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.
Maybe... I am Cursed?
This foul night seems to be taking an eternity for me, as I can not sit still for even a fleeting second. Faint rays of the moonlight wash over my face, down upon the floor where my shackles hold me. This is torturous! Why couldn't I have simply been killed today? What difference would it have made?
But after all... I know why. The queen wants to watch me struggle. She has to know I can see my Princess's silhouette, and I do. Possibly the only comfort I could find now is my love's image hanging high above me. I am sure she is watching me now. She just has to be.
I tug at my bonds and erect my body so that I may gaze upon her fully. My body has become fatigued from my sheer loss of blood, but my insomnia will not let me be. I have to see her, if only for a moment.
I will admit, I was not always as muscular or fit as my colleagues, but I am sure she could appreciate my brilliance. I had so memorized every miniscule detail of the moon before she was banished, that I could have drawn a diagram of every rocky valley, crevice, and plain blindfolded! I had so painstakingly took into consideration the exact moment my Luna would raise and lower it as well, every single day of the year. But now? It is all gone! Celestia has ruined it all! All the time I had spent memorizing and calculating, just to impress her sister when the moment should arise, and then she viciously mutilates it all!
"Pompous... ASS!!!" I yell in unholy anger at myself.
Bang!
I turn back to my cell door that had clanged so loudly.
"Quiet in there, scum." Says the guard, directing his obvious irritation towards me.
It is no use now I suppose. Perhaps I should just let it go. It had taken me thirteen years to finally realize that she had butchered my nights, my chances to converse with her beautiful sister, and all my meticulous memorization. Maybe I should tell her that myself when I see her. But what good would it do? Listening was never Celestia's strong suit.
After taking a few moments to let Luna's moon rays graciously flood my pink irises, I finally take my fill and prop myself up back against this clamorous, damp surface. I let my cheek rest against the wet stone, almost as if I could go to sleep right now, but I know I won't, at least not yet. I must hold out for a little while longer.
"Damn this insomnia. It stopped serving its purpose thirteen years ago. With her face in the moon... what am I supposed to calculate? I can't tell if it's too perfect... or horribly flawed." I whisper.
No. When I used to watch her, I could have never imagined her in my wildest nightmares being imprisoned within that heavenly body. She used to gaze out, far across our country, with no malevolent thought. Of that, I was positive. That is at least what I saw, regardless, for it was not until her swine for a sister started receiving all the attention from their subjects. As for myself, I never payed her any mind. Celestia was never worth it. You can not study the sun. There is quite simply no practical way to go about such a task, but why did the common folk praise her so?
"Gah..." I grunt with such ire and contempt, "Am I mad? Am I not the only pony besides my Princess who truly cares for every small idiosyncrasy that made her night so beautiful? Do I care because I can not sleep?!"
The guard says nothing to me this time. He obviously thinks I am insane and has decided not to waste his time on me, but I will generously allow him silence anyway.
I fall heavily onto my back and the chains binding me to this damn wall dig into my spine. I should consider my self fortunate, however, that I have let my mane grow freely since she was banished, for my golden hair is the only thing keeps the hefty iron links from clawing their way deeper into my bloody scars.
Three hours of whipping? Now I know the queen is terrible, but I am sure she did not call for that kind of treatment. With the floor below me stained prominently with my blood, I'm finding that it's nearly possible to stay out of the viscous liquid. I can not see it, but I am sure it stains my dark coat.
"Soaked in my own blood? I am glad I only have one more public appearance to make, hahahahaha..." I chuckle lowly at my own joke.
How ironic it was, that never before in my life had I been much of one to seek out humor in things. Though given the circumstances, I was beginning to enjoy the idea of death, almost finding comfort in it. Soon I would be with my love.
What was I going to say as my last words though? Luckily I would not have to think long. It will be easy, no doubt. With that rope around my neck, the words will flow like a river, right into the ears of all who attend. Oh, how I will relish the look on Celestia's face when every single word I speak will be directed at her.
But maybe, I will make them see as well. I will show them how the hag has played us all for fools. I will show them my gashes, my bruises, my blood, my scars, my tears, and my pain! My sweet Luna's pain also...
A tear runs down my cheek and mixes with my blood on the stone beneath my head. The day has finally caught up with me. Maybe that is why, for the first time in thirteen years, I suddenly feel exhausted. Long ago had I forgotten the feeling of having my eyelids sag heavily over my pupils. Now, I stagger every blink, holding off the inevitable and silently hoping I will just die of blood loss. But, I know that will not come either. My breathing is becoming difficult to manage as well.
"My darling Luna... 'huff'... your nights were the only thing that kept me good company...'huff'... while I stayed awake all evening in the libraries, reading every book from its walls. But, it seems now...'huff'... that even though I tried to make them see... 'huff'... I will finally have to miss one night. It will not bother me, however, as your sister's laughable parody is in fact... 'huff'... no comparison to yours."
I had to steady my heart.
No, I could not let myself die now, for I had to let the people know the truth on the day of my death. So instead of struggling against my eyes any longer, I relinquish myself to the one thing I have lived so many years without... and finally fall into a deep sleep.
