Chapter 1: Trapped

[...]

“Do you remember your name?”

“…”

“My name?”

My name.

“My name is Alexander Walkerson, but most people call me Alex.”

I’m a 25-year-old male from Earth. At 6’ 2” and 186 pounds, I was once a promising athlete and considered ‘generational talent.’ But, like most hyped-up basketball teenagers, a devastating leg injury derailed any hope for me to pursue a career in athletic competition.

However, that didn’t mean I couldn’t be something in education. And so, after graduating high school with high honors, I decided to attend a private university that had offered me a full-ride scholarship for joining their music department. Of course, how could I say no?

I enjoyed all five years I spent at that school, getting to know many individuals from different cultures and backgrounds while developing alongside great musicians. Ultimately, I graduated and earned two Bachelor’s degrees, one in Music Education and the other in Music Performance, both with magna cum laude status.

After completing an entire semester of student teaching, I was left to take over a position at a high school that needed someone to rebuild the program. The first few years I worked were rough, with me constantly advocating and defending why the music department required more funding.

The students were getting the education they deserved, constantly finding ways to improve their music performance, learning music theory, and creating music together. They worked for everything given to them, so it wasn’t hard to realize what the school was hiding: talented musicians.

Aside from working as a music teacher, I could afford my own place: a medium-sized home, complete with a built-in garage and spacious backyard. Being able to move out of my parent’s house meant I was now acting independently, even though I did call back many times to ask how to pay bills, file taxes, and so on.

One thing I couldn’t shake was the lonesome feeling. I lived with my parents my entire life and was now alone. And no amount of material possessions or business propositions could fill that pit.

So I decided to change that. Adopting a dog and caring for my Pharah daily gave me a newfound hope for my life. I was in a very dark place after that senior year when the injury occurred, but now, it felt like my life was finally turning around in my favor.

I even got an interest. A human interest. A 24-year-old lady who was fond of me and asked me out. We were dating for nearly seven months, and things appeared to be turning around for me.

“Alas, something happened, didn’t it?”

========================================<>========================================

Yes, and it happened not too long ago. While trying to sleep one Friday night, I thought I had heard something from across my room. It was a strange, dark voice. I thought I was hallucinating and went back to sleep, but the voice spoke again.

“Open the door,” the voice called out. “Alex, open this door.”

I slowly got up and reached for the light switch above my bed, but the lights didn’t turn on. I started to hyperventilate because I wasn’t a big fan of dark rooms or anything scary, especially out of the horror genre.

I wasn’t thinking clearly, so I decided to grab something to protect me, and that was my phone. I mean, seriously. A golf club, bookcase shelves, something, anything. But nope, my phone had to be first.

As if that would ever wor-wait, it has a built-in flashlight function, I remembered, sighing afterward. Nevermind.

“Boutta turn this shit into Luigi’s Mansion,” I muttered, a grin forming. Turning on the flashlight, I blinked as the room slightly lit up, but nobody was in sight. Then, as I held up my phone, I felt something graze my left shoulder, and I immediately turned around.

There was maniacal laughter that followed, endlessly taunting me. Truly, this was from whatever entity was in play. Sure, I was freaking out, but the voice beckoned me again.

“Come open this door, Alex. Let me in….”

“How about no? I want to sleep. It’s been a long day,” I uttered under my breath. I exhaled and went to the bedroom door. I hesitated, wondering to myself, Was I still dreaming? No, then this would be a nightmare. But, eh, it’s worth a shot.

Grabbing the doorknob, I turned it to the left but found it locked. I looked for the locking mechanism, but the knob was flat.

“What the f-”

“NOT THAT DOOR, IDIOT!!”

I froze immediately, terrified for my life. Now it clicked into place. The closet door was the only other door in this room, and I had made the wrong choice. Now I am for sure dead, I painstakingly thought. I should really go back to bed.

But, to not anger whoever it was, I caved and went to the closet door. With caution, I slowly reached for the knob. Turning it ever-so-slightly, I peered into the closet as the door opened.

fwoosh!

========================================<>========================================

“What do you mean by ‘fwoosh!’”

Remembering what followed, I started to think, it was a crazy set of events. It had been quite some time since I appeared in that strange world. In a land of numerous unique creatures and different factions, all walks of life seemed welcome.

Well, all except the human species, apparently. From the moment I arrived, there was an immediate cause for panic at the sight of an unknown creature standing on two legs. But, like, come on, it wasn’t my fault. The universe sent me crashing into their weird yet colorful world.

Since then, I’ve gone through a lot. After spending a few years there, I thought returning home wouldn’t be possible, and I decided to start a new life. But nothing could prepare me for what was to come next.

Trapped, chained, and shunned from the rest of the world. A prisoner…for doing the right thing.

“What did you do to deserve that sort of treatment?”

You’ll find out later. It’s so obvious to tell when creatures fear who you are if they have to shackle you with the strongest material they know of. They knew I was strong in power but believed that would stave off any attempt I tried to escape.

However, I did have a backup plan. It was the best piece of technology I had created: a watch that resembled something out of Ben 10, which could activate any superpower I needed.

“You serious?”

“Yeah.” Web-slinging, powerful punches, an indestructible shield, dual-wielding battle axes, and even extreme speed. You name it, and it was most likely on it. Everything on my wrist was at my disposal. So you would think this imprisonment didn't matter since that super watch could grant me any superpower, right?

“Yea-”

“Hahaha, wrong. It’s dead and out of energy. Defective, so to speak,” I admitted, my shoulders sagging. One can only hope that I could regain some power from it sooner or later to escape that nightmarish prison.

But that’s where I was: trapped. It was the same room I had been given since I got there. One room in the highest tower at the Canterlot Castle in a world named ‘Equestria.’

“Why does that sound so famil-ehm. Sorry. Please, continue.”

The guards outside had been tripled ever since ‘the incident.’ Two guarding the door and a third checking to see if I was still there every ten minutes. Entirely unnecessary, I thought, them being allowed to rotate every hour to stay refreshed.

“You want to know the worst part?”

“What?”

They relished every opportunity they could get to mock me. Now, with all the stuff I had been through, after everything I had done to protect them. It was only then that they wanted to talk smack. And me being in such a vulnerable state meant they could do whatever they felt like doing to me.

“What about their higher-ups? Surely those individuals should have stopped that kind of behavior.”

The Commander, a fellow named Shifting Sands, was to check on them occasionally to make sure everything was in order. But with his schedule being so damn busy, it added up to i’s not getting dotted and t’s not being crossed.

No checks and balances…no control…no higher authority….

Just unrelenting, disgusting, putrid behavior from the individuals I thought I could trust.

“My, my, how the mighty have fallen. Wasn’t the human ‘incorruptible?’” said one of the guards.

“Guess not. A murderer, vandal, manipulator, and conspirer against The Crown of Canterlot. That’s when you know you bucked up.” said another. The guards started to laugh, inspiring them to start chanting.

“Now you bucked up. Now you bucked up....”

It droned on. I will never hear the end of it, I thought. At this point, it started to get on my last nerves. Why now? Is it because of my state, or have they disregarded my entire past in Equestria because of one singular event?

“What did you do, Alex?”

========================================<>========================================

It wasn’t even my fault. All I was doing was playing by my honor code. And now, I was being mocked for it. After all, if I hadn’t stepped in, who knows what could’ve happened to my so-called ‘friends.’

Those individuals being the four members of ‘The Crown of Canterlot.’ Four creatures by the names of Commander Shifting Sands, Princess Luna, Emperor Nacreous Thunderwing, and Princess Celestia.

chuckle “And to think I thought I knew them….”

Present-day life wouldn’t be how it was if I hadn’t resorted to killing off the one they call Anonymous. Of course, Greymane may have been able to control the devilishly-twisted golemite into becoming his personal minion through his sick magical abilities. However, that human was still somewhat in control of his own thoughts and actions.

Still, my goal then was to decimate Anonymous down to nothing and end it. It was a difficult decision, considering that the green human and I found out each other existed not even a year prior, but that past life didn’t matter at the moment. I had to prevent further destruction and possible death, which resulted in me blasting him with a ball of magical energy.

And after all the blood, sweat, and tears I had spilled on that battlefield, it was thrown into the dumpster and set ablaze. After those events, I remember what happened. I was recovering in my room, showering off the blood and wiping away the tears, when there was a flurry of knocks at the door.

Then, The Crown of Canterlot blasted down the door, placing me under arrest. Of course, I didn’t understand it then since it went by so fast, but it was still unbelievable and shocking.

And now, the guards chanting those derogatory statements kept reinforcing that memory, making me want to cut my ears off. I tried my best to drown their voices out, but despite my best efforts, it never worked.

“Why not? Just…don’t listen. You could’ve simply ignored them.”

That’s because out of everything they say behind that closed door, there was one topic they continuously mentioned that would get on my nerves every damn time.

“To think The Crown ever cared about him,” a guard said from behind the door.

“To think he thought the princesses were his friends. The Emperor and Commander? They were never his friends,” another said.

“He acted like they were, and then he betrayed them,” a guard said sadistically.

“I truly feel sorry for that one princess. Isn’t she the daughter of Queen Novo, the leader of the hippogriffs? I think her name was…oh yeah. Skystaaar….” the guard sang, the group chuckling.

“Yeah, he hurt her the most. I heard a rumor floating around that they were dating. But, hey, at least Skystar will be single again,” a guard said playfully.

“Doesn’t matter. After this, she can’t trust the human anymore,” the head guard responded.

“Ain’t that something?”

“What a shame….”

“Wow…rude…uhm. Alex?”

I clenched my fists in rage. Every. Single. Fucking time! I had to refrain from screaming or doing anything rash. A punishment usually resulted in me receiving a beating or magical electric shocks.

Whenever those pony guards uttered that statement, I had to grind my teeth, bite my lip, scream internally, or wish for earplugs to drown them out. No form of meditation could have helped me anymore.

A fantastic guitarist, novice teacher, former basketball player, decent swimmer, and a human with a competitive nature and chip-on-the-shoulder mentality, it didn’t matter anymore. They reduced it all to me shackled and chained, imprisoned behind a thick wooden door, trapped in a tower with the windows barred.

No escape.

Trapped forever in eternal misery.

========================================<>========================================

“That…sucks. I’m sorry.”

Don’t be. I’m not too fond of this world anyway, I thought. That was the right side of my brain speaking. What followed was the left side piping up. Cheer up, Alex. Think positive. It’s not all that bad.

“Your conscience?”

The two sides of my brain represented two different mindsets. The right was more adventurous and had a knack for being competitive. The other, however, was the left side, more methodical in its approach and emotionally driven. Still, I relied on them to decide what to do.

“And that’s where it got you? Trapped?”

At least I was given some freedom, that being in movement. However, I was still confused about why the guards didn’t shackle my legs together, as I was a creature deemed ‘too dangerous.’

Still, it wouldn’t have mattered. The shackles may have been tough to break, but maneuvering the one-stranded chain tied around my waist to the farthest wall resulted in an exploit: I could access the reading/writing desk, my books, and the window.

Twisting and turning, the chains that bound me straightened out and allowed me to walk over to the window. Looking out into the world, I could see all of Canterlot below. All the creatures running around free, what would I give to be back down there, in a world conversing with others, laughing, smiling? Probably my life, I plausibly thought. It’s too much to think about now.

And no form of breaking the bars and jumping out the window would help. Not only was I chained to the farthest wall of the room, but the loud sounds would’ve notified the guards and the pegasi would’ve caught me mid-air. That super-watch was not functional, and it meant The Crown of Canterlot would have turned me into French toast before I had another chance to breathe.

Shaking my head, I thought aloud. It’s no use, you goof.

I slumped back over to the bed to contemplate my life with nothing else to do for the umpteenth time. A book may help in these trying times. Painstakingly, I re-maneuvered the chain that shackled me, allowing me to access the shelf.

Once housing over fifty stories, books, and historical novels, only fourteen books remained on its shelving. I had read all of them cover to cover, but I never took the time to actually ‘read’ them. In this case, reading them word-for-word and not skimming could help me pass the time.

As I picked up the thickest book there, I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. I was an excellent student in my past English courses, but I couldn’t understand all the nitty-gritty details they asked of me. So I decided to take mental notes of what I was about to read and brought it up.

“This book sure is heavy,” I said to myself. Then, blowing off the dust, I knew why I hadn’t touched this book for over a year. “And very dusty,” coughing slightly. “What’s the title of this again?”

I looked at the cover and squinted. “The Completed History of Equestria. Written by Starswirl the Bearded. Transcribed by Twilight Sparkle,” I read aloud. It was a heavy book, and it didn’t help that the shackles restricted the movement of my arms.

Eh, I’ve lifted heavier objects before. Not to brag, my mind internally bragged.

“That’s what we call a ‘humble brag.’”

Returning to the book, I opened it and turned to the first page. Then, sitting at the desk next to me, I placed the textbook on the wooden surface and began reading.

sigh “Author’s Notes,” I read aloud. Blowing out a sigh, I knew I could fall asleep here and now. I even remember the first thought that came to my mind.

Boooooring...wait. Is something amiss here? I thought. Isn’t history a collection of fact-

“HEY!”

Jolting up from my thoughts, I stumbled and nearly fell backward.

Goddammit, I thought. The guards outside started laughing to themselves. They do this shit every chance they can get, I seethed internally. The daily occurrences made it even more and more annoying. Is there a reason they have to bother me now?

“Get used to it, human. You’ll understand what it feels like,” said one of the guards, a dark tone in his low voice.

Okay, what the actual fuck? I questioned myself. Was this guy once a criminal? What kind of statement is that?

“Anyways, you know the drill. You have a visitor today.”

I snapped out of my headspace and tensed up. For the most part, this had been happening ever since my incarceration three weeks prior.

The creatures who showed up were typically the same. Any semblance of royalty, rulers of other lands, or the guards playing a mind game to trick me into thinking I had visitors. One such creature who decided to visit me was Queen Novo herself, with both Royal Sisters in attendance.

The surprise visit was undoubtedly tense since the Queen and I had butted heads on several occasions, including that one time I fought her. But that was the one time I got an opportunity to teach her a lesson. A lesson called ‘mercy.’

“Really?”

Regarding mercy, I believe in two things: you show it, or you don’t. And even after I spared her from catching these hands, she still backstabbed me. Quite figuratively and literally, she stabbed me with her trident…sword-thingy, while I had my back turned to her.

But now isn’t the time to dwell on such memories. As I scrambled for the bed, I remembered all the times I had a visitor show up. From past experiences, if that door opened, being anywhere other than the bed could be interpreted as unruly behavior.

“That’s stupid.”

A stupid rule, but that was the stipulation. The head guard always checked first, and if he saw me anywhere other than sitting on the bed, the guards acted as if I was non-compliant. This resulted in the visitor being turned away and me being on the receiving end of a punishment.

Not wanting anything like that, I sat criss-cross applesauce and waited for the guard to check the room before allowing the visitor in. Sure enough, he opens it slightly, checks, sees me sitting on the bed, and motions to whoever is waiting outside to step forward.

The only thing I could think of was, who could it possibly be that wanted to see me today?

========================================<>========================================

As the Princess of Friendship, it was obvious why I was here.

After all, I had been tasked with doing the same thing for Anonymous before he tragically died from his vices, so why not try the same thing again? This time, a creature from the same species, who may or may not act differently from how Anon did. Worth a shot, right?

Climbing up the tower stairs was time-consuming, but it allowed me to reflect on what had happened yesterday and how I would have to adjust my approach toward Alexander.

“Deep breath, Twilight, it’s going to be fine,” I said under my breath shakily.

Reassurance. It kept me in check. The problem from my countless meetings with Alex was that initial approach. Not wanting to start another argument, there was the thought of one method that might do the trick.

Catching him off guard may help me get to know who he is on the inside. I don’t want him to be hurt anymore by this. He needs to relax, I reminded myself internally. But, as I neared the top, any hope of relaxing the human evaporated.

I had forgotten that he has had to deal with ramped-up security, including patrols outside his window occasionally. If he had ever thought of escaping these past three weeks, then they would have been washed away by now.

The verdict of the trial is coming down tomorrow, I reminded myself. Giving Alex any inside information while he is in such a precarious state may ease his mind. Remember Twilight, stay calm. Collect your thoughts before speaking.

I motioned to the head guard outside the human’s door, announcing my presence. He bowed and turned for the door. This guard appeared different from the others throughout the castle. Was he a newer recruit?

I took a mental image of the stallion at the time. The guard was a muscular, toned, giant unicorn who made me extremely uncomfortable. He resembled a lesser version of Bulk Biceps, except his coat was darker, and he had a demeanor that screamed, ‘I’m a bad guy.’ He was undoubtedly a newbie, but being the head guard?

I could understand since The Crown wanted to ramp up their security to ensure Alex stayed put. So it was only reasonable that they get a more threatening type of guard into their ranks. However, it nagged at the back of my head.

Why was The Crown doing this to the human? I didn’t want to speak up against my former mentor in any way, Princess Celestia, but I felt she was losing her mind. It’s highly unnecessary, I thought.

Snapping back to reality, I overheard the guards barking their orders at the human prisoner. Moment of truth, Twilight. No turning back now, I told myself internally. This is it.

The guard checked the room momentarily and motioned for me to enter the room.

“Alright, here goes nothing,” I thought aloud, stepping forward and past the menacing stallion.

========================================<>========================================

Oh, that makes perfect sense. I sighed inside. The Princess of Friendship, Princess Twilight Sparkle. No duh, of course she would be here.

“Who’s that?”

Princess Twilight is one of Princess Celestia’s prized students and knows everything about friendship and reformation. She’s practically been here every day since my arrest.

She tries to give me the same spiel, but it never works. It always upsets me because I know she’s trying to pry into my past, and it always brings the ugly side out of me. STOP ASKING ME ABOUT MY LIFE ON EARTH!!my mind echoed painfully, my hand clenching my forehead.

It was a painful reminder of the turbulent times I had suffered in recent years when I was still on Earth. From the worldwide pandemic to the deaths of loved ones. My mentor, whom I got to know personally at the university before they let him go. It all hurt my brain to think about.

Why do I still have these thoughts within me? I thought before shaking my head. Dismissing the painful thoughts, I felt as if this time would be much different. Princess Twilight wasn’t accompanied by any other creature for the second day in a row. It was…just her. Odd. The other times, one member from The Crown of Canterlot usually accompanied her to see me.

Nevertheless, she was here for her royal duty as the Princess of Friendship. She was here to spout the same drivel about consequences for your actions and reform. I was expecting it anyway, so I might as well get this over and done.

“I’m not going to ask you how you’re doing, Alexander Walkerson.”

I stared at her in shock, my jaw dropping. Using my full name? Wait, hold on, what? Wait a minute, my mind sputtered. Timeout. What the hell?

“I’m genuinely concerned,” the alicorn replied sympathetically, a bit of shakiness in her voice. “You’ve been here for what? Three weeks? And under heavy guard and immense scrutiny. And it’s been the same result every time I’ve been here to talk with you.” Twilight paused before resuming.

“It doesn’t help by the fact that The Crown has already decided your sentencing for the ‘supposed crimes’ you committed here in Equestria, Alex. Therefore, I’ve concluded you’re under a lot of anxiety and stress, so we will try something different today.”

I shook my head and hit the side of my head a few times. That’s a change, my mind told itself. She’s acting as if she cares. No…she isn’t acting. She’s being genuine. She’s being…a friend.

“I want to talk with you as a friend, Alex. That’s what we have been since you first came to Equestria, that’s what we are now, and that’s what we will forever be. No matter what. We may be two completely different creatures, but we are friends,” Twilight said, a hint of joy in her voice.

True, she is one of the princesses I trust the most with my heavily guarded life and thoughts outside of Princess Skystar, I reminded myself. But it’s nice to know she cares about me and wants to be there for me.

“That’s…some great reassurance from you, Princess Twilight. I humbly appreciate the concern,” I responded slowly, thinking and reiterating every meaningful word of the sentence.

“No problem, Alex. As the Princess of Friendship and your friend, I am obligated to see that you are okay. Now, how about we talk about your thoughts? What have you been thinking lately?” she said, a quill and paper appearing out of thin air. Twilight was smiling, knowing what she was up to.

“Well, so much for not asking how I am doing, hah,” I replied softly. Nevertheless, I decided to play along. Escape! my mind screamed. Kidding. No, but seriously, I couldn’t say-

“And if you want to say escape, I understand, Alex. That’s how every convict feels,” Twilight replied, patting my shoulder with her hoof. “And don’t worry about the guards. They can’t do anything to hurt me,” she said, her eyes twinkling like stars in the sky.

She’s reading me like a 3rd-grade textbook. Damn, she’s good. Of course, they can’t hurt you, but they will hurt me, I thought before smiling. Fuck it, let’s go with it.

“Yeah, Twilight, but they savor any opportunity to hurt me physically. You have no idea,” I said, chuckling. I threw my shackled hands up. “Heh, ya got me. I want to escape sooo baaadly. It’s the same as always, though. No chance in hell I’ll be able to do it.”

Twilight was attempting to suppress a chuckle, which wasn’t working. The air fell silent as my eyes closed and my head drooped. I took a deep breath and sighed to myself.

sigh “Apart from that…I want to say this to you once, and only once, Princess Twilight.” Twilight paused and tilted her head slightly to the left after my low voice sliced the tension away.

========================================<>========================================

My breath was shaky as I looked up at her. “I’ve had the better part of the last 24 hours to relive what I said and did yesterday, and I’m truly sorry for how I acted. You didn’t deserve it, and…I know that’s not who I am. It was unprofessional of me and for that…I’m sorry,” I apologized.

Yeah, way to go, dumbass. Berating Twilight for trying to dig into my personal life wasn’t a good idea, my mind remembered vividly. Especially since I overheard from the guards that she cried on the way down the stairs. I was still shocked that all four members of The Crown didn’t charge into my room and outright kill me instantaneously.

“It happened, though. You can’t change the past.”

Those events occurred, and I could do nothing about it other than apologize to the mare now. Twilight dismissed said remarks by waving her hoof.

“Don’t be sorry, Alex,” she said with a suppressed chuckle. I tilted my head to the right this time. “That’s how you felt. Honestly, I expected that reaction out of you, so I told Princess Celestia not to intervene. Instead, I wanted to hear it from you….”

Well, that explains that, I thought sadly.

“Don’t worry, though. I’ll return tomorrow for another meeting after the verdict is announced. For now, don’t be sorry for an instinctual reaction, Alex.” She smiled, nodding her head slightly.

“Twilight, it’s not a natural instinct to chastise a creature for offending me and yelling at them after specifically saying not to ask about my past,” I reiterated with frustration. Finally, I realized it and took a deep breath before continuing my point.

“That’s not who I am, nor the character I represent. I am a person who is very passionate about my craft. A compassionate and understanding individual who cares very much for everything and everyone around me,” I replied before smiling at her.

“I mean, come on…some of those humans from my world once nicknamed me ‘The Jolly Green Giant,’ and rightfully so…you have received a hug from me, right?” I inquired, laughing softly. Twilight silently laughed, covering her mouth with her hoof and nodding in approval.

“Anyways, that was wrong of me to do. You didn’t deserve it, Twilight.”

If she keeps this conversation going, I might get upset, I thought. So stay calm. God has a plan.

Twilight couldn’t suppress her laughter from my comments about myself. It took her a hot second to collect herself, resulting in a sigh. “Okay, I completely understand, Alex. No harm, no foul?” she said, grinning at me.

“That’s correct,” I replied. A straightforward response to such an unorthodox conversation, I told myself.

“Okay, well, I know I don’t have much longer to converse with you, Alex, but I just wanted to remind you of something.” Twilight’s tone shifted to that of pure seriousness. “The verdict is getting handed down tomorrow. You’re being charged with multiple crimes against Equestria, and it is up to The Crown of Canterlot, and those representing their nations, to decide your outcome. I can provide you context and what you should expect from all of this tomorrow.”

I pondered it for a bit, stroking my goatee. Then, after a few seconds, I shrugged and nodded to the alicorn princess. “Go for it. I’ll listen to everything you have to tell me, Princess Twilight.”

========================================<>========================================

Twilight’s face beamed at my statement. “Perfect! Glad you are eager to listen. The first thing is that it has been guaranteed you will not win. No way you’ll walk free after this is over.”

A deadpan expression covered my face. Of course, I already knew that, but okay, I thought.

“The second thing is that The Crown will bring you before the entire council to provide your opinion on the trial. Think of it as your final statement to the court and Equestria. What kind of impression do you want to leave with them?” Twilight asked rhetorically. “If you want to, you don’t have to say anything.”

I pursed my lips and nodded with approval before Twilight brought her head close to me. “I highly recommend that, by the way. The Crown, mainly Princess Celestia, wants to get past this, and you making a scene by speaking out would only be seen as showing resentment, which would only make things worse,” she whispered.

“What about a pre-prepared statement?” I asked. “One my ‘so-called’ lawyer can deliver?”

“I think that should be fine,” Twilight replied, sitting back. “But just think about what you will say then. Remember, it represents you…not anyone else.” I frowned as the mare continued.

“Thirdly, there are three outcomes: exile, death, or lifelong incarceration. There’s no getting out of this unscathed, Alex. But, if I were you, lifelong incarceration would be the best option considering I can then help you,” said Twilight, reassuringly patting my shoulder with her hoof.

I opened my eyes and looked up at Twilight, who, in turn, was smiling slightly. Then that response spoke itself into existence.

“Exile would be nice…at least, I would be…” my mouth shuddered as the word couldn’t come out. Alone, my mind finished.

“Not again. You can’t go through that again, Alex.”

I know. This is why I dismissed it and motioned for Twilight to continue talking so I could cry myself to sleep later. Reclining and stretching her back, Twilight took a deep breath.

“The fourth thing is that this was a huge trial. It involved all factions of creatures you have been in contact with, which will greatly affect our society. Every creature knows about this, so it’s imperative you don’t do anything stupid tomorrow,” Twilight cautiously warned me.

Hmmm, what could possibly go wrong? I wondered with a raised brow. I have to thank Twilight for all of this later. Anything else before I drown my misery in the sink?

“Lastly, Alex. I want to point out that you were up against the best prosecutor in Equestria and the entire court of opinion.” Twilight’s voice tensed up, which caused her to take a few deep breaths. She further explained what she meant. “I’m not only talking about The Crown of Canterlot but ‘everycreature’ from most of our allied nations.”

I smirked, doing my best to resist the urge to chuckle.

“To add insult to injury,” Twilight addressed solemnly, “Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, Star Swirl the Bearded, Princess Ember, Prince Thorax, Prince Rutherford of Yakyakistan, Lord Gestal of Griffonstone, Prince Haakim and Princess Amira of SaddleArabia, Queen Novo of the Hippogriffs, and myself all had votes. Either you were guilty or innocent.” My sides collapsed as she looked at me with a worried expression.

“Unfortunately, this was a battle you were destined to lose, Alex, and I am so sorry this played out like this. You may have gotten two or three to side with you, which included me. I voted YOU innocent…but that’s about it.” Twilight appeared visibly upset at herself, probably because she knew the outcome.

I mean, yeah, stacking the deck with fifteen official court judges, most of which are Canterlot’s allies? What in the HELL is this court? I remember thinking. Trial of the century, perhaps? The Public Zoo opinion poll? Well, for them at least….

“Golly. Earth seems to have a wayyy better judicial system than this ‘Equestria-verse….’”

Pfft. Yeah, right, both sides of my mind replied.

“I can only assume I got one vote then, which is good enough for me,” I said with a smile, raising my index finger. Twilight looked up, sensing the hint of sadness in my voice. I hung my head back and closed my eyes tightly.

sigh “Well, guess I’m royally fucked, am I?”

“Indeed you are.”

========================================<>========================================

My blood froze at that statement since I knew whose voice it belonged to. Slowly looking at the doorway, unbeknownst to Twilight and I, Princess Celestia had been eavesdropping on the last part of our conversation.

Towering over the both of us, the Princess of the Sun’s presence was unexpected and made us feel uneasy. Twilight was unimaginably scared, as she did not expect any creature to come in unannounced. She didn’t even want to turn around and face her former mentor face to face.

“Seems like you have some knowledge of what to expect tomorrow,” Celestia said, walking up a few feet before side-eyeing her former student. “Twilight, time’s up. Your conversation with the human is over.”

“Didn’t even say your name…hold on. Her ‘former student?’”

Like a deer in headlights, that’s how afraid Twilight appeared. “Yes, Princess Celestia…” the smaller alicorn conceded, bowing her head slightly before getting up.

At that particular moment, I felt bad for Princess Twilight. A mentor with a threatening image to push her around like a toddler.

It was…was…just cruel, my mind realized internally. Twilight didn’t say another word. She didn’t look at me as she began walking towards the door. Was that seriously it?

“As for you, Alexander Walkerson…don’t think you’ll come out of this alive and well,” Princess Celestia warned me, her mane flowing within the space of the cold room.

Of course it wasn’t, dipshit. Celestia had that menacing look on her face. It said, ‘Don’t mess with me, human.’ I had to bite the bullet and refused to respond to her stern warning, remembering those words of wisdom from my mother.

“Don’t let them bother you,” Mother reminded me after a day of being bullied. “No matter what they say or do to hurt you, they’ll have to answer for what they did when their time comes. You’re my little angel….”

“Such a saint.”

I looked at Twilight and was shocked because she had frozen in place. It took her a good second or two to turn her head around slowly. Then, looking directly at me, she did her best to reassure me that everything would be alright as long as I stayed quiet.

The silence was shattered by Princess Celestia. “You cannot fathom the amount of pain, suffering, and damage you caused here in Canterlot nearly three weeks ago. It’s unreasonable and goes against anything and everything anyone ever thought you were, particularly me.” sigh “No creature has respect for you anymore…It’s all over, Alex. You have truly screwed up this time.”

Okay, Celestia, I am getting sick of your nonsense, I told myself. On God, I am about to cuss you out, and I don’t care about the consequences. So just shut up and leave me be. I clenched my teeth, biting down hard on them. I was trying not to shake due to the frustration, but it felt inevitable.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself, Alex?” Celestia asked silently. “Anythin-”

“DID I SERIOUSLY HAVE A CHOICE?!” I barked back at her with resentment. My voice screamed, echoing through the walls as her ears and wings shot up. “I DID WHAT I NEEDED TO DO, AND NONE OF YOU BELIEVED ME!! WHY DON’T YOU ANSWER THAT?!”

My facial expression had done a complete 180 since I now had two wide eyes and a deterministic, albeit frustrating, face. Those words stunned Princess Celestia as she glared back at me with two magenta eyes, and her mouth hung open.

Twilight stepped back towards the window. That’s when she mouthed those two words.

“I’m sorry,” I silently heard. That’s when my pupils undilated themselves, and my jaw dropped. That made me want to cover my mouth and take it back, but it was already too late.

Oh God…what the fuck did I just do? my mind could only say to itself.

“Oh no…what followed it, if you don’t mind sharing?”

========================================<>========================================

Sure enough, the reason hit me fast. I was instantaneously snatched up in a quick retrieval spell and whisked from one end of the room to dead center in front of Princess Celestia.

“What did you just say to me?” the solar alicorn seethed. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to react as Celestia threw me down with her magic. The collision with the stone floor hurt severely, and that wasn’t even to mention the chain breaking off, which kept me chained to the wall.

However, that was the least of my worries. It was when I looked up that I realized my mistake. My outburst definitely pissed the elder alicorn off, and now Celestia’s mane flowed like molten lava. I gulped, seeing her horn shine brightly as she charged a spell.

And that’s why you don’t piss Princess Celestia off, my mind reminded me. Now we’re dead….

Princess Celestia shot out a beam of fire-powered magic toward me. Thankfully, I was saved by the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, who, at the last moment, decided to cast a shield spell.

“Saved you from turning into a burnt smore, eh?”

Thank you, God. I cried internally as I winced in pain from the collision.

“Twilight. Think to yourself,” Celestia sighed. “Answer this question: do you still view and consider this creature to be a trustworthy friend?”

Those words reverberated in my ears as I looked at the purple alicorn. Twilight struggled to keep her spell going, the shield weakening slightly. Her ears drooped, refusing to look at her mentor. Then, to my surprise, the younger princess fired back at Princess Celestia’s question.

“This is wrong, Princess Celestia,” the mare replied. “We shouldn’t treat him like th-”

“Do not tell me how to treat criminals, Twilight!”Celestia snapped.

Twilight looked up at Princess Celestia, shocked by those words. “But what about Anon?” Twilight cried out. “How did you treat him? With resentment?! You attempted to reform him.”

“And he gave me no choice but to take it back,” the older alicorn confessed. “He broke that trust, and I cannot allow it to happen again! Is that understood?!” Twilight shuddered in silence as she stood there, shocked by her mentor’s words.

So shocked that she inadvertently released the spell protecting me.

“...”

Oh fuck….

SIZZ!!

“AAAHH!!” I screamed, my hands coming up to protect my eyes. The fire hit my face so fast and violently, purposefully burning my retinas. Having terrible vision already was one thing. Having contacts was to combat that.

The fact that my contacts may have just been vaporized meant the pupils had been damaged even more. I did my best to cover my eyes with my shackled hands, but because Celestia’s spell had burned my face, I could only drop to the ground. Rolling violently on the floor from the unbearable pain, I sobbed in agonizing pain.

All the while, Princess Twilight stood there in shock. In my mind, I knew she was attempting to do something about the situation. But, she was hesitating…being too afraid to do something.

And that coward of a Princess I once called a friend? A creature I once trusted…the same creature that had taken me in when I was afraid and lonely? She just stood there.

“That’s it?”

Then, she did something worse in my book. I heard it happen. My eyes may have been burning alive, but my ears were as attentive as usual.

clip-clop! clip-clop! Princess Celestia had turned for the doorway and was trotting away. She fucking walked out of the room, knowing what had happened.

“Nooo….”

Cowardly and egregious.

What a friend, huh?

“...What about the other one?”

Speaking of friends, Twilight took matters into her own hooves, casting a quick healing spell to try and remedy the pain in my eyes. It didn’t matter whether or not she healed up what was around the area.

No matter how potent her spell would be, the pain would remain IN my eyes, burning up from the unbelievably severe fire damage.

In this case, I would have needed to douse my eyes with water for 15-20 minutes. But I wasn’t thinking about that at the time…just screaming in agony, from what somecreature had done….

Twilight, unfortunately, didn’t know what else she could do to help me. However, the Princess of Friendship stood beside me, her hoof tapping my shoulder. My body pushed her away in response, telling her physically and telepathically to ‘leave.’

She left the room without another word, her hoofsteps disappearing into the hallway and down the stairs.

Finally, the door promptly closed, leaving me…

Alone.

“...”

========================================<>========================================

For the rest of that day, I was left alone. Riving in pain from the burning sensation in my eyes, they couldn’t stop my agonizing screams from dying down. I gritted my teeth to try and silence myself, but...

“It didn’t really matter, did it?”

Nope…nocreature could help me now….

I couldn’t see.

I couldn’t hear anything else.

It took me nearly an hour for the pain to subsidize slightly, allowing me to walk over to the bathroom sink. That, in it of itself, was a tall task, seeing as I needed to remember the room’s layout. Unfortunately, short-term memory wasn’t always a strong suit of mine.

“But…you DID make it, right?”

Eventually, after walking the room’s perimeter ever so slowly so as to not subject myself to more pain from the burns, I found the bathroom door handle and opened the door. Then, feeling my way over to the sink, I slid my hand over the two knobs and twisted them.

Feeling the cold water pouring out from the faucet, it returned a stinging sensation to my hand’s nerves. Finally, after about 20-25 seconds, I slowly splashed water in the general area of my eyes, trying to cool down the burning sensation.

It was painful, frequently stopping to grit my teeth in anguish. Applying cold water to burned areas on my damaged facial skin was painful, having to be delicate. After thirty or so minutes of rinsing and repeating, the cold water had washed most of the pain away.

It didn’t matter, though. I slumped back toward the bed and painstakingly crawled into it. The entrance to my room was shut tight, locking me away from every creature else.

Those shackles bound my hands together, tormenting me with the bit of freedom I had left.

And to think…I already knew what this feeling was.

It was a feeling I had felt a long time ago.

“It was how you felt when it initially began, right?”

Yeah, my mind replied. One word that summed everything up….

“...”

Trapped.

Author's Note

Hello everyone. Harpy here! Yay, my first ever story!

I hope you enjoy this story I plan on writing for the future. I will continue to post chapters as soon as I can write them and proofread using Grammarly (fantastic software btw).

A, how do I put this, HUGE SHOUTOUT to my good buddy Radbunny for inspiring the story being created. His original characters in the stories Timeless and Sunspots helped drive this story along. Without his tremendous contribution to the site, I don't think I would have nearly as much fun writing this story as opposed to reading.

Keep in mind, I am reading comments and looking at what you all have to say. I take criticism as a way to make me a better writer, so long as it is not disrespectful. I do appreciate everyone who does take an interest in this story and reading it, and I can't wait for what the future holds.

Okay, I'm done. Back to writing!

-Harpy

Edit: I revised this chapter on May 23rd, 2023. Hopefully, the attitude and tone of this new version will satisfy the story's perspective from now on. And these revisions do not affect the storyline past chapter 7. It only is focused on correcting the tone it first gave off when initially released.