DONG
The small prison cell was barely able to let me sit. It was cold and cramped... But those problems weren't on my mind. Today was the day. Celestia had stamped my paper with her royal seal, there was no going back.
DONG
I heard the guard say my turn was at eight...
DONG
A guard trotted to my cell door.
"It's time." he grunted as he unlocked the prison cell.
DONG
I slowly stood up, accepting my fate. But the guard grabbed my chains with his telekinesis and yanked me out of the cell.
"Get moving maggot!" he yelled, trying to push me towards the one-way door. I stood wearily... Stretching fully for the first time in days.
DONG
I began my march. Some of my fellow humans were also being forced out of their cells, some resisting, some stared blankly at the walls... I imagined I was among the latter.
DONG
"Let go of me you filthy animals!" someone yelled nearby. Several of the more lucid ones turned to look at who was thrashing violently, but I wasn't one of them.
DONG
The last bell rang as the clock struck seven. I had one hour. One hour to live. A guard clamped the chains on my feet with a long chain that made us all a train of decrepit prisoners.
"Get moving you damn filthy apes!" a guard yelled. Several of the prisoners snickered at the reference. But I once again was silent and still. With a tug, I began shuffling through the one-way door. The stone was colder than what it was in the dungeon. But I didn't care. Eventually we where herded into a holding area in a hallway that led to the courtyard that housed the wooden platform. Someone began to babble incoherently at the sight.
"Shut up!" yelled a guard, smashing his spear into the broken human. I stared forwards at the head in front of me, not even glancing sideways at the passing guards.
"Hey you." I heard. I continued my staring contest with the back of the head in front of me. "Hey I'm talking to you!" someone yelled in my ear. I came out of my daze to see a guard looking at me expectedly. "Yeah, you..." he snorted. "What gave you the right to come to our world and trash it?" he asked. I decided to ignore him and turned to continue wallowing in indifference. "You will look at me when I talk to you scum!" He yelled, smashing his spear into the back of my knee, making me fall forwards. I felt my head being grabbed in the unicorns telekinesis. "What gave you the right?!" he asked again. I stayed silent. His face scowled. "What made you morons so interested in us?!" he yelled lifting his spear to strike again.
"... Peace." I rasped with a unused voice. His scowl lessened, but his spear was still raised.
"What?" he asked disbelievingly.
"Friendship... Harmony... Peace..." I rasped again. He prodded my throat with his spear.
"And what would a worm like you know about harmony? About friendship? About peace?!" he roared. I was silent for a moment.
"One year ago I would've agreed with you." I stated. His scowl was replaced with confusion.
"WHAT?!" he asked angrily.
"One year ago I would've ripped that spear from your grasp and beat you with it." I stated, feeling a familiar coldness creep into my gaze. "One year ago I would never have been caught..." I continued. "One year ago I would've burned your dungeon... One year ago I all I needed was information... And may your patron deity help you if you didn't provide information." I grinned. The guard stepped back. "I was a MACHINE... But then I saw the show... I began to realize there was more than relevant information... I began to realize how lonely I was... I began to miss personal contact... I began to grow again. I began to smile at people." I smiled sadly. "So tell me... What do you know about harmony? What do you know about conflict? What do you know about what you take for granted?!" I snarled. The guard had backed up to the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. Several fellow prisoners were staring at me, smiles adorning their faces. Nearby guards had to pick up their jaws at my speech. I turned back forwards, purposely ignoring all the stares I was getting. Eventually a guard kicked the first prisoner in our train.
"Get moving!" he yelled. We began to shuffle forwards again. The courtyard had filled up with Canterlot ponies, each wanting to see their "invaders" hang. Soon we were postioned in a line behind the wooden platform with the board up high enough to choke a human.
DONG
It was time. The first of the prisoners were unshackled from the train and forced onto the gallows.
DONG
Ropes were wrapped around their necks.
DONG
The guard ponies stepped away from the platform and a hooded pony took their place.
DONG
DONG
The courtyard was silent.
DONG
DONG
DONG
"For crimes against the state of Equestria..." some mare somewhere called out. "For crimes against the Crown... For crimes against the citizens of the state... The ENTIRETY of the group known collectively as "bronies"... By the royal decree of Princess Celestia... Shall be sentenced to be hanged by the neck... Until dead." The congregation was silent. But then the pony that looked like a captain nodded his head at a line of drummers.
TATATATATATTATATATTATATATATATA
CHUNK
The hooded pony pulled the lever on the side of the platform and the humans dropped to their death... The process continued like that until a sound could be heard by all... Coming from the platform.
"It's true, some days are dark and lonely... And maybe you feel sad... But Pinkie will be there to show you that it isn't that bad..." Some of the ponies began to look mad at the lyrics... But all the doomed humans smiled, except me.
"There's one thing that makes me happy... And makes my whole life worthwhile... And that's when I talk to my friends and get them to smile!" everyone around me began to sing.
TATATATATATTATATATTATATATATATA
CHUNK
Despite losing half the singers, the song doubled in volume.
"I really am so happy... Your smile fills me with glee... I give a smile, I get a smile... And that's so special to me!"
Another set of prisoners were marched on to the platform... I was first in line now.
TATATATATATTATATATTATATATATATA
CHUNK
"'Cause I love to see you beam, beam, beam... Tell me, what more can I say to make you see that I do? ... It makes me happy when you beam, beam, beam... Yes, it always makes my day..."
TATATATATATTATATATTATATATATATA
CHUNK
"Come on everypony smile, smile, smile!... Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine... All I really need's a smile, smile, smile... From these happy friends of mine!" I was pushed forwards. I still hadn't joined in singing "Smile" A noose was wrapped around my neck. I looked out at the crowd of ponies... They were all, without exception, looking at us in disgust and revulsion. I spotted a certain guard at the back of the crowd, staring at me specifically... With a smug grin on his face.
"Come on everypony smile, smile, smile!... Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine... All I really need's a smile, smile, smile... From these happy friends of mine!" I began to sing... So loudly that the volume of the song doubled again! Other prisoners heard my contribution and quadrupled it. The guard frowned with uncertainty.
"Come on everypony smile, smile, smile!... Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine... All I really need's a smile, smile, smile... From these happy friends of mine!"
TATATATATATTATATATTATATATATATA
This was it...
CHUNK
I fell.
Author's Note
Short story based off of a rather interesting dream I had... Basically a royal guard asking why I was so obsessed with them... Then dragging me to the gallows.
