been allowed to change, and the coat almost felt like another layer if his skin now - it kept him warm over the nights, so he didn't take it off. Now, to look to the note.

The bread? Shining Armour looked to the bread levitating to his left, and moved it to the center of his vision. It didn't look overly odd. Shining Armour raised a hoof and turned it face up. Laying the bread in his hand, he let the bread lie flat on his hoof, feeling it's weight. It did indeed seem to be a little heavy. Perhaps...

Magic tore the bread in half, and it's user looked into the side of both halves. On the right side, the fluffy white inside stared back at Shining Armour. On the left side, there was, sticking out a little, the end of a key.

Shining Armour's eyes widened. Stashing the bread into his mouth, Shining Armour took the key with his magic. He examined the key carefully, checking for any sign of a trap or forgery. It seemed genuine. But the proof of the matter was in the doing.

Slotting the key ever so gently into the lock in his cell, Shining Armour swallowed his meal and let out a long breath. There was a slight click, and the door swung a little. It had opened!

Shining Armour very carefully checked that the patrols had all passed his route. There was nopony around. Breathing out once again, Shining Armour pushed the door open and took his first tentative step into freedom.